Old Nikon Lenses

April 1, 2008 12:24 PM

What can I do with my old F mount, non AE Nikkor lenses? I have the Nikkor monoscope adapter that works very well with the 200mm. What to do with the 28mm, 50mm, 55mm macro, 135mm and 500mm mirror (universal mount) lenses?
posted by Raybun to media & arts (8 comments total)

Use them on whatever SLR you've got now. You'll have to meter manually (stopping down to take a reading) but it would be a waste to chuck 'em. You can get mount adapters for nearly any type of lens... have a look on eBay for cheap Chinese adapters.
posted by popcassady at 12:50 PM on April 1

You can have some of them chipped as well...
posted by nougat at 12:52 PM on April 1

You don't specify whether or not they're AI (auto indexing) lenses. Assuming they're all genuine Nikkors, take a look at the metering prongs near 5.6 on the aperture rings. If they're solid, the lenses are pre-AI and will either not fit at all or will need modification to work on more recent or current Nikon bodies.

If the prongs have holes in them adjacent to the groove then they're AI or have been AI converted somewhere along the line. If this is the case they will work with some current bodies to varying degrees.

The 500/8 won't have this prong since it is a fixed aperture lens.

Here is a compatibility chart. A few of the latest bodies are not listed however.

Here is the web site for a gentleman who can convert them to AI if you so desire. I had him do a few of mine many years ago and his work was excellent.

Note that one way or the other the lenses still have some value since there are a lot of people like me who occasionally still use Nikkor lenses from the 1970's on our brand new DSLR cameras. Checking out recent sale prices by searching completed auction listings on eBay is a good way to find out what they're worth these days.
posted by imjustsaying at 1:08 PM on April 1 [1 favorite]

I just realized that you probably meant "non AI" where you said "non AE" in your first sentence, correct?
posted by imjustsaying at 1:14 PM on April 1

If they are pre (non) AI you can use them on your d40/d40x/d60 without modification. they will not autoexposure, and you will have to guess at exposure. But they work great!

You do not need to chip AI and AIS lenses to use on D200+ cams.

option b)
posted by stratastar at 2:02 PM on April 1

err option b) ebay!
posted by stratastar at 2:02 PM on April 1

non AI not non AE. Alibi- I have not used these lenses in very many years
posted by Raybun at 2:36 PM on April 1

When you say the mirror is "universal" mount, do you mean M42? If so, that can be used on nearly any new DSLR, though I was under the impression that M42 lenses couldn't be used on Nikon-mount cameras due to the registration distance: either you can't focus to infinity or you need optics in the adapter that will reduce the quality.

But certainly they all have value on eBay.
posted by polyglot at 4:39 PM on April 1