Henners Posted February 10 Share #1 Posted February 10 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm servicing my Summilux 50mm ASPH 11891 and am at a point where I need to separate the lens in to two halves. I wondered if anyone here has serviced their own Summilux and how they did this? On my Summicron V4 after partially dismantling you firmly grip the top and bottom halves and twist like a opening a jar and it comes loose, I'm not 100% on the Summilux if the same treatment is needed and it's not something I want to go too mad on for obvious reasons, so would rather hear from someone else the correct steps. I have a suspicion there may be thread lock involved and have dabbed a small amount of acetone on the thread to hopefully loosen this up if that is the case but so far it's not let go. It's frustrating as I can see the screws I need to access on the bottom of the lens but without removing the top half they're near impossible to access. I may have to fashion a custom flathead screwdriver with a 90 degree bend to tighten up the guide that will remove the miniscule amount of slop the lens has. The lens is now focusing incredibly smoothly whereas before it had a lot of friction and some stickiness so I'm glad that's sorted, if I can just get this last part done it'll be perfect. This guide is very helpful (https://sangin1122.tistory.com/1681?category=792059) but doesn't mention how to separate the lens, it may be that I have to go in to the lens and remove the aperture blades etc like he's done but I'd rather not if I can help it. Thanks in advance for any advice. Edited February 10 by Henners Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 10 Posted February 10 Hi Henners, Take a look here Summilux ASPH 11891 - dismantling (separating lens barrel). I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Siriusone59 Posted February 10 Share #2 Posted February 10 Maybe this article would be helpful. https://www.yukosteel.com/2021/06/disassembly-leica-summilux-m-50mm-f14.html 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henners Posted February 10 Author Share #3 Posted February 10 8 hours ago, Siriusone59 said: Maybe this article would be helpful. https://www.yukosteel.com/2021/06/disassembly-leica-summilux-m-50mm-f14.html I'd seen that article before and saw that they had got to a similar point (I semi-read/semi skimmed over it) but having just re-read it thanks to you, I see a critical sentence where the brass ring needs to be turned and is independent of the rest of the lens. So this looks to be the next step, thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siriusone59 Posted February 10 Share #4 Posted February 10 I ran across this article when someone else posted some time back about a wobble in their summilux and the steps they took to correct it. While looking at my own 50mm summilux, I thought it was good information to take notice of and maybe save for future reference. I hope it helps you with your issue, please let us know how it turns out. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henners Posted February 11 Author Share #5 Posted February 11 (edited) All back together now, I made a slight attempt at removing the brass ring but it really looks to be needing a custom tool and I decided against it. For what I needed to do it wasn't ideal but I was very careful and screwed the Philips screw heads that were slightly loose in from an angle taking care not to round the heads. I had a precision screwdriver and took my time and it was completely fine, the tightness I was able to achieve in sub-optimal conditions is holding up and I don't expect any issues with it. I wasn't able to get to the barrel guide screw, that one was a tiny flathead and slightly further in to the barrel so the angles were too great. The lens slop is so minor on mine it's basically not noticeable even by me while trying to feel it, so its more me just being over the top and I decided to leave it. It's all back together now and the aperture clicks and focus both feel perfect, lovely and smooth like a new one. No stickiness or resistance (more than my Cron but that's to be expected with FLE etc). All in all definitely worth the stress of taking it apart and for anyone else that is generally mechanically minded and has an iFixIt toolkit or similar, I'd say it's worth having a go yourself. Especially for aperture clicks, if you find it too light or too heavy - that's very easy to get to and adjust. You'll be done in half an hour on your first attempt. Less than 5 minutes if you've done it before. Just be warned, the only part that's not attached in the whole lens is the small aperture ball bearing, it should be covered in grease so won't make a run for it usually but it's worth dismantling in a controlled environment where if it were to go on a little bouncy journey you can find it again. If you're experiencing slop in the focus mechanism it may be like mine, which was due to the focus ring attaching to another part which itself is attached to the base of the lens, this has two Philips screws which had come slightly loose, probably due to the focus being tight and the last person continuing to use it like that which put more stress on them than they were designed for. This meant there was a tiny amount of movement which translated to the focus