gpwhite Posted June 9, 2015 Share #1 Posted June 9, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Problems with my “new” 75mm Summilux prompted me to send it in for repair at Leica NJ, and the repair procedure brought out an interesting story about this model. I would much appreciate having any comments about this from the truly knowledgeable on the forum. Leica informed me about their great difficulty in getting my lens open (s/n 3719xxx, 1995 according to the Wiki), which is required in order to fix the nearly frozen diaphragm. The rep explained that “the 75 lenses made in Canada were glued together, and often the glue takes a long time of heating and effort to get the lens open without damaging the elements.” Have you heard that some Leica lenses are glued together? I asked if the end-of-production 75 SX assembled in Germany also relied on glue, and the rep said he did not know. Well, this is disappointing, as I chose this piece over a more expensive Made in Germany 75 SX, but now have delay and added expense of diaphragm repair and 6-bit upgrade (the seller, a shop I have had very good luck with in the past, is paying the bill for the unexpected intransigence of the aperture above f/2). BTW, I kept the lens because it takes excellent images @ f/1.4 (both sharpness and colors)… better than I expected in comparison to the 80mm Summilux I sold, which was spiffed up last winter in Wetzlar but not really to the level of image quality I am getting with this 75 SX. Now I wonder, was my APO 50 such an expensive lens because the glue tolerances are so special? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 9, 2015 Posted June 9, 2015 Hi gpwhite, Take a look here 75mm Summilux is glued together?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wattsy Posted June 9, 2015 Share #2 Posted June 9, 2015 Have you heard that some Leica lenses are glued together? The 4th version of the 35 Summicron has plastic inner parts that are probably glued together. There was a good thread a few years back showing one of these that had split open. The 21/F2.8 Elmarit (pre-asph) is also known to be glued together inside. Edit: Here is the thread I was referring to. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted June 9, 2015 Share #3 Posted June 9, 2015 The rep explained that “the 75 lenses made in Canada were glued together, and often the glue takes a long time of heating and effort to get the lens open without damaging the elements.” Have you heard that some Leica lenses are glued together? Depends what is being referred to as glue and just what is 'glued' together - could just be a thread locking compound - used to ensure that components don't loosen - which will often soften with heat. Insufficient information to really know what exactly is being referred to. Might be worth asking again but I'd suspect a thread locking 'glue' myself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted June 9, 2015 Share #4 Posted June 9, 2015 Well at least they seem to have used reassuringly good glue Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted June 9, 2015 Share #5 Posted June 9, 2015 Might be worth asking again but I'd suspect a thread locking 'glue' myself. In modest experience to loosen plastic glue it is best to apply real infrared to penetrate properly. I am sure Leica NJ is on top of the issue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted June 9, 2015 Share #6 Posted June 9, 2015 As an aside, historically many lens elements were "cemented" together, using a refined Canadian Balsam, other products have superceeded it over the years. Sometimes people use the term "glued" instead of "cemented". In neither case is it literally glue or cement....just a form of speech which everybody understands. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 9, 2015 Share #7 Posted June 9, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) My 80-200 R was "glued" together, i.e. liberally coated with locking compound to the extent that even Will van Manen couldn't open it up to clean the lens elements. I sent it to CS Wetzlar who managed to open it up - but left a fingerprint to prove it on one of the elements, so it had to go to Will again for a second clean... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpwhite Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted June 9, 2015 In modest experience to loosen plastic glue it is best to apply real infrared to penetrate properly. I am sure Leica NJ is on top of the issue. Hmm... they explained that they place the lens on a hot plate for several days (no kidding). The rep suggested in his comments that this problem haunts 75mm SX they service, but he did not mentioned infrared lighting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted June 10, 2015 Share #9 Posted June 10, 2015 Hmm... they explained that they place the lens on a hot plate for several days (no kidding). The rep suggested in his comments that this problem haunts 75mm SX they service, but he did not mentioned infrared lighting. Okay, I admit ignorance. I can hardly believe the hot plate thing. Perhaps we have a language difference. As a 75mm maven, It seems to me to be a very unusual instance; hope you get it all worked out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted June 11, 2015 Share #10 Posted June 11, 2015 Oh man, I hope this "SX" thing doesn't become a new fad. How do you call a Summarit, ST? About the glue, I wouldn't care much. They know what they are doing. Once they open it they either re-glue it or screw it back, whatever. They fix it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted June 11, 2015 Share #11 Posted June 11, 2015 Once, DAG repaired my old 75 lux and he had a hard time opening it. He told me that he created a special tool to open it... And then explained the incredible screetching noise. So it was probably the glue! Wow... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheshireCat Posted June 12, 2015 Share #12 Posted June 12, 2015 Hope people will stop complaining about the Hyperprime 50/0.95 being glued together. Well, at least for 30 years Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted June 20, 2015 Share #13 Posted June 20, 2015 I purchased a slide projection lens new in the box and sealed. The lens was fogged from foam in the box. Sent it in for repair and they said it could not be disassembled for repair because it was glued together. A good lesson for those who have foam, black closed cell, in camera storage containers. I also know of one person who has dozens in lenses in a Haliburton lined with white foam. Most all the lenses need internal cleaning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted June 20, 2015 Share #14 Posted June 20, 2015 I will add another general caution. I put my professional Nikon F systems in 'quality' foam cases and the padding turned to tar. Well, it was over 20 years in storage, but... . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhoh7 Posted June 21, 2015 Share #15 Posted June 21, 2015 Luckily my early 80's 75 Lux is perfect, and I don't plan to let anyone "inside" during my lifetime But this may be another reason why there are quite a few funky copies of the Lux floating around. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpwhite Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share #16 Posted June 21, 2015 Latest update from Leica USA repair technician is warning to "use it, or lose it." It appears that my 1995 ELCAN assembly 75 Summilux might have sat untouched for many years, which explains its mint condition. After two weeks of gentle heating, Leica is still trying to open the lens up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted June 22, 2015 Share #17 Posted June 22, 2015 Latest update from Leica USA repair technician is warning to "use it, or lose it." It appears that my 1995 ELCAN assembly 75 Summilux might have sat untouched for many years, which explains its mint condition. After two weeks of gentle heating, Leica is still trying to open the lens up. Maybe time to give it a Don Goldberg Massage Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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