[mikesbike]

thanks, ok well, looks like I'm not alone but can somebody tell if this is normal and within specifications of the lens?

Hi Lev, I just got mine out of its lens case. I've also had it for many years, having bought it new. But it has not received heavy use, since I have numerous other lenses in the same FL range, and I am not a pro doing paid assignments week after week. As of now it hasn't been used at all for about 3 months. Based on your video, your lens seems quite normal. Mine does the same thing. The small play when changing focus direction is the same. I hear the same slight noise as it re-engages when changing direction. However, I do not hear a clacking sound while rotating focus with the lens set to MF. I only hear a little bump sound if I quickly take the focus past the end of rotation in either direction. Not much of any sound when rotating within the focus parameters. My focus rotation is totally smooth in either direction.

I hope this info helps.

Mike

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Last edited by mikesbike; 01-16-2018 at 07:20 PM.

[Lev]

Hey Mike, thanks for your post.

Yeah, I can hear that too when a focusing indicator stops. I can also feel it's getting more stiff outside that area and that's normal. I wonder if you can hear a clacking noise when you move the ring forward backward within the focusing area fast enough. In my video you hear it loudly because the mic is almost inch away from the lens.

---------- Post added 01-17-18 at 12:34 PM ----------

It also looks normal to me.

Thank you Adam very much!

[mikesbike]

Right, Lev. I'm not hearing anything on your video that is different than what I can detect with my copy. And as you say, I have to have my ear close to hear it. The main (very slight) noise is when the rotation is stopped and is disengaged to proceed in either direction. I am essentially hearing on my copy what I am hearing on yours. When the lens's rotation is stopped, there is that little "free space" where it is disengaged. It can clack as it is re-engaged.

[Lev]

Right, Lev. I'm not hearing anything on your video that is different than what I can detect with my copy. And as you say, I have to have my ear close to hear it. The main (very slight) noise is when the rotation is stopped and is disengaged to proceed in either direction. I am essentially hearing on my copy what I am hearing on yours. When the lens's rotation is stopped, there is that little "free space" where it is disengaged. It can clack as it is re-engaged.

yes absolutely identical to what you're saying. I'm slowly but painfully leaning towards direction that nothing wrong is with our copies in this regard.

Today I went even farther and did some glass tests for decentering/misalignment. Successfully passed Zeiss circle chart test, perfect OOF results but in ISO 12233, there were interesting things happening. The right side corners were little less sharp than left corners in all aperture settings. I know it's an offtopic but it's a good moment to ask because maybe others who are going to test their lenses may consider this. Well, thing is that, then I've got an idea to rotate my chart 180 degrees and see what happens, I was totally shocked because now left side corners were little soft compared to right side. I immediately started to examine the paper on which this chart was printed and.... veery hardly I've discovered that the printing itself was not quite perfect at right side (slightly less ink, maybe 5% less I don't know, but indeed different quality), but interesting is that this was very hard to find, and how easily the lens picked up this difference. So now my main thought on this is that it was printed on laser printer with 600 DPI resolution. Now the question is, does it matters if you print it on laser or on inkjet printer with glossy paper?

[mikesbike]

I think you can relax- you've got a good copy of a great lens! I am sure you will see this in the fine quality of the photos you can get with it on your K-3 II, which means an excellent lens on an excellent camera! Enjoy!

[Lev]

thanks Mike!