De-clicking your Iris Wheel - Nikon lenses

[Nils J. Nesse]

Last time I talked with him, he was also working out a way to put hard stops in the focus ring of the 17-35 and 80-200.

I bought some cheap Bollywood gear rings on Ebay, that came with clipon hard stops. Works fine with the 17-35 and 80-200. May not be the sexiest solution, but they do the job.

 

[Zul Y]

Removing the detents wouldn't effect your exposure measuring or aperture function. I'm not sure which lens your asking about, but most lenses used with still cameras require you to lock your aperture at f22 (or whatever minimum is.)

I shoot with a Nikon 28-70mm on my D300 from time to time. I gutted the lens.. No auto focus, no click stops. It still takes accurate exposure readings and exposes properly when I set the aperture. (although, I did pin the iris scale so that if I set it to 2.8, it stays at 2.8. Similar to a cine style lens.)

So I assume lenses that are "de-clicked" will still work on manual cameras just the same? I have some AI nikons and an FM and was wondering about sending the lenses for "de-clicking" too. Does the lens still functions normally on SLR cameras after the mod or do I have to do something to it?

Can you explain what you mean by "pin the iris"?

 

[Matthew Duclos]

Well.. first answer. The click-stops on the aperture control ring are simply put there for your convenience. If they were removed, there is no change in the lens, other than the lack of clicking at every stop. You still have complete control over the aperture. and so does your camera.

Question two. Most DSLR lenses these days have an aperture or iris that stays closed when not on the camera. When put on an SLR, the aperture opens all the way and when you release the shutter, it closes to whatever aperture you set on the camera. (generally you have to lock the aperture to f22 or your camera will freak out and not let you release the shutter)
The example I gave with the 28-70mm was a specific lens. With the auto focus electronics and others removed, the aperture had no way of closing down relative to the cameras settings. The small lever at the rear of Nikon lenses that controls the aperture according to the camera was removed and the iris was rendered completely manual. Whatever aperture was selected on the iris scale, is what the lens was actually at, in real time.

Im not entirely sure how some of the video adaptors that utilize Nikon lenses control the aperture on fully automatic lenses.

 

[Bruce Allen]

Im not entirely sure how some of the video adaptors that utilize Nikon lenses control the aperture on fully automatic lenses.

Generally, they don't!

Nice to see you here, Matthew...

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com

 

[Donald Kilgore]

How hard is it to remove the click stops in an AIS lens? Is this something the can be easily done?

I found an old post from Evin in the archives where he said:
"BTW to the rest of us I wll be posting a "How to" for removing the click stop from your AI and AIS Nikkors soon."

I have not been able to find a how to, but this leads me to believe that this an easy modification that I can do myself.

Any thoughts?

 

[Evin Grant]

Some lenses are fairly easy for the average technical person, some are not. I found out the hard way and decided not to risk having a bunch of very upset lens owners sending me their repair bills. Sammy's or Duclos will take care of you and if they screw it up they have to fix it.

 

[Dominic Jones]

So I assume lenses that are "de-clicked" will still work on manual cameras just the same? I have some AI nikons and an FM and was wondering about sending the lenses for "de-clicking" too.

I realise I'm responding to an ancient question, but for anyone interested it should be noted that on older Nikon bodies (I use an FE and an FM2, and it is true of both of these) the aperture readout for the camera's meter is actuated by a mechanical lever ring that connects - and crucially applies pressure to - the iris ring of the lens.

With these style of bodies (I've no idea, I'm afraid of when this stops being an issue, as I'm a little old-school when it comes to stills!), de-clicked lenses will work, but the iris ring will be pushed back round to fully open by said lever on the camera body. You can work around this by either holding the aperture ring in place manually (pain in the arse if you want to focus the lens, but does work!) or using a little camera tape on it. But it isn't a particularly nice way to work. I've ended up getting a small selection of lenses I use regularly for stills that are not de-clicked, in addition to my "indie cine" set...

Cheers,
Dom.

 

[Istvan Kantor]

May I ask how much it costs per lens?

Anyone has a recommendation for Europe/Germany?

Thanks!

bump for this. jochen mentioned that nikon munich declicked his lenses. result seemed questionable. is there anyone else in germany or even europe doing this professionally?

 

[Vance Colvig]

If the lens is to be used on a Red One, why declick?? The Optitek Pro Lock lens mount for the R1 makes this unnecessary. The other advantage of the Pro Lock is that the lens mounting is far superior to the original Nikon type mounts, as the lens flange is drawn in toward the camera, and it is very snuggly seated, so there is no "rotational wiggle" when pulling focus. Best accessory purchase for the R1 I have made to date.

 

[Richard Foster]

2nd for the Optitek Pro Lock lens mount. It makes using Nikon glass a breeze.

 

[Timothy Eaton]

Just want to put in a good word for Matt Duclos and Duclos lenses. They de-clicked, geared, and added 80mm front ends to my ZF primes, as well as a Nikon 17-35. They are very professional and the work is superb. Parts are not off-the-shelf; I believe the front ends are of their own manufacture. Highest recommendation.

Tim Eaton

 

[Vance Colvig]

If you are going to de-click your lenses and have gear rings installed, there is probably no better place than Duclos. Besides excellent work, they are some of the nicest people you can find in town.

 

[James Brundige]

Richard! I really dig this material man, love the postcard quality to them, never really seen this part of LA...awesome! Is this a newer 17-35? I really like the quality of the older nikon glass and think building a prime set with the 17-35 would cover me.

I am with Sajin, get your clients to rent the big glass and stick with your nikons in the meantime.

The 17-35 will not match the older glass. It is noticeably sharper. Some people prefer the softening effect of the older AIS glass to mitigate the sharpness of digital. Because I shoot mostly nature, I prefer the sharper look. My old 85 AIS is great for portraits, but the new one better for landscape.