Maintenance Advice

smoke665

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I can't find a definitive answer for or against. Does anyone use any type of lubricant on the locking/mounting ring of their lens or on the camera body. If so what do you use?
 
Nope, and I'd really advise against it. Too much chance of speading lubricant into the body or on to the rear element causing issues. Most I'd do would be a polish with a clean soft cloth or a blow with the body held upside down with a rocket blower. Most times just working the fit would loosen it up enough unless something is damaged or out of alignment. Even if it's a stubborn bit of grit I'd get it CLAed by someone who really knows what they are doing after no more than a good clean myself. Far too much chance of alignment issues unless you really know what you are doing with fits.
 
No lubricant needed, in my opinion. If you want, apply some "nose grease" to the body's lens mount ring...

Considering that there's a very,very minimal amount of movement, and the mechanism is mostly locked in-place, I do not, and have never, felt that lubricant was needed on either the lens mounts nor on the camera body mount surface.

I periodically wipe the lens rear mounts with a clean paper napkin, then throw the napkin away after use.
 
DON’T!!! That just asking for that lubricant to get in your camera sensor.


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Question to piggyback the question in the OP... would this negatively impact the weather resistance of bodies/lenses?
 
As all my WR lenses have an o ring seal I have wondered if they should occasionally be wiped with a protectant of some sort
 
No lubricant.

The force and load applied are small - lubricant could actually make the lens twist off too fast or on its own when the release it activated with the potential for the lens to fall off - in this case the extra friction is a good thing.

There is a possibility that the hardness on the face of the body mount is higher than that of the lens mount - especially as some lenses have plastic mounts.

While the camera mount is flat, the lens mounts on my Nikon lenses have two raised ribs of about 1.5mm wide each and are what actually contact the body mount. There is probably a spec on the height of the ribs - so it would be easy to find out if the lens mount needs replacement (they are only about 0.06mm in height).
 
My camera has a click stop that must be released in order to remove the lens.

I hear that dreadful grinding noise, and thought about some type of lube for the mount. Not oil, because oil will migrate. Not graphite, because graphite will cast off flakes. Not grease, because grease will transfer to my hands and anything else that touches it. What's left?
 
As all my WR lenses have an o ring seal I have wondered if they should occasionally be wiped with a protectant of some sort

I think that they shouldn't need anything, any chemical that you put on it may damage the rubber and shorten the lifespan. Bear in mind these things tend to work on compression, so as long as they protrude a bit more than the housing you should be fine. If you have concerns about a seal then just get it replaced. I'd just give it a good blow with a rocket blower once in a while.
 
My camera has a click stop that must be released in order to remove the lens.

I hear that dreadful grinding noise, and thought about some type of lube for the mount. Not oil, because oil will migrate. Not graphite, because graphite will cast off flakes. Not grease, because grease will transfer to my hands and anything else that touches it. What's left?

If it's grinding there's grit in it. Try working it a bit to break down the grit and give it a blow with a rocket blower. If it's really causing an issue then disassemby and a clean with a lint free cloth might be in order. The trouble with putting lubricant in these places is it can spread or make more grit more likely to stick.
 
Grinding noise does not sound good. It should be flat surfaces sliding against each other. Grinding could be some debris, a loose screw, or some damage to the surface. In addition to the two mounting plate faces, there is the friction between the bayonet mounting wings and those surfaces are harder to see and feel for any imperfections. I would slowly run a pec-pad around all the surfaces to see if it catches on anything.
 
NO GREASE, for the reasons mentioned.
I wipe the lens mount (body and lens) clean.

To me, ANY grinding sound when mounting or dismounting the lens is NOT good.
The lens should slide on and off smoothly and easily.

It could be poor finishing, leaving a less than smooth mating surface. This is one place where cheap 3rd party lenses are saving $, vs. nicely finished mounts of Nikon, Canon, etc.
 
I would strongly advise against lubricant.

As far as the question of the rubber seals, I use a protectant called 303 for ALL things plastic or rubber that I want to maintain. It's basically really high quality armor all protectant. I apply a light coat once a year to my kayaks, car dashboard and trim, etc. I could see this being beneficial on the weather seals at the rear of the lens to save them from degrading over time as I'm sure they will.

I've yet to own a lens long enough to find out how those seals hold up long term.
 

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