50 Lux Asph Factory Calibration

[jaapv]

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My Summilux asph front focused from new (2007) so I took it to Leica CS Solms where they kept and returned it quite a time later with some parts exchanged. Since then it focuses perfectly on all bodies I used it on. My guess is that the FLE part has to be made to such narrow tolerances (in the order of thousandths of a mm) that it is hard to maintain manufacturing precision.

I don’t think DAG has the parts or the tools to work on this lens.

[k-hawinkler]

My Summilux asph front focused from new (2007) so I took it to Leica CS Solms where they kept and returned it quite a time later with some parts exchanged. Since then it focuses perfectly on all bodies I used it on. My guess is that the FLE part has to be made to such narrow tolerances (in the order of thousandths of a mm) that it is hard to maintain manufacturing precision.

I don’t think DAG has the parts or the tools to work on this lens.

 

Thanks. I will ask DAG then I will know for sure.

My new 50 Summilux was in NJ under warranty.

But as you pointed out before it still is not focusing correctly.

My M9 was in Solms of another problem but seems to be focusing other lenses just fine.

I will see whether I do better with my 50 Lux on the A7R.

 

Even if DAG doesn't work on that lens I might send the lens anyway.

I would like to know what he determines with his collimator.

[smkoush]

I don’t think DAG has the parts or the tools to work on this lens.

 

Jaapv,

 

DAG has all the tools necessary to work on the 50mm Summilux ASPH.

 

At first I sent it to Leica, NJ along with my MP for calibration when I first bought it as it wouldn't reach proper focus anywhere.

 

It came back almost three months later with a note saying that they adjusted "centering", but also with very noticeable back focusing and strangely with quite a bit of oil on the aperture blades (note: this was a brand new lens!). I sent it back to Leica NJ where they cleaned the aperture blades and supposedly corrected the focusing (took them another month to do that). Still focus was off (back focusing) and very noticeable.

 

Finally I called Don, explained the situation and then sent it to him. The lens came back (within a week) as a stellar performer at all distances. So DAG does have all the parts and tools to calibrate the 50mm Summilux ASPH properly.

[k-hawinkler]

Jaapv,

 

DAG has all the tools necessary to work on the 50mm Summilux ASPH.

 

At first I sent it to Leica, NJ along with my MP for calibration when I first bought it as it wouldn't reach proper focus anywhere.

 

It came back almost three months later with a note saying that they adjusted "centering", but also with very noticeable back focusing and strangely with quite a bit of oil on the aperture blades (note: this was a brand new lens!). I sent it back to Leica NJ where they cleaned the aperture blades and supposedly corrected the focusing (took them another month to do that). Still focus was off (back focusing) and very noticeable.

 

Finally I called Don, explained the situation and then sent it to him. The lens came back (within a week) as a stellar performer at all distances. So DAG does have all the parts and tools to calibrate the 50mm Summilux ASPH properly.

 

 

Excellent! Thanks.

[Jeff S]

Late to respond, but yes, DAG is the guy. (Ironically I've been out today shooting with the 50 Summilux ASPH, which works perfectly now thanks to DAG. He checked out the lens completely, besides changing the grease, before he returned it to me....quickly.)

 

Jeff

[k_g_wolf ✝]

Weird!

 

Quite strange that people have to forward brandnew LEICA-lenses to independant

repairpeople for final collimation. Can hardly imagine, that this true.

 

 

Best

GEORG

[Jeff S]

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Quite strange that people have to forward brandnew LEICA-lenses to independant

repairpeople for final collimation. Can hardly imagine, that this true.

 

If you read my other thread, you'll see that I sent my lens to Leica NJ first, to have the focus action adjusted. They said nothing could be done. So I sent it to DAG and he fixed it immediately, and then he checked everything else before sending it back.

 

Shame on Leica in this instance; my other dealings with NJ have been fine.

 

Jeff

[Erik Gunst Lund]

Weird!

 

Quite strange that people have to forward brandnew LEICA-lenses to independant

repairpeople for final collimation. Can hardly imagine, that this true.

 

 

Best

GEORG

 

That's also why I believe it's the M9...

 

Why not do a simple test on an M 240? Takes just a few minutes at a dealer to test it...

