My Micro-NIKKOR 55mm 1:3.5 Ai

[Bent Hjarbo]

The Nikongear is a wonderful place in cyberspace.
It is not only in cyberspace/the net, but there are meetings.
At the last meeting in Crete, Bjørn pointed out that my Micro-Nikkor really needed some service, as it was very stiff focusing.
With the help of Richards teardowns I got the courage to take it apart, I managed to assemble it again
With the kind help from Erik I got some magic grease, so to day I tok apart again removed the old grease and added a small amount of the new.
Now it is fantastic, now I can use it for just a carry around lense as the focus is smooth even in the 2m to infinity settings, where it was nearly impossible to move before.
That you all.

PS Erik the color of the ft scale is normal, there are two versions, see here: http://www.destoutz.ch/lenses_close-up_55mm.html, changed between 1975 and 1976. So no need the send pictures to Roland

[Erik Lund]

Thant is great Bent! Nice to hear it's in great shape again!

[richardHaw]

awesome! by the way, I just talked to the factory that supplies Nikon's grease yesterday and they will give me samples of what Nikon uses for AF and MF lenses 

Maybe soon...I can sell these,too!

about the colour, there are times when the orange will fade into yellow. this happened on some of my lenses. on one side the orange is still barely visible but on the other side the orange looks like a pale canary yellow, the same type of pale yellow in oil paints and house paints.

not saying that there wasnt a change somewhere in production just pointing out that the colours do fade over time specially when exposed to sun

[Roland Vink]

On pre-AI and AI lenses the DOF scale colours start from the narrowest DOF lines (widest aperture) working outwards in this sequence:
  green - red - yellow - blue - orange
The orange ranges from bright to brownish, sometimes faded nearly to yellow. The red is light pinkish, noticeably lighter than the red infra-red index dot. If the lens has a smaller DOF scale, the last colours may not be used, so depending on the lens the minimum aperture colour may be orange, blue, yellow or red.

In the AIS series the colours changed and the order of colours reversed. The colours start from the widest DOF lines (smallest aperture) working inwards in this sequence:
  orange - blue - yellow - brown
The orange tends to be a little brighter than before, almost fluorescent on some lenses. The minimum aperture is now always orange. The orange is to remind/warn photographers to set the lens to the minimum aperture when shooting in S or P modes with the Nikon FA.

Pre-AI lens showning early DOF colour sequence, with brownish orange and pinkish red:


An AI lens showing brighter red but orange faded nearly to yellow:


Lens showing AIS colour sequence:

[Bent Hjarbo]

With this knowledge you can see if it is AiS or not without taking the lense off
With the Micro-NIKKOR they also use two different yellows for the feet scale.
Roland you knowlede on NIKKORS are awesome

[Erik Lund]

Bent please make a good close up of you lens so we can compare the feet scale colour To me it looked like an Olive green,,,

[Bent Hjarbo]

This is not taken with a Micro-Nikkor, but with my 105/2.5 AIS
Used daylight. Hope it is good enough.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

More yellow than green to my eye ...

I have the similar version of the 55 Micro and its appearance is the same. Only difference is my copy is much more worn, though

[Erik Lund]

Thanks Bent!

[Roland Vink]

All Nikon lenses with a focus scale in feet and m have the m scale in white, feet scale coloured yellow. Over the long history of Nikon there will be some variations in the shade of yellow - some brighter than others, some faded over time - but the general rule holds.
The only exception I can think of are early lenses which have only one focus scale in feet or m, which is always coloured white.

Getting back to the pre-AI and AI coloured DOF lines, there is one lens which does not have the usual sequence: the 80-200/4.5 Auto, which has:
  green - orange - red/pink - yellow - blue

Not sure why, the colours reverted to the normal sequence with the K and AI versions.

[Erik Lund]

This is not taken with a Micro-Nikkor, but with my 105/2.5 AIS
Used daylight. Hope it is good enough.

Again, thanks Bent.


I insist, the feet scale on this lens is Olive green. Not yellow.


It is quite clear when you open the image in photoshop and zoom in on the scale.


Bent, could you add an image of the engraved and coloured aperture scale on the aperture ring - Thanks

[Bent Hjarbo]

Here is a close-up of the colors.

[Erik Lund]

Thanks, now they are clearly Yellow, so this must the right colour.


The Olive green must be due to a WB issue even though they were shot using 'window light'


Mystery solved

[richardHaw]

at times, they do fade to a mustard/feint olive colour 
but this is due to weathering

[Bent Hjarbo]

The new close-up was taken with a flash as the daylight was nearly absent
So yes it looks more yellow than in reality, there is a clear difference to PK numbers.