smc da 55-300mm Stiff barrel

insomniac · 05-15-2015, 08:24 PM

Hello I have just received a used 55-300mm pentax lens and even though it literally has 0 scratches fungus and marks on it the barrel is stiff almost all the way. It goes smoothly if I turn it somehow quick and continuously but if left on a 200-300mm then it kinda stiff and jumps.
Is there a way I can fix it? Haven't found any disassembly online. I guess I could live with that and learn to work around it but it would be great if a repair is available.

Not a Number · 05-15-2015, 09:31 PM

If you paid for it get your money back. If it was a gift you'll need to make your own decision. Disassembly probably isn't something you want to tackle unless you have some experience. The little contact brush fingers are very easy to damage and the loss of function of these will make matters even worse.

Repair probably will not be cheap. The lens may not even be repairable. If you are in the US from the number of complaints showing up about Precision's repairs you might be better off looking for another lens. Of course Precision might get their act together but I wouldn't hold my breath.

rawr · 05-16-2015, 01:29 AM

Maybe just sit down for a half-hour and manually rotate the zoom and focus rings continuously. Maybe the lubricants have simply dried up a bit. Maybe there is also a bit of dust in the mechanism too

Alternatively, if you have the WR version of the 55-300, I've noticed that the tighter seals around the lens barrel make it's zoom motion less smooth than a regular DA or DA-L 55-300. Maybe that's contributing to the stiffness of your zoom motion.

05-15-2015, 08:24 PM	#1
insomniac Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 33	smc da 55-300mm Stiff barrel Hello I have just received a used 55-300mm pentax lens and even though it literally has 0 scratches fungus and marks on it the barrel is stiff almost all the way. It goes smoothly if I turn it somehow quick and continuously but if left on a 200-300mm then it kinda stiff and jumps. Is there a way I can fix it? Haven't found any disassembly online. I guess I could live with that and learn to work around it but it would be great if a repair is available.

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05-15-2015, 09:31 PM	#2
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	If you paid for it get your money back. If it was a gift you'll need to make your own decision. Disassembly probably isn't something you want to tackle unless you have some experience. The little contact brush fingers are very easy to damage and the loss of function of these will make matters even worse. Repair probably will not be cheap. The lens may not even be repairable. If you are in the US from the number of complaints showing up about Precision's repairs you might be better off looking for another lens. Of course Precision might get their act together but I wouldn't hold my breath.

05-16-2015, 01:29 AM	#3
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Maybe just sit down for a half-hour and manually rotate the zoom and focus rings continuously. Maybe the lubricants have simply dried up a bit. Maybe there is also a bit of dust in the mechanism too Alternatively, if you have the WR version of the 55-300, I've noticed that the tighter seals around the lens barrel make it's zoom motion less smooth than a regular DA or DA-L 55-300. Maybe that's contributing to the stiffness of your zoom motion.