Hey
I don't know if I'm missing something completely obvious here:

I just bought a used 105mm AF nikon lens (not D) online. The aperture ring is locked at the highest number, I am on manual. When I change the aperture in the camera, nothing happens. Depth of field stays the same and image doesn't go darker. If I try to unlock the ring and change the values on the lens itself, it has the fEE symbol, which I think is normal.

My camera is a D90, it did the same on a D40.

Am I just missing something really obvious here? It's the first time I have an old lens with an aperture ring. Or is it possible that there is something wrong with the lens?

I tried to search on google but can't find anything.

Thank you

The ap never changes till you either hot the dof preview or trip the shutter

Unmount the lens, unlock the aperture ring and turn it from wide open to fully stopped down. The aperture should close accordingly. If not the blades are stuck. Or the little tab on the rear flange is stuck.

Oh yeah, what 90 said. You won't see the aperture do anything on camera unless you take a shot or hit the dof preview button. With the aperture ring locked it works just like any lens without a ring.

My observations were done after taking the picture.

Now,
Unlike my other lenses, the tab doesn't spring back to stopped down. When I manually pull it to there, and then turn the aperture ring, the apertures opens up accordingly.

However, once it is open, if I turn the ring back, it doesn't close down. I have to pull the tab back again.

The tab is probably stuck then?

DinnersReady wrote:
My observations were done after taking the picture.

Now,
Unlike my other lenses, the tab doesn't spring back to stopped down. When I manually pull it to there, and then turn the aperture ring, the apertures opens up accordingly.

However, once it is open, if I turn the ring back, it doesn't close down. I have to pull the tab back again.

The tab is probably stuck then?



Yes, it should spring back and forth freely

The spring probably popped out (which is probably why the original owner put it up for sale.) That happened to me on my 28-70mm and I had to send it to Nikon to fix. I was going crazy wondering why so many images were over-exposed when on P, A or S and I finally discovered that the lens wasn't stopping down.

I fixed a 50mm with a broken spring myself. Only had to remove the rear mounting piece to get to it.

Did you buy it on FM or elsewhere?