The Light Lens Lab 50mm f/2 Elcan stands out for its compact size, solid build, and classic rendering. Originally introduced as a modern recreation of a rare military Leica lens, it delivers excellent image quality that is comparable in sharpness and character to the Leica 50mm f/2 Rigid. One noticeable difference is its lower optical vignetting, which results in more rounded specular highlights near the edges and less of the swirling effect often seen in the Rigid. Overall, the two lenses share a very similar performance profile.
What makes the Elcan even more interesting is the challenge it presents during servicing. Despite being built with high-quality materials and careful construction, it is extremely difficult to take apart. Our friend Yuri recently opened one up to address focus play and described it as one of the most difficult disassemblies he has ever faced. The widespread use of glue during assembly significantly complicates the process.
Yuri's article offers a rare look inside this lens and is a must-read for anyone curious about its internal design or considering service work.
That disassembly reminds me of a couple things, one bring not to buy any lenses cheap with the idea of fixing them. Another is the time I got a 35 summaron, had stiff focus, so I followed advice from a knowledgeable sounding guy to dump acetone in the threads to free the grease up!
I can't imagine that being popular advice here these days but things more laid back then. The lens had a nice peachy smell afterwards, since I borrowed it from other members of the household who used it to remove nail polish
Challenging to disassemble. Great info though. Cheaper lens price means it’s likely not worth the expense to repair but priced accordingly. I did however have that exact same slight focus play issue with a LLL 50 rigid brand new along with some stiction. I returned that copy. Looks like you need to get a good copy to start with.
AmbientMike wrote:
That disassembly reminds me of a couple things, one bring not to buy any lenses cheap with the idea of fixing them. Another is the time I got a 35 summaron, had stiff focus, so I followed advice from a knowledgeable sounding guy to dump acetone in the threads to free the grease up!
I can't imagine that being popular advice here these days but things more laid back then. The lens had a nice peachy smell afterwards, since I borrowed it from other members of the household who used it to remove nail polish
The thing is, the lens is built with mostly brass components and tight tolerances, so it's clearly made to a high standard. The main issue isn't the build quality, but rather the use of adhesive in places where it doesn't seem necessary. Hopefully, Light Lens Lab reconsiders this approach to make future lenses easier to service.
My feeling is eventually mechanical lenses tend to loosen up to the point where they need servicing, even highly precisely made ones from Leica. At least that's the case with my 50 Lux ASPH silver version. This approach by LLL might be a tactic to avoid servicing their lenses as much as possible for 'annoyances' rather than defects that directly impact image quality.
I think it’s common, I saw previous video taking apart I think a 35E, and it was a pain too due to glue. Parts are high quality brass and such, but servicing is a problem. I wonder if the glue it’s part of the reason for lower cost. Maybe it allows slightly less precision in assembly because you can just glue some parts in place instead of having a perfect fit. LLL is outputing alot of lenses. You get a nice lens for cheap but not really serviceable. The other issue would be on reassembly, does it need all that glue put back to function properly.
rscheffler wrote:
My feeling is eventually mechanical lenses tend to loosen up to the point where they need servicing, even highly precisely made ones from Leica. At least that's the case with my 50 Lux ASPH silver version. This approach by LLL might be a tactic to avoid servicing their lenses as much as possible for 'annoyances' rather than defects that directly impact image quality.
rscheffler wrote:
My feeling is eventually mechanical lenses tend to loosen up to the point where they need servicing, even highly precisely made ones from Leica. At least that's the case with my 50 Lux ASPH silver version. This approach by LLL might be a tactic to avoid servicing their lenses as much as possible for 'annoyances' rather than defects that directly impact image quality.
I wonder how true this is across their releases?
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misteracng wrote:
I think it’s common, I saw previous video taking apart I think a 35E, and it was a pain too due to glue. Parts are high quality brass and such, but servicing is a problem. I wonder if the glue it’s part of the reason for lower cost. Maybe it allows slightly less precision in assembly because you can just glue some parts in place instead of having a perfect fit. LLL is outputing alot of lenses. You get a nice lens for cheap but not really serviceable. The other issue would be on reassembly, does it need all that glue put back to function properly.
