Is it me or do you find the ZM lenses very stiff?

Had my first experience with Zeiss glass when I used them on my 3 G2s .21mm 35mm and 90mm one on each. Terrific quality AND the autofocus NEVER let me down in 5 years of professional use until forced to go digital.
Now use the 18mm 28mm and 50mm without thinking about them(as it shouild be).
 
arseniii said:
I used to have a Planar 50 zm. It was buttery smooth and even across the whole range. May be even too smooth ;-) My 50mm 'cron is smooth too but you need to apply more force to twist it. On the other hand my 25zm is stiff and doesn't get any better with time, partially because I do not focus 25mm very often due to a huge DOF... Hope that helps
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My 25mm Biogon is smooth. I find the focus of my Leica lenses to be better damped: DR Summicron is pleasantly tight, Summaron is fantastically smooth and Elmarit 90/2.8 is the middle of the two, but Biogon is no slack either, it just feels differently.
 
All my ZM's feel the same, all are just about the perfect compromise of smootheness and lightness. I have 18, 25, 35/2.8 and 50/1.5. Comparatively my 35/1.4Asph is the same lightness but feels smoother, my 90/2.8 Elmarit-M is slightly too tight but I bought it in like-new condition recently so I think it needs more shooting 😛

Oh, my 25mm Biogon is maybe a little rougher than the others, I have just discovered that this lens has a light leak 🙁
 
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dovevadar said:
I went to try out the 21mm biogon and 35 bigon this morning at the store, I found the focusing to be freaking stiff to a point I was struggling to focus with it. Then I remembered having the 25mm biogon awhile back. It was stubbornly stiff as well..

I understand some might argue that stiffer lens focus more precisely but not to this extend I guess 😱

Anybody experience the same thing?
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Which store were you trying the lenses?

I don't have the tight focusing situation on the Zeiss lenses I own or tried.

Cheers,
 
Me neither. I just bought the Planar 50 and the C-Biogon 35. I find both very pleasant to focus: the friction is just right for me, neither too stiff nor too loose...
 
Mine 50mm f2 Planar is quite stiff too at first, but after a few days of use, I think it's actually better now. And I thought it helps me nail the focus a little bit better.
 
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Just Got the C Sonnar...its Lovely & Smooooth
though I am the 2nd owner
its in MINT Condt /looks hardly used

TRES HAPPY !!!
 
Lots of variability in the ones I've tried.

35/2 wonderful and smooth, 25/2.8 a little too stiff for me, first 50/1.4 Sonnar went back because it was too stiff to turn at all without gripping it tightly with two or three fingers, next 50/1.4 Sonnar is between the 35/2 and the 25/2.8.
 
I guess I do find my planar (a lens I love) to be a bit stiffer than some (but certainly not all) of the Leica lenses I've owned. But I wouldn't say it creates any sort of focusing issues. It's just a different feel.
 
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