Repair: Nikon FE Camera Back Lock

27 Aug 2016 6 Comments

by richardhaw in nikon,lens repair,lens maintenance,nikon repair,, Nikon,museum,classic lenses,, Uncategorized

Hello, everybody. It’s a rainy day today here in Tokyo, it’s actually very bad timing since it is the annual Asakusa Samba Carnival today! I was hoping for good weather last night but it seems that nature listens to nobody. Oh,well…maybe it’s going to be sunny next time.

Introduction:

Today, we are going to talk about how I fixed the locking mechanism of my Nikon FE’s film door. My Nikon FE is supposed to be sold but I accidentally soiled the camera so it’s going to stay with me for now. I also fixed some other things on this camera and I will show you what I did next time. This is going to be a series like the one I did for my Nikon F.

IMG_1435.JPGHere is the Nikon FE along with the Nikon F. Notice how small it is but I assure you that this camera is very capable. In fact, I would say that it has most of what the legendary Nikon F3 has when it comes to features.
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Repair: Nikkor-Q 135mm f/3.5 Auto

21 Aug 2016 21 Comments

by richardhaw in Uncategorized

Hello, everybody! I was out looking for something cheap to eat as usual. I’m budget-conscious when it comes to things outside of my camera hobby and one of the things that I try to be cheap with is food. I frequent Indian restaurants since they offer good value and cheap calories. I could ask for a roti refill or another serving of rice, for free. This means I could satisfy my caloric needs in a meal, that should last me the next day. While we’re on the topic of being cheap, I will introduce to you a lens that offers great value. Despite being an inexpensive item it’s able to give you adequate performance. Find out more about it in this article.

Introduction:

The Nikkor-Q 135mm f/3.5 Auto was made from 1959 to 1979, it was made in several versions. The most common version is cheap since it is one of Nikon’s most-produced lenses. Many people disregard it today due to its modest specs and abundance. Despite that, many people don’t know that it used to be Nikon’s best moderate-telephoto lens for the F-mount for a short period and it has a couple of things that makes it appealing.

The Nikkor-Q 13.5cm f/3.5 Auto preceded it and it’s one of the original lenses for the Nikon F when it debuted. The one here is the late-production model, it’s the most-common variant and it’s the lens that we’ll showcase here. It’s an underdog, many compare it to the Nikkor-Q 135mm f/2.8 Auto, an incredible lens but it costed a lot more in those days so it’s not fair. This has its place in the Nikon catalog, it offered a cheaper, lighter alternative to the bigger, pricier NIkkor-Q 135mm f/2.8 Auto.

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Mods: DIY Focusing Screen for DX Cameras

14 Aug 2016 4 Comments

by richardhaw in nikon,lens repair,lens maintenance,nikon repair,, Nikon,museum,classic lenses,, Uncategorized

Hello, everybody! We are supposed to have the usual lens teardown today but I am too lazy and tired today to prepare the pictures and commentaries so I will just write a short entry this time around. I am also very busy in our studio because my cute assistant is currently working off-site for a couple of months. She should be back by the end of this month.

Introduction:

When I still had the D7200, I was always straining my eyes at the tiny DX viewfinder every time I used a manual focus lens with it. I focus using the focusing scale so I generally get a nice and focused picture when I am using the lens stopped-down. Shooting the lens at it’s biggest aperture is another story and I had to find a better solution for this.

12241211_10153244985416911_7368475265942359102_n.jpgThe first solution that I thought about was using focusing screens! You can buy one for any camera or ask a shop to trim one for you but I am cheap so I simply opted to DIY the screen myself to save some money. I ended up saving enough money that if ever I failed at this, I would have enough money to attempt 3 more times! More