Can I repair a loose aperture blade in a Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G myself?
Asked 3/14/2020
3 views
2 answers
0
One of the nine aperture blades in my Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G has come loose and is visibly turned sideways inside the lens. I’m technically confident and would prefer not to pay for a repair, but before disassembling it further I’d like to know how realistic this is as a DIY job. Is reattaching a loose blade practical, or does this usually mean replacing the entire aperture/diaphragm assembly?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
2
The biggest problem with repairing Nikon lenses yourself is that Nikon no longer sells replacement parts to anyone outsides Nikon's authorized service network, including third party repair shops. To make matters worse, as of March 31, 2020, Nikon is not renewing agreements with any current Nikon authorized outside repair shops that are not owned by Nikon. There are presently twelve such shops throughout the United States that will no longer have access to Nikon parts, service manuals, calibration software, etc. This is compared to only two Nikon owned service centers in the U.S. Nikon is also instituting the same policy in other world areas.
That being the case, your only possible source for another aperture assembly is to scavenge a used part out of another copy of the same lens, find a third party repair shop that still has old parts stock from before Nikon stopped selling parts back around 2012, or contact one of the existing authorized outside repair shops that can still get parts until March 31, 2020. I'm guessing they won't sell you the part without installing it, either.
But even if you could get a replacement aperture assembly, if you do not know what you're doing inside a modern lens, I would not recommend making a Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.4G your first. It's a fairly complex lens, and also a fairly expensive one. There are a lot of things that you can unknowingly do to make things worse. Ribbon cables are all too easy to tear. Some disassembly steps require sophisticated optical alignment equipment to put things back together properly. Focus position sensors can be damaged just by being touched with bare fingers. And so on.
Once you take it apart yourself, most repair shops will not even consider putting it back together for you if you can't reassemble it yourself.
My advice is to find a repair shop close to you that can fix it, and send it to them quickly, before it's too late at the end of March, 2020.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This is generally not an easy DIY repair. Reattaching or rebuilding an aperture blade mechanism is a very delicate job, and community experience suggests it’s extremely complicated even on simpler lenses.
The bigger issue is parts: Nikon has restricted access to replacement parts, service manuals, and related support outside its service network, so getting a correct diaphragm assembly or individual parts can be very difficult. In practice, your replacement option may be limited to salvaging parts from another copy of the same lens.
So yes, in theory a skilled technician can work on a loose blade, but for most people this is not a practical home repair—especially on a complex pro zoom like the 14-24mm f/2.8G. If you proceed, expect a high risk of making the lens worse unless you already have strong lens-repair experience and a donor part source.
A repair video for another Nikon lens with loose aperture blades may help you judge the complexity, but it also shows how intricate this kind of work is.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI6y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Why did many lenses go from 10–12 aperture blades in the 1950s to 5–6 blades by the 1970s–80s?
Why does my Hasselblad Zeiss Distagon 50mm have only a 5-blade aperture?
How can I clean oil from aperture blades, and what are the risks?
What aperture blade shapes are used in lenses, and how do they affect bokeh?
Nikon Df shows “Err” and won’t save photos with or without a lens
