Nikon 300mm AIS Help

[Timmyjoe]

Hi folks,

Got a Nikkor 300mm f4.5 ED-IF AIS lens that is optically very good, but has a few dust specs inside and the focus is loose and sloppy. Contacted Nikon and gave them a complete description of the lens, and the serial number, and they said they could repair it, no problem, and that I should send it in.

So I sent it in and they sat on it for a week, then told me, "We can't repair this, it's too old, we no longer have parts and we won't repair any lens that we don't have parts for." So they sent it back.

I service motion picture cameras and lenses, so I have the tools and lubes to do this myself, but have learned from repairing some Canon FD lenses that SLR lenses are quite different than motion picture camera lenses.

So as not to turn this beautiful lens into a boat anchor, I was wondering if anyone has any info or links to service/repair manuals for this lens or other Nikkor AIS telephoto lenses?

Thanks for any and all info.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Rob-F]

See if any of these leads will help.
http://photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00ZtpU

 

[Ken Ford]

JSU, how bad was it to add the P chip? I'm still using an ancient pre-AI 300 and have considered picking up an IF-ED version.

 

[Robert Lai]

Since you're in Illinois, I'm surprised that you didn't contact the former Nikon USA Midwest service center - Authorized Photo Service in Morton Grove, IL. The telephone number is 847-966-4091.

They were spun off by Nikon, and now they're independent. They still have parts to overhaul my Nikon F and lenses of its vintage. There should be no reason why they can't service your lens. I find that Nikon USA in NY does a sloppy job in repairs, so I don't use them any more (2 trips to get them to fix a flash synch that was not working. APS fixed it by resoldering a loose wire). The one time I tried to get parts from Nikon in California, the man didn't speak any English. I don't speak Spanish very well, so they sent me the wrong parts.

APS does a great job (yes, they speak English), and the lenses come back spotless inside, as if they had been cleaned in a clean room. Ask for Joe - he's the manager and he knows what can be done.

 

[Robert Lai]

Incidentally, I'll relate an anecdote about my recent Nikon F service, which occurred in Aug. 2012. I bought an F with plain prism. I noticed that the eyepiece had glass separation (it's a doublet). I called around, and nobody seemed to have parts for a Nikon F plain prism. I called Joe and he said to bring it in. I drove up, and he showed me a new old stock Nikon factory part that he had on his shelf! I found out that the flash contact was also loose - he had a new one there too. The previous owner had taken off the Nikon nameplate to fit an F2 prism on it. He had a new part in stock for that too! So, I just had the entire camera CLA'd by them. It now looks new (literally - the camera had very little use to start with), and functions as silkily as any Leica.

As for the eyepiece lens elements that started this process, it seems that they had separated a while ago, and someone had "fixed" them by gluing them together with crazy glue. The new lens elements were replaced in the eyepiece. They had also changed all of the the seals internally, and adjusted the screen height to give correct focus. When I looked in the finder, that persistent haze that had been in the viewfinder was gone, and the screen looked crystal clear! I even got to look through their collimator to confirm that the camera was focusing properly with the 50mm f/2 HC that I also had overhauled at the same time.

I think that between August of last year and now, they must still have parts. Beware of the crazy "repair" people out there who fix things with crazy glue.

 

[Nokton48]

John Titterton (google him) did a lot of very nice overhaul work on my Minolta Rokkor lenses. He only works on older, non-autofocus lenses, I think. He is very reasonable, fast, and has a great reputation.

 

[Timmyjoe]

See if any of these leads will help.
http://photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00ZtpU

Thanks Rob, I saw that earlier and searched through it, no luck.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Timmyjoe]

Since you're in Illinois, I'm surprised that you didn't contact the former Nikon USA Midwest service center - Authorized Photo Service in Morton Grove, IL. The telephone number is 847-966-4091.

Robert, I had never heard of them and Morton Grove isn't far from me. Wow, that would be fantastic if Joe can fix it. I will contact him this coming week. Thank you.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Timmyjoe]

Well I brought the lens to Authorized Photo Service in Morton Grove Illinois this morning and they say they can definitely fix it, but it ain't gonna be cheap. $250 to do a CLA on the lens, which they say will fix the loose focus and remove all the dust specs inside.

I thought that was a bit steep, about half what the lens cost me, but they said, because of the Internal Focusing with this particular lens, it is very complex to take apart and very time consuming to put back together properly (kinda glad I didn't try to service it myself).

Was also told that Nikon in New Jersey and LA will no longer service AIS lenses, so I guess Authorized Photo Service is the only game in town for those of us who use the older glass.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Timmyjoe]

Got the lens back and they did a great job on it. It's now like brand new, spotlessly clean inside and focuses as smooth as a baby's bottom. Very happy.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Timmyjoe]

Well, Nikon says they will service the AIS lenses, just when you send them one, they sit on it for a week, then send it back saying they don't service them anymore. They may still service the two 50's and the 35 they still make. But the older AIS stuff seems to be only serviced at Authorized Photo Service.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Ken Ford]

That was fast!

 

[Timmyjoe]

Talked to the folks at the 800 number. Told them EXACTLY what lens I had, in great detail, even giving them the serial number to reference. The woman on the phone took a long time to go and talk to the service techs (I was on the phone for close to an hour). Wanted to make absolutely sure they would service it before I sent it in. She finally came back on the line and said YES, they definitely would service the lens. She also told me that since I had just bought the lens from an authorized Nikon dealer (B&H Photo), even though it was a used lens, that Nikon would give me a 90 day warranty, so the service to the lens would be at no charge to me. I was thrilled. So I boxed it up and sent it to New Jersey on that Monday.

Nikon is supposed to contact you within 72 hours of their receiving the lens. I overnighted it to them (as I needed it back in a hurry because of a project I am starting where I need the lens) and waited three days, and heard nothing. So I contacted them, and they said to wait another day (which unfortunately was the weekend). So I was able to finally reach someone in the service department on the following Monday. They said they had the lens and would email me about the service. I waited another day to get the email, and it stated that they would not be able to service the lens because it was too old and they could no longer get parts. I called them back and asked why they needed parts if they were only cleaning, lubing and adjusting the lens (CLA). They said they weren't sure and would get back to me. Got another email on Wednesday saying they were sending the lens back, un-repaired. I got the lens back on Friday, in the exact same condition I had sent it in. Still with loose sloppy focus and dust in the elements.

VERY disappointed in Nikon Service. Hope I don't need them for any of my digital gear.

Best,
-Tim