ring having slight movement independent of the actual focusing (it was a bit wiggly ). Either way, getting to those also isn't difficult if you take your time and get a post it note for each thing you remove and sketch on them, plus take photos/video with your phone to remember where everything goes and at what angle. None of it affects the focusing of the lens elements so it's more of a slightly complex lego set than having to be a specialist and even then it'll just take slightly longer because you'll realise you put a part on at 180 degrees and now the Leica text isn't at the top on the front (guess how I know). It's no biggie, just using up your own time to partially strip down again to easily adjust. When you get down to the brass ring that needs a special tool, that's when things might start getting in to the realm of lens elements etc but luckily it's pretty obvious that you can't proceed so you won't accidently do something that requires a specialist to come and save you. It took me hours because I was being hyper careful and going slowly but I could do the same thing again from start to finish in less than ten minutes now so it's not complex or difficult, it just really feels it when you're going in for the first time. Hopefully that helps anyone else out there that doesn't want to be without their lens but it could do with some minor adjustments/re-lubing. Feel free to DM me and if I can help I will. If you're going to be re-lubing the various lens threads (helicoids) you can do this to a point by cleaning them where you can get to with a cotton bud then using helicoid grease. I used this stuff: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B092SQ9674?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details . I went with ultra-soft as it was next day delivery and I thought that I didn't need any additional damping from the grease since the lens itself is already well damped with nice resistance. Edited February 11 by Henners 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henners Posted February 11 Author Share #6 Posted February 11 (edited) One last thing, and hear me out here... I know I'm an internet stranger (trust me bro) BUT for anyone that has a sticky lens that is hard to focus or feels like it has more resistance than it should. I.e. doesn't glide with a single finger both ways then I may have a 3 second fix for you... So, and again trust me here... What I found out was while dismantling the lens and attempting to unscrew the two lens sections like you do with a Summicron I would test if this was the case by holding the top half of the lens fully and the bottom half with the distance scale and twisting it like you would to remove a lid from a jar. Now, I wasn't overly doing this as it's an expensive precision lens that I definitely didn't want to damage but at the same time you have to also at least make an attempt so there's a middle ground there. I found that by doing this it would immediately result in completely smooth and perfectly focusing motion if twisted the top section clockwise and would become stiff again if twisted anti-clockwise. I used about the same pressure as you would when opening a jar that wasn't stiff (sorry, that's the best I can come up with), so not a great deal but more than the lens would normally experience day to day. Try it, you don't need much force and these lenses are built extremely well - it might just work and result in an amazing feeling lens (it did for me) if you're finding yours has some stiction. This is likely to remain for the lifetime of the lens unless you give it a firm twist the other way. It can be done easily on camera, we're not talking huge amounts of torque here. Test pic taken after reassembling, all seems well. Video of the lens: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited February 11 by Henners 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/388882-summilux-asph-11891-dismantling-separating-lens-barrel/?do=findComment&comment=5035905'>More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted February 11 Share #7 Posted February 11 Advertisement (gone after registration) DAG fixed the sticky focus on my v.1 ASPH back in 2013, after Leica NJ could not. Cost $90, including shipping, and has focused smoothly for 10 years since. He said that he simply used his supply of old Leitz grease. Jeff 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenInTime Posted February 11 Share #8 Posted February 11 2 hours ago, Jeff S said: DAG fixed the sticky focus on my v.1 ASPH back in 2013, after Leica NJ could not. Cost $90, including shipping, and has focused smoothly for 10 years since. He said that he simply used his supply of old Leitz grease. Jeff In the near future, Mr Goldberg will either retire or run out of magic grease; the knowledge in threads like this will be all that is left ! 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Brown Posted February 11 Share #9 Posted February 11 And DAG is in the ol' US of A, pretty useless for most other parts of the world. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted February 11 Share #10 Posted February 11 45 minutes ago, FrozenInTime said: In the near future, Mr Goldberg will either retire or run out of magic grease; the knowledge in threads like this will be all that is left ! Approaching 74 myself, I’ll let others worry about that. 