Bill Blackwell
Leica M Shooter
I own five ZM lenses (18mm Distagon, 25mm Biogon, 28mm Biogon, 35mm Distagon, and 50mm Planar) and none of them "wobble" by any definition.
How common is the Zeiss wobble
- Thread starter lxmike
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PRJ
Another Day in Paradise
I had a wobbler 14 years ago. Zeiss Germany took care of it and it has been fine ever since.
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
So this wobble - is it like a slight rocking motion when turning the focusing ring?
Whatever it is, it cannot be worse than the cheap plastic fragile aperture ring on my 35/2 Summicron v4. Just turning that ring feels like it’s going to pop right off whatever little plastic track it’s riding in. There is no solid feel going from one stop to the next - it’s like tossing a rock down a cobblestone road. It’s just not enjoyable to use and reeks of poor quality.
The ZM cannot possibly be worse. I wonder if I can sell my v4 and replace it with a ZM and have money left over for film.
Whatever it is, it cannot be worse than the cheap plastic fragile aperture ring on my 35/2 Summicron v4. Just turning that ring feels like it’s going to pop right off whatever little plastic track it’s riding in. There is no solid feel going from one stop to the next - it’s like tossing a rock down a cobblestone road. It’s just not enjoyable to use and reeks of poor quality.
The ZM cannot possibly be worse. I wonder if I can sell my v4 and replace it with a ZM and have money left over for film.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
That's not the issue with the Zeiss lenses. The entire front lens barrel wobbles back and forth on them when they develop the problem. That kind of wobble can happen on any lens that is heavily used. I've seen a number of Leica lenses that wobble, as well as Nikon AiS and other good SLR and rangefinder lenses. The problem with the ZM lenses is that it often happened on lenses that were not very old.
Ray Vonn 2023
Well-known
C Sonnar and Biogon owner for some years and no wobbles here.
Kai-san
Filmwaster
Sounds like a good deal.........
f.hayek
Well-known
The former sells for ~$3k whilst the latter, $700. Enough left over for a nice trip.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Looks like a fear mongering. Reminds me ten years old threads - could I buy from Japan.The first seller has 94.9% positive feedback, way below what I trust.
The item is a counterfeit.
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(Private listing)
The second seller primarily sells low-cost game cartridges. Not a regular seller of camera gear. Japanese Pawn Shop? Not a camera dealer.
Feedback Profile
www.ebay.com
Feedback Profile
You can take chances with sellers like this that are far, far away. It's a gamble. Might work out, might not. If anyone buys from either of these Ebay Dealers- you are taking a big risk. Myself- Stay Far, Far away from dealers with feedback this bad. "Honest.Japan.Shop" Face it Flounder, you Trusted Them.
B&H is representative of a full-service store that sells items new, with warranty.
Rangefinder Lenses | Leica M Mount Lenses | B&H Photo
See B&H's vast selection of Rangefinder Lenses from top brands like Leica, ZEISS, Voigtlander and Meyer-Optik Gorlitz, all at unbelievable prices.www.bhphotovideo.com
Ebay, buying out of Japan- figure it's like buying a used lens, if it is broken- you are stuck with it.
First, we are protected by PayPal. Second, it is big seller with most reviews positive.
Third, used ones are even less expensive, so it is not uncommon to see new items sold just for slightly more.
I have purchased with sellers under not 100% ratings without problems.
But if you want to keep it on the level of some assumptions....
ZM line is at dusty dead end. Just like rest of other Zeiss labeled lenses, we have recent tread about discontinuation. It is not surprising to see items like this, not moving stock clearance. The particular seller looks like typical whole seller. Minimal margins and sells everything. With some mistakes and not impressive correspondence. I had really good deals with sellers like this.
Not fear mongering, I checked out your suggested sellers. They are poor choices for anyone buying camera equipment. If you do a search with sort on low-price, sure- they come to the top of the list. So do Scam Artist.
If you are going to put up some random Ebay seller on this website as a source for showing "that some members are getting hosed", put up an honest seller. I've bought from many sellers in Japan. I would not buy from the ones that you endorsed.
Here ya go Leica M11 for a starting bid of $2,800.
Leica Camera M11 Body | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Leica Camera M11 Body at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
Seller with 0 feedbacks, BUT-
Breathe easy. Returns accepted.
Shipping:
US $25.00 Economy Shipping from outside US. See detailsfor shipping
International shipment of items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges.
Located in: Osh, Kyrgyzstan
Yeah. Breathe Easy! What could possibly go wrong?
And- to add- By the Same Seller!
trinket | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for trinket at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
Adorable Trinket!
Ships from
Shipping:
US $8.15 Standard Shipping. See detailsfor shipping
Located in: Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Wow! This seller gets around! Accepts returns on the M11, but not on the adorable trinket.
