Ive noticed that every single M lens I have tried is unique in that the focussing ring and aperture ring tension and sound are never the same. Compare this to the Contax Zeiss lenses which are incredibly consistant across their entire range of primes and zooms. This is ok for lenses such as the Noctilux and Summicron 35 to have a different feel, but how can one summicron feel totally different to another one?) Is this shoddy construction techniques or what?? To demonstrate this, Ive recently bought a summilux 50 with an aperture ring that sounds like a machine gun (and rattles) and was told that it was 'normal'. Does anyone else experience the same inconsistency??

-- Karl Yik (karl.yik@dk.com), May 31, 2002

Answers

Karl, Along with all the considerations regarding the nth degree of optical perfection, and the persistent use of the term "legendary" in connection with performance and durability, the Leica experience is also highly idiosyncratic (if not "freaky" in certain areas) and worthy of a photographic X Files investigation. At the very least, one quickly discovers that Leica marches to their own beat and music! - But I think that's part of the charm!!

-- Art Waldschmidt (afwaldschmidt@yahoo.com), May 31, 2002.

It may be just the opposite of bad workmanship. With a messy fit it's possible to jam the empty space full of grease, and everything feels REALLY smooth. . . . until the grease dries out and everything begins to rattle. With a close fit, however, every little quirky piece of dust can mess up something, and make things not work, or work poorly. That's one reason really junky stuff, like Russian cameras, can go places and take abuse and eat sand that would totally jam a more precise piece of equipment.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), May 31, 2002.

With the exception of one lens (135mm f2.8 "Bug eyes") all of the others seem very consistent to me.

The 135 drives me NUTS. The throw on the focus feels like a full revolution and is just too much to focus quickly, but if you've got the time, it's still a great lens.

As for the 35/50 Sumicrons, 28/90/50 2.8's they all seem very consistent in "feel". So far as I know they are all late-80's vintage, German and Canadian.

b~

-- Bob (bobflores@attbi.com), May 31, 2002.

How about the aperture rings? These can range from totally quiet to machine gun and notchless to incredibly notchy?

-- Karl Yik (karl.yik@dk.com), May 31, 2002.

I've noticed that the longer lenses are generally stiffer than the wideangles, which would seem to make sense. I can only afford a single lens per focal length, so I haven't yet experienced large variations at a single focal length, but it's probably just a measure of how much they've been used/how old they are, surely?

I doubt a machinegun-like aperture ring is normal, though!

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), May 31, 2002.

I just mention Machine gun because my other lenses have been extremely quiet, but I have noticed that the sound is partly caused by the aperture ring being slightly loose, so the bearing notch sounds are amplified. Ive taken this lens back to get it looked at, but I was told that nothing can be done about it and its a design characteristic of the lens ?????? (Summilux 50 current spec Black).

-- Karl Yik (karl.yik@dk.com), May 31, 2002.

that's really funny!

just last night i took out my summilux 50 after a few weeks of other lenses' use and i realised how wobbly compared to any other lens the aperture ring was. you can rattle it around for about half a mm. never had this with my pentax stuff...

-- stefan randlkofer (geesbert@yahoo.com), May 31, 2002.

Just out of curiosity, I checked the aperture ring on my 50mm elmar and it is a bit noisier than the rest, but I could attribute that to overall design of the lens (extended tube with movable parts and no dampening by a supporting structure beneath it).

It's tight, but not quiet.

Guess you could always sell 'em and switch to Nikon =-) I'll give ya $50 bucks for the lot of 'em! 8^}

-- Bob (bobflores@attbi.com), May 31, 2002.

no offense, but...why do you even think about this stuff?

-- Dexter Legaspi (dalegaspi@hotmail.com), May 31, 2002.

Agree..however, I have found that the special lenses in titatnium/black paint versions have a consistently smoother feel of the older lenses especially the aperture ring. There is defintely something conscious being done at production.

-- John (johnlktan@yahoo.com), May 31, 2002.

Dexter, Good question, though if you were paying that much money (and its a hell of a lot for some metal and glass) youd expect it to be perfect (which a lot of Leica lenses pretty much are), so an aperture ring that moves in directions that its not supposed to is not acceptable.

-- Karl Yik (karl.yik@dk.com), June 05, 2002.