Leica R lens repair: Elmarit-R 60/2.8 focus ring disengaged

[blee1996]

Hi, my beloved Leica Elmarit-R 60/2.8 macro lens's focusing ring just somehow got disengaged from the helioid. It turns freely, and cannot focus any more. If I pull the focus ring towards the mount, I can somehow get some focusing done but not the entire range.

So my question is:

1) Is this something doable by a novice?
2) Are there any recommended Leica R lens repair person in US? I'm based in SF Bay area.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Dan Daniel]

I don't know how difficult the repair may be. I would contact Glass Key and see if they have a local person who can fix it. Or Looking Glass in the east bay.

Glass Key Photo

Glass Key Photo is San Francisco's premier spot for film photography. Traditional, analog, old school...whatever you want to call it. We just love FILM.

www.glasskeyphoto.com

Looking Glass Photo & Camera

<h1>The premier camera and photography store in the San Francisco Bay Area.</h1>

www.lookingglassphoto.com

 

[gone]

Getting Leica R lens apart is not an easy chore, although the fix for yours may be relatively easy. I found the lenses were so overbuilt that I finally gave up trying to get the front element off a R 90 2 Summicron (one of the best portrait lenses ever made for 35mm, and almost as small as their R 50 2 lenses). The rear part comes apart easily, I swapped lens mounts dozens of times so they could be used on Nikon SLRs w/ an adapter/lens mount.

Try asking Igor at Igor Camera, he sends his out to someone that does good work on the R lenses at reasonable prices.

Photography Equipment

Photography Equipment: Specializing in Film Cameras, Leica, Nikon Film and Digital, Canon Film and Digital, Pentax, Hasselblad Film and Digital, Large Format Cameras and Lenses, Medium Format Film and Digital, Motion Picture Equipment, Light meters, Deardorff, Rolleiflex, Linhof and Vintage...

www.igorcamera.com

 

[blee1996]

Thank you @Dan Daniel and @momus for good suggestions. I will try a few technician I have used in the past:

- Youxin Ye
- International Camera Technicians

I will let you all know how it goes.

 

[John Koehrer]

IF! it has a rubber grip most cameras with these had grub screws(3) under the rubber.The hardest thing was NOT to tear the rubber.

 

[kmcsmart]

I remember researching that problem when a cheap Leica 60mm lens came up for sale on eBay with the same problem.

Here’s a post about the problem. Looks like a ring with a tab jumps out of place and just needs to be seated properly again.

Macro-Elmarit-R 60/2.8 Loose Focus Ring

If you are brave here is the video. Mikeno62’s videos are great and I have used them before to fix lenses but unfortunately his early videos were created from a stream of still images so there is no sound.


On the upside it looks like anyone with experience can fix the lens so I don’t think you need to send it to Leica.

karen

 

[blee1996]

Thank you @kmcsmart . I watched that video as well, and decided to send to a properly repair person.