Olympus 14-42 funny noise when zooming

abooth2909 · Feb 1, 2011

Hi there, after my very warm welcome, I feel happy quizzing you knowledgeable lot with regards to my recent purchase!

I have just picked up a (silver 40.5mm filter size) Olympus 14-42 lens to have as a spare zoom in my kit bag and to complement the 20mm.

Now here is the issue....

When zooming in the 18-25mm range, there is a bit of resistance and a feint crunching / grinding noise. The best description I can come up with is when you take a cheap ball pen apart and twist the ink part round with the spring on the end so the spring grinds against the plastic!

I've not handled another of these lenses so am wondering if anyone else has the same lens and the same noise?

Many thanks

Andy

Spuff · Feb 1, 2011

It certainly makes a noise. Whether yours is unusual is hard to judge without hearing it.
You can probably find some audible instances of the normal noise on YouTube by which you can compare yours.

Kosta · Feb 1, 2011

if you have the aperture wide open at 14mm, when you zoom to 42mm, the noise will be the aperture clicking down from 3.5-5.6. I guess this is the noise you are hearing.
is it a small ticking kind of sound?

i don't know about that sort of resistance though...it's fairly smooth imo

OPSSam · Feb 1, 2011

Well, try zooming it with the camera turned off. Aside from a slight resistance increase around the 14-18 area, there should be smooth zooming. If not, you have a lens problem. And aside from the aperture tick mentioned above, you should not hear much else or feel any added resistance, when the camera is on. From your description it sounds like a physical lens problem, but as Spuff said, only you can judge for sure.

deirdre · Feb 1, 2011

You probably have dirt in the lens somewhere and it should be taken apart and cleaned before it gets worse. I have a lens currently out of service for this very reason. (an old Leica lens)

abooth2909 · Feb 2, 2011

Many thanks for all the replies guys, I've mainly tried it when off and the resistance is definitely nearer the 18mm mark. The dirt in the lens sounds like a distinct possibility.

The seller has kindly offered a full refund or to send it back for repair as its still under warranty. I got it really cheap (£30) so I am reluctant to send it back especially as it will only get occasional use (if the wife wants to use it and moans about the lack of zoom!)
I will always have the 20mm with me as a backup as its so tiny to carry...

For the hassle / money, would you guys say its worth it or just keep it and use as and when needed. I'm not sure I'd get another as cheap...

deirdre · Feb 2, 2011

I'd find out the repair costs, if any, before making any decision.

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Olympus 14-42 funny noise when zooming

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abooth2909 New to Mu-43

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