Topic: School Me on Nikkormat...

[Steven.]

So i recently picked up a nikkormat w/ 50 1.4 for a pretty good price. there's only 2 problems:

1) I can only change the aperture from 16-11. nothing higher.
2) the lens won't come off.

I don't mind the lens being stuck on the camera as i love 50mm focal length but how do i get the aperture to go higher?

all other functions on the camera work just fine.

The only cameras I've owned with interchangable lenses are my DSLR and my Bronica ETR so i'm hoping there is nothing wrong except my intelligence level.

Any help would be appreciated thanks!

[moominsean]

If it doesn't turn any more but the numbers continue, it's the camera and not the user. Probably goes hand in hand with whatever is keeping the lens from being removed. Probably not an easy fix!

[Steven.]

thats what i'm thinking too. i guess it would work well if i threw some faster film into it and shot at f/11 only but then i would lose any shallow dof i would want. 

[Late Developer]

Take it back or take it to a dealer with repair facilities.

I have a Nikkormat FTN and a 50mm f1.4 lens and, as it's a fully manual camera, you should be able to change the aperture and shutter speed to any combination you want - even if the end result would be massive over or under exposure. The fact that the lens won't come off sounds quite odd / worrying.

They're great cameras, built like tanks and should (hopefully) be capable of being repaired so long as you don't damage it by yanking / pulling / twisting stuff that's stuck.

Hope it works out for you.

[DS]

Is the camera coupled to the lens via the 'rabbit ears'? One of mine FTn locked up like this- As far as I remember I unscrewed the rabbit ears, unmounted the lens and got the body serviced.

[Photo_Utopia]

You need to mount the lens at F5.6 or it will jam as it can't align the 'rabbit ears' fork with the pin.
Take off the "Nikkormat" script cover with the 2 screws and re-align, should work a treat after that (I've done this with my own Mat)
Mark

[Steven.]

^^ i'm almost positive that's what happened after some observations. i'll give it a go thanks!

thanks everyone else for the input also. everyones so helpful when i have a problem 

[DS]

You need to mount the lens at F5.6 or it will jam as it can't align the 'rabbit ears' fork with the pin.
Take off the "Nikkormat" script cover with the 2 screws and re-align, should work a treat after that (I've done this with my own Mat)
Mark

Yeah! Now you say this I remember- I took the nameplate off and it was super gunked up and corroded underneath and thus not moving

It's funny how after years of using nikkormats I find myself automatically turning all lenses to 5.6 when
(even the pentax ones...)