Problem with the zoom ring on my 14-42mm lens

[John Gulliver]

The zoom on my 14-42mm lens is quite stiff and quite a lot of effort is needed to turn it. When the camera is in the PT-EP06 housing it is difficult to zoom with the housing's rather small zoom wheel and it is more or less impossible to zoom when I am filming video. I have to stop, zoom and then resume filming. Do others have this problem or is there something wrong with the lens? As far as I can remember, the lens has always been like this.

 

[umbert]

Mine is smooth and no effort needed to zoom either outside or inside the housing.
Did you buy it new, or used? If zooming is stiff it was propably bumped / impacted somehow as internal guides or barrels are out of position / slightly bent, misaligned ?
It might need just a slight aligment and lubrication, but definitelly it has to be taken apart. Working in camera shop for 15 yrs we see lenses with this problem almost every day

 

[meagicano]

I find mine really stiff too. There are a couple of times I got Into the water with my lens "locked" and really had to work to turn the zoom ring. If shooting video I don't use the zoom because I found it made things too choppy.

 

[John Gulliver]

Mine is smooth and no effort needed to zoom either outside or inside the housing.
Did you buy it new, or used? If zooming is stiff it was propably bumped / impacted somehow as internal guides or barrels are out of position / slightly bent, misaligned ?
It might need just a slight aligment and lubrication, but definitelly it has to be taken apart. Working in camera shop for 15 yrs we see lenses with this problem almost every day

I bought it new with the housing.

 

[CheddarChick]

If you have it installed on the lens but not in the housing, is it hard to turn by hand?

 

[John Gulliver]

If you have it installed on the lens but not in the housing, is it hard to turn by hand?

Yes, rather hard. I've had several zoom lenses with various cameras over the years and this one is much stiffer than I am usd to.

 

[victor]

Under guarantee, send it back and get a replacement.
Out of guarantee then get an estimate to fix, maybe cheaper to buy another lens from ebay etc or switch to a different lens (60mm macro) that is more suitable for shooting underwater.

 

[John Gulliver]

Under guarantee, send it back and get a replacement.
Out of guarantee then get an estimate to fix, maybe cheaper to buy another lens from ebay etc or switch to a different lens (60mm macro) that is more suitable for shooting underwater.

The lens is still under guarantee but I'm not sure it would be worth paying the return postage from Sweden to the USA and back and tax (Swedish Customs charge 25% tax on repairs and replacements). I already have the 60mm macro lens, which is great for macro stills but not much use for video, in my opinion, as you have to stay absolutely still and it is nigh on impossible to stay still for 30 seconds or so if there is the slightest current. Actually, I don't agree that the 14-42 is not suitable for shooting underwater. I've taken some nice shots with that lens. And before you say it depends on one's standards, let me say that I've been taking underwater photos for years, with everything from a Motormarine, a Nikonos V to an analog SLR, a dSLR and now a micro four-thirds and one of my images won me a free week at a Red Sea resort

 

[victor]

John
Why not use the European repair centres. No customs and cheaper postage.
I used the UK center to repair my housing good service and no issues.

The lens is still under guarantee but I'm not sure it would be worth paying the return postage from Sweden to the USA and back and tax (Swedish Customs charge 25% tax on repairs and replacements).

I use E-PL3, PT-EP05L with the 14-42 however I don't shoot video.

I find the lens frustrating as the minimum focal distance is (10 inches 22cm) is too long while the 14mm equivalent 28mm is not as wide as I would like.
Adding a wet lens helps the macro but I have not tried stacking 2 yet.

I used to use an Oly 8080 which did sterling work until I flooded it (yes operator error), before that the venerable Nikonous system, lovely piece of kit.
I think I will upgrade camera and go to a Nauticam housing then 60mm and 9-18 or equivalent.

 

[EskilJ]

Hi John

I assume you place the notch inside the gear over the "collapse" button?

My 14-42 (first version) is a bit hard to turn. My 14-42 IIR is very smooth, but worse picture quality and longer min focus distance.
I'd like to hear about great diving places near Göteborg at some time... as close to Helsingør/Helsingborg as possible, but I've been too many times at Kullaberg..

Eskil