Jump to content
Leica M EV1: Die erste M mit EVF statt Messssucher ×
Leica M EV1: The first M with EVF instead of Rangefinder ×

50mm Summilux problem

RockyIII

By RockyIII
in Customer Forum

Recommended Posts

RockyIII

RockyIII

Posted
Posted

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I bought a new 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH last month to use with my M9. Yesterday, I noticed that it felt "crunchy" when opening up the last half stop to 1.4. Looking at the aperture blades, they are not all in the same position wide open -- three of them stick out a little. Due to the current scarcity of the lens, David Farkas at Dale Photo & Digital advised having it repaired rather than replaced. He made arrangements, and I shipped it off to Allendale today. Hopefully it will be a quick turnaround.

 

Has anybody else experienced this problem?

 

Rocky

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 49
  • Created
  • Last Reply
rebelfocus

rebelfocus

Posted
Posted
I bought a new 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH last month to use with my M9. Yesterday, I noticed that it felt "crunchy" when opening up the last half stop to 1.4. Looking at the aperture blades, they are not all in the same position wide open -- three of them stick out a little. Due to the current scarcity of the lens, David Farkas at Dale Photo & Digital advised having it repaired rather than replaced. He made arrangements, and I shipped it off to Allendale today. Hopefully it will be a quick turnaround.

 

Rocky

 

I can certainly vouch for the scarcity of the lens. I paid in full for mine at the beginning of November and am still waiting. I have recently been told that Leica UK won't be getting delivery until at least the end of January. That's 3 months+ even after laying down the readies.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Shootist

Shootist

Posted
Posted
What happens after Leica receives a lens for repair under warranty? Do they just repair and return it, do they send an e-mail confirming receipt and estimated ship date, or what?

 

Rocky

 

They will send a letter stating the repair needed and the cost, under warranty the cost will be zero. They will not state the time it takes to do the repair or the proposed return ship date. In the case of the 50 Lux ASPH it may have to go back to Germany for repair. Expect at lest 6 weeks maybe 10 weeks.

Link to post
Share on other sites
jk52

jk52

Posted
Posted

My new 50mm Summilux sample appears to have a similar problem. Here is what I emailed to Leica service in Allendale:

 

"My new Lux 1.4/50 ASPH aperture ring will not click into f1.4 position on the lens. When I first got the lens in October, the aperture ring would not click as nicely at f1.4 as the other positions. Turning the aperture ring to the f1.4 position has progressively increased resistance to that setting and will now not make the "click" sound nor stay at that setting easily. I am worried about forcing the aperture ring to the f1.4 position. Please advise. Thank you."

 

Here is the response received within two days:

 

"Please send your equipment to: Leica Camera, Inc., 1 Pearl Court, Unit A, Allendale, NJ 07401

 

We recommend that you ship via UPS or Federal Express, but feel free to ship however it is most convenient for you. Include a note with your name, address and daytime phone number and a brief description of what you would like to have repaired. If it is a recently purchased item, please include a copy of your sales receipt.

 

An estimate or a warranty repair notice will be mailed to you in approximately 2 to 3 days after we receive your equipment. Please allow a few more days for the mail to reach you. Make a note of the serial number for your records. If you need to call us regarding this repair, the serial number is what we would need to find the repair until a repair order number is assigned to it."

 

Fortunately, I too have a 35mm Lux to get to know. I gravitate to the 50mm Lux, however, and fear I will experience separation anxiety awaiting repair completion.

Link to post
Share on other sites
RockyIII

RockyIII

Posted
  • Author
Posted
"My new Lux 1.4/50 ASPH aperture ring will not click into f1.4 position on the lens. When I first got the lens in October, the aperture ring would not click as nicely at f1.4 as the other positions. Turning the aperture ring to the f1.4 position has progressively increased resistance to that setting and will now not make the "click" sound nor stay at that setting easily. I am worried about forcing the aperture ring to the f1.4 position. Please advise. Thank you."

 

That sounds exactly like my lens, but your description is better than mine. Did you look at the aperture blades? In my lens, they all maintained the same relative positions through all the f stops until 1.4, when three of them go askew.

 

David Farkas said the Leica folks told him they never heard of this problem. He had me send my lens to the attention of Christian Erhardt who said he would see that it received prompt attention.

