Nikkor 150mm SW

[AnzaRunner]

Hello, I have recently received a Nikkor 150mm SW lens for my 8x10. The lens is in excellent cosmetic condition, and you can tell that it has not been used much. It has come from an excellent seller. I have noticed something with the lens that seems out of the ordinary, so I would like the help of other owners of this lens.

When the lens is secured on the lens board (nice and tight), I can grab the front element, and there is a little bit of rotational play --- maybe about 1mm or so back and forth. The shutter adjustment ring rides with the front element, but the rest of the shutter assembly stays rock solid on the board. I am a bit concerned about image stability since there is this sort of movement. Everything is locked down nice and right, but the front element can move a bit. I would really appreciate it if some other 150mm SW users could grab the front part of the lens, and see if there is any rotational play, or if it is rock solid. Thanks guys!

[Andrew O'Neill]

I have used a friend of mine's 150 SW, and it is rock solid on the lens board.
Something is not right with yours. Are you absolutely sure that everything is snug up to the board? That little tiny screw behind the shutter is still screwed on? Some lens boards have a tiny indentation for that screw to prevent the lens from twisting on the board when you adjust apeture and shutter...

[Gem Singer]

The lens is mounted in a Copal 1 shutter. My 150SW does not exhibit the play that you describe.

Either the retaining ring is not seated properly into the hole in the lens board, or the index pin has not been removed from the back of the shutter.

Copal 0 and Copal 1 shutters come with a tiny index pin. If your lens board does not have a recess opening for the pin, the shutter will not mount correctly. In that case, merely remove the pin with a small screw driver.

[AnzaRunner]

I checked and there is no pin. The shutter assembly is fixed tightly to the board with no motion. The motion is strictly contained within the screwed in front element, and the shutter ring. I get the feeling that the threads on the shutter assembly that the front element attaches to are somehow getting a little bit of play. That might explain why the front element moves, but the shutter assembly is rock solid against the board.

[Gem Singer]

Aha!

Now it sounds like you have a broken shutter.

[rob]

my copy of nikkor 150mm sw has a brass spacer between the shutter and front cell. Does your have one? It might be the problem.

[deatojef]

I had the exact same issue with the Nikkor 150 SW I purchased early last year. It definitely seemed odd at the time and I even took a couple of pictures with it before sending it to SK Grimes to repair the shutter. I was bracing myself for the cost of a new shutter, but SK was able to repair it for something on the order of $150 (can't remember the exact cost).

It's been rock solid/stable ever since, no play whatsoever. I would suggest you contact SK Grimes at http://www.skgrimes.com/. They were really easy to deal with - I highly recommend them.

-Jeff

[Robert Ley]

Why should he send the lens off to be repaired? I think that is the responsibility of the seller of the lens. That lens couldn't have been cheap. Unless the seller disclosed this problem, I think it is the sellers problem to fix or at least to pay to get fixed. I would contact the seller and if he has the reputation that you claim, then he will probably gladly fix this problem.

[steve barry]

weird. i just got a nikkor 150mm SW the middle of last week. i have the exact same problem. the movement is like you described. on mine the movement stops at the ring to set the shutter speed. in other words, if you try and rotate the front cell of the lens, there is (i think its less than 1mm play, but who knows). and if i watch the ring used to set shutter speed, it moves as well, everything from that ring to the front of the lens moves. extremely small amount. i took photos with it today and it seems fine, but its now going to drive me crazy until its fixed. i mounted the lens in sinar board myself. the guy i bought lens from said he had the shutter replaced not long ago, with a brand new shutter.

[GPS]

weird. i just got a nikkor 150mm SW the middle of last week. i have the exact same problem. the movement is like you described. on mine the movement stops at the ring to set the shutter speed. in other words, if you try and rotate the front cell of the lens, there is (i think its less than 1mm play, but who knows). and if i watch the ring used to set shutter speed, it moves as well, everything from that ring to the front of the lens moves. extremely small amount. i took photos with it today and it seems fine, but its now going to drive me crazy until its fixed. i mounted the lens in sinar board myself. the guy i bought lens from said he had the shutter replaced not long ago, with a brand new shutter.

The good news is that if this movement is just tangential and not axial it won't have any effect on the picture.

[AnzaRunner]

Thanks for the comments everyone. I will be returning the lens. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to using this lens on a trip in June. However, these lenses are not the easiest to come by, so I may just be taking along the 450mm. That's okay with me though. I'm not yet adventurous enough to shoot broad landscapes with grads on the 8x10 yet. I'll stick to detail shots until I get more comfortable with it. I'll use my 4x5 for the broad scenes.