Nikon 105/2.5 AI-S front ring engraving white or yellow?

[forest bagger]

Hi guys,

I have a Nikon 105/2.5 AI-S lens here that has a very high serial number.
In contrast to all the examples I know, the engraving on the front ring is not pure white but lemon yellow.

Is this intentional given the high serial number, or is the white yellowed?
Cleaning does not help!

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Interesting

This is my copy:

 

[250swb]

Never seen one with yellow engraving (mine isn't' yellow) but if somebody has been cleaning it with a yellow duster the colour may have come out in the cleaning fluid?

 

[forest bagger]

This is my copy

This one is much older, it has a s/n 969xxx.
Mine has a s/n 1051xxx an can't be older than about 25 years.

 

[forest bagger]

As written, cleaning, even with oxygen bleach, does not help.
Why aren't the white labels on the distance scale and aperture ring also yellowed?
My customer says he heard that starting with the 1051xxx serial numbers, which are only 20 to 25 years old, Nikon used a different color for the front ring than for the white numbers on the distance scale, which changed to a greenish-yellow color.

 

[MFstooges]

You can use whiteout to repaint it if it really bothers you

 

[forest bagger]

You can use whiteout to repaint it if it really bothers you

Thank you for this tip - but that's a customers lens and he seems to be satisfied with this yellowish white.

 

[Nitroplait]

I don’t have that specific lens but quite a few other Nikkor lenses from the early 70’s to some of the last produced AiS lenses and notice that there are differences in the brightness and tones of the color inlayed in engravings unrelated to age - and I am talking about those engravings normally not subjected to direct touch and friction.

Environmental contamination can be a reason, but it is normally fairly obvious if a lens has been exposed to nicotine or similar direct pollutants. It tends to be uneven, affecting all cavities - not only the engravings - and can be smelled decades after the exposure.

These more minute and even differences I see on my lenses are more likely caused by changes in the paint compositions and the associated aging properties of the paint delivered by Nikon’s chosen subcontractors, perhaps in combination with environmental factors such as heat, humidity and possibly from storage in a container or cabinet emitting some residual chemicals evaporating from the cabinet finish.

I worked for years in an art museum and we were extremely attentive to the properties of materials used in our storage facilities, not only those materials in direct contact with artworks, but also wall paint, shelves materials etc.
I saw an example of a white object which had been standing for some years next to (but 15-20cm apart) a brownish box of some unknown plastic material. The white object had a significant yellowing tone on the side facing the brown box - but no discoloration on the other side.

This example makes me think that use of inferior plastic in the lens cap also could cause discoloration of the engraving.

 

[JParker]

Hi guys,

I have a Nikon 105/2.5 AI-S lens here that has a very high serial number.
In contrast to all the examples I know, the engraving on the front ring is not pure white but lemon yellow.

View attachment 376886


Is this intentional given the high serial number, or is the white yellowed?
Cleaning does not help!

Strange. I have never seen that.
My 2.5/105 AI-S has clear white letters. And all others I have seen so far the same.

 

[forest bagger]

Strange. I have never seen that.
My 2.5/105 AI-S has clear white letters. And all others I have seen so far the same.

Your 2.5/105 AI-S has a s/n lower than 999xxx I guess.
This one has a s/n 1051594 and my customer says that there was a change of the white paint of the front ring, starting with s/n 105xxxx 25 years ago.

 

[JParker]

Your 2.5/105 AI-S has a s/n lower than 999xxx I guess.

Yes, correct.

 

[r_a_feldman]

My customer says he heard that starting with the 1051xxx serial numbers, which are only 20 to 25 years old, Nikon used a different color for the front ring than for the white numbers on the distance scale, which changed to a greenish-yellow color.

This 105mm on eBay (https://www.ebay.com/itm/387346729522), S/N 1052046, has white lettering on the front ring.

 

[forest bagger]

This 105mm on eBay (https://www.ebay.com/itm/387346729522), S/N 1052046, has white lettering on the front ring.

Because it is almost unused, I think.

 

[Nige]

Mine's 104xxxx and has white lettering. I also have an older version, s/n 862xxx and it's duller white.

Never seen any Nikkor with that shade of lettering but in the scheme of things, I ain't seen that many!

Why do I have 2, well I bought the older 105 with a 85/2 cheap, then the next week or so saw the new one in a store for a price I couldn't refuse (still way dearer than what I paid for the 85/105 combo) but thought I'd sell the older one... but still haven't gotten around to selling it!

 

[dave olson]

Mine has white lettering 848802.

 

[Minox]

I have the serial 767796, white lettering. Quite bright paint, I may add, but nothing unusual.

 

[kykr]

939171 here, and definitely white. I checked the other AI and AIS in my modest collection and all are white.