Good thing you managed to fix it. Lenses typically use various viscosity
"damping" greases.

"Peter K." wrote in message
k...
"Francis A. Miniter" wrote in message
...
I have that lens too, on my Nikon 8008 (the American ID for the same
camera). It should not be a common problem. (Mine is fine.) I would
guess it resulted from storage in less than favorable conditions - maybe
high humidity or dampness. Or possibly sand got stuck between the
rings. Home maintenance of lenses is something that should be
undertaken with great care. There is a book - vol. II of Camera
Maintenance and Repair [I think - I have it at home], that is probably a
good investment for anyone wanting to undertake their own repairs. One
thing for absolute certain. DO NOT USE OIL ON A LENS (or shutter). If
at all in doubt about your ability to do the job, have a camera shop
send it out for repair or go directly to a camera-specific repair shop.
In all likelihood, a good cleaning will solve the problem.

Hi,

thanks for your answer. I took my lens apart (but not *completely* down to
the shutter mechanism), cleaned out the grit and sand which had
accumulated
over the last decade, and now it works fine! And I even managed to put it
back together with no pieces left over and all the screws in the right
place.

There is some sort of lubricating material in there. Maybe not oil, but
some
sort of special grease or something?

Anyway, thanks again,
Peter