Nikkor-QC 5cm F3.5, First Prime of Nikon.

[Sonnar Brian]

First Prime of Nikon the Nikkor-QC 5cm F3.5, "Abbreviated CLA"

For the definitive teardown and CLA of this lens, see Richard Haw "Nikon Lens Guru",

Repair: Nikkor-Q•C 5cm f/3.5 (Collapsible)

What’s up, everybody? I am loving the weather now because Spring is nearly here! Here in Japan, we will celebrate the Spring Equinox next week. I’m sure glad that the seasons come and g…

richardhaw.com

My CLA- took about 90 minutes. I have done an earlier version of this lens many years ago for a forum member in Portugal. This lens is a "705" block lens, and construction is different from the older lens. "How different"- I was able to get the rear group out of that one without removing the rear locking ring. On this one- the lens collapsed easily, and I did not want to mess with the felt liner. SO- I did not remove the barrel after removing the rear ring.


Start with removing retaining screw and rear locking ring. This is required to remove the baffle, at least on this lens.


Use a lens spanner to unscrew the baffle. On many lenses the baffle is held in by friction, and can be easily removed with pliers, and on some, pliers for cotter rings.


Rearmost ring and screw.


Once the baffle is out, remove the rear group using a spanner,


Nikon must of had a special took for these slots to separate the rear fixture. It easily unscrewed using a rubber cork.


The haze is thick with this one- inner surface of the rearmost group. Cleaned right up to near-perfection. It was heavy, and I thought the cement may have hazed up on first look. Cement was fine.



Rear retaining ring back on, ready for set screw. Easily lined up.

Time to clean and relube- just like an Elmar 5cm F3.5.
Remove stop screw.


Separated, ready to clean old grease.

For the single-helical lenses like this, I use Vacuum Pump grease. Well-dampened and stays in place.



All together now, ready for the weekend.

 

[splitimageview]

This is fantastic! Glad the haze cleaned up.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Test shots on the M240. The lens front-focuses using the RF, would most likely be fine on my M Monochrom with a Y3 or Orange filter.

But- today was to clean the glass. I might revisit later, but I suspect the lens was always like this. More than covered by F3.5, and no one used a 24MPixel camera in 1948 to notice any error.

Pairs wide-open and at F8.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Focus via the EVF. No Hood. The haze is gone. That is the critical step.

Next for the weekend- the LTM 5cm F1.4 picked up for $150. Going to be an optical transplant.

 

[yossi]

Just realize I too have a Nikkor Q.C 5cm f3.5 in my dry cabi, but it is not a collapsible lens. Are they the same optically?

 

[Sonnar Brian]

@yossi

I also have the Rigid version.

Collapsible: The aperture is after the first element, as it is on the Elmar.
Rigid: the aperture is after the second element, as it is on the Tessar.

The coatings are much improved on the Rigid. I suspect the type of glass changed. I may have to do some close-up looks of the two- I suspect some changes to the optics. The Rigid has close-focus to 18". It's an odd-lens, mostly sold in Japan with few making it to the US.

 

[splitimageview]

Mine is s/n 705428. I’d like to get a clean copy of the rigid soon.

 

[yossi]

My rigid is s/n 215657. Very clean glass.