nikon lens

[CMoore]

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

 

[Dan Fromm]

http://www.aiconversions.com/

 

[CMoore]

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

 

[Dan Fromm]

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.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

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.

 

[CMoore]

Well.....I have 6 different lens. If he has the parts, I will just go ahead and ship them.
Thanks Guys

 

[John_Nikon_F]

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

 

[r-brian]

Well.....I have 6 different lens. If he has the parts, I will just go ahead and ship them.
Thanks Guys

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.

 

[CMoore]

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.......

 

[John_Nikon_F]

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.......

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.