I wonder if anyone else has experienced what I have with their Sony 18-110 f4 lens.
Generally it has been flawless, but on 2 or maybe 3 occasions when I've mounted the lens at home (not on a job) I've heard and felt what seemed like some kind of grit in the focus ring. Its feels terrible like there's sand or broken glass in the gears. However the effect has always gone away very quickly. The first time it went away while I was fiddling with the lens and the second time I couldn’t fix it at the time but the next morning on the job it was fine and I couldn’t recreate it.
I experienced it once maybe a month or so after purchasing ( I was a pretty early adopter) and it happened last night as well. Maybe one other time. Actually the first time I assumed it was peice off grit on the outside of the lens interfering with the focus ring but now I realize it isn’t.
As I recall it isn't present when the ring is pulled away into the free wheeling mode but comes on when I push it in to the “engaged mode" when there are end stops at infiniity and close focus. However Since its only briefly happened 2 or 3 times I'm not entirely sure whether that’s correct. I experienced it once maybe a month or so after purchasing ( I was a pretty early adopter) and it happened last night as well. Maybe one other time.
I‘ve been reluctant to send for servicing because Sony will just send it back if they don't see a problem. On the other hand , if its defective I want it fixed while its still under warranty.
A friend suggested today that perhaps when changing from the free-wheeling mode to the locked in mode, that it gets stuck in between. Also he wondered whether it could have something to do with how the lens is stored. (Sideways or vertically.) He mentioned that with big lenses Fuji used to tell him to store them at full telephoto and with focus ring at infinity. I've never thought about how I store any zoom, but I'll probably try that from now on.
Anyone else have this experience? Any ideas? Thanks for listening.
Lenny Levy
Generally it has been flawless, but on 2 or maybe 3 occasions when I've mounted the lens at home (not on a job) I've heard and felt what seemed like some kind of grit in the focus ring. Its feels terrible like there's sand or broken glass in the gears. However the effect has always gone away very quickly. The first time it went away while I was fiddling with the lens and the second time I couldn’t fix it at the time but the next morning on the job it was fine and I couldn’t recreate it.
I experienced it once maybe a month or so after purchasing ( I was a pretty early adopter) and it happened last night as well. Maybe one other time. Actually the first time I assumed it was peice off grit on the outside of the lens interfering with the focus ring but now I realize it isn’t.
As I recall it isn't present when the ring is pulled away into the free wheeling mode but comes on when I push it in to the “engaged mode" when there are end stops at infiniity and close focus. However Since its only briefly happened 2 or 3 times I'm not entirely sure whether that’s correct. I experienced it once maybe a month or so after purchasing ( I was a pretty early adopter) and it happened last night as well. Maybe one other time.
I‘ve been reluctant to send for servicing because Sony will just send it back if they don't see a problem. On the other hand , if its defective I want it fixed while its still under warranty.
A friend suggested today that perhaps when changing from the free-wheeling mode to the locked in mode, that it gets stuck in between. Also he wondered whether it could have something to do with how the lens is stored. (Sideways or vertically.) He mentioned that with big lenses Fuji used to tell him to store them at full telephoto and with focus ring at infinity. I've never thought about how I store any zoom, but I'll probably try that from now on.
Anyone else have this experience? Any ideas? Thanks for listening.
Lenny Levy
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