 

Leica in Solms has a very nice test rig for calibrating/confirming the rangefinders at many distances from close to infinity.

 

Good luck with your quest

[Niko]

I sent my 50Lux Asph to Solms three times before it focused correctly enough. I still had to adjust my MP a bit to get it perfect. It is this lens that keeps me with Leica but of course i would be happy to get a few other lenses as well. Now i can´t because they don´t match my 50Lux Asph tweaked MP. I even sold some lenses that didn´t match my MP anymore. At first i had an M3 with which i intended to use the lens, but in the process i found out that my M3 can´t keep it´s rangefinder settings anymore, that´s why i decided to get an MP and at first of course though the problem would be solved with that… Well, now that i have the perfectly matched MP and 50Lux Asph i am happy with it. Only other lens i have is a 24mm Elmarit-m ASPH, that one i got from Vienna LeicaShop after getting the focusing problems solved because if that would´t match the MP LeicaShop accepts returns without questions asked... Maybe i´ll still get an M7 at some point for "normal Leica lens" use...

 

Just felt like sharing my experience with this seemingly problematic, but so lovely lens ! I learned to adjust the rangefinder too in the process

 

Niko

[jaapv]

Jaapv,

 

DAG has all the tools necessary to work on the 50mm Summilux ASPH.

 

At first I sent it to Leica, NJ along with my MP for calibration when I first bought it as it wouldn't reach proper focus anywhere.

 

It came back almost three months later with a note saying that they adjusted "centering", but also with very noticeable back focusing and strangely with quite a bit of oil on the aperture blades (note: this was a brand new lens!). I sent it back to Leica NJ where they cleaned the aperture blades and supposedly corrected the focusing (took them another month to do that). Still focus was off (back focusing) and very noticeable.

 

Finally I called Don, explained the situation and then sent it to him. The lens came back (within a week) as a stellar performer at all distances. So DAG does have all the parts and tools to calibrate the 50mm Summilux ASPH properly.

Yes- Don is quite a guy and a standard calibration is well within his scope. But in this case I think the FLE mechanism is out of tolerance and he will not have the tools or parts to do it. Even Solms - I had to wait for three months for the FLE part to arrive ( it s batch produced).

[jplomley]

I sent my 50Lux Asph to Solms three times before it focused correctly enough. I still had to adjust my MP a bit to get it perfect

 

This is exactly what I want to avoid. My M9 focuses all my other lenses perfectly. If Leica insist the M9 needs tweaking to make the 50 Lux work properly, then all bets are off. I am not willing to sacrifice the performance of my other glass, especially the 90 APO Asph, for just one lens. Unfortunately, I think I'm at the point where I just have to walk away from the 50 Lux Asph, as it is proving quite problematic for digital RF's. It's a real shame, because it's one of the gems in the M lens line-up. Fortunately, I have the 50 Summicron v5, which actually outperforms the Lux in terms of resolution and corner performance at equivalent apertures. It just does not have the same buttery smooth bokeh or zone separation that the Lux has. Pity.

[TheGodParticle/Hari]

This is exactly what I want to avoid. My M9 focuses all my other lenses perfectly. If Leica insist the M9 needs tweaking to make the 50 Lux work properly, then all bets are off. I am not willing to sacrifice the performance of my other glass, especially the 90 APO Asph, for just one lens. Unfortunately, I think I'm at the point where I just have to walk away from the 50 Lux Asph, as it is proving quite problematic for digital RF's. It's a real shame, because it's one of the gems in the M lens line-up. Fortunately, I have the 50 Summicron v5, which actually outperforms the Lux in terms of resolution and corner performance at equivalent apertures. It just does not have the same buttery smooth bokeh or zone separation that the Lux has. Pity.

 

I don't have a suggestion to fix the issue with the lens but my workaround was to sell my factory fresh back focusing 50luxASPH and buy another factory fresh copy which also back focused. I loved what the lens could do, so I bought a Sony nex 5N for the lens and shoot the rest of the family with my M9

 

Since technology has progressed and the first results look fantastic, maybe you want to get a Full Frame Sony A7 / A7r to use your 50luxASPH with?

