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De-clicking your Iris Wheel - Nikon lenses

Rick Darge

Rick Darge

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If anyone is local here in LA and you need to de-click your iris wheel in any of your Nikon lenses, take it over to Samy's Camera. They can do it for real cheap & they are pros.

My 17-35 is in the shop right now being modified. Once its finished, my iris wheel will be as smooth as the focus wheel. I'll report back with results later.
 
Ducolos dose a super job with that too as well as adding gears.
 
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I dont mean to knock Duclos but I think he charges quite a bit more for just the simple de-click. Either way, Duclos is awesome, just a bit more pricey.
 
Thanks Richard...not to highjack this but what about in NYC, anyone recommend someone? If not then I will gladly send to LA. How are you liking the 17-35 and which glass you using Mr. Darge?
 
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Haskell,

Try the B&H repair dept. I bet they are similar. I am really really digging my 17-35. Really sharp lens. Love it. My 50 & 85 are nice, they have a real vintage quality about them. The only thing that was buggin me about the 17-35 was the hard stop iris wheel. It makes it a pain to quickly adjust exposure or make half-stops. Deep down inside, the truth is I envy Macgregor and his new glass toys... here is some stock I did the other day with the 17-35, 50, 85, http://www.theredshooter.com/MAY_LA.mov - 2k & 4k
 
Richard, nice "MAY LA" movie.

Btw, for that sort of shots you don't need Master Primes,

only if your potential producer feels comfortable and pay (rent) for that then OK.

Don't forget that a full set of Master Primes

(16, 18, 21, 25, 27, 32, 35, 40, 50, 65, 75, 100, 180, all T1.3) costs about US $ 315.000.

Go Nikon, Leica, Zeiss-Contax, Canon EF L, Sigma...etc.
 
RGD, do they do other mods, or just de-clicking? I mean do they do a whole conversion like the RPLens guy does?
 
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.
 
Just checked with our Lens Tech. Abel can remove the click-stops on Nikon lenses. For the new Zeiss ZF lenses (they're so nice -- much better coating than the old Contax) the service charge would be one hour of labor. For other lenses the fee will vary based on design. A set of lenses will likely cost less than individual lenses as we would do them all together. Abel Service labor rate is $125/hour.
 
rgdfilmsRED said:
I dont mean to knock Duclos but I think he charges quite a bit more for just the simple de-click. Either way, Duclos is awesome, just a bit more pricey.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the kind words.
Although, I can't recall the last time someone brought us a lens (or a whole set) just to remove the click stops. Usually, removing the click stop is a small step in a much larger work order, such as gear installation, 80mm adaptors, cleaning, etc... This might explain the misconception. Just a thought ;)
 
If I remove the "click" to the iris wheel, can I still use the motors on my Nikon D300, for exposure?
 
scenedirector said:
If I remove the "click" to the iris wheel, can I still use the motors on my Nikon D300, for exposure?
Click to expand...

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.)
 
I own the 17-35, 28-70, 80-200, & the 50 f/1.4. I want to use these when I eventually get a RED, so getting them "de-clicked" would be something I would consider, ONLY if I can still use them for my still photography as well.

So you are saying, if I have it clicked over onto the f22, it is an automatic lens, even with the modification?
 
That's what I'm looking for.
With my still photography, I already let the camera do the work.
And, of course, with my cinematography, I want to do the work.
 
Brandon said:
RGD, do they do other mods, or just de-clicking? I mean do they do a whole conversion like the RPLens guy does?
Click to expand...

Not sure, I think just the de-click since they are a still camera store and specialize in still lenses.

For everyone else that's wondering, Samys is charging me $30 to de-click my 17-35.
 
Matthew Duclos said:
Thank you for the kind words.
Although, I can't recall the last time someone brought us a lens (or a whole set) just to remove the click stops. Usually, removing the click stop is a small step in a much larger work order, such as gear installation, 80mm adaptors, cleaning, etc... This might explain the misconception. Just a thought ;)
Click to expand...

You are probably correct Matthew!
 
Next up for me is getting the 17-35 and the 80-200 declicked, and Delvin 32 pitch gear rings. That, along with my primes that are already configured this way, will complete my set. I say if you are going to go through the process of having the aperture stops removed you should also:

1. Have the Delvin rings added
2. Have the appropriate fronts installed if you use matteboxes
3. Have the lenses inspected for variety of potential issues such as grease leaks, glass defects, mechanics, etc.
 
Just picked my lens up from Samys. They did a great job. My iris wheel is silky smooth & finally ready for cinema use.
 
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