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Archive 2022 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…

  
 
tri_fin
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


I recently bought a Light Lens Lab 35mm which I love however it has a tiny amount of movement in the focus ring. I would like to know if others have this and if I should return it. I really don’t want to for me it amazing I can’t take it off my cam!

It’s fine in the locked position but elsewhere it has a little ‘play’

Please let me know, thanks.



Jan 26, 2022 at 01:19 PM
rscheffler
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


Mine has very slight, almost imperceptible 'lag' when changing focus direction. Is this what you mean? I don't notice it in regular use and otherwise it feels pretty tight. No obvious wobbles, etc. That said, if using it in live view with focus magnification, I can see the image shift slightly when I make a focus adjustment. So something is probably not quite at 'Leica levels' of manufacture, but so far it's been OK.

Recently I noticed a rough spot in the focus throw near MFD, but it could be a small piece of grit in the helicoid.

I did have a problem with mine exhibiting what I thought was excessive field curvature and focus shift. It was sent back to the 'factory' for servicing and took about 5 months. This was through Kevin who acted as middleman for those who bought it through the RFF thread. If you bought it elsewhere and the problem you described is bothering you, an exchange would probably be the better option. Or, if you have a trusted Leica service person, it's probable they could look at it, considering it's 95% a clone of the Cron v1. If you were in the US, one suggestion would probably be DAG. Though there too you'd likely experience some delay.



Jan 26, 2022 at 01:33 PM
Desmolicious
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


There is a teeny tiny amount of play in mine. I actually did not notice it until you pointed it out, then I went looking for it! Not as tight as my new 35mm FLE (nor as heavy a focus action!), but nothing that I would be concerned about. Feels the same as my ZM 50 1.5.


Jan 26, 2022 at 01:58 PM
tri_fin
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


Thanks a lot! Really set my mind at rest. It sounds like they are all the same. If it’s not a fault then it’s not a problem…

Totally awesome lens. The 8 element deserves all its hype as far as I can tell.




Jan 26, 2022 at 02:20 PM
rscheffler
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


I'll add that the focus dampening of my copy is not as smooth and fluid feeling as I would prefer. It feels kind of dry and metal on metal. At least more so than what I've generally experienced with Leica M, ZM and VM lenses. It's perhaps the one noticeable UX aspect that slightly bothers me. But it's a minor nitpick.


Jan 26, 2022 at 04:57 PM
Desmolicious
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


rscheffler wrote:
I'll add that the focus dampening of my copy is not as smooth and fluid feeling as I would prefer. It feels kind of dry and metal on metal. At least more so than what I've generally experienced with Leica M, ZM and VM lenses. It's perhaps the one noticeable UX aspect that slightly bothers me. But it's a minor nitpick.


Mine is perfectly smooth.



Jan 26, 2022 at 10:19 PM
genji
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


Roughly how much does the LLL 35/2 sell for now and where is the best place to buy one?

[Edited] I should have looked on eBay before asking. Wild variation in pricing with USD1069 being the lowest for a black one.



Jan 26, 2022 at 10:26 PM
Juha Kannisto
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


genji wrote:
Roughly how much does the LLL 35/2 sell for now and where is the best place to buy one?

[Edited] I should have looked on eBay before asking. Wild variation in pricing with USD1069 being the lowest for a black one.


In Japan Map Camera and Fujiya Camera seem to sell those as new and Map Camera has several used silver versions listed as well.

https://www.mapcamera.com/search?keyword=Light%20Lens%20Lab&igngkeyword=1
https://www.fujiya-camera.co.jp/shop/goods/search.aspx?search=x&keyword=Light+Lens+Lab&search=search
(Fujiya camera link seems to work properly only if copy-pasted to browser.)

New Black ones appear to be priced at 149400 yen and Silver is 129600 yen in both stores.



Jan 26, 2022 at 11:36 PM
tri_fin
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


I bought mine from Map Camera for $1,146.

The service from them is second to none - I search their online store, email them asking for them to put on eBay and allow purchasing from England. It works really well. Im a repeat (habitual!) customer.

The pricing and purchasing of the lens is a bit of a burden - I wish they had a shop but their products are excellent - I have the Light Lens Lab 50mm arriving today!




Jan 27, 2022 at 05:34 AM
rscheffler
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


Desmolicious wrote:
Mine is perfectly smooth.


Well sure, you got the unicorn bare brass finished version from the RFF batch. It was probably assembled by angels and the helicoid lubricated with their tears of joy.



Jan 27, 2022 at 03:24 PM
sh0ebox
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


I assume the amount of play is very minuscule? I definitely wouldn’t have noticed anything had I not checked mine for this after seeing your post. It’s otherwise wonderfully smooth and solidly constructed. Really a fantastic lens!


Jan 30, 2022 at 10:21 PM
jimmij1968
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


there should be a tiny screw near the aperture, i think it screw is just lose ,maybe slightly tighten it and could solve the issue

but its your choice if you gonna do it or not




Jan 30, 2022 at 10:44 PM
tri_fin
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


jimmij1968 wrote:
there should be a tiny screw near the aperture, i think it screw is just lose ,maybe slightly tighten it and could solve the issue

but its your choice if you gonna do it or not



There are 3 screws in the ring with the aperture markings but they didn't want to move. Is that where you mean?



