Gunter Gabriel
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 p.1 #1 · Light Lens Lab - Experience - Quality Issues | |
Hello,
I’ve been really impressed with the beautiful image quality of Light Lens Lab (LLL) lenses.
However, I wanted to share some feedback from my experience with five of their lenses —feedback that doesn’t quite align with the “high-quality photographic equipment” messaging of LLL or some reviews suggesting Leica/Voigtlander-level build quality.
Here’s what I encountered:
* LLL 50 mm f/1.2 (1966 vintage): I experienced noticeable play in the focusing mechanism and a distinct clicking sound when turning the focus ring from one direction to the other. I sent it to LLL Canada for repair (at my expense), waited for service in China, and while it was partially improved, the issue wasn’t fully resolved. By comparison, my Leica Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 focuses smoothly and silently.
* LLL 35 mm 8-element (regular black paint finish): After just mounting and unmounting the lens hood, the black paint began chipping. My older Leica and Voigtlander lenses —some over 60 years old — haven’t shown this issue.
* LLL 28 mm 9-element: This lens stuck several times and can’t get off the M Body (maybe a LLL mount tolerance issue on that lens) and I was concerned about damaging the rangefinder coupling mechanism on my M. The first replacement LLL sent had a front housing ring that wasn’t glued properly and could rotate freely. Only the third lens I received functions reliably. I covered shipping costs for both faulty lenses.
* LLL 50 mm Rigid: This one has been flawless and performs beautifully!
* LLL Z21 (just received): Unfortunately, it has a strong back-focus issue out of factory— at infinity, the rangefinder patch won’t align, making the lens unusable on a rangefinder. I tested it on multiple M bodies, and it’s definitely faulty.
Out of the seven lenses I’ve received (including replacements), five had issues — an error rate of around 71%.
David and the LLL customer service team have always been friendly and responsive, for which I’m grateful.
Still, the cumulative effort — time, money, and frustration — has taken a toll on my confidence in their product’s quality, reliability, and longevity. In many countries, there’s also no local distributor or service partner, which makes the situation more difficult.
I want to highlight something important: I truly value the distinct, beautiful rendering of these lenses — otherwise, I wouldn’t have continued buying them. They’re also more affordable than Leica lenses, and aimed at comparable price performance levels to Voigtlander. But when prices range from €700 to €2,100 for a LLL lens, customers rightfully expect matching build quality.
Adding to the challenge, I haven’t received any personal response to my recent Z21 complaint/warranty issue for almost two weeks from LLL — only an automated reply:
“Hello, Dear valued customer,
There will be a delay in our email replies as we are away from our desk... However, we will still receive your messages and reply to you as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience caused and thank you for understanding and supporting our research and development.”
My Z21 is unusable and just sitting on the shelf, and I hope LLL will react to my emails and get back to me soon and provide a solution for the defective lens.
I sincerely hope LLL can address these quality control issues in their small-batch production and more important, improve the responsiveness of their service. Other manufacturers do experience occasional hiccups, sure — but they often have local support and are easier to reach.
Thank you for reading, and I’d be happy to stay in touch and provide updates.
Best regards,
Guenther
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