Helicoid grease choice matters more than people say

I keep seeing everyone recommend the same lithium grease for lens helicoids but after trying it on a Minolta SR mount last month, the focus was way too stiff. Switched to a silicone-based damping grease from Micro-Tools and it felt perfect on the first try. Anyone else find that certain greases just don't work with older camera brands?

2 comments

2 Comments

parkerkim29d ago

Did you try the lithium grease at different temperatures? I had similar trouble with an old Pentax K mount where cold made it almost seize up, but a lighter silicone blend worked fine. What specific weight of grease did you end up using, and did it change the feel in damp weather at all?

the_phoenix29d ago

The Minolta SR mount is notoriously picky about grease weight, I found out the hard way with a 50mm f1.4 Rokkor that had me fighting the helicoid. @parkerkim is right about temperature being a big factor too, I keep a couple lenses stored in the garage and the lithium stuff turned into paste below 40 degrees. A 3000 weight silicone grease from Micro-Tools ended up being my sweet spot for that mount, it stays smooth even when it's humid out. The trick is you want it thin enough to not fight the brass threads but thick enough to feel damped, not sloppy.