"new" 55 f1.2

[pluton]

It's easy enough to check the lens by activating the Aperture Stop-down Lever on the lens bayonet with your finger. If the aperture is free and active then it's something other than the lens. The most obvious as noted above is the Aperture Coupling Lever in the body.

Dave Hartman

[I suppose if the aperture stop-down lever in the lens is bent that might cause binding but with two lenses sluggish it sounds like the body. I've never seen this myself: touch silicon. This all assumes the aperture blades aren't lube contaminated which unfortunately I have seen.]

Just because the actuation lever on the lens moves freely, doesn't mean that the aperture is free from 'failure to stop down' syndrome.
On my problem 135/2 AiS,  the iris would intermittently fail to stop down...like 1 out of 20 times...but the actuation lever on the lens moved freely and smoothly at all times.

[Bjørn Solberg]

Hi Armando
Today I bought my first Nikon lens ever (55 1.2 SC), probably the second best buy i've done on a lens. Price US 235 $.
Leaving Norway for Portugal next week, bringing one camera and 2 lenses.

[armando_m]

Does anyone have a recommendation about what kind of grease should I use to lubricate the focus helicoids ?

the 55mm is significantly more stiff than the other manual lenses I have 35, 105, and 200 mm
I recently cleaned it and re-grease it , to find out I made even more stiff with the grease I used
a white/translucent silicon grease

[armando_m]

Hi Armando
Today I bought my first Nikon lens ever (55 1.2 SC), probably the second best buy i've done on a lens. Price US 235 $.
Leaving Norway for Portugal next week, bringing one camera and 2 lenses.

Bjørn , your copy is SC vs mine that is only S , I assume the difference being that the SC has more modern coatings on the glass

[Erik Lund]

Micro-tools Grease, Helical #10 (Light) 8ml


The have a EU and an US online shop

[armando_m]

Micro-tools Grease, Helical #10 (Light) 8ml


The have a EU and an US online shop

Great, thanks Erik

[Bern]

Micro-tools Grease, Helical #10 (Light) 8ml


The have a EU and an US online shop

Would this also work for other Nikkors? I have a Nikkor K 28mm 3.5 that may need additional lubrication.

Thanks!

[Roland Vink]

Bjørn , your copy is SC vs mine that is only S , I assume the difference being that the SC has more modern coatings on the glass

Nikon refined the optics twice. The original optics are found in the early Nikkor-S series with serial numbers 970111 - 985xxx. At some point the optics were changed, the curvature and spacing of some elements is different. To the best of my knowledge this occurred when the serial number was reset to 184711. This is still a Nikkor-S, continuing through the Nikkor-S.C up to serial no 300556. The optics were refined yet again for the New-Nikkor (K) and AI versions, probably to improve close range performance since this model focuses closer than the previous versions (0.5m vs 0.6m).

[Erik Lund]

Would this also work for other Nikkors? I have a Nikkor K 28mm 3.5 that may need additional lubrication.

Thanks!

Sure it's universal, there is a 'heavy' version also but it is often too thick

[richardHaw]

Nikon refined the optics twice. The original optics are found in the early Nikkor-S series with serial numbers 970111 - 985xxx. At some point the optics were changed, the curvature and spacing of some elements is different. To the best of my knowledge this occurred when the serial number was reset to 184711. This is still a Nikkor-S, continuing through the Nikkor-S.C up to serial no 300556. The optics were refined yet again for the New-Nikkor (K) and AI versions, probably to improve close range performance since this model focuses closer than the previous versions (0.5m vs 0.6m).

thanks for your insights 

[Petr sheepeck Jůza]

I have this in "K" version. In a past I had a 50 1.2 and sometimes wonder which is better.
1., 2. and 3. are 55 mm, 4., 5. and 6. are 50 mm. Still cannot say which I like more.  :-)

[Erik Lund]

Very nice images! They showcase these lenses very well!

[Frank Fremerey]

Great portraiture, Sheepeck!

[pluton]

You've made great use of the properties of the 55/1.2.
My copy of the 55/1.2 K/Ai was an sharp, high-definition, contrasty lens once the wide-open dreamy-haze effect was squelched by about f/2.8. 

[John Geerts]

Great portraiture, Sheepeck!

Yes, beauties.