Loxia Grip Ring

I like Zeiss Loxia lenses for the Sony E-mount a lot, but they have one annoying deficiency. The only non-moveable surface to grasp when attaching or removing the lens is 1/4" wide and completely smooth - the surface between the aperture ring and the focusing barrel. The process is made more difficult by the presence of a blue polymer gasket between the camera and lens to exclude the elements. Consequently the lens is not only hard to grasp, but hard to turn even after considerable use. The usual procedure is to turn the aperture ring or focusing barrel to the end of its travel.

I have written Zeiss, suggesting they put knurled bumps on the fixed ring, like they do for their ZM (Leica) lenses. Germans are a practical lot, and this may bear fruit in the future. But for now, there's another solution, found on Phillip Reeve's review site.

Review: PocketPano Loxia Lens-Grip - phillipreeve.net

The company, Pocket Pano, has thin plastic, "Grip-Strips," of a semi-rigid plastic, which fit this ring perfectly. The strips are knurled and provide a solid grip without interfering with the lens' operation or inverting the hood. They fit perfectly without cutting, because all Loxia lenses have the same diameter, and attach by adhesive on the back. The strip leaves enough of a gap so that the DOF scale isn't covered.

I have no fiduciary in interest in Pocket Pano. In fact it took some effort to locate their website. Calling on the two years of German I took 50 years ago, I managed correspond with their customer service (who responded mostly in English) for the means to purchase the devices. They appear in Amazon.de, but not in the US company, so I dealt with the company directly.

Manual lenses are an acquired taste, and Loxia lenses are not inexpensive. However they have very high quality with respect to imaging and build, and have consistent rendering throughout the lineup of 5 lenses. I find them ideal for landscapes, unobtrusive on the camera, and highly portable. If you grew up with rangefinders, these are the modern implementation. Furthermore, they make use of all the perks Sony A7 cameras have to offer. Manual focusing is the only way to make sure the camera doesn't latch on the nearest shiny object, instead of the one you wish to emphasize.

The process is made more difficult by the presence of a blue polymer gasket between the camera and lens to exclude the elements.

- Do those elements include hydrogen and helium?

Sorry, Ed, couldn't resist.

10 Euros is still a bit expensive for a tiny strip of sticky plastic. What's wrong with some coarse textured black fabric and double-sided tape? Or even a suitably sized elastic band snapped around the lens?

LOL! I meant dust and moisture, but only at the base of the lens. Zeiss makes no claims about weatherproofing the lens itself, but it's at least as tight as a Leica or Nikon lens.

Polyoxymethelene (POM or Acetal) is an engineering plastic with high stiffness, capable of precision molding. These strips have fine, sharply defined serrations comparable to those in the metal parts of the lens. They actually offer better traction than the metal serrations. The strips make things a lot easier, compared to turning the focusing or aperture ring to the limit, and putting undue stress on that limit. In the old way it's best to remove the hood, since it's easily dislodged in the effort.

I don't think a rubber band would give the kind of traction and stability needed without adhesive of some sort. The adhesive used is relatively hard (low tack, high strength), so it's unlikely to bleed with use. Once applied, it takes 24 hours to develop full strength. The cost is high (less than 1% the cost of the lens), but adds value (IMO). It is probably high due to low volume (molding fixtures start at $20K). Adoption (or endorsement) by Zeiss, B&H or Amazon.com (now only Amazon.de) might change that.

Polyoxymethylene - Wikipedia

Grip Tape (Talon) might be a cheaper alternative. It comes in 4x7" sheets. It is thin, flexible, and has a hard adhesive that sticks well and doesn't seem to lift, even when exposed to solvents (It's intended for use on firearms). Grip Tape comes with embedded grit (silicon carbide) or textured rubber. I recommend the latter. I've used it on a lot of things, including walking sticks, removable hard drives and, of course, pistol and revolver grips. It's not as "grippy" or invisible as the hard, serrated plastic, but probably good enough.

The polymer version is easily cut into strips with a paper cutter. I wouldn't cut the grit version, or place it next to anything not easily and cheaply replaced.

I understand that 10 Euros is a small price compared to the lens, but you have to admit it's very expensive for a short length of narrow sticky-plastic tape.

