Nikon N80 w 70-300mm G lens aperture stuck can't separate

It sounds like you have manually adjusted the aperture on the lens, letting less light in and hence a dark image in the viewfinder.

Sounds like the aperture control actuator ring in the camera body is not opening the aperture diaphragm blades fully a repair quote and decide if a different body upgrade may be a better option

At first it sounds like a faulty aperture blade that is stuck after your first press. However you mentioned that this happened in other lenses as well. Seems to me that there is a problem with your camera (e.g. mirror lockup problem or something else). Pls have it looked at by Nikon

It sounds as if there is a problem with aperture blades not fully opening.

A quick test...

With a known good lens on the camera, set it to shutter priority mode. Point the camera at a plain wall or ceiling, half press the shutter button and note the aperture reading suggested by the camera. (Play around with the shutter speed settings until you get something around about f11.)

If possible, switch to another good lens and do the same. (You will need to point the camera at the same wall or ceiling!) You should find that without altering any settings, you will get the same, or very similar, aperture reading as before.

Now try the suspect lens. If there is a a fault with the aperture, the camera will almost certainly suggest that a significantly different aperture setting is required.

Hope this helps!

Take the lens off and look at the lens opening on the body - at the 9 o'clock position is the aperture stopdown lever. It should be square to the edge - not bent sideways or too far from the side. It's a pretty flimsy lever and easily bent. You can bend it back square by grabbing with pliers and pushing toward the left side. Common problem.

Here's a link to the N75 / F75 user guide. The troubleshooting section / lens compatibility area might point to the problem. If the viewfinder is dark, the mirror is likely stuck in the UP position. This is usually due to a lens compatibilty issue, or the fact that the lens is not set to its smallest aperture (ie 22). The camera needs that to control the full range of aperture openings

You are correct that the switch locks the aperture. In order for your camera to function correctly in the auto-focus mode you must lock the aperture to the smallest opening (largest number such as f22). The switch has two positions. The position where the switch is lined up with the orange line is the locked position. When the lens functions properly and on the camera, the lens aperture is forced wide open by a pin on the camera body pushing a lever on the lens that opens the aperture. As part of the sequence when you push the shutter button, the camera releases its pressure on the spring-loaded lever on the lens, allowing the aperture to close to the setting that the "computer" has determined as correct. You will find this lever on the outside of the black ring that surrounds the rear lens element. With the lens removed, find the lever and make sure that with the lens set to the f22, sliding the lever counter-clockwise against the slight spring tension, the aperture opens wide and returns to f22 when released. If this is not the case, the problem is in the lens. If this works, then the problem is either in your camera body or in the alignment between the body and lens. If this does not get you on the right track, let me know what you find and we will proceed from there.

Hey yorkshireboy,
If the viewfinder is dark the only cause of this could be the aperture is stopped down to a smaller opening, which is probably an indication that your lens is not working properly. One way to tell for sure is to bring the camera to a retail location and try out a brand new lens on it, and if the problem persists then your lens is probably fine and the problem is in the camera body. On the front of this camera is a button that stops the aperture on the lens down so the photographer can preview the depth of field, and if this function is broken somehow it might be stopping the aperture down at all times which might be causing your problem. Either way this is a nice camera and I would have the camera or the lens (whichever ends up being the culprit) looked at by an authorized service technician. If the problem is the lens and the lens is a Nikon lens it most likely has a 5 year manufacturer warranty on it and the repair would probably be free of charge. I hope this helps!

Sincerely,
Allan
Go Ahead. Use Us.

That would explain the darkness if the lens is stopped down. It would seem the aperture control is faulty on the camera body. Normally, the aperture remains open until you take the picture. It is only closed down while the shutter is open.

Sounds like a lens diaphragm problem ( lens stays closed down to F16 and that is why you have a dark viewfinder ). Remove lens and see if you can activate the aperture mechanism via the activator which protrudes from the rear of the lens. You should get nice and brisk action from the aperture . If the movement is sluggish or the lens stays fully closed then your lens needs attention.