Re: focus stiffness (was [Leica] Black Hole?)

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@home.com>]

Simon wrote:
 >>>As I said, try shining a torch through your cleanest lens, you will 
soon stop
worrying about the cleanliness of the internals and minor blemishes on the
optics.  Remember when lenses had bubbles?<<<<

Hi Simon me old son,
Unfortunately, mentioning "shining the light through the lens from skinny 
end to fat end" and seeing all the 'orrible specks, ;-)  you may have 
opened a major can of worms for weeks to come on the LUG. And giving near 
heart attacks to those who try your test.

The posts will now begin with," I checked my new lens with a flash light 
and it's going right back for replacement! I couldn't believe Leica QC 
allowing a lens out of the plant with so much crap in it." etc etc etc

However, they're not bright enough to realize the very lens they hold in 
hand and are now wailing about, is the very lens they used to create those 
sharp, crisp, beautiful images expected from a Leica piece of glass.

This "shining the light through the lens" has and was beaten to death in 
the past, several times and accomplishes little, other than creating 
several Leica owner cardio vascular spasms! ;-) Or worse! ;-)

I never ever thought of doing these kinds of things, shining a flash light 
in the lens, in all my years of "using Leica cameras and lenses."  Nor any 
of the Nikon, Canon glass either.  Why?

I was always too damn busy taking pictures, rather than screwing around 
playing with the equipment.  If more people around here would stop wailing 
about dinky things and were out taking pictures, they'd all be a much 
happier lot.

I realize your earlier point was in the positive, to illustrate the "stuff" 
inside our lenses. But one must keep in mind there are some folks here who 
simply go ballistic with the fears of dust on the lens. But then to 
discover there's more inside than out, they just loose it completely and 
you'll have bodies lying all over the planet! ;-)
ted