CV Nokton 40 1.4 Focus Ring Squeaks

[jwicaksana]

Dear all,

The title said it all, really. I bought the lens second hand, it looks alright but the focus ring feels weird. Not dry or stiff, but it feels like it doesn't have enough lubricant, or doesn't have the correct lubricant on parts in contact. It makes a squeaking sound I have never found in any manual focus lens.

Does anybody experience this and is this easily fixed thru a relubrication job?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[btgc]

probably a bit of sand or crud there.

is it constant or comes and goes sporadically?

 

[jwicaksana]

probably a bit of sand or crud there.

is it constant or comes and goes sporadically?

It is always there, I just noticed that it is the worst around 0.7-1.2 meter and less so towards infinity. If it's sand, I need to get it cleaned and relubed ASAP right?

 

[rscheffler]

I have a CV40/1.4 that I bought used with the exact same problem. The seller was aware of this and priced the lens accordingly. I have not found it to have worsened over the ~2 years I've owned it. Though I don't use the lens much, I don't recall it causing me any trouble while in use. Considering the price I paid for it, and how little I use it, i haven't looked into any options for servicing it.

If there was sand or other particles in the helicoid, you'd feel inconsistent resistance through the focusing range, and probably a gritty sound too. If that's the case, you'll want to have it cleaned.

 

[jwicaksana]

rscheffler, Inconsistent resistance is here, and the sound is more like a squeak and but not grinding like. My regular repair guy suspected this is also sand or grit of some sort, I'll have him check it next week. Thanks!

 

[weather]

I had the same issue with my 40mm 1.4

The helicoid is dry, dirty or lacking lubrication.
I was lucky enough that mine was merely lacking lubrication, it made it so i didn't have to disassemble the entire lens.

I removed the rear lens mount (indexed it everywhere i could, do not turn the focus ring after you remove this) and lubricated the helicoid using a small amount of thick grease applied with a tooth pick.

I only had to lube the rearmost part of the helicoid ( i presumed it was the most dry) and the lube seemed to work its way down the thread (after a few actuation's of the focus ring WITH THE MOUNT REINSTALLED).

Worked like the dickens, no more noise, feels like a new lens again.