lens hood thread Leica Q2 Lens Hood Seized at an Oblique Angle

[greg7pan]

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The lens hood on my Leica Q2 has seized at an oblique angle. The threads have been rough for some time. We’ve cleaned the threads with delicate brushes of various stiffness and lens cloths. No positive results were achieved. The hood is now firmly stuck.  
 

Over the past months, we refrained from using any lubricant. Is there one that is Leica approved?
 

We need to get up and running pretty quickly. Do any of you have any suggestions?

[Le Chef]

I would try Olioguanciale. It works and for Leica owners is remarkably cheap and widely available.

Edited June 5, 2021 by Le Chef

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[gteague]

sorry to ask, but i guess some don't know that there's a 'stop' about 1/8 twist from locked which you have to overcome with more or less twisting force. when i put the original lens hood on i was convinced that the threads were locked before i read you have to grit your teeth and bear down on it. and when i replaced it with the lim's lens hood they had incorporated this 'buffer' zone as well, but theirs was even tighter and i really had to grit and force to seat it.

i'm sorry if this is something you know because you imply the hood has been on for a time. /guy

[greg7pan]

We did not know about this stop.  We thought the threads were overly tight or defective. Those Leica guys always build in interesting features for us to learn about.  Yes, to align the hood properly, it took some grit. Over time, this task became harder with the threads becoming less smooth. Currently, the hood can not be tightened or loosened even with considerable effort. We don’t want to damage the camera. There must be solution other than using greater physical force?

[Herr Barnack]

3 hours ago, greg7pan said:

We did not know about this stop.  We thought the threads were overly tight or defective. Those Leica guys always build in interesting features for us to learn about.  Yes, to align the hood properly, it took some grit. Over time, this task became harder with the threads becoming less smooth. Currently, the hood can not be tightened or loosened even with considerable effort. We don’t want to damage the camera. There must be solution other than using greater physical force?

@greg7pan  I had the same situation when my Q2 was new. 

I called Leica NJ and talked to their tech guy (Mark, IIRC).  He said that Leica says do not lubricate the threads where the lens hood of the Q2 screws on.  There is a rubber o-ring in a groove that acts as a weather seal; since it has no where to expand to when the lens hood is being screwed on, it is an extremely tight fit when the camera is new but will wear in and be easier to properly align the lens hood over time.  Lubricating the threads can cause other problems - lubricant can wick into the lens over time; another problem is that some lubricants will deteriorate the rubber o-ring, compromising the weather seal.

It took around 2-3 weeks before my lens hood would align properly with a more reasonable amount of force but the o-ring did soften up a bit and now it isn't an issue.  At first, I had to put some serious torque on the lens hood to get it aligned properly.  It was to the point that I thought  I was in danger of somehow damaging the lens, but now the lens hood aligns with a firm grip as opposed to a Godzilla death grip as was the case when it was new.

Until my lens hood became easier to properly align, I used a silicone jar lid gripper (see link) to get it to go into place.  If you get one of these and loosen/tighten the lens hood once or twice a day, in a week or so the o-ring will soften up and the hood will align with a more normal amount of torque.

https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-566-Silicone-Jar-Opener/dp/B003D8EGXS/ref=sr_1_17?crid=2HXJKJQ8CV3AH&dchild=1&keywords=jar+lid+gripper&qid=1622946612&s=home-garden&sprefix=jar+lid%2Cgarden%2C187&sr=1-17

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Herr Barnack

[Leica Guy]

I would not add any commercial lubricant to the threads, but for many decades I’ve simply rubbed my finger on the side of my nose then onto filter threads. It’s just a small amount of natural oils and it works very well. I’ve never heard of this method creating problems. Good luck. 

[RoySmith]

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11 hours ago, Leica Guy said:

I would not add any commercial lubricant to the threads, but for many decades I’ve simply rubbed my finger on the side of my nose then onto filter threads. It’s just a small amount of natural oils and it works very well. I’ve never heard of this method creating problems. Good luck. 

But touching the side of your nose means it’s a secret. The moderators may delete your post! 😂

[greg7pan]

Thank you for all the helpful posts.  We were unsuccessful in freeing the lens hood. The Q2 was taken to the Leica store in Bellevue and they were unable to remove the hood, as well. It has been forwarded to Leica New Jersey. The repair, fortunately, will be of no cost to us.  Exactly, what went wrong?  Leica hasn’t told us yet. We will follow up with them shortly. The unfortunate part is the repair will take 3 weeks or longer. 

[Herr Barnack]

@greg7pan I trust your Q2 has returned from Leica NJ.  What did they have to say about what the problem was? 

It sounds as if the threads somehow became damaged, causing the roughness when trying to remove or reinstall the lens hood.

[greg7pan]

Leica fixed the problem under warranty.  It now works better than before. 

No cause was given for why the lens hood became stuck.  I did not follow up with Leica to get the reason for the failure. Guess I forgot in my excitement to run outdoors to take pictures. 

If it’s important to you, I will contact Leica?  Let me know. 

[Corius]

On 6/6/2021 at 4:45 PM, Leica Guy said:

I would not add any commercial lubricant to the threads, but for many decades I’ve simply rubbed my finger on the side of my nose then onto filter threads. It’s just a small amount of natural oils and it works very well. I’ve never heard of this method creating problems. Good luck. 

My father taught me to do this with the brass ferules on split-cane fly rods about 50 years ago. It made putting the two halves of the rod together and then taking them apart very easy.

Sorry that my very first post is about fishing and noses rather than my new Q2 but it really struck a chord in my memory of times long gone!

John