New XF 10-24 WR zoom ring feels rough

[deepsun]

I’ve got a brand new XF 10-24 WR which exhibits some roughness in turning the zoom ring between about the 18-24 range. Does anyone else have this lens and notice that? Thanks.

[rmuscio]

I have this lens and I'm not quite sure what you mean by roughness. My zoom ring is smooth through out the range, but it is ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, tougher to turn as you get into the 24mm range. 

[Herco]

With most Fuji WR lenses there's a certain 'roughness' in the zoom and focus rings. I've been told -by a camera repair expert- this has to do with the way how Fuji seals the rings with slightly oversized plastic rings. That gives a feeling like it is insufficiently 'lubricated'. Some people describe it like there's fine-grained sand in the lens. It is suppose to get less over time with more use and there's a sample variation between lenses even of the same type. Having said that, I don't experience this with weather sealed lenses of the other brands I use (Nikon and Leica). The aforementioned repair man told me that this is due to the quality of the sealing ring. A replacement ring for a Nikkor S lens costs about 4x as much as that of a comparable Fuji WR lens... (for X-mount that is, not for G-mount).

[deepsun]

45 minutes ago, rmuscio said:

I have this lens and I'm not quite sure what you mean by roughness. My zoom ring is smooth through out the range, but it is ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, tougher to turn as you get into the 24mm range. 

What I'm experiencing is similar to what you describe, except that the spot where it gets tougher to turn (near 24mm) also feels like it's got a rough spot in it, but like you say it's nearly imperceptible. 

 

[deepsun]

1 hour ago, Herco said:

With most Fuji WR lenses there's a certain 'roughness' in the zoom and focus rings. I've been told -by a camera repair expert- this has to do with the way how Fuji seals the rings with slightly oversized plastic rings. That gives a feeling like it is insufficiently 'lubricated'. Some people describe it like there's fine-grained sand in the lens. It is suppose to get less over time with more use and there's a sample variation between lenses even of the same type. Having said that, I don't experience this with weather sealed lenses of the other brands I use (Nikon and Leica). The aforementioned repair man told me that this is due to the quality of the sealing ring. A replacement ring for a Nikkor S lens costs about 4x as much as that of a comparable Fuji WR lens... (for X-mount that is, not for G-mount).

Ah, this is very helpful. I pulled my 16-55mm out and while it does feel a bit smoother, it also exhibits the same roughness in one spot of its range, similar to the characteristic of the 10-24mm. Thanks for your reply!

Edited January 20, 2021 by deepsun