Replace aperture ring on 500 AF-S II, how?

[christer_medin1]

Hello!

 

I purchased a somewhat rare grey version of the 500 AF-S II a while back, but it had a damaged aperture ring (the small protruding part that pushes down the button on certain bodies). After much ado I managed to track down a replacement part. However I am a little uncertain as to how complex an operation it is to replace this component. Anybody here familiar with these?

[ShunCheung]

It sounds like the EE Servo Coupling Post on your 500mm AF-S' aperture ring is broken. If so, that part is only needed if you mount your lens on a lower-end Nikon body without the aperture follower tab, e.g. the D3000 series, D5000 series and D7500, etc. Any Nikon full-35mm-frame FX DSLR plus the D500, D7200, etc. will not need that part.

 

If you are going to use that lens, most likely you don't even need this repair. If it is for collection purposes and/or you want your lens 100% fully functional, I would get it professionally repaired. Since you already have the part, perhaps a local repair shop can handle it. The lens may need to be recalibrated. If not done properly, the repair can potentially make it worse.

 

[christer_medin1]

Yep, it's the coupling post that is busted. And it is because it's a rare lens that I want it to be fully functional. I honestly never even knew about this coupling post until a few weeks after purchase I tried to use it on my Z6 with the FTZ adapter and it failed to work.

 

Not sure where I could send it here in Sweden to be honest. Nikon didn't want to work on it and the smaller repair shops I asked about seemed to be uncomfortable with the superteles. I've disassembled and reassembled a few other lenses before so if it's a moderately simple operation I'd feel comfortable doing it, but if I need special competence or tools then I'd rather outsource it.

 

Maybe I should try Nikon again now that I have the part? It was a nightmare to track down so I'd like to make use of it!

[Michael R Freeman]

If the aperture assembly is deep inside this lens, then it might have very long mechanical linkage(s) attached to the aperture ring that could make reassembly tricky. My guess is that the aperture is between the 3rd and 4th elements when viewed from the back? If you remove the mount screws and slowly lift it straight off, you will probably be able to see what is directly attached to the aperture ring. Might be a simple "fork" engaging another lever, or it could be a long lever fixed to the aperture ring reaching deeper into the lens.

 

AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4D IF-ED II

Edited December 27, 2020 by Michael R Freeman