28mm M Summicron ASPH small problem

[dem331]

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Hello all, lets see if I can explain this clearly.

 

When putting the hood on the 28mm yesterday I noticed that the front part of the lens (the part in front of the aperture ring where the white dot is painted) moved slightly to the right (looking at the lens from the front), about 2mm or so. I can now click it back and for the at will.

 

Works perfectly, I am just worried that there is something loose that will get worse. It is about twelve years old.

 

Many thanks for any comments-.

 

Enrique

[wattsy]

The little grub screws are most likely coming loose. Eventually the front part of your lens will fall off. It is a well known problem with this lens. Use the correct size screwdriver and carefully tighten the screws.

[colint544]

It's a well-documented, and common design fault with the 28mm Summicron. The three miniscule screws around the front of the barrel work loose.

 

I had the same thing with mine - it drove me nuts having to keep tightening the screws. It was ruining my enjoyment of the lens. Ended up sending it back to Solms, and they fixed the problem. I'm not sure what they did, but the holes where the screws were appear to have been filled in with some compound. I cannot see the screw heads at all.

 

Best wishes,

 

Colin

[Malvolio]

Can I suggest not using the hood at all. I've kept mine in the box. I suspect any pressure on the hood whilst it is attached to the lens (ie in the bag) and removing and returning the hood to the lens would be a possible reason why this happens

[dem331]

Many thanks! I have tightened the screws and the problem is momentarily solved -lets see if it lasts another 12 years or if i have to send it in!

 

As for not using the hood, I would love not to since it reduces size considerably, but I suspect i will lose quality of image.

 

Thanks again to all

[Guest odeon]

Many thanks! I have tightened the screws and the problem is momentarily solved -lets see if it lasts another 12 years or if i have to send it in!

 

As for not using the hood, I would love not to since it reduces size considerably, but I suspect i will lose quality of image.

 

Thanks again to all

 

Don't care about the hood. It is a common issue. You must just enjoy the lens.

[Peter Branch]

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Many thanks! I have tightened the screws and the problem is momentarily solved -lets see if it lasts another 12 years or if i have to send it in!

 

As for not using the hood, I would love not to since it reduces size considerably, but I suspect i will lose quality of image.

 

Thanks again to all

 

Just paid Leica Mayfair £266 (GBP) to fix my lens with a similar fault. It took 11 weeks!

 

They did more than just tighten the screws because these are no longer visible, the items attended to include cleaning the aperture blades. I had agreed to them doing whatever was necessary.

[A miller]

I fixed mine (well, the one I used to have) myself by borrowing a tiny screwdriver from a watchmaker in my neighborhood. It was easy as pie.

 

And I agree that the hood is generally a waste and shouldn't be used.

[Stealth3kpl]

I recently bought a 12451 as an alternative. You might also consider the 12466:

Leica 28mm Summicron f/2 ASPH hoods: 12451 & 12466

 

Another alternative:

Alt hood for 28mm f/2 ASPH Cron | La Vida Leica!

 

Pete

[Stealth3kpl]

Just paid Leica Mayfair £266 (GBP) to fix my lens with a similar fault. It took 11 weeks!

 

 

I paid Malcolm Taylor a similar amount. It took him about a year

Pete

[viramati]

Common problem and all you need to do is tighten the 3 screws on the front ring. If you do use the hood beware of the 4 screws that hold the plastic hood to the mount as these come loose as well

[250swb]

The problem is caused by holding the hood when mounting or dismounting the lens. The torque twists the lens barrel and causes the small screws to rock, and then they loosen. So use the hood, just don't hang on to it when changing lenses.

 

Steve

[CalArts 99]

A 46mm to 49mm step up ring seems to work for me as a hood (e.g., B+W makes one and the lens cap from the 75mm Summicron 2.0 fits the ring; although any brand will work of course.) I find that it shades the lens well enough while keeping it compact (it's a pretty compact lens without a hood) and the 28mm Summicron seems to have pretty good flare resistance as it is.

 

I did use the 12589 hood (for the Summilux-M 35mm ASPH pre-FLE) in the past but found that it butts up too closely to the aperture ring and makes the ergonomics a little too fussy.

 

Anyway, this works for me.....

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[dem331]

Many thanks to all for the suggestions.

[Bill W]

A 46mm to 49mm step up ring seems to work for me as a hood (e.g., B+W makes one and the lens cap from the 75mm Summicron 2.0 fits the ring; although any brand will work of course.) I find that it shades the lens well enough while keeping it compact (it's a pretty compact lens without a hood) and the 28mm Summicron seems to have pretty good flare resistance as it is.

 

I did use the 12589 hood (for the Summilux-M 35mm ASPH pre-FLE) in the past but found that it butts up too closely to the aperture ring and makes the ergonomics a little too fussy.

 

Anyway, this works for me.....

That's a cool idea there. I might try this as an alternative.

[tobey bilek]

The hood is not a lever to mount and unmount the lens.

[Bill W]

A 46mm to 49mm step up ring seems to work for me as a hood (e.g., B+W makes one and the lens cap from the 75mm Summicron 2.0 fits the ring; although any brand will work of course.) I find that it shades the lens well enough while keeping it compact (it's a pretty compact lens without a hood) and the 28mm Summicron seems to have pretty good flare resistance as it is.

 

I did use the 12589 hood (for the Summilux-M 35mm ASPH pre-FLE) in the past but found that it butts up too closely to the aperture ring and makes the ergonomics a little too fussy.

 

Anyway, this works for me.....

I bought one of these and I think it will work great. Need to try it this week. Thanks for the tip.

[colint544]

For what it's worth, I treated my 28mm Summicron ASPH with kid gloves from day one. I rarely used the hood, and I was always careful to attach and remove the lens by the base. It made no difference - the screws eventually worked loose regardless. Even with Loctite on them.

 

To my eye, the screws are too small, and much too short. They're so small you can barely see them. I'd be astonished if Leica built a future lens with this type of design.

 

That said, I'd never part with mine.

[padam]

on how to fix it, an inside screw may also become loose.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[gunston]

For what it's worth, I treated my 28mm Summicron ASPH with kid gloves from day one. I rarely used the hood, and I was always careful to attach and remove the lens by the base. It made no difference - the screws eventually worked loose regardless. Even with Loctite on them.

 

To my eye, the screws are too small, and much too short. They're so small you can barely see them. I'd be astonished if Leica built a future lens with this type of design.

 

That said, I'd never part with mine.

it really sounds like a design flaw, i am almost buying it, but this matter is holding me back...