Lens aperture ring repair/replacement?

[Vinman]

Hi,
An over-excited me tried to mount my F mount tele directly onto my Z6 trying to grab a quick picture. For those wondering, it, in fact, doesn’t work. The result was a broken aperture confirmation tab. How difficult is it to remove the aperture ring? This is a first generation AF-S lens. I plan to try using super glue gel to affix the tab back in place, but if that doesn’t hold, I’ll be replacing the ring. Either way, I need to get the ring off. I’ll totally end up gluing the ring in place permanently if I don’t remove it first!
Thanks for any suggestions, thoughts, and prayers.
Vince

[pluton]

2 questions:
1. What lens is this?
2.  Which part is the one referred to as the aperture confirmation tab?

[Vinman]

It’s an AF-S 500mm f4.
The tab I’m referring to is the very small piece that protrudes from the aperture ring that confirms the aperture is at is smallest setting or the aperture is locked.
Thanks!

[Birna Rørslett]

Use a piece of a toothpick or similar and insert into the min.aperture indicator slot in the camera. Voilá problem solved. In fact, for any lens.

[Matthew Currie]

I think it may depend on what camera.  Do any AF film or digital cameras with AI followers use that switch?  Older low end film and digital cameras without an AI follower use a switch that moves sideways, and Birna's suggestion should work fine on those.  Newer ones, though,, such as the D3x00 family, have a switch that moves down rather than sideways.  I don't think there is a convenient way to jam the switch before the lens goes on.  For those, you can mount the lens first, then put a piece of folded cardboard or the like between aperture ring and switch to hold it down. 

[Birna Rørslett]

Whether the switch moves sideways or is pressed into the housing -- same fix applies to all. I've done this with many camera models over time, plus adapters such as the FTZ.

[Vinman]

I’m not sure I was clear enough about the specific piece that broke off, so I included a photo showing the notch left when it snapped and a photo of the poorly attached piece. Both areas of interest are circled in yellow. The piece is now glued in place, but it wouldn’t seat precisely, so I suspect it’s a temporary fix. That said, the switch (particularly of the Z6) is quite soft, so it applies very little pressure. Still, is ideally like to replace the aperture ring that it’s attached to to keep the lens as robust as possible. I’m not going to suggest I’m ham fisted, but, we’ll, I’m ham fisted.

So, back to the ring - is it a difficult replacement? Is it a fairly straightforward process?

[Matthew Currie]

Looking at the D3200, I can see that just the right thing might work to jam the switch down on the tapered side, but spring pressure tries to push it out, while that in the old n/f 60 and the like is more manageable. It looks as if a little adhesive on the piece of toothpick or whatever would help, or maybe you could skip that and hold the switch down with a dollop of some heavy-bodied glue like "shoe goo."

I wonder if they decreased the spring pressure on the Z adapter.  The spring on my D3200 is, though not mighty,  strong enough fight off jamming, and strong enough that with a little slop in the mount, a lens can go on far enough to click but push sideways on it rather than down, requiring a little intervention to make it work.  I had to burnish the sharp corners on the tabs of a couple of lenses to make them push it down rather than impacting the side and damaging it.

[Erik Lund]

The tap can't be broken off by mounting it on a camera, no way. The lens must have suffered great impact to break the tap, for it to fall off during mounting,,,


I would get it to service and have it checked, you need to get it AF calibrated anyway if you unmount and remount the F-mount to replace the aperture ring.

[Birna Rørslett]

The solution for your predicament is either getting the lens serviced, as Erik suggests ($$$). Or, the makeshift operation on your FTZ, using in this case a piece of a plastic toothpick.....



While not as elegant solution by far, the involved cost is approx. 0.

[Vinman]

The tap can't be broken off by mounting it on a camera, no way. The lens must have suffered great impact to break the tap, for it to fall off during mounting,,,


I would get it to service and have it checked, you need to get it AF calibrated anyway if you unmount and remount the F-mount to replace the aperture ring.

I explained the events which led to the tab breaking off. There was no great or dramatic impact. The fact remains that it broke off and has been glued back, however badly.

Thanks everyone else for the suggestions. It’s working as normal at the moment, and I’ll keep something on hand to effect Birna’s suggestion if/when the tab breaks off again.

Sadly, I still haven’t found out whether or not removing and replacing the aperture ring is a difficult task. I removed the mounting ring to glue the tab back on. That allowed some movement with the ring, but no obvious method of freeing it from the lens. I’ll hope someone may elaborate on that at some point. In the meantime, I can now use the lens as normal.

[Asle F]

Sadly, I still haven’t found out whether or not removing and replacing the aperture ring is a difficult task. I removed the mounting ring to glue the tab back on. That allowed some movement with the ring, but no obvious method of freeing it from the lens. I’ll hope someone may elaborate on that at some point. In the meantime, I can now use the lens as normal.

I is probably very easy. First remove the mount, then the aperture on most lenses is just to lift off. The exceptions I have experiene with, are some older pre-AI lenses.

Use JIS screw drivers, not Philips!