😉 Jeff 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted February 11 Share #11 Posted February 11 4 minutes ago, Jeff S said: Approaching 74 myself, I’ll let others worry about that. 😉 Jeff I'm 78, and just as sharp as I never was. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marley Posted February 14 Share #12 Posted February 14 On 2/11/2024 at 8:34 PM, Henners said: One last thing, and hear me out here... I know I'm an internet stranger (trust me bro) BUT for anyone that has a sticky lens that is hard to focus or feels like it has more resistance than it should. I.e. doesn't glide with a single finger both ways then I may have a 3 second fix for you... So, and again trust me here... What I found out was while dismantling the lens and attempting to unscrew the two lens sections like you do with a Summicron I would test if this was the case by holding the top half of the lens fully and the bottom half with the distance scale and twisting it like you would to remove a lid from a jar. Now, I wasn't overly doing this as it's an expensive precision lens that I definitely didn't want to damage but at the same time you have to also at least make an attempt so there's a middle ground there. I found that by doing this it would immediately result in completely smooth and perfectly focusing motion if twisted the top section clockwise and would become stiff again if twisted anti-clockwise. I used about the same pressure as you would when opening a jar that wasn't stiff (sorry, that's the best I can come up with), so not a great deal but more than the lens would normally experience day to day. Try it, you don't need much force and these lenses are built extremely well - it might just work and result in an amazing feeling lens (it did for me) if you're finding yours has some stiction. This is likely to remain for the lifetime of the lens unless you give it a firm twist the other way. It can be done easily on camera, we're not talking huge amounts of torque here. Test pic taken after reassembling, all seems well. Video of the lens: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Just want to thank you for this! I can't believe it worked. Just read your post and I do suffer from a sticky shift. I thought it would go away with using the lens. But Gave it a good twist like you suggested. I started with weak force, then check. Then add force then check again. Guess what? Its now as smooth as butter. I can't thank you enough! Cheers! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henners Posted February 14 Author Share #13 Posted February 14 (edited) 10 hours ago, Marley said: Just want to thank you for this! I can't believe it worked. Just read your post and I do suffer from a sticky shift. I thought it would go away with using the lens. But Gave it a good twist like you suggested. I started with weak force, then check. Then add force then check again. Guess what? Its now as smooth as butter. I can't thank you enough! Cheers! Aaah, that's excellent to hear!!! I'm glad to have stumbled on it and shared the knowledge (I was hesitant to even mention it as I thought I'd get burned alive. ). Great to hear that it worked out for you too (and I'm not insane), it made a huge night and day difference to mine. Literally it was so sticky that I had to use two fingers on the lens and really grip and rotate, now it's a single finger and even tiny focus shifts are non-sticky and super-smooth like butter. Edited February 14 by Henners 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sensorix Posted February 14 Share #14 Posted February 14 vor 49 Minuten schrieb Henners: I thought I'd get burned alive 😂 It seems to be this technique. I am sorry. Photo from an unknown user. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/388882-summilux-asph-11891-dismantling-separating-lens-barrel/?do=findComment&comment=5040042'>More sharing options...
Henners Posted February 14 Author Share #15 Posted February 14 19 minutes ago, Sensorix said: 😂 It seems to be this technique. I am sorry. Photo from an unknown user. That looks like it could be the tool I didn't have for unscrewing the brass ring inside the lens for maintenance, rather than freeing stiction on the focus mechanism - do you have a link to the article/post? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sensorix Posted February 14 Share #16 Posted February 14 vor 6 Minuten schrieb Henners: do you have a link to the article/post? No, found this in the depths of my hard drive. I think it's from Leica itself. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henners Posted February 14 Author Share #17 Posted February 14 2 minutes ago, Sensorix said: No, found this in the depths of my hard drive. I think it's from Leica itself. Ah, I'm interested in the tool they're using to undo the brass band in the centre of the lens. You need that tool (or make our own) to continue the dismantling of the lens. It's probably for the best not having access to it as undoing the band likely results in having to align the lens elements afterwards; which probably needs specialist equipment or at the very least, some skilled knowledge of the process; of which I have neither. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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