I'm not convinced that the glue is used to cut costs or reduce servicing needs. I could be wrong, and maybe @yukosteel, can clarify this, but after he dissolved all the adhesive, he was able to fully service the lens (clean the dust, regrease it, and fix the focus lag) without needing to apply any glue again. Everything was reassembled using the original screws and retention rings. After shooting with it yesterday, I noticed there is zero play, the focus is butter smooth, and to me it feels perfect. So I really don't see why Light Lens Lab needs to use glue at all, since the lens works beautifully without it.
Here are a few shots I took yesterday with the serviced Elcan during one of my kid's high school graduation. The lighting was really dim and not ideal, but it still held up well.
LEICA M10-RLight Lens Lab 50mm f/2 Elcan lens50mmf/2.01/100s4000 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-7CRLight Lens Lab 50mm f/2 Elcan lens50mmf/2.01/100s8000 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RLight Lens Lab 50mm f/2 Elcan lens50mmf/2.01/100s8000 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RLight Lens Lab 50mm f/2 Elcan lens50mmf/2.01/100s8000 ISO0.0 EV
Fred Miranda wrote:
I'm not convinced that the glue is used to cut costs or reduce servicing needs.
Correct, the glue on these retention rings is simply to keep them from accidental unscrewing during normal use. Typically Leica/Voigthalner/Zeiss lenses also have a bit of glue on retention rings, though I'd say 95% less comparing to amount found in LLL and its a different type of glue, closer to Red Loctite.
I suppose its just part of manufacturing standard of LLL, to keep rings extra secured. What would perhaps reduce manufacturing cost a bit - is adding less glue.
The other LLL Elcan copy I purchased from FM recently has SN 245/998, and has similar glue amount. The minor focus lag is there as well, though not as prominent to urgently disassemble it,. When lens is mounted on M camera the lag is almost disappearing (due to pressure from RF roller), I can only feel it bothering on Nikon ZF camera, so will just keep using as is for now, love the compact size and comfortable focusing with longer throw.
At the moment I am shooting a M4 + LLL Elcan (and a MP, I trade off) cased in Luigi leather for photography in Alaska trying to see what I can do with it and so this is my set up
EMH2025 wrote:
The Safari and Elcan sure is pretty-
At the moment I am shooting a M4 + LLL Elcan (and a MP, I trade off) cased in Luigi leather for photography in Alaska trying to see what I can do with it and so this is my set up
Looks great. I actually like pairing silver lenses with black bodies too, but it definitely looks perfect on your M4. I also use mine on my silver M3 and love the combo.
It is the chrome Cosina, the vintage camera and vintage appearing lens plus a vintage photographer has resulted in more than a few comments (and I would guess thoughts about being past it) walking about in Anchorage that this season is crowded with tourists with the latest tech imaging if they are not using a phone. For me I think it looks classy and it is the set up I wanted when I was a student decades ago so it makes me happy to use it whereas my MP is simply a new great camera.
EMH2025 wrote:
It is the chrome Cosina, the vintage camera and vintage appearing lens plus a vintage photographer has resulted in more than a few comments (and I would guess thoughts about being past it) walking about in Anchorage that this season is crowded with tourists with the latest tech imaging if they are not using a phone. For me I think it looks classy and it is the set up I wanted when I was a student decades ago so it makes me happy to use it whereas my MP is simply a new great camera.
Thanks for the info. I might switch to the chrome Cosina meter since the TTArtisan one I bought isn't very accurate. It's off by about a stop, and there’s no way to adjust it. I've gotten used to it, but it's always something I have to keep in mind when using it.
Has your experience with the Voigtlander version been good in terms of metering accuracy?
Another is the time I got a 35 summaron, had stiff focus, so I followed advice from a knowledgeable sounding guy to dump acetone in the threads to free the grease up!