As you point out, there are dirt-cheap alternatives, like Grip Tape, that'll serve the purpose just as well.

The rubber band suggestion was half joking. Although you can get some pretty tough ones that have plenty of friction.

Then there's doing the whole customisation job and using leather, shagreen or lizard or crocodile skin, or just some coloured and textured book-binding material to taste.

Some soft-furnishing suppliers even provide free sample patches of leather or faux-leather, in a variety of colours and textures.

€10 is cheap. It's less than the price of 2 beers. The grip is precision designed and made for the purpose.

I'm glad Ed posted about it, and I certainly won't be faffing about with any DIY solution just to save a few quid.

€10 is cheap. It's less than the price of 2 beers

- You're paying too much for your beer as well! Stop frequenting 'The Botanist'.

Then there's doing the whole customisation job and using leather, shagreen or lizard or crocodile skin, or just some coloured and textured book-binding material to taste.

This has nothing to do with cosmetics. Without the strip, it's easier to remove the lid on a new jar of pickles than a new Loxia lens, until the blue gasket is broken in. Even then there is virtually nothing on the lens to grasp that doesn't move. The focusing collar extends to then end of the lens, with only a couple of millimeters of filter ring extending.

Functionally, the Grip Strip is thick enough that you can locate it by touch, and grippy enough you can use it while wearing gloves. Cosmetically, it looks like it came that way from the factory. It solves a problem I would never expect a Zeiss engineer to leave unresolved.

I don't mind going out with one lens, but I'd rather it be by choice than necessity.

Sony A9 + Zeiss Loxia 85/1.8, 1/200 @ f/3.5, ISO 2500

- You're paying too much for your beer as well! Stop frequenting 'The Botanist'.

Try living in London for a while!! Any central pub worth a visit charges in the region of £6.

And people complain about the cost of film?! :-P

Yes, I noticed that even Wetherspoons central London prices are about a quid more per pint than anywhere else in the country - it must be the extra congestion charge on the delivery dray! :cool:

Pubs in the Camden-Holloway area seemed more reasonably priced, and with better beer.

I have written Zeiss, suggesting they put knurled bumps on the fixed ring, like they do for their ZM (Leica) lenses. Germans are a practical lot, and this may bear fruit in the future.

That shot taken with your 85mm Loxia easily demonstrates what some of us love about Zeiss glass: their "house look" is something special in the hands of the right photographer. But I wouldn't hold my breath for a grip improvement: Zeiss tends to stand their ground when it comes to inexplicably poor design choices on (some) of their lens lines. I have yet to meet an owner of a $4K Otus that doesn't want to choke out the idiot at Zeiss who came up with the flush silcone focus rings coupled with 100% smooth barrel. The Otus focus rings transform into cat hair rollers, attracting dust and showing wear/damage very quickly- yet Zeiss doubled down and used almost the same design for the later Milvus lenses.

Consider how long it took Zeiss to correct the several glaring mistakes they made with the lofty Hasselblad CF lenses via CFi update, and even then you had the same issue of no proper mounting grip. Heck, since 1957 every Hasselblad lens shorter than 150mm needs its focus or shutter ring turned to one extreme or the other to enable a mount/dismount grip. A lot of people gripped them by the hood in frustration, causing much of the front bayonet wear we see today.

On a related note, I've discovered a form of rubber band can serve quite nicely to fix a common Zeiss Hasselblad CF lens issue: cracked, loose or missing rear plastic trim ring. These flimsy snap-on focus grip retaining rings cost close to $100 apiece last time Hasselblad bothered to offer replacements: absurd for what amounts to a 3/8 inch wide band of thin black plastic. Last summer when attending an annual photo fair under the Brooklyn Bridge, I received a black rubber wrist band for re-entry. On a hunch, I placed it over the loose cracked snap ring of my CF 150mm lens, and it fit perfectly, securing the ring and textured rubber focus grip like new! I quickly ordered similar bands from Amazon to repair my cracked-ring 100mm and 250mm lenses (a dozen wrist bands cost under $20). They almost pass as OEM: you really need to look twice before raising an eyebrow, and they're durable.