Nikon D7000 with 50mm f/1.8D stays wide open even with aperture ring locked at f/22

Question

I’m using a Nikon D7000 with a used AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. The lens aperture ring is set to f/22 and locked, and I’m changing aperture from the camera body, but the lens appears to stay at f/1.8 all the time. Photos at f/1.8 and f/22 with the same shutter speed look the same, and I don’t see the aperture blades stopping down on the camera. Off the camera, the aperture ring and blades work normally. As soon as the lens is mounted, the blades open fully and seem to stay there. What could cause this, and is there anything to check on the camera body?

nikon d7000 aperture repair 50mm

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

4y ago

user104498 · Accepted Answer

I found a solution for my situation in case it helps someone else.

I noticed that my aperture lever wasn't bent/broken like the Nikon website suggests. It felt more jammed. I took the following steps to unjam it:

Unmounted the lens.
Gently pressed the lever down along with the DoF Preview button while the camera was on. Taking a photo would probably have the same effect. All I was trying to do was to get the camera to unlock its hold on the lever.
Repeated these steps until the lever finally clicked in place.

Once it clicked into place, it operated as normal. It does get jammed now and then, but it's significantly easier to get it into place.

I would still recommend showing it to a repair shop if your situation is different from mine, or you feel unsure about doing these steps.

Nikon D7000 with 50mm f/1.8D stays wide open even with aperture ring locked at f/22

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