Returns:
Seller does not accept returns. See details- for more information about returns
If it is too good to be true, make sure you can hold it and test it before paying for it. Like my pair of $15 Leicas with lenses. Black III with Elmar and IIIa with Summar. Antique Store. Nikon M with 5cm F1.4 "5005"- that was $30, antique store.
Last edited:
D
Deleted member 82967
Guest
That's why I like Polls ... one way to find out a norm +/- the margin of error
Retro-Grouch
Veteran
Now I have bad GAS for that Adorable Trinket! The M11? Meh!Not fear mongering, I checked out your suggested sellers. They are poor choices for anyone buying camera equipment. If you do a search with sort on low-price, sure- they come to the top of the list. So do Scam Artist.
If you are going to put up some random Ebay seller on this website as a source for showing "that some members are getting hosed", put up an honest seller. I've bought from many sellers in Japan. I would not buy from the ones that you endorsed.
Here ya go Leica M11 for a starting bid of $2,800.
Leica Camera M11 Body | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Leica Camera M11 Body at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
Seller with 0 feedbacks, BUT-
Breathe easy. Returns accepted.
Shipping:
US $25.00 Economy Shipping from outside US. See detailsfor shipping
International shipment of items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges.
Located in: Osh, Kyrgyzstan
Yeah. Breathe Easy! What could possibly go wrong?
And- to add- By the Same Seller!
trinket | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for trinket at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
Adorable Trinket!
Ships from
Shipping:
US $8.15 Standard Shipping. See detailsfor shipping
Located in: Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Wow! This seller gets around! Accepts returns on the M11, but not on the adorable trinket.
Returns:
Seller does not accept returns. See details- for more information about returns
If it is too good to be true, make sure you can hold it and test it before paying for it. Like my pair of $15 Leicas with lenses. Black III with Elmar and IIIa with Summar. Antique Store. Nikon M with 5cm F1.4 "5005"- that was $30, antique store.
f.hayek
Well-known
Osh, Kyrgyzstan.
Home to a big-ass statue of Lenin and an impressive Silk Road mosque. Surprised they haven't melted Vladimir Ilyich into bronze ornamental chamber pots.
Save on postage and pick it up in person!
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
That must be a typographical error. Surely they are optimistically asking $300 for the v4. People who smoke $100 bills in their cigars might pay $3k for it only as a charity donation.
I didn’t pay anywhere near $3k, but I wouldn’t foist mine on anyone for even $300. $700 for the ZM seems worth it.
f.hayek
Well-known
Type IV, the phony "King of Bokeh"? US$2500-3000. Think of the Canon 35/1.5. Asking prices are $5-6k. Is that one worth it? Nope.
Count yourself lucky.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
They're talking about the 35mm summicron, not the 50mm. The 35mm version IV Summicron is ridiculously expensive, and really does sell for more than $3000.
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
That’s what I have: 35mm f/2 Summicron version 4. I don’t understand how Leica let these out the door. Optics ok, maybe. Mechanical aspect is laughable (see post #43).
I need to look at these ZM’s.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
Phew, happy we got that one out of the way. Cheers, OtL
Pioneer
Veteran
Don't know how many Zeiss ZM lenses wobble. All I have to go on is my own experience. Mine don't.
I bought my Zeiss Ikon back in 2011 along with the C Sonnar 50 and the Tele Tessar 85. A little while later I picked up the 50/2 Planar off of E-Bay. The Sonnar is a fine lens but for what its worth that Planar is my absolute favorite 50mm lens for any rangefinder. Finally about 5 years ago I bought the 35/2 Biogon.
So, I own 4 of them, and they have been used for quite awhile on the Zeiss Ikon as well as several Leica M cameras over the years. They all work just fine. Not a wobble in the bunch. I certainly don't use each of these lenses every time I shoot a roll of film in a rangefinder but I use each of them a fair amount; probably the Tele-Tessar the least and the Planar the most.
As far as I'm concerned they are very good lenses, mechanically as well as optically. How long will they last? I haven't got a clue but at my age the odds are that they will outlive me.
I bought my Zeiss Ikon back in 2011 along with the C Sonnar 50 and the Tele Tessar 85. A little while later I picked up the 50/2 Planar off of E-Bay. The Sonnar is a fine lens but for what its worth that Planar is my absolute favorite 50mm lens for any rangefinder. Finally about 5 years ago I bought the 35/2 Biogon.
So, I own 4 of them, and they have been used for quite awhile on the Zeiss Ikon as well as several Leica M cameras over the years. They all work just fine. Not a wobble in the bunch. I certainly don't use each of these lenses every time I shoot a roll of film in a rangefinder but I use each of them a fair amount; probably the Tele-Tessar the least and the Planar the most.
As far as I'm concerned they are very good lenses, mechanically as well as optically. How long will they last? I haven't got a clue but at my age the odds are that they will outlive me.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
If you ever decide to foist yours off on someone for $300, let me know. I had to sell mine after I had my stroke and could never afford to replace it at today's prices.
Disappointed_Horse
Well-known
"Premium" = higher markup, nothing more.
