Question: When the lens is in the Open position, and looking through the front of the lens, should I see the aperture change when adjusted from f4.5 to f32; get smaller and larger?

The reason I ask is because my lens does not open and close when changing the aperture when in the open position and I'm not seeing the DOF sharp from front objects to rear objects when viewing the ground glass. I'm thinking this is because the aperture is not closing down when in the open position (am I making sense?).