Nikon AIS 105mm rough focus ring

[jacqg]

Does anyone know how much relubrication for the focus ring is? I'm not even quite sure if it's a relubrication problem. It's just that when I twist my focus it's rough that it hurts my hands. Its not like it doesn't work or anything though!

Thanks!!

 

[Derrel]

If it is the 105mm f/1.8 AiS, that lens has always had a rather stiff manual focusing ring action. If the lens has not been used for a long period of time, it might be unusually stiff. Have you tried moving the lens throughout the entire focusing range, ie lock-to-lock a few dozen times in a row, to see if it will smooth out the focusing ring's travel?

The lens could be nearing 30 years old now...has it ever had a CLA? Is there grit in the mechanism perhaps? You can take a clean,new, crisp-cornered business card and insert it inside the ring and move the corner of the card around,multiple times, and sort of "work" stuff out of many of the older AI and AiS Nikkors,using the corner of the business card as both a "feeler" and a "sweeper". Sometimes there is "something" in there...

 

[jacqg]

Man it hurts my hand so much when I twist it but it's not a tough process at all. Maybe this is really how it's built? I don't really know. I've been trying to move the lens just as you suggested but I'm not quite sure if it's loosening up.

I don't know if it ever had a CLA before because I just got this along with other stuff and it was as-is(price was very good though so I don't mind it). I also tried what you said about the business card and it seems like nothing is stuck. Please let me know :[