What should I do with this lens?

Ara Ghajanian · Sep 29, 2005

Hey gang,
My girlfriend dropped her Nikon FM, but luckily it was in a soft case and it landed on the lens instead of the camera. The lens is an E series 50mm f1.8. The front of the lens has been pushed in on an angle due to the impact and the focus ring won't turn anymore. It's a nice lens, but my camera repair guy told me to not even bother having it repaired. I ended up getting her another one on eBay for about $40. Now I have this damaged lens (which is mint other than the obvious problem) sitting on my kitchen table begging to be shot with. I'm thinking of taking it apart and trying to fix it myself. I'm sure it won't be a perfect fix so I'm wondering if I can turn it into a special effects lens somehow. Does anyone have any ideas?
Ara

jd callow · Sep 29, 2005

Take it apart and try to fix it. If nothing else it will be a learning experience.

unohuu · Sep 29, 2005

find the point of focus on the lens and use it for creative imagery. it might be your personal lensbaby. think about the DOF and bokeh that this aberrant lens might create for you. a one-of-a-kind 50mm shift lens.

laz · Sep 29, 2005

mrcallow said:
Take it apart and try to fix it. If nothing else it will be a learning experience.

Ditto that, risk free learning experiences are worth far more than $40.

jimgalli · Sep 29, 2005

Nikon 50mm 1.8 E's were never meant to actually take pictures with. Best use is to turn it around backwards and make a focus loupe out of it for the view camera ground glass. It should work good as ever for that.

Monophoto · Sep 29, 2005

Nikon's E-series lenses were intended to accompany the EM body as part of a "less expensive" package designed for entry-level casual photographers. This was long before digital - and even before P&S became popular. They were optically quite good (the 100mm f2.8 series E was a fabulous portrait lens that also was very good with extension tubes in macro applications), but mecahnically they were not in the same class as Nikkors.

What that means is that if your girlfriend's camera landed on the lens, the lens is probably toast. But as Mrcallow has noted, an unrepairably trashed lens could provide an interesting education. So take it apart to see how it's built. You may not be able to repair it, but you could learn a lot about lenses.

modafoto · Sep 29, 2005

unohuu said:
find the point of focus on the lens and use it for creative imagery. it might be your personal lensbaby. think about the DOF and bokeh that this aberrant lens might create for you. a one-of-a-kind 50mm shift lens.

I would do this, too. If it proves worthless at that, too you can try to repair it.

gnashings · Sep 29, 2005

jimgalli said:
Nikon 50mm 1.8 E's were never meant to actually take pictures with. Best use is to turn it around backwards and make a focus loupe out of it for the view camera ground glass. It should work good as ever for that.

Well... perhaps I am guilty of ignorance or my lack of experience makes me easy to please - I don't know, but I have one of these lenses (got it on an FG that I picked up for $5 with a Nikon flash... all work 100%!). And I found that, yes - it is flimsy and feels cheap, but... it is rather good optically from my experience.

I would try to fix it - its one of those "can't make it worse" situations, so you might as well. Then again, I like tinkering, so any excuse is a good one - only my total lack of faith in my abilities and knowledge of optics repair prevents me from doing it. But in a case like that, I certainly would.

Ara Ghajanian · Sep 29, 2005

unohuu said:
find the point of focus on the lens and use it for creative imagery. it might be your personal lensbaby. think about the DOF and bokeh that this aberrant lens might create for you. a one-of-a-kind 50mm shift lens.

One step ahead of you. I already tried that and found that there is no point of focus anymore. Very strange indeed.

I will try to repair it, the only thing is that if I do repair it how will I know it's up to par again? What if it's slightly off in which case I may ruin many future photos?
Ara

John Koehrer · Sep 29, 2005

Ara,
As you've discovered, the series E lenses aren't the most durable. What has happened is, on impact, one of the threads in the focusing helix has jumped or been pushed onto another. If you're going to attempt disassembly, start at the front. The back won't get you anywhere.
Remove the decorator ring with a large rubber stopper by holding the stopper at an angle & unscrew the ring CCW. Just removing the ring may give enough play to squeeze the focus ring & "pop" it back in place. If you live right, that is. If you end up popping it towards the lens mount, you may find that focus will need to be adjusted. I don't feel comfortable trying to describe that procedure. It's kind of like knowing how to get somewhere but not being able to give someone else directions.

Claire Senft · Sep 29, 2005

Ara, put it on a chain for your girlfreind to wear around her neck as a reminder not to be such a klutz.

get_me_a_gun · Sep 29, 2005

Maybe if I was the one who dropped it, that would help. I think my roomate dropped it but felt too bad to tell me.

Oh well.

-Lisa

Mongo · Sep 29, 2005

Before disassembly, you might take a moment to think if the lens would make a useful subject in any way. You might find some artistic merit in using it in a few images.

