Lens zoom ring 'resistance'

peanutismint · 30 Oct 2012 at 19:34

I bought an 18-270mm lens at a great price second hand but when I received it I found that there is a noticeable 'ramp' in the ease of turning the zoom ring when zooming in and out. It's sort of easy to turn at the wide end and easy to turn at the tele end but in between there's a really noticeable resistance.

I'm wondering if this is normal with bigger heavier lenses or whether it's a fault in the lens. If so, am I able to loosen it up a bit with some sort of lubricant or similar? Or is this a no-no??

Auraomega · 30 Oct 2012 at 20:30

That's how that lens is, most customers comment on how stiff it gets towards the far end, but when you consider the amount of glass inside that lens, and how much it has to be shifted, it's not surprising. The internals are only plastic (built to a price and all that) so it's not as smooth as the more expensive 18-300.

If you've got the first version (non-PZD) it's even more noticeable.

peanutismint · 30 Oct 2012 at 20:34

Ah cool, thanks for the reassurance; Yeah I did think the weight would have some effect...but it's properly stiff in parts!! :-D

It's more or less noticeable depending on which way you're shooting, i.e. if the lens is oriented downwards it naturally wants to 'creep' out due to gravity on the heavy glass elements (I guess!) but as long as it's not 'defective' I'm happy to apply some force! Within reason....

Auraomega · 30 Oct 2012 at 20:47

Yeah, the first time I took one in for part exchange I thought it was faulty too purely due to the fact I physically couldn't zoom it out off a body, I just couldn't get enough of a grip on the barrel to zoom it out!