"What you describe is part of the design. 0.5 meters is the closest focus point. Like the FA* 24, the focus ring will actually turn past this point (and past infinity in the other direction), but with a noticeable drag. I think this is some part of the clutch mechanism."
That's what I wrote last night when I was tired. I may have goofed, confusing the scale for feet and meters. If you are getting drag at 0.5 m., that is not normal. Mine doesn't do that. On mine, you can move the focus ring past either end of the focusing range. If you do that, you will feel drag at that point. This is like the clutch mechanism in the FA* 24. Does it autofocus okay across the zoom range? Is the manual focus drag going away or remaining the same as you use the lens? How awful if you have a defective one after waiting so long for it. Joe