 

Since you will see and focus through the supposedly excellent EVF, front/back focus problems are a thing of the past and it will cost you a fraction of the M240

[wizard]

...I have the 50 Summicron v5, which actually outperforms the Lux in terms of resolution and corner performance at equivalent apertures. ...

 

I have two copies of the 50 Summicron v5, and while their performance is indistinguishable to me, neither of them outperforms my 50 Summilux asph. Why don't you send your Lux to Solms, they should clearly be able to fix it once and for all. And for free.

 

Andy

[jplomley]

I have two copies of the 50 Summicron v5, and while their performance is indistinguishable to me, neither of them outperforms my 50 Summilux asph

 

Very odd. Perhaps I have a smoking 50 Cron v5 then, because it outperformed both copies of the 50 Lux I've had, in terms of both central resolution and corner performance. I need f/5.6 on the Lux to achieve the same corner performance I can achieve on my Cron v5 at f/2.8

[lct]

Interesting indeed. I have both and re: corners it's the other way around for me. My Summicrons v4 and v5 are no slouch -love is blind - but the Summilux asph plays in another league to me. I would get my sample calibrated if you've kept it.

[jplomley]

Sounds like you have a smoking hot 50 Lux Asph. Interested in a trade for a smoking hot 50 Cron v5. You don't need those other two sub-par performers

[hoppyman]

My Summilux 50 ASPH was serviced and adjusted by Solms for free when two years old (with my M8 upgrade).

 

Three years later I was seeing large back focus errors at large apertures. I could not identify any reason for the change and then went through the exercise of ensuring my technique, vision and the camera were not the cause.

 

The agent here had to send it to Solms. That was an expensive servicing but it came back much better, if still maybe a cm back-focus at 1 metre at f/1.4 (based on my home testing). I don't know what the standard is, that is whether that is intentional due to the lens characteristics. It is very likely less than the average error rate in hand held shooting I suspect. In any case in practical use I was not seeing the errors again that prompted the second service.

 

Fast forward a year and I fell full length with that lens on my M (typ 240) and bounced it off some very unforgiving granite paving. The lens actually appeared undamaged except for the crushed hood , it still seemed to focus smoothly and I used it and the camera some more with the EVF after. However a check by the national agent here found that the complex mechanism was knocked out of adjustment (and the M needed RF adjustment and a complete check and service that only Solms could perform too).

 

The point of repeating that last anecdote is that I've been told more than once that for some adjustments this lens needs to be essentially rebuilt and only back in Germany. Clearly for some other work that is not necessary.

 

In this specific instance Customer Service have just told me (and Leica Australia confirmed) that they will not attempt to fix and adjust the lens until after the M is finished. That is because the M is very sensitive to lens adjustment (and itself adjusted with new equipment and a higher standard again). Then they will match the lens and body as perfectly as possible (within the specification and tolerances).

 

I'll post at length on the outcomes when the equipment is back in my hands. That won't be until the New Year now.

[k-hawinkler]

Good luck, Geoff. Please, stay safe!

[Jeff S]

Then they will match the lens and body as perfectly as possible (within the specification and tolerances).

 

Is this a change to their practice, which as I understand it, is to calibrate camera and lens to independent standards.

 

Jeff

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[hoppyman]

Is this a change to their practice, which as I understand it, is to calibrate camera and lens to independent standards.

 

Jeff

Hi Jeff. I don't believe so. That is why I was careful to say 'within the specifications and tolerances'

 

What I have been told is that the RF mechanism of the M (typ 240) is adjusted to finer tolerances than previously and using new equipment. For this reason I was told that the previous method was not sufficiently accurate for the new standard and the work can only currently be done in Germany.

I do not know what methods or differences, if any, apply regarding alignment of the sensor within the body.

 

My understanding on what I was told for the lens servicing and adjustment is that they will use the results numbers from the camera adjustments when they adjust the lens. Of course there is an acceptable range of focus variation or tolerance in every case however good the standards applied that comply with the system design. However they can try to do even better. For example if the camera was -minus whatever but within its tolerance range, they might try to ensure that the lens is not the opposite. In other words as close to perfect as is possible for any mechanical/optical assemblies. That is to say better than the normal acceptable tolerances of the system designs.

 

This was the case actually for this same lens back in 2009 when my M8 was upgraded and they then adjusted both that 50 and my 75 for free after that.