Nikkor K 50mm f/1.4, opinions

[Øivind Tøien]

I have in the past experiences with lenses where one could feel a mechanical "kick" in the focus ring at release. This was caused by a maladjusted stop down lever. As I recall the culprit was that the lever hit the hard stop when the lens opened up again. On some lenses (for instance the 55 micros) this lever can be adjusted with two screws. Once the lever was correctly adjusted the "kicking"  went away. For some other lenses the adjustment is as I recall in the position of the optical assembly.

[richardHaw]

its pretty common for the Nikkor-S family for some reasons 

[rramsay]

I know this post is on the old side now and has pretty much served its purpose but I have one more question regarding the Nikkor K 50mm 1.4 lens (version 1). I've found one listed for sale online but the seller does not know very much about it. He has it for sale with a 2X adapter and he says it is the only way he can get the lens to mount on his Nikon D7000. He bought the camera used and this lens and adapter came with the camera. From the posted pictures it looks like it has had the AI conversion completed. Unfortunately, the pictures are not the best. Could it just be the problem that was noted in this post about the mirror on some cameras hitting a post on the lens mount? I would be using the lens on a Nikon FM and FM2n. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Oh, and the seller has it listed for $100 Canadian. That's with the 2X adapter, which I don't want. Is that reasonable? Cheers! Robert

[Birna Rørslett]

The asking price is a trifle high, if you ask me ....Looks to be pretty beaten up too.

The lens needs further modification before you can fully exploit it on your cameras.

The TC is probably just junk.

[pluton]

From the posted pictures it looks like it has had the AI conversion completed. Unfortunately, the pictures are not the best.

To reinforce or restate Birna's comment, it looks to me that this lens has not had any kind of Ai conversion. Because it needs an Ai adaption or conversion, the real, net cost to you is effectively higher than CDN$100 because you will have to supply the Ai conversion.
Plus:  We don't know if it needs any other repairs.  Is it easily returnable to the seller if it arrives in lousy condition?
Personally, I would look for the next optical version of the lens, either in K or early Ai configuration(preferred). I occasionally see them used from KEH at reasonable prices.  I don't know if ordering from KEH is practical for those in Canada.

[MEPER]

If the "rabbit ears" are removed from the lens it might be possible to mount the lens so it does not conflict with the AI-ring on the camera. But I am not 100% sure....but in this case the camera has to be operated in full manuel mode of course. On my D5200 which has no AI-ring I just mount non-AI lenses and it is quite easy to use as first couple of shots are used as "exposure meter" by looking at the histogram to find the right aperture/exposure combination.

Non-AI Nikkors can now be used on all kinds of digital rangefinders with adapter rings.....
Maybe it is because of that non-AI nikkors seems to have gone a bit up in price? 

[Roland Vink]

The lens shown has not been AI converted - that is why it would not mount directly to the D7000. Some pre-AI lenses will mount on AI cameras if the aperture ring is thin enough - the lower edge can slip under the AI follower if the rabbit ears are removed. That is not the case with this lens.

If you are keen to use this lens, send it to Marcel Van Engen (https://magnimopus.com/services/) I think his AI conversion method would be suitable for this lens, and it looks much neater than other AI conversions.

If you are using the  lens with an FM, I believe the AI follower on the camera can be flipped up so the lens will fit, but metering will be difficult. Much better to have the lens AI converted, or get a proper AI lens instead (AI 50/1.8 is good)

[rramsay]

Birna, Pluton, Meper and Roland, thank you so much for your very informative replies. It is good to know that this lens has not had the AI conversion. Since the selling price of this lens is a bit high and the conversion cost will only add to that along with the fact that it looks to not be in the best condition, I've decided to pass on it. To my surprise, another 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor surfaced on a Canadian buy & sell site today. It's an actual AI lens from the first production batch in March 1977. It looks pretty clean. The owner is an elderly gentleman who just retired from the photography profession and is selling off a lot of his gear. He said it is clean and in great working order except that the focusing ring is a little stiff. He is asking $100 Canadian as well. I do have a Nikkor 50mm AI-S f/1.8 but thought it would be nice to have a 1.4. Thanks again! Any additional thoughts? Robert

[MEPER]

If you already have an AI-s 50/1.8 then I would say that you only need a 50/1.4 if you like to use it at 1.4. But of course it is always nice with a new lens and they all have their weaknesses and strengths. And a 50/1.4 looks good. I checked price at the local store. They have a near-mint AI-s version at 335 Euros. This is with warranty and 1 month where you can swap the lens to something else.
It is this one:
https://www.photografica.com/brugt-51/brugt-nikon-ai-s-50-1-4.html

An AI-s 50/1.2 in same like new condition is about double up in price and then the "noct" goes a bit higher but no at sale at the moment.

 

[richardHaw]

https://richardhaw.com/2018/08/12/repair-new-nikkor-50mm-f-1-4/
 

[MEPER]

These lenses looks simple from outside but quite complex when you try to disassemble.
The few times I have tried the infinity adjustment has been the most "tricky" and also the helicoid cleaning and lubricating (right lubrication and also right amount). Also to be able to assemble 100% dust free is not easy either.

All the Nikkor lenses with helicoid you have seen is helicoid always aluminium against aluminium or does aluminium against brass or brass against brass also exists?

[rramsay]

Richard, thanks for that link to your excellent page on that lens. It is exceptionally well written and shows how knowledgeable you are!

Meper, thanks for your replies as well. 335 Euros is $550 Canadian so $100 for this AI lens sounds good. The seller is an hour away from where I live but I think I will go his way and check it out in person to see how "stiff" the focus ring is.

I am wanting this lens to shoot at 1.4 as I find myself using my 50mm 1.8 wide open quite often. I like the shots my daughter gets with her 50mm 1.4 EF lens on her full-frame digital camera and I would like to get similar results on my FM2n. She can use my 1.8 on my old FM. It will be an improvement on the lens currently on it.

So... thanks again for your replies. You all have been exceptionally kind and helpful. I hope you are all handling self-isolation well. Robert

[MEPER]

A good way to check the glass of the lens if to use a small strong flash light and set the lens to full aperture and light through it from both sides and see if you can see any scratches etc....