 

Rocky

Link to post
Share on other sites
jk52

jk52

Posted
Posted
That sounds exactly like my lens, but your description is better than mine. Did you look at the aperture blades? In my lens, they all maintained the same relative positions through all the f stops until 1.4, when three of them go askew.

 

David Farkas said the Leica folks told him they never heard of this problem. He had me send my lens to the attention of Christian Erhardt who said he would see that it received prompt attention.

 

Rocky

 

Turning the aperture ring to just before the 1.4 position, three of the aperture blades stop retracting completely but appear to maintain their relative proper alignment. Four other blades almost make it with only two fully retracting. The seven blades in various steps of not retracting have, viewed from the front of the lens, a clockwise separation of 1 not retracting, 2 almost making it, 1 not retracting, 1 making it, 1 not retracting, 2 almost making it, and 1 making it. I say "varies" since it depends on much relative force is applied to move the aperture ring to the 1.4 position. Due to the "curve cut" on the blades, the 3 that do not retract fully do appear to be somewhat askew, but they are not rotating in plane when they stop retracting.

 

Thanks for the tip to send the lens to the attention of Christian Erhardt.

Link to post
Share on other sites
wda

wda

Posted
Posted
I bought a new 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH last month to use with my M9. Yesterday, I noticed that it felt "crunchy" when opening up the last half stop to 1.4. Looking at the aperture blades, they are not all in the same position wide open -- three of them stick out a little. Due to the current scarcity of the lens, David Farkas at Dale Photo & Digital advised having it repaired rather than replaced. He made arrangements, and I shipped it off to Allendale today. Hopefully it will be a quick turnaround.

 

Has anybody else experienced this problem?

 

Rocky

Rocky you were very lucky to get a new 50mm Summilux but unlucky to receive a faulty one. Back in the summer I tried to order one and thence followed eternal delays. I don't think any were delivered outside the London Leica store and are still unavailable. Clearly other priority manufacturing has limited the production of classic lenses and, from your report, affected quality control as well. Such a pity. I eventually cancelled my order while watching prices for this unavailable lens continue to rise.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Pangur Ban

Pangur Ban

Posted
Posted

The aperture ring on mine became completely stuck and it had to go back to Solms. This was just before a major holiday, during which I decided I liked the non-Leica lens I took with me a lot so sold the Summilux when it came back... If I'd taken it with me I might have kept it, who knows?

Link to post
Share on other sites
RockyIII

RockyIII

Posted
  • Author
Posted

The lens arrived from Allendale today. I have not taken it home and mounted it on my camera yet, but the aperture ring and blades are working perfectly. I am impressed with the fast turnaround by Leica, just one week. Thanks David and Christian!

 

Rocky

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
pimpster

pimpster

Posted
Posted

ok i am glad that i found this thread cos my 50lux is having EXACTLY the same problem as yours (except the blades do close perfectly if i force the aperture ring to 1.4) and i was worrying about it. when comparing to a lot of the modern leica lenses the aperture ring actually feel very very light thru out EXCEPT @1.4 . i bought this lens second hand recently and i knew this problem exists but it is such a rare lens and i doubt i will find a good price second hand one if i let it go so i have decided to take it anyway. taking picture wise it is perfect. it's just that damn 1.4 really annoy me.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Shootist

Shootist

Posted
Posted
This does not sound if it is just a manufacturing defect for a single lens. This never would have happened in the 1960`s.

 

There must be an over abundance of cost accountants working at Leica today.

 

 

There was also a problem with 75mm Summicrons where the aperture ring was put on upside down, f/stop marking on the bottom of the lens. One buyer got 2 or 3 lenses from B&H with the exact same defect. So QC is lacking.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...
Doc Henry

Doc Henry

Posted
Posted
I'm wondering if others have had problems like this with this lens? I'm thinking of purchasing one. The sample images I've seen with this lens have blown me away.

Wilfredo,

The 50mm SUMMILUX is fabulous , especially in difficult situations where he has any value : a very luminous lens .He makes very beautiful pictures.

I bought new and I have no problem since.

 

Sorry to hear that some of you have problems.

I'm up now on the M9 !

Regards

Henry

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...