Shoutout to the old-school brass lens helicoid grease

I used to just use plain lithium grease for decades on old folding cameras, you know, whatever was handy. Last month I finally tried the proper Helimax grease on a Kodak Retina rebuild and the focus ring feels totally different. Smooth like butter with zero stick-slip, night and day from my old method. Has anyone else noticed a big difference when using the right stuff for helicoids?

2 comments

2 Comments

grantthomas1mo agoMost Upvoted

Went through the same thing with a Fuji 6x9 folder last year. White lithium made it feel gritty and uneven no matter how much I worked it in, swapped to the proper viscous stuff and it was night and day.

tyler6141mo ago

Hard disagree here. Put Helimax on a Mamiya 645 lens and it felt exactly the same as the white lithium I had been using for years. Maybe on really old dried out helicoids there's a difference but for anything in decent shape the fancy stuff is snake oil. Spent good money on a tube of it and honestly regret it.