35-135mm Zoom creep!

[CroydonMan]

Hello all!

I've had a 35-135mm Vario-sonnar for a few months now and it performs very well. However, it suffers from dreadful zoom creep. Is this normal for this lens, or have I acquired a well-used, but cosmetically very good, specimen? I've had a 70-210mm VS for around 20 years and that has no creep at all.

If the creep is not normal does anybody know if it can be fixed? I'd like to use the lens with a camera mounted on a tripod and take longish exposures from time to time, but with the lens movement it's not possible at the moment.

 

[MaxBerlin]

I've heard of some guys using a silicone band but try to avoid the yellow ones unless you want to test positive for EPO.

Alternatively try John at Focalpoint - he can fix about anything.

http://www.focalpointlens.com/fp_intro.html

 

[CroydonMan]

Thanks for that info, MaxBerlin. I've heard of those silicone bands, maybe that's a solution. I'm not too keen on sending the lens half-way round the world though. Now if there were a company here in the UK....

 

[nickdando]

Not a company, but a good repairer. Malcolm Taylor in deepest Herefordshire. He advertises in the back of AP under Leica repairs.

He's normally heavily booked, so it's best to have chat first to see if it can be done. And you'll need to send a suitable camera along as well as he doesn't keep any modern Contax stuff.

Nick

 

[CroydonMan]

Thanks Nick..that's a lead worth following up!