In some cases, the ring might loosen up with use, but usually new lubricant should be applied by a professional as the lens has to be dismantled and the right kind of grease has to be used.
Be careful of following the advise to "just keep rotating the focus ring to loosen things up" I followed the advice and the lens seized solid. What I do now, is to rotate it a couple times, if it doesn't get any better, or worse, it it gets tighter, stop using it till you can have it cleaned and lubed.
I've been using them on a 7D for a few months after they've been dormant for many years (a Mamiya Sekor C 80mm and a Zeiss Flektogon 35mm) but they haven't loosened that much at all with use so I may have to have it done by a pro.
Dooglestar wrote:
I know this might sound a bit naive but is this doable from a DIY perspective, how hard can it be?
Have any you guys tried this yourselves?
Try extending the lens fully. Look in the mount, if the helical is exposed, you can apply a small amount of grease to the helical, non melting lithium works well applied with a toothpick or similar tool. Work the lens back and forth to spread the lube. Don't use too much and apply it at 120 degree intervals. I have done this numerous times with good results. If the helical appears dirty with a lint type dirt, don't do it. It will feel gritty if you do.
Don't try to apply more grease. You need to remove the old grease first that became stiff with time. More grease won't necesserily make it better, you may even end up with that extra oil getting on the diaphragm. Go to www.mflenses.com, you can find some advice over there on how to disassemble lenses. This is going to be a rear-end job, so you'll just need a small screwdriver set, something to disssolve old grease (I use naphtha), and new synthetic lubricant (I use "super lube"). The trickiest part is to pay a lot of attention so that you remember how to assemble it back (mark timings on everything!), to have some tray to collect small parts that could accidentally fall (it's not much fun if you have to look for a tiny screw that's disappeared in a shag rag ), and to have a lot of cleaning materials (including good lens cleaner and microfiber cloth) and a lot of determination!
Some lenses are a breeze to disassemble, clean, lube and put it back together, and some... not so much.
Before you tear into a nice lens, search for "how to's" on that lens.
I just received an Industar 61 that looks mint, but the grease was like wax, after holding it for 5 minutes, out came the screw drivers and the helicoid was cleaned and lubed, she was put back together and focus is nice and smooth now.
), and to have a lot of cleaning materials (including good lens cleaner and microfiber cloth) and a lot of determination! 