ZM lens focus ring stiffness?

[analogpics]

Hey all, just thought i'd ask...ive handled both a 35mm f2 biogon and 50mm f2 planar and noticed a strange thing with both lenses. When mounted to a camera, if i turn the camera on its side to shoot a vertical shot, the focus ring gets really stiff. Then when i go back to horizontal, it moves freely. Just thought i'd ask if anyone else has had this issue. Cheers!

[kossi008]

Nope, mine are the same in both orientations. Could it be that the lens *feels* different, because you have a different grip on it?

[analogpics]

I thought maybe that was the case, so i took it off the camera to see, and it still was there. The salesman noticed it too :P

[huntjump]

i notice my ZM lens is stiffer than any of my leica's, but the orientation has never made a difference.

[meso]

My planar behaves the same way, its stiffness varies by orientation.

[Bob Michaels]

I never had a ZM lens that varied by camera rotation. But I have had several that required dis-assembly, removing the old grease and re-lubrication. Then the focusing was perfect.

I still cannot comprehend how a factory can screw up the application of grease during manufacture of Zeiss Ikon lenses and seem to get it right every time for the cheaper CV ones.

[analogpics]

Maybe it was just a fluke...ill have to try another one out and see if it does the same thing :P The price/build/IQ is just right for me

[EdwardKaraa]

All of my ZM do this to varying degrees, especially when new. The good news is that the focusing ring will loosen with use and it's a temporary issue.

[analogpics]

Ahhh gotcha....not to change topics but, what's everyone's opinion of the build quality of the ZI? I handled one the same day as the planar and thought it felt kinda light and fragile. Please tell me i'm wrong :P It has all the features i want in a carry around RF....

[Spud10]

They are definitely quite light when compared to a leica but for all intents and purposes, the ZI seems quite robust... but..

I found the rangefinder mechanism in mine to be quite susceptible to being knocked out of alignment. One day it was fine, then after being in my bag for a day, it'd be out of alignment. (Mysteriously, this same process also fixed it)

Now whether or not I had poor camera, I can't say for sure. I'm just reporting in on my experience. All in all, it's a great camera.

[EdwardKaraa]

Originally Posted by analogpics

Ahhh gotcha....not to change topics but, what's everyone's opinion of the build quality of the ZI? I handled one the same day as the planar and thought it felt kinda light and fragile. Please tell me i'm wrong :P It has all the features i want in a carry around RF....

That's a difficult question to answer. Light? Yes. Fragile? I don't think so, but my M6 certainly feels more robust. I am not sure if it's a matter of weight that gives the impression of durability and robustness. For practical purposes I prefer the ZI over the Leica.

As for the RF Inconsistency mentioned by spud10, I think it's a matter of eye alignment rather than RF.

[Bob Michaels]

Originally Posted by analogpics

Ahhh gotcha....not to change topics but, what's everyone's opinion of the build quality of the ZI? I handled one the same day as the planar and thought it felt kinda light and fragile. Please tell me i'm wrong :P It has all the features i want in a carry around RF....

I see build quality as being unrelated to light and fragile. I have seen several instances of screws simply not being tightened enough and parts falling off. Fortunately, this can be permanently corrected.

Light? Yes, a bit. I see this as an advantage. Weight adds nothing good unless one is talking about anvils. Reliable? Yes, other than the assembly problems. I think the design is excellent. It is a very good camera. When I lost both of mine, I replaced the ZI bodies and ZM lenses with exactly the same models.