Loud aperture clicks on Summicron 35

[Mikael Tornwall]

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Hi all,

Im selling my Cron and a potential buyer pointed out that the click sound from the aperture ring is louder that other Leica lenses. I never thought of that, but compared to my 50mm Lux, it is actually a bit louder.

Dos anybody know if this is normal?

Thanks

Mikael

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[farnz]

Welcome to the forum, Mikael!

The loudness of the clicks will be defined by the strength of the spring that pushes the ball into the detentes as the aperture ring is rotated.

Is a loud click normal?  It's a difficult thing to measure and my Leica lenses have aperture clicks that range from silent to 'obvious' and they all function very well. 

The loudness will of course be affected by how far the listener is from the lens owing to the inverse-square law where the volume of a sound decreases by the square of the distance between source and listener (eg a sound at 2 metres away will be one quarter as loud as the same sound at 1 metre away).

Would 'loud' aperture clicks be a problem?  If they echoed in a church, for instance, then they might attract the attention of a potential subject but that seems extremely unlikely to me.  Of more concern might be if the spring was strong enough to make the aperture ring jerky as it would suggest that an incorrect spring was in use.

If someone said to me that the aperture clicks were louder on a lens I was selling than they expected and than other Leica lenses then I might be tempted to suspect that the person is attempting to find fault to wangle a discount on the purchase price.

Pete.

Edited December 23, 2024 by farnz

[andybarton]

Just now, farnz said:

If someone said to me that the aperture clicks were louder on a lens I was selling than they expected and than other Leica lenses then I might be tempted to suspect that the person is attempting to find fault to wangle a discount on the purchase price.

I had the same thought.

[Pyrogallol]

Loud is better than complaining that the aperture stops are indistinct and sloppy.

[pippy]

1 hour ago, Mikael Tornwall said:

...I'm selling my Cron and a potential buyer pointed out that the click sound from the aperture ring is louder that other Leica lenses......Dos anybody know if this is normal?...

Leica lenses can change from one example to the next and there is no 'Normal' click-sound of the aperture ring across their whole range of lenses.

As an example I have a nigh-on identical pair of 90mm Summicron v3 lenses. The 'clicks' of one - the detents - are notably more pronounced than those of the other. In this respect it means the lens is audibly 'louder' and the ring settles-in with a more distinct 'feel'.

It could easily be argued that one lens sounds and feels more 'notchy' whereas the other lens sounds and feels more 'silky'.

Which is 'Normal'?

Philip.

[lct]

The aperture clicks of my Summicron 35 copies (v1, v4, asph v1, asph v2) are almost silent and same are my Ultron 35/2 asph and 7A 35/2. Did you take a video?

[Jeff S]

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I would thank the potential buyer for the observation, and raise the price $100.  Just the way I like my aperture rings; not loose like many recent Leica examples.  

All four of my current M lenses (including the 35 Summicron ASPH v.1 and 50 Summilux ASPH v.1) have similar distinct action and sound. If not, I would have sent them to DAG for an adjustment… and happily paid about $100. 😉

Jeff

[Mikael Tornwall]

Thanks a lot for you input. Just as I suspected.

Merry Christmas to you all!

[JimmyCheng]

if it's silver brass then it is going to be louder. Perfectly normal. There's also sample variations. 

Edited December 24, 2024 by JimmyCheng

[pippy]

34 minutes ago, JimmyCheng said:

if it's silver brass then it is going to be louder.

Funny you should say that, Jimmy, as the lenses described in my earlier post (#5) follow this 'rule'; the silver-chrome is the 'notchy' one and the black-chrome the 'silky'...

Philip.

[JimmyCheng]

4 hours ago, pippy said:

Funny you should say that, Jimmy, as the lenses described in my earlier post (#5) follow this 'rule'; the silver-chrome is the 'notchy' one and the black-chrome the 'silky'...

Philip.

yeah I mean that's my observation over the years after going through a few dozen Leica lenses. I don't think it's an acceptable reason for the buyer to return the lens just due to that alone. I would probably think that is buyer's remorse playing a bigger role here.