Making an old Elmar 50/2.8 f-stops easier to turn?

[marke]

I have a 1958 Elmar 50/2.8 in M mount, the kind where the focus changes if you change the f-stop. Does anyone know if the clicks/detents can be made smoother or easier, so that it won't be thrown off when trying to focus?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Pompiere]

There probably isn't an easy fix. Anything that you apply from the outside will also find its way into places that you don't want it like the aperture blades or the glass. It will likely need disassembly to clean out the dried up grease and dirt.

 

[brachal]

I have the same lens, and the f/stops turn very easily. If they were any softer I'd worry about them changing on their own. Changing the f/stop will affect focus, but I think that is inevitable with this design. You have to get in the habit of setting the stop first and then focusing.

edit: mine is actually the LTM version of the lens, but I believe they're identical except for the mount.

 

[marke]

Thanks for your reply, Pompiere. What prompted me to ask this is that I had disassembled my 50/2 Summitar to clean and lube it. The aperture ring would always lock up whenever I would use if in cold weather, besides just being a bit stiff even indoors. So last week I cleaned every trace of old lube out and gave it a bit of fresh synthetic grease. Yesterday I was using it in temps that almost gave my gloved-covovered fingers frostbite, and it is now smooth as butter.

But I'm questioning whether or not this same treatment would also help the Elmar, as the lens is designed differently in this area. The Summitar doesn't have clicks/detents for each aperature, where as the Elmar does. I don't think it's the lubricant that is the issue here, but rather how the lens was designed. I believe this was a problem with the lens even when brand new, as I've heard others bring it up before. I'm just wondering if anyone has found a solution to it.