Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH loose focus ring

[Reonder]

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My Summilux had suddenly a loose focus ring. It doesn’t really effect the precision of focusing. The reason were two loose screws under the focus ring that holds the radial fixation for the focus ring. 

To fix it:

1. focus on 0.7m to get some room
2. remove the two screws holding the focus ring
3. move the ring towards the front
4. now you can see the loosen screws

I tryed to remove the backside of lens with no success. Maybe i'm a little too scared🧐 about defocusing the lens. If you tryed it and found a way, please tell me.

https://gigantoptik.com/1681

The way from the front was easy but not helpful for me.

https://yukosteel.wordpress.com/2021/06/20/disassembly-leica-summilux-m-50mm-f1-4-asph-11891-lens/

My solution was not realy professional but it works ✌️. I cut off the front tip of a suitable screwdriver and twisted it with thin pliers.

Good luck! 

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[Gelatino]

Half a drop of nail varnish ( please no cyanolit) on the screw  thread prevents it to go away again.

[labyrinth]

There is no easy fix to this problem, the lens has a very complex design. You did a good job using a tip of a suitable screwdriver. Leica uses special tool to unscrew the lock ring and take lens group apart, usually when working on helicoid. You need then a special calibration equipment and experience to take it back together.

[tedd]

My Lux has developed this issue too. I can rock the focus ring back and forth using the tab - it still works accurately, but it is annoying.

To clarify before I pull my lens apart (I've completely dissembled, cleaned and reassembled a Canon LTM 1.4 with zero issues and threw focus off completely on a 90mm Tele-Elmarit thin trying to do the same thing):

1. Remove those two little screws on the focus ring, after focusing to minimum distance
2. Move that brass ring forward with a pair of tweezers to gain access to the screws behind it
3. Tighten the two screws that are revealed at a 90 degree angle

Step 3 is where I am slightly confused. Do I do these screws up (finger) tight? Going too tight won't cause the focus ring to become difficult to move? By doing only these three steps I am unable to throw the rangefinder coupling off? Any idea what size the screws are? I'd rather buy the correct right angle driver and use that than attack an otherwise good screwdriver with a grinder.

Thanks!

[tedd]

Just opened it up for a look. Simple to get in, but there is no room in there. I think modifying a tool as Reonder did is the only way to move forward. I'm going to attempt to heat up and bend a jewellers screwdriver I think.

For the next person to find this thread - it doesn't look to me like there is any way to knock your rangefinder calibration out with this method.  

[tedd]

For those that come after us:

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Screwdriver was a PH000 from eBay, cost under $5 AUD including delivery. Heated it up with MAP Gas and bent the end. Took a few goes (straightening it back out in between) to get the bend close enough to the screw tip, to say there is no room is an understatement. We got there in the end though! Wobble is completely gone now.

Edited September 24, 2023 by tedd

[adan]

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Does anyone know - for sure?

Whether the black-chrome knurled version of the 50 Summilux ASPH (or the brand-new fatter version) have this same (hard-to-reach-screw) focus-ring construction as the original/basic design? And tendency to come loose?

Just about the time of the last previous post here, I got a good deal on a v.1 50mm ASPH because the shop had taken it in on trade with a loose focus ring.

The shop had it repaired by a generally very good independent local repair person - but the repair failed again within two weeks (forgot the Lock-Tite™/nail-varnish, unable to torque the screw adequately in the tight space - who knows/cares?). Returned it for something else - but it is being redone by the same tech, and may be available again soon.

Just trying to figure out if springing for the versions with different/special/new construction removes this overhanging "threat," or if they all may be susceptible to the same failure at some point.

In which case I may just hope "third time's the charm" and try the available re-repaired v.1 again.

Second question - does the repair shown here require any check or re-collimation of the floating element mechanism?

Or is that simply nor affected at all by this more superficial "invasive surgery?"

[graphlex]

My black chrome version of this lens does not exhibit this problem but it has not seen heavy use. 

[Henners]

Just to add to the convo here, if you find your screws are tight yet you still have slop it may be like my lens in that there's a piece that needs tightening to remove the slop.

Here are two pics to show where that piece lives and then you can see there's a small flathead screw that must be tapered and therefore when tightened pushes the arms out slightly which then braces against the sides. I found that it needed to be tight enough that you need to push it back in to place within the lens. If it falls back in place then there will likely still be slop.

Remove this piece first to make tightening the flathead easy, the custom screwdriver above from Tedd is likely the best way to do this although I found a thin Phillips screwdriver (iFixIt kit) allowed me to remove it at an angle (not ideal but works ok)

 

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Edited July 17 by Henners