So many people seem to complain about stiff focus rings.The worst i have had is on a 180 2.8. I thought it would loosen with use but it never did. I am sure i have heard that this can be adjusted.Can anyone enlighten us.

-- Tim (timphoto@ihug.com.au), August 10, 2001

Answers

Some of the stiffness is a result of the grease used in the helicoid, so a professional repair facility can substitute a thinner grease. The Leica helicoids are extremely precision and use very little grease to maintain proper dampening...this is why they don't loosen up much with use like some other brands.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), August 10, 2001.

In the end you might have to get it professionally re-greased. But I would try to put the lens in a warm enviornment for a while about 100-110 degrees(a car on a sunny hot day) and try to turn it for a while in the hot state. I picked up a mint Russian Jupiter-3 50/1.5 lens that was so stiff it would unscrew from the camera when focusing. Even after going back and fourth constantly it would only soften ever so slightly. I considered taking it apart myself for the cost to professionally fix it would out strip the origional purchase. It was in my car on a 90 degreee day and when I picked it up and turned it after a short while it became butter smooth. Still is. It is worth a shot.

-- Gerry Widen (gwiden@alliancepartners.org), August 10, 2001.

Having a lens in a car on a hot day can cause other problems though. That's how I got oil on the blades of my Nikon 20. It froze up and cost me $90 to fix.

-- Josh Root (rootj@att.net), August 10, 2001.

Here's one place where you really can't compare Leica lenses to Nikon or any others in 35mm. Other lenses use aluminum helicoids and a lot more grease to compensate for expansion/contraction with temperature, and when they get really hot or cold, the focus action changes dramatically. When the grease dries out, the lenses get very sloppy. Leica lenses use brass helicoids and just enough grease to keep it from binding. Changes in temperature have very little effect, and although Leica lenses do need to be cleaned and lubed after a time if you want to keep them like new, you will rarely find even a very old Leica lens where the focus is either sloppy or seized, unless it has been held in a very hostile environment or very badly mistreated.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), August 11, 2001.