"The 50mm Summilux ASPH was Designed to Front Focus" <-- Leica NJ Technician. Thoughts?

[Alberti]

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My habit of focussing has always been, preferably, to twist left right just to see the right middle of the alignment. Maybe because I also used a SLR. 

The two new lenses I bought with the M8 (50 summicron v5, M-Elmar 90) were so easy. A joy to use.

The new focussing concept adopted by Leica in the last decade  is a sticky focus, hard to turn. Even when my summicron went in for a CLA Wetzlar 'really tightened it up' so it was stiff too. I talked to Hans the shop manager at the Leica Store, who said, that that was the new normal. There would be no way to get it in an easy turning, lenient way now. 

And 'going from infinity to target' is just not my method and things don't work out that way. It would mean a lot of premeditation. Why then use a RF at all? The big fun was always align. shoot. With the stiffer focus it even isn't that easy anymore, so you do not turn the lens focus as much even. 

- So the "one most important unwritten knowledge fact"  recommendation is: Not fiddle, and first remember to go in the direction of infinity and then back. In my practice it can just as often be the other way . . 

 

[lct]

Last decade i don't know but as far as my FLE lenses are concerned, my 50/1.4 asph v1 (2004) was stiff and is now butter smooth after a couple of trips to Wetzlar, while both my 35/1.4 asph v1 (2012) and 75/2 apo (2006) are smooth as well. Only constant is... Cosina with smooth VM and ZM lenses at the same period. Better QC or less manual operation, i have no idea. What is sure is in half a century of practice, i have never bothered about the way i turned my focus rings... FWIW

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[Alberti]

I also sent a lens to Will van Maanen in Holland right after it got it back from a Leica CLA with a resulting stiffness. The core reason is, like Will said, a stickier grease will force the helicoid alwasy in the middle of the movement, so play/wobble is reduced. And the high-res camera's of now show everything. With their choice Leica plays safe, sort of. [I heard users of a 1.2/50 VC Nokton sometimes also report some play, so VC might also go to stiffer action.]

But as regards my 50 FLE, my wife said (very wisely) 'shouldn't you just use it a lot and then the grease loosens up?' My #47411xx  BC version has been in a box at the shop for 5 years . .  But I'm afraid the play is too large.

We [from an engineering standpoint] would expect that the two parts of the helicoid collaborate, as all non-50mm lenses have double helicoids. Or a cam follower (90/M-Elmar ?? amongst others).

[lct]

1 minute ago, Alberti said:

But as regards my 50 FLE, my wife said (very wisely) 'shouldn't you just use it a lot and then the grease loosens up?'

Not to contradict your wife 😎 but i tried this method with the 50/1.4 asph v1 and it did not work. Only solution i found was my dealer sending in (twice!) the lens to Wetzlar...

[Danner]

On 11/16/2022 at 7:46 PM, eyeheartny said:

I’ve heard horror stories about him abandoning peoples projects for months at a time and not returning emails. To be honest I’m nervous about using him due to that. I’ve heard better customer service stories about YYe. It just absolutely yanks my chain to think that I have to incur additional cost to get a lens working at a baseline level of performance. Really undermines my confidence in Leica as a whole if this is how bad their QC and repair services are. 

There is some truth to this.  It took 4-5 months to get the MP finder upgrade to my M6.  And that was after many repeated contacts, most of which were never answered.  I don't think DAG works on a first-in, first-out basis.  Maybe there is some way to get prioritized in the queue, but I don't know how.  Email does not work, I guess it takes multiple telephone calls, not sure.

[pgk]

6 hours ago, Alberti said:

'shouldn't you just use it a lot and then the grease loosens up?'

Well, its viscosity won't change so the only thing that could happen in order to change the stiff focus would be to force some of the grease out and of course the excess woud have to go somewhere. Less viscous grease is more likely to run that thicker grease, so you pays your money and takes your choice. I would guess that Leica engineer helicoils and their tolerances for a specific viscosity. I can't see them building a helicoid and then just applying any old grease of whatever viscosity.

FWIW you can try stiffening up a helicoid by dropping the lens, unfirtunately it works but is not recommended .....

[Alberti]

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My saga. To make things sort:

This morning I returned my 50mm Summilux FLe (Black Chrome).  Oh what a beauty it was.

My reasons: YES. The front focus depending on the aperture might be adjusted; they were willing to send it off for re-calbration.

BUT. the very fickly way of handling was just too much for me. I am now again in the league of 50mm Summilux V2 users. I hope I get a warm welcome. The shop asked no further questions.