The Nikkor-Q 200mm f/4!

[John Geerts]

As you won't have AF functionality anyway, just replace the CPU and enjoy all features of a "P"-enabled lens. The 80/2.8 and 200/3.5 are AIS by design as well.

Still on my to-do-list.      Is that easily done, the CPU replacement?

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Bring the lens with you on any NG Event and we'll fix this right away.

[David H. Hartman]

The thread lock on the bayonet screws may be Loctite High Temperature thread lock. I've seen a camera repairman friend use a butane soldering pen to loosen bayonet screws. Local heat is much faster than acetone which is the way I've always done it. This thread lock is used for many applications where high temperature and high strength is needed. I believe heat is an approved method per the instructions. The color was always white but after many years that may have changed.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

A small solder iron with a narrow bit is very helpful in such cases. There was a decade mid '70s and onwards where Nikon really locked down the bayonet screws. They can be unpleasantly troublesome to loosen up.

[John Geerts]

Ah, good to know. I noticed that on the 135/2.8 Q Auto from 1973. All five screws are completely stuck. What is the solution to get that fixed? A bit OT here....

[richardHaw]

yes, i use a mini butane torch,too 

so far, acetone/MEK has been OK for me. the torch is only for last resort. believe it or not, Nikon used epoxy for a time (i was told by a couple of techs here in japan). so far, a firm wrist and a glove works so far. most important is using the right screwdriver (JIS) with a LONG shaft. i have carpal tunnel syndrome and gout, sometimes it can be painful just removing these screws. 

[richardHaw]

Ah, good to know. I noticed that on the 135/2.8 Q Auto from 1973. All five screws are completely stuck. What is the solution to get that fixed? A bit OT here....

that is one of my favourite lenses to service.  very simple and clear
first, try dropping acetone/MEK into the hole. let it stay there from 15minutes to a few hours until it softens. if it fails, use a butane torch. the butane torch will not work on some screws as they are locked using epoxy. always use a long shafted driver for these screws.

http://richardhaw.com/2015/12/29/best-practices-part-1/

http://richardhaw.com/2015/12/23/camera-and-lens-repair-essentials/

[John Geerts]

Ah, great. Thanks for the tip and the links, Richard !!  Will try that. The lens is in great shape, glass and blades. Only the aperture won't close further than f/8 - f/11. I assume the aperture lever has been shifted somewhat to the right, blocking the lever to close to f/22. But I am not sure.

[richardHaw]

Ah, great. Thanks for the tip and the links, Richard !!  Will try that. The lens is in great shape, glass and blades. Only the aperture won't close further than f/8 - f/11. I assume the aperture lever has been shifted somewhat to the right, blocking the lever to close to f/22. But I am not sure.

Hello, John. one cause is that the pin on the iris assembly is not properly installed. it is impossible to jump out from the slot unless somebody opened the lens. one other reason is that the aperture ring and the inner aperture ring (for the lack of a good term) might be stuck. if you trust me enough, you can send it to me if you are not comfortable with opening it yourself.

[John Geerts]

Richard, Thanks.  I think I solved the problem. It's the inner aperture ring, which was screwed into an position the lever and aperture wouldn't close further down. I removed the ring and all seems to work fine. Probably need to glue that ring to the proper position as the screws and the screwholes in that position won't close down the aperture.

[richardHaw]

Richard, Thanks.  I think I solved the problem. It's the inner aperture ring, which was screwed into an position the lever and aperture wouldn't close further down. I removed the ring and all seems to work fine. Probably need to glue that ring to the proper position as the screws and the screwholes in that position won't close down the aperture.

there must be another way without having to glue it. maybe the tolerances were wrong? 

[richardHaw]

OK, i finally got a sunny holiday so i took the 200mm out. this lens is sharp! it is not as sharp as the succeeding versions of the 200mm f/4's but the sharpness is "organic" specially when compared to current nikkors. the weakness of this lens i can say is definitely the CA where it was not very well corrected. this might be the reason why the pictures look "organic"

I chose a sunny day because i want to shoot at higher shutter speeds with the D7200. the D7200's sensor is pretty demanding and will easily out resolve a lot of older lenses in my collection! an example would be the older 2.8cm 1:3.5 and other lenses with old coating types.

old man's head is 1:1 crop by the way.

the fish was dehazed in LR.

the sakura branch is pretty much as is but exposure was turned down.

[Akira]

Rick, the carp image is superb!  It reminds me of some popular Chinese/Japanese paintings, especially with your signature in Chinese letters.

My Nikkor-Q C also inevitably shows some LoCA in addition to CA.  But both can be largely removed by the lens correction controls in ACR, which makes the image appear cleaner and slightly sharper without being harsh.  The corrected image still look organic and carry some "roundness".  At f5.6-8.0, the lens seems to be the sharpest.

[John Geerts]

there must be another way without having to glue it. maybe the tolerances were wrong? 

Well, as the five screws are completely locked that's the only solution to have the lens fully working on the Df.

[richardHaw]

Well, as the five screws are completely locked that's the only solution to have the lens fully working on the Df.

Hello, John. have you tried dropping MEK or acetone to them and leaving it overnight? you may need 1-2 drops of that thing in each screw hole and let that flood up a little bit. its messy but if i have a lens that was epoxied (a technician here along with daitocamera confirmed that Nikon epoxied their lenses around the the new nikkor era), the screws would come of without any trouble at all the next morning. it even felt squishy no pop at all.