- As a side note I now own the LLL Elcan 50/2 and it's built like a tank. A tank made by Leica and then copied by some highly skilled, modern technicians! I think the build quality is the same high standard as the 35mm but the Elcan 50mm was designed for war....




Feb 01, 2022 at 12:37 PM
ocean2059
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


tri_fin wrote:
There are 3 screws in the ring with the aperture markings but they didn't want to move. Is that where you mean?

- As a side note I now own the LLL Elcan 50/2 and it's built like a tank. A tank made by Leica and then copied by some highly skilled, modern technicians! I think the build quality is the same high standard as the 35mm but the Elcan 50mm was designed for war....



Regarding your comments about the LLL 50/2 replica of Leica ELCAN 50/2, I wouldn’t go as far as to call it built like a tank. I have been using one for few months now. It was excellent when I first received it. But after few weeks of normal use, the same focus play/drag, as you experienced in your 8e lens, started to happen. In addition, the focus friction has a bit of “dry contact’ feel. On a recent cold weather outing, the focus ring of the lens became a bit rough. I think it may have something to do with the quality of lubrication they use. Mechanically, LLL lenses are not as well built like Leica, recent CV and Zeiss zm lenses, based on my own user experiences. I think it’s an interesting lens. The center sharpness at f/2 is excellent for near and mid distances. But it’s not a well corrected lens for outer zone and the bekoh is not very attractive for my taste. What I like about this lens is its compact size for a 50/2 lens.



Feb 01, 2022 at 01:33 PM
jimmij1968
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


that's what i did to my 7artisans the 3 screws were lose when i try to focus/twist the lens but after tightening it , firm hold.

also once it is very lose or aleady lose the scaling distance might not be accurate anymore.
but based on the camera i check online the one of the flat head screw is aligned to the infinity focus maybe thats your guide they should be aligned
just try tighten it make sure you dont twist the lens when tightening it, put a strong tape maybe




Feb 01, 2022 at 01:45 PM
rscheffler
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


But if it's just a slight play in the focusing ring, then probably best to leave it alone.


Feb 01, 2022 at 01:52 PM
alahome
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


tri_fin wrote:
I recently bought a Light Lens Lab 35mm which I love however it has a tiny amount of movement in the focus ring. I would like to know if others have this and if I should return it. I really don’t want to for me it amazing I can’t take it off my cam!

It’s fine in the locked position but elsewhere it has a little ‘play’

Please let me know, thanks.


ok.... now you open a can of OCD worms for us...

Just like Fred suggested, if you really like your Voigtlander VM lens, don't test its centering.

Edited on Feb 01, 2022 at 02:06 PM · View previous versions



Feb 01, 2022 at 01:54 PM
alahome
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


Juha Kannisto wrote:
In Japan Map Camera and Fujiya Camera seem to sell those as new and Map Camera has several used silver versions listed as well.

https://www.mapcamera.com/search?keyword=Light%20Lens%20Lab&igngkeyword=1
https://www.fujiya-camera.co.jp/shop/goods/search.aspx?search=x&keyword=Light+Lens+Lab&search=search
(Fujiya camera link seems to work properly only if copy-pasted to browser.)

New Black ones appear to be priced at 149400 yen and Silver is 129600 yen in both stores.


Thanks for the info.

It looks like a lot of returns(condition: LikeNew, Excellent) on the mapcamera website.

中古 is used, right?






Feb 01, 2022 at 02:04 PM
Juha Kannisto
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


alahome wrote:
Thanks for the info.

It looks like a lot of returns(condition: LikeNew, Excellent) on the mapcamera website.

中古 is used, right?


Yes, 中古 means used.

Those are probably not returns as in Japan one can usually return a purchased item if it is faulty and in that case Map Camera wouldn't normally sell the returned items as used lenses. However, Map Camera does trade-ins and it's common for their customers who want to buy some new stuff to trade in some of their previously purchased lenses or cameras (might have been purchased from other stores as well) they didn't feel like keeping. So it looks like there were several Japanese customers who bought the lens but weren't inclined to keep it for long term. It might also indicate that the lens has been popular and many people tried it overall. The lens seems to have gained some fame among the Japanese rangefinder & old lens enthusiasts and there are several Japanese YouTube videos about it.

There is also at least one more online store that sells these lenses in Japan as new at same prices.
http://www.stkb.jp/
(enter Light Lens Lab in search field to find them)

This is a review (in Japanese) about the lens by a famous Japanese old camera/lens enthusiast: http://camera.metalmickey.jp/2020/06/22/smic35/

This is a 45 minute long video about the same lens where the same guy is giving a presentation about it (in Japanese):


The video also showed several comparison shots between the Light Lens Lab 35/2 and original Leica lens as well and the rendering was very similar between them.



Feb 01, 2022 at 08:02 PM
alahome
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Light lens lab 35/2 focus ring…


To be honest, it's little hard for me to spend 1k for it.

I would rather save that money to buy myself a nice condition summaron 35/2.8.



Feb 02, 2022 at 11:06 AM
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