summitar barrel problem

[serial_lain]

Hi there! am new to this forum after lurking around for a few months.. now i really need some information that i hope the experts here can help

i just bought a coated summitar online, however upon receiving it.. i realised i have no idea how to lock the barrel! or rather, when i twist the barrel, it doesnt lock into place. The aperture ring is sticky but it turns with a lot of effort. Another thing to note is that while using an screw to m adaptor the focus indicator does not align in the center with my camera.. in addition to that the aperture indicator does not even align with the focus indicator.. so all form of alignment is out.. is this a fixable problem? or should i demand a return of the lens? thanks in advance!

[kbg32]

Summitars don't "lock" into place, with a click. Kind of "press fit" tightly when extended into place. The focus indicator alignment when using a LTM adapter, is hardly ever centered and you should not worry about that. As for the other problems of your lens, it doesn't sound like all is well. The aperture should not turn with a lot of effort and should align with the indicator somewhat. It can be a little off and not be too much of a concern.

[Nikon Bob]

When you extend the barrel of your Summitar all the way, all the way being the operative word, it locks by twisting it to the right/clockwise. As Kieth said there will be no click to indicate a lock up. Again as Keith said the slight mis alignment of the focus mark is not a big deal. For the stiff aperture ring refer to this thread http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...light=summitar . Following the instruction given in it I was able to solve the problem of the stiff apereture ring on my Summitar. Before the fix it was so stiff that you turned the whole lens barrel in an effort to change aperetures. It is now butter smooth.

Bob

[serial_lain]

hmm i did turn the barrel clockwise (looking from the front), but the barrel did not press fit into place, and is easily turned back without any resistance. the mechanism which 'locks' the barrel could possibly have been worn out over time? in any case the buyer agreed to pay a full refund so ill just send the thing back. Thanks Bob for the point to the thread on sticky apertures.. it might come in handy in future!

[maddoc]

Hi there,

I have exact the same problems with my Summitar, especially now in Winter when the grease inside the helicoil really gets sticky. The aperture ring nearly doesn't move at all or turns the barrel, the focus is very sticky and the aperture index and focus index are misaligned by roughly 40 degrees. Nevertheless, the lens renders better than my Summicron. I couldn't open the lens myself (unscrew the front part) to fix the aperture problem so I will sent it off to DAG or Sherry some time to get it CLAed. Otherwise a really nice lens !

Cheers,

maddoc

[serial_lain]

yeah i know! its not half as expensive as the summicron and its got that classic look i like. what a pity its not a good copy. ill use it for the wedding im attending this weekend before returning it. at least i can tell the seller if its usable or not. cheers for all the good advice this forum has to offer!