But, yes, definately take the opportunity to learn something about how lenses are made...taking things apart is how I (and I suspect, many others) learned to fix them. The very worst thing you'll end up with is a completely disassembled lens with some broken parts. You might find that one or two of the elements are useful for making a magnifier...something you could use as a loupe for examining negatives. (A reversed 50mm lens of any variety is useful for this, but not when the elements are misaligned.)

This is definately more of an opportunity than a problem.

Blighty · Sep 29, 2005

Yep! Use it as a loupe on your lightbox!

MattCarey · Sep 29, 2005

Monophoto said:
They were optically quite good (the 100mm f2.8 series E was a fabulous portrait lens that also was very good with extension tubes in macro applications), but mecahnically they were not in the same class as Nikkors.

I have to second that. I really like my 100mm f2.8. The 75-150 zoom is very nice too, but I find that I prefer the size of the 100mm.

I was always told about the poor build quality of the Series E lenses. Compared to a metal 105mm Nikkor, they feel like toys, but compared with some of the stuff out today, they are not really that bad.

Matt

MattCarey · Sep 29, 2005

Ara Ghajanian said:
Hey gang,
My girlfriend dropped her Nikon FM, but luckily it was in a soft case and it landed on the lens instead of the camera. The lens is an E series 50mm f1.8. The front of the lens has been pushed in on an angle due to the impact and the focus ring won't turn anymore. It's a nice lens, but my camera repair guy told me to not even bother having it repaired. I ended up getting her another one on eBay for about $40. Now I have this damaged lens (which is mint other than the obvious problem) sitting on my kitchen table begging to be shot with. I'm thinking of taking it apart and trying to fix it myself. I'm sure it won't be a perfect fix so I'm wondering if I can turn it into a special effects lens somehow. Does anyone have any ideas?
Ara

I started a recent thread about what to do with a dead DSLR and lens. It seems a waste to have these things not be used, but at some point you have to admit that it is gone.

I did see a good image once on Photo.net. A guy put an arrow through a canon lens. Turned out the lens had been dropped anyway, so he made it into a subject.

If you have any kids around, take the lens apart, give the positive (magnifying) lenses to them to burn leave, ants, all the things kids do.

Matt

derevaun · Sep 30, 2005

Sounds like it's just stuck beyond infinity. In any case you'll probably need to remove (or flip?) some elements before you'll get much brownie/lensbaby action. At level worst, you can use the rear housing as a base for a hand-held tilt/shift contraption. What good is a camera bag without a hacksaw?

titrisol · Sep 30, 2005

Good use!
It also works for viewing negs/slides in a light table

jimgalli said:
Nikon 50mm 1.8 E's were never meant to actually take pictures with. Best use is to turn it around backwards and make a focus loupe out of it for the view camera ground glass. It should work good as ever for that.

Ara Ghajanian · Sep 30, 2005

get_me_a_gun said:
Maybe if I was the one who dropped it, that would help. I think my roomate dropped it but felt too bad to tell me.

Oh well.

-Lisa

Hey Lisa,
I thought you said you dropped it.

Everyone,
This is the girlfriend. She's been successfully converted from digital to film. She's presently studying photography in college. She also uses Rodinal. Am I lucky or what? Say hello and welcome her to APUG.
Ara

jd callow · Sep 30, 2005

Welcome to APUG Lisa!

titrisol · Sep 30, 2005

Don't think too much about it.... this things happen.
Luckily it was a $40 Nkkkor E lens and not a $4000 Ultra Apochromatic Angenieux

Welcome to the wortld of APUG

get_me_a_gun said:
Maybe if I was the one who dropped it, that would help. I think my roomate dropped it but felt too bad to tell me.

Oh well.

-Lisa

gnashings · Oct 1, 2005

Welcome, Lisa - we're glad to have you!

k_jupiter · Oct 4, 2005

Ara Ghajanian said:
Hey Lisa,
I thought you said you dropped it.

Everyone,
This is the girlfriend. She's been successfully converted from digital to film. She's presently studying photography in college. She also uses Rodinal. Am I lucky or what? Say hello and welcome her to APUG.
Ara

Hi Lisa! Welcome to APUG. Wanna play with my Zorki? I am tired of it anyway.

*L*

With some work and a little luck, you can become the High Priestess of Rodinal. Of course, you'll have to move to Scandinavia.

tim in san jose

What should I do with this lens?

Ara Ghajanian

jd callow

Moderator

unohuu

laz

jimgalli

Monophoto

modafoto

gnashings

Ara Ghajanian

John Koehrer

Claire Senft

get_me_a_gun

Mongo

Blighty

MattCarey

MattCarey

derevaun

titrisol

Ara Ghajanian

jd callow

Moderator

titrisol

gnashings

k_jupiter

What should I do with this lens?

Moderator

Moderator

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