sigh....2 out of 3 ZM lenses with the wobble

Avotius

Avotius

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I adore my ZM lenses but sadly now 2 of my 3 have developed that loose barrel wobble.

My Planar 50 f2 came with it right out of the box but I didnt think much of it but as time goes on it gets looser and looser, this is quite common on these lenses as I understand. Now however my Biogon 28 f2.8 has developed it too, not as bad as the Planar, but its there and very noticeable. All I got left is my Zeiss 21 which Zeiss was so nice to give to me, but I worry.

Bah and now that I am in China, sending these things off to them is a lot harder then ever, customs here totaly disregards any kind of notice on the packages about repairs or anything, they just tax the hell out of everything.

So I will look into a DIY solution and hope...:bang:
 
Avotius I can share your disappointment with that. I currently own a Biogon T 35mm 2.0 and have had nothing but problems with it. I purchased it new but quite quickly after I had purhcased it that problem developed that you described with the wobble. I quite stupidly paid money to get that tightened. Now some black gunk has come loose inside the lens - I can't believe it. I am so annoyed with this and have decided to get that removed then sell.

Also, I found that the contrast with this lens on sunny days was not to my liking - the rokkor, summicron and elmar that I have used previously yielded much better zone separation and shadow definition as this lens - even when using the same developer & film combination. I much preferred the look of those other lens under those contrasty conditions. These conditions are also my favorite to normally shoot under. However, having said that, I preferred the contrast of this Biogon lens under overcast skies! So, if money is not an objective then I guess it is about matching a particular lens (with its own fingerprint) to the correct lighting conditions.

At the end of the day, you can get a 2nd hand black 5th version summicron 50mm (with detachable hood) or a 40mm rokkor summicron cheaper than a new biogon or planar. Even a nice 2.8 summaron or 1st version 35mm summicron.

It is all about peace of mind as well, because the stress and frustrations to get these niggly defects serviced, detract from the whole experience as well.
These are new lens not forgetting so they shouldn't have these problems. It is understandable to get a 20 year old Leica lens serviced, but by that point it has done the hard yards and earned its time in the service shop. I guess it comes down to quality control and paying a lot less for a lens compared to its Leica competitor.

But, having to track down repair shops, sort out customs forms is a pain in the ass. Also, I have read some people defend the defects in the ZM range as nothing too serious. However, it is all about time spent worrying and fixing these small problems that really annoy me.

After my frustrations with this current lens I have decided not to use these ZM lens again. Also, the ergonomics are terrible to focus with compared to the above said leica lens. It just feels loose and not stable and the lens protrudes to long from the body. The wides in the ZM lineup get rave reviews, but my preferred focal length is 35-50mm.
 
I really love the rendering that my Zeiss lenses give, its special and works really well where I am. No complaints there, but the build quality of those tightening rings.....
 
I have wobble and/or what I call focus 'knock' in 3 out of 4. One very annoying (35 f2), and two quite minor.

Bec it can happen very quickly after use it would not appear to be a wear issue but the blasted locking/jamming ring coming loose. It does disappoint me that this issue is arising with newly bought lenses as I would have thought it would be rectified. It is possible that due to batch production, even new purchases are in fact a few years old!

I wrote to Zeiss about the issue recently and they would not comment oher than to ask that I send in the lenses for inspection (fair enough). I will do so, when I get a clear spell when I can do without them. All developed the issue within the warranty period, but none were returned during warranty because I work in Afghanistan, shoot constantly, and have no alternative lenses (I would rather write off a lens than miss vital shots that cannot be re-shot). I simply cannot afford to be without lenses for a month or so. Zeiss seemed understanding so we shall see what transpires when I mail them in. I have one project to get out of the way, wihch I need the 21 2.8 and 35 f2 for, but once done, I will be able to work with my recently purchased CV 35 PII and CV 21 f4.

I agree with the contrast, but as I shoot mono film only its no issue as I can alter exposure and development. On digital they would not be my sunny day lenses! Most Leica asphs are the same, such as the 28 elmarit asph, 90 cron asph etc. All v high contrast. The new summarits seem to be the modern solution to dynamic range issues, or older glass.
 
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You just have to tighten the retaining ring at the back of the lens. You can do it yourself with a proper tool easily.
 
Not sure are we talking about the same retaining ring. But I find that if u turn the focusing ring ( I think towards the close focusing side ) u can get the retaining ring (with 2 tiny slots at 180deg apart) expose more for tightening.
 
mfogiel said:
You just have to tighten the retaining ring at the back of the lens. You can do it yourself with a proper tool easily.
Click to expand...

what sort of tool do you need and how do you get one. Someone mentioned this earlier but I don't recall how to get the tool required.
 
I have heard of people talking about this tool before, I think they are called lens calipers or something. I know watch repair shops use something very similar but they are too small. Maybe that is the solution.

FYI my Zeiss lenses get a fair amount of use. The 50 has shot untold amounts of film but the 28 far less and I way awfully surprised to see it get the wobble, compared to the 50 its almost like new.
 
The lens has two major cells on it, the internal cell which houses the glass optics and aperture ring and the focus cell which is on the outside where the focus ring is. For some reason on Zeiss lenses these two can become loose from each other where they will jiggle around a bit if for instance if I have the lens on the camera and hold the top of the lens and move it left and right slightly, its easy to feel the optical cell moving inside the focus cell. Trust me, if its a problem, you would already know, it can move a lot.
 
What does this have to do with the M9? 😀

Yes, if you don't notice and issue you don't have one. If it develops, its pretty obvious whats going on.
 
fantastic, where might one find a spanner wrench for lenses with these tips? I am afraid I may have to splurge because when Zeiss sent me my 21mm lens from that contest, they sent it from germany, and my goodness I got a bill for almost the value of the lens and a "you are required to be at" letter that said I needed to go to the customs office the next city over (360 Kilometers) and this and that. I would very much like to avoid that again. Thank goodness some voodoo magic made the bill disappear but who knows next time....
 
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My 50mm sonnar has the wobble.

My ZI body vf went out of alignment, after a couple of rolls.

I guess zeiss quality ( for me at least ) has been shoddy and very
disappointing.

No more zeiss ( M-mount ) lenses for me.

The zf 100/2 makro is stiff as if on permanent viagra! man that hurts, but performance is not impacted.
 
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I have a problem with the ZI body, and Zeiss in Germany put me in contact with its agent in Japan. I just sent my camera to Tokyo from Hong Kong, and hopefully it will be fixed soon.

Try contacting Zeiss at their website. Maybe you can send it to Japan, and after a couple of weeks pick up the lenses on a trip to Tokyo?
 
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