Is my Zuiko lens dead ? (slight play) (still usable ? fixable ?)

Hello everyone,

Today, on my OM Zuiko MC 50mm f1.4 lens I noticed an abnormal "play" (i don't know if it's the right word in English) from back to front at the base of the silver ring,
the whole lens moves slightly forward and backwards on about half a millimeter, you can even hear a slight "click" when you do it, it won't move much more than about half a millimeter but I'm worried it might be enough to mess up the focus, maybe even create a light leak inside the lens?
I've included a picture with this post describing where the problem is located,
I wonder if by pushing it "closed" well every time i use it i can still use it normally ? maybe the damage is too much and even when i push it it's still not in its exact original position ?
Am I better off selling it for parts or going to a repair shop, even tho i don't have much hope they'll be able to do anything ?
I would really like to keep using it because it wasn't easy finding an MC version of this lens and i don't think i'll be able to find another one in good condition soon.

If you have any idea and advice or if you had similar experiences with such lenses it would really help,

Thanks !

Don't know whether mine is MC, the serial number is about 720,000. There is no longitudinal movement.

Ulrich

I'm wondering if there's a loose screw or screws under the rubber focus grip ?

John S

John Salim said:

I'm wondering if there's a loose screw or screws under the rubber focus grip ?

John S

Click to expand...

could i remove it without damaging it to check ?

You can usually slide a flat bladed knife under the rubber grip, though there's also probably some glue to get through.
But before attempting that, I'd strongly suggest you wait for someone with actual experience to reply to your opening query.

John S

It sounds like the mount flange screws could be loose, they are on the back of the lens:

You could take a look at the lens mount. The mount often is screwed to the lens barrel and if these crews are loose you could have the effect you describe.

Is the entire lens moving forward and back relative to the lens mount? To check it, mount the lens on the camera and try to move the front of the lens forward and back without rotating the focusing ring.

If it moves without rotating the focus ring, then you have a problem that must be corrected. If on the other hand, only the aperture preset ring moves independently of the lens, then focus is unaffected, and you need only address the looseness of the aperture ring. To get at the aperture ring, the screws holding the lens mount to the barrel must be removed.

Use only a JIS (Japan Industrial Standards) screwdriver of the appropriate size as other cruciform-socket tools have a different geometry and won’t fit the socket properly and would likely damage the screw sockets.

If the lens mount is loose, then tightening the screws should eliminate the problem.

Ian C said:

Is the entire lens moving forward and back relative to the lens mount? To check it, mount the lens on the camera and try to move the front of the lens forward and back without rotating the focusing ring.

If it moves without rotating the focus ring, then you have a problem that must be corrected. If on the other hand, only the aperture preset ring moves independently of the lens, then focus is unaffected, and you need only address the looseness of the aperture ring. To get at the aperture ring, the screws holding the lens mount to the barrel must be removed.

Use only a JIS (Japan Industrial Standards) screwdriver of the appropriate size as other cruciform-socket tools have a different geometry and won’t fit the socket properly and would likely damage the screw sockets.

If the lens mount is loose, then tightening the screws should eliminate the problem.

Click to expand...

Yes, when i attach the lens to the body of the camera the entire lens moves relatively to the silver ring, i'll try to tighten the screws Daniel suggested tonight if i still have the right screwdriver and get back to you

Daniel Stuefer said:

It sounds like the mount flange screws could be loose, they are on the back of the lens:

Click to expand...

I just hope it isnt related to a drop or something else from the previous owner but from what he said he barely used it and it doesnt look like it took any drop (no marks on the body of the lens)

I confirm @Ian C 's warning to use only JIS screwdrivers on those screws.
If they are loose, that is a hint that someone may have serviced the lens previously - which is not necessarily a problem, but might be significant.
I could be wrong, but I believe that when the lens came from the factory, those screws were also treated with thread locking compound to prevent them loosening under normal circumstances.
So they may or may not be easy to adjust.

I had a 50/1.8 Auto-S partially disassembled here, perhaps useful for studying the basic construction. But every lens is constructed differently.

Of course, always work with JIS screwdrivers and be careful not to lose the adjustment of the helicoids for focusing.

Andreas Thaler said:

I had a 50/1.8 Auto-S partially disassembled here, perhaps useful for studying the basic construction. But every lens is constructed differently.

Of course, always work with JIS screwdrivers and be careful not to lose the adjustment of the helicoids for focusing.

Olympus Zuiko Auto-S 50/1.8: Front lens group cannot be separated

A 50/1.8 Zuiko, heavily molded, was quickly disassembled: The rear lens group consists of two lenses lying one on top of the other that are easy to clean: The unpleasant surprise comes from the front. The front lens group forms an optical unit - literally: The fungus sits between...

www.photrio.com

Click to expand...

can i change the adjustment of the helicoids by tightening the three screws we are talking about ? If so, do i have to re-do the ajustment before tightening them ?

mcafeejohn said:

can i change the adjustment of the helicoids by tightening the three screws we are talking about ? If so, do i have to re-do the ajustment before tightening them ?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately I can't answer that, as I'm not familiar with the 50/1.4.

Generally, the position of the helicoids must be marked before they are separated. The question is whether you even need to do that.

Andreas Thaler said:

Unfortunately I can't answer that, as I'm not familiar with the 50/1.4.

Generally, the position of the helicoids must be marked before they are separated. The question is whether you even need to do that.

Click to expand...

okay thanks, for now i'll try to only tighten those screws and see if that resolves the issue, i'll consider opening it up further only if that doesnt solve it

Update: I got the appropriate JIS screwdrivers and tried tightening the screws on the silver mount plate but they are already really tight, if i apply any more force the screwdriver just slips and damages the screw, the play is still there and i don't know where to look next, if anyone has any idea it would be welcome

Daniel Stuefer said:

It sounds like the mount flange screws could be loose, they are on the back of the lens:

View attachment 401489

Click to expand...

these are the ones i tried to tighten

mcafeejohn said:

these are the ones i tried to tighten

Click to expand...

up: any advice ?

Hm... you could try to unscrew these three silver screws, take off the lens mount and look if you can find something underneath being loose... but i am running out of ideas. When removing the mount you may set the aperture ring free, these sometimes have a click-stop being created by a single ball which may come out if you remove the mount... so be careful.

I worked on this lens to clean some haze. The issue you describe seems odd to me. You should try to remove the bayonet ring to get a closer look since you have the tools. The aperture linkage is there but the aperture control in on the top.