Summicron-M 28mm f/2 ASPH, lens hood tilted?

[Auroralabs]

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I have a Summicron-M 28mm newly purchased a few months ago and a brand new 2022 M6. Something I only recently noticed is that the square lens hood on the lens is slightly tilted from the body. It's only a few degrees off but quite noticeable (see pics). After seeing this I checked a friends Summicron-M 28mm, newly purchased within the last year and it was also a bit tilted although less noticeable and not as much as mine. Is there a way to fix this? I know it's a bit OCD but for an over $10k MRSP setup it seems a bit ridiculous a detail like this is not perfect. Things I've checked:

 

1). Tried it on different camera bodies and it's tilted the same, so that rules out the camera mount being off.

2). Made sure the hood is fully seated, twisting it a bit hard clockwise against the 'locking notch' on the lens, it doesn't budge, it's as far as it will turn.

3). Swapped the two lens hoods from the two 28mm lenses, the amount of skew stays with the lens so the hoods don't seem to be the culprit.

3). Checked the aperture dot on the front ring is perfectly aligned with the aperture numbers, which is then aligned with the center of the depth of field scale. So nothing is askew there.

 

I'm not even sure how Leica would fix this, I see there are two screws to hold and possibly adjust the front ring where the hood threads into, but then that would mis-align the aperture dot on the ring with the aperture ring. It's perfectly aligned now. The only thing I can think of is the machining of the silver bayonet mount is slightly off,  or the mounting holes of the silver bayonet to the lens are off, causing the lens to mount askew but that seems unlikely on two separate units. 

Can anyone else check their Summicron-M 28mm and see if it's like mine? What could possibly be askew to account for this tilt and how could it be fixed?

 

 

 

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Edited March 13, 2023 by Auroralabs

[Crem]

I would contact your dealer or Leica directly to see what they say. The tilt on yours seems a bit much, but I don't know the cause. It's probably best if you can try the lens on another body (or the body with a different lens) to see if you can rule one of them out. I've had really good success emailing photos and problem descriptions to Leica corporate. Usually takes a few days for a response. 

I've attached a pic my a 2021 MP so you can compare. I think I see a tiny tilt on mine, but much less than yours and I haven't noticed this impacting my photos.

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[lct]

Seen this for 30+ years. Only solution choose a round hood.

[Huss]

I checked my 28 Asph Summicron V2 and my 35 FLE v1 on my 2022 M6 and M10r, and they all line up perfectly.

This is good because this sort of stuff just drives me crazy too!  A bought the similar style Haoge lens hood for my CV 28mm Ultron v2, and that was off, so for that lens I exchanged it for the round version.  In the Amazon review for the square hood, others complained about that too.

[Auroralabs]

Thanks for checking. This is frustrating because this lens has been back to Leica twice since new for calibration. It was back focusing and after the first trip it was slightly front focusing. I had them split the difference on the second trip. Each time it took two months round trip, after the second time, the calibration is now perfect. I don't think the trips to Leica caused the tilt issue I just probably didn't notice it before.

Now that the calibration is perfect I don't want to exchange the lens, but I also don't want to send the lens and wait another two months. That would be six months out of service for a brand new lens. So I'm trying to figure out what's causing this issue, maybe what is mis-machined and hopefully I can pay someone like DAG to service it quickly if I can't fix it myself.

[Auroralabs]

1 hour ago, Crem said:

I would contact your dealer or Leica directly to see what they say. The tilt on yours seems a bit much, but I don't know the cause. It's probably best if you can try the lens on another body (or the body with a different lens) to see if you can rule one of them out. I've had really good success emailing photos and problem descriptions to Leica corporate. Usually takes a few days for a response. 

I've attached a pic my a 2021 MP so you can compare. I think I see a tiny tilt on mine, but much less than yours and I haven't noticed this impacting my photos.

 

Yours seem slightly tilted to the left but not by much and not as bad as mine. I already tried it on another body and it's the same. Other lenses on the same body are fine. Which email do you use for Leica corporate?

[Crem]

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16 hours ago, Auroralabs said:

Yours seem slightly tilted to the left but not by much and not as bad as mine. I already tried it on another body and it's the same. Other lenses on the same body are fine. Which email do you use for Leica corporate?

I've always used info [at] leica-camera [dot] com to get a conversation going. Usually it takes a couple days to get a response. The person that responds has always been helpful, tries to reproduce my problems, talks to the engineers if needed, etc. I recommend sending them photos too. Have you figured out if it is the body or the lens?

Edited March 14, 2023 by Crem

[jpto]

stupid question - did you screw the hood in all the way? the last little bit can be very stiff

[Auroralabs]

Yes definitely screwed in all the way.

[Auroralabs]

3 hours ago, Crem said:

I've always used info [at] leica-camera [dot] com to get a conversation going. Usually it takes a couple days to get a response. The person that responds has always been helpful, tries to reproduce my problems, talks to the engineers if needed, etc. I recommend sending them photos too. Have you figured out if it is the body or the lens?

Thanks for the info. It's definitely the lens not the body. Other lenses are fine. And it's the same using the lens on another body.

[lisitai]

Mine is titled as well, both on 2022m6 and m11,maybe not as observable as yours but still drives me crazy,

my solution is not to stare at it.

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[charlesphoto99]

I'm assuming this is the first version of the Summicron (must be new old stock?). If I recall my hood was a bit tilted as well. I pretty much ditched the awful hood altogether soon after I got the lens. Even with a Leica UV filter on front, I've rarely, if ever, had flare issues. Makes it a coat pocketable camera as well. If you are concerned about banging, then there are small metal screw in hoods on eBay that work just fine, which I've also used in the past. 

[tom0511]

do you see it in the images? More vignetting in a corner?
If not, just ignore it  I dont say it is great for such an expensive lens, but maybe better than waiting another 2 months

[tom0511]

I wonder if its the hood or the lens? if it was just the hood you could ask Leica to send you another hood.

 

[lisitai]

@Auroralabs，

I fixed my tilted hood on this lens, and it was much easier then I thought,

all you need to do is losen (don't even need to unscrew all the way out)the 2 screws near the apreture ring, and then you can try wiggle all front part of the lens,

then lock those two screws when it's totally aligned.

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[Auroralabs]

On 3/4/2024 at 3:35 AM, lisitai said:

@Auroralabs，

I fixed my tilted hood on this lens, and it was much easier then I thought,

all you need to do is losen (don't even need to unscrew all the way out)the 2 screws near the apreture ring, and then you can try wiggle all front part of the lens,

then lock those two screws when it's totally aligned.

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Thanks! I went ahead and fixed mine the same way.  It's too bad it couldn't come like this out of the factory.

[rsh]

Does the white dot on the lens hood still line directly with the dialed in f stop on the aperture ring after you performed the straightening of the lens hood?

[charlesphoto99]

I've used that lens for twenty years without that hideous hood and rarely, if ever, a flare issue. Also fits much better in a bag, and also, ironically, less prone to bumping against things. Not one of Leica's best moments...