Take the focus "grip" off!

[Macbookguy]

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I wounder if its possible to take that little "grip" off the focus ring. On my pre asph 50mm summilux there is no "grip" and I prefere it that way.

[adan]

You don't mention which lens, but regarding the 50 f/1.4 ASPH - at the time of introduction Leica did say the focus tab could be removed on request. Leaves two holes which are then filled with blind screw heads.

 

As to other tabbed lenses - the tabs are also removable, but since their focus rings are very narrow and not knurled for a good grip**, the result isn't very practical.

 

**Except for the rare, expensive original "Aspherical" 35 f/1.4, which had knurling like the 50 ASPH.

[cbretteville]

Funny how the love/hate relationship with the focusing tabs makes us change what Leica believe is the right design for a lens. I really like them so I recently payed DAG to add a tab to my 50 Elmar-M, Leica CS refused. In my mind the lens is now way more usable than it was without the tab.

Carl

[horosu]

I, for my part, sincerely hate these tabs.

 

I feel focusing is much more intuitive and easier when having a wide area to grip, without having to look around for the tab all the time.

 

That's why I ultimately bought a Summilux 50 LHSA, which has no such distractions.

[lars_bergquist]

Leica M lenses are compact, especially the wide angles and the standard lenses. On many of them, there simply is no place for a focusing ring that is broad enough to function well with knurling alone. This factor -- ring size -- is the decisive one.

 

How would you propose to focus the 28mm Elmarit ASPH with a knurled ring? The 50mm lenses are borderline cases, to be sure; but at least one Summicron, the v.3 one, had no focusing tab. The present one has none, too, but the original mount had one.

 

Up here near the North Pole, we often have to focus lenses with gloves on (on us, not on the lenses). A tabless wide angle lens would be impossible to use.

 

The old man with the mittens on

[elgenper]

I, for my part, sincerely hate these tabs.

...

 

The tabs themselves are OK, and in many instances quite helpful.

 

The infinity locks on some older lenses, however, are a bl***y nuisance; they interfere with precision focussing in the ´near-infinity´ range. The much revered Oscar put one on the Ur-Leica, and it took half a century before anyone dared to remove it....

[H. James Wolf]

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A slightly off topic question: how do you get to these screws? The focus tab on my pre-asph 35 summicron is loose. Can I fix this myself or is it due for a trip to DAG?

[juergen]

 

**Except for the rare, expensive original "Aspherical" 35 f/1.4, which had knurling like the 50 ASPH.

 

I just checked. This lens has both, knurled ring AND tab.

 

Juergen

[pico]

Leica M lenses are compact, especially the wide angles and the standard lenses. On many of them, there simply is no place for a focusing ring that is broad enough to function well with knurling alone. This factor -- ring size -- is the decisive one. [...]

 

 

My solution to assist focusing the early Summilux 35mm. I did well with the original until I had a hand injury. This solution works very well.

[jaapv]

The tabs themselves are OK, and in many instances quite helpful.

 

The infinity locks on some older lenses, however, are a bl***y nuisance; they interfere with precision focussing in the ´near-infinity´ range. The much revered Oscar put one on the Ur-Leica, and it took half a century before anyone dared to remove it....

On collapsible lenses they are quite practical. It fixes the lens to operate the extending bajonet.

[jaapv]

I find focussing tabs very practical. They give tactile feedback about the position of the focussing ring.

[peter_n]

I, for my part, sincerely hate these tabs.

I did too when I started with Leica seven years ago. I came from SLRs and the tabs were a completely foreign concept. I used to go out of my way to avoid tabbed lenses, until one day I got such an incredible deal on a 35/1.4 ASPH I had to get the lens. It had a tab, and after a while, I started to like it...

 

However I've been strong, I've limited tabs to wide-angle lenses so my 15, 24 and 35s are all tabbed and I've come to terms with them. They can be useful if the lens has a short focus throw.