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nikon lens

CMoore

Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
6,356
Location
USA CA
Format
35mm
Anybody do the Non-AI to AI conversion.?
I have a 135mm/f 2.8 I would like to do. I suppose Ebay is about the only place to look for a kit.?
Thank You
 
I looked on his sight...does he Sell Kits.?
For 25 bux it is probably a good idea to just have him do it.?
It seems like the mount and numbers would be easy, not sure how well I could drill the holes on the meter tab though.
Any of you guys done this yourself.?
Thanks
 
The tab doesn't have to be drilled.

If he has the parts, I'd have him do it. But I'm a terrible craftsman and don't have the parts.
 
The kit is difficult to find. It's a #44 AI conversion kit if the lens is a Nikkor-Q. By all means should you find some please let me know.
 
Well.....I have 6 different lens. If he has the parts, I will just go ahead and ship them.
Thanks Guys
 
Another option is to find a beater that has been AI'd and is the same version. Swap rings. Put the beater, if it still shoots well, on a well-used Nikkormat and pass it onto a photog who's just starting out, like a son or daughter, or niece/nephew who wants to learn analog photography. That way, your lens gets AI'd, and the donor lens continues to be used.

-J
 
CMoore said:
Well.....I have 6 different lens. If he has the parts, I will just go ahead and ship them.
Thanks Guys
Click to expand...

I don't think he has the replacement parts; most of those are long gone. What he does is precisely mills the aperture ring to the correct configuration.
 
John -
That IS a good Idea/Option...although I think the lens would have to be "for parts"...I think even a "beater" lens would be fairly expensive.?
Guess I just have to look and see what is what. Thank You.

r-b.....
Yeah, you are correct, It takes some work with a file mostly I guess.?
Do they not change the meter "rabbit ears" also, or does that stay the same.?
I thought the tab was drilled, for the newer cameras, so its meter can read that second row of f/stop numbers.......
 
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Surprisingly, a lot of the 135/2.8's are still cheap on the used market. Nice ones do get close to $100-$125, but well-worn examples are still around $40-$50.

With respect to the prong, the AI version has holes cut for providing enough light to see the 4 and 8 aperture numbers in the viewfinder. Personally, I have no problem seeing them on either my 85/1.8 or my 300/4.5, both of which have AI rings, but their original prongs.

Most repair shops that do AI conversions will use a milling machine to mill the aperture ring down. Some will just provide a notch for the coupling lever to engage the ring, others will mill it down completely, so it also has an EE aperture tab, like an actual AI ring.
 
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