Did I just hurt my new D200 badly? Help...

After hearing all good things about being able to mount your old Nikon glass on your D200 I tried an oldie. When taking a picture i felt a weird vibration from the mirror like it was hitting the lens. Then I read here [ http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1021&message=17784460 ] that pre-AI lenses would not work.

This is the lens I used (See how far back the mount goes compared to a newer AI-S lens):







A newer AI-S lens for comparison:



The first one (the one I mounted) certainly seems to be a pre AI. Could it me the case that it got hit by the mirror? If so, could that hurt the camera?

Thanks in advance...

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/6070nikkor/wides/24mm.htm

While mine says "Nikkor N" the one on this site says "Nikkor N C". I don't know if mine has been AI-modified. I've used mine extensively with my FE2.

Hi,

Almehag said:

After hearing all good things about being able to mount your old
Nikon glass on your D200 I tried an oldie. When taking a picture i
felt a weird vibration from the mirror like it was hitting the
lens. Then I read here [

Click to expand...

If the lens could clear the mirror on a Film camera, it should clear it on a digital one has the mirror will be the same, or a smaller size. Only if you have a lens that can only be mounted with the mirror up will you have a problem with the miror (see the old Nikkor fisheye lenses for instance).

Almehag said:

The first one (the one I mounted) certainly seems to be a pre AI.
Could it me the case that it got hit by the mirror? If so, could
that hurt the camera?

Click to expand...

It is indeed a pre-Ai lens, but it has been modified. Dead giveaways are:
The meter coupling shoe ("rabbit ears") has holes in it
There is a second aperture scale for the direct readout
There is a meter coupling ridge

More info and pictures here
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/nikonfmount/

Normally, you should be OK using this lens. Was it just a vibration, or was there a weird sound too?

--
Be seeing you,
François

François FORNIER said:

Normally, you should be OK using this lens. Was it just a
vibration, or was there a weird sound too?

Click to expand...

Thanks alot for the help. It was more like a bit heavier vibration than I'm used to. I didn't notice a weird sound.

Almehag said:

Thanks alot for the help. It was more like a bit heavier vibration
than I'm used to. I didn't notice a weird sound.

Click to expand...

You're welcome.

If the mirror hit the lens, you could probably see some marks on it, I'm sure. And the piece of metal that protrudes the most inside the body is at the bottom, I believe, where it's least likely to interfere with the mirror.

Have you checked that the vibration level was consistent with the lens used (i.e that going back to your other lenses, it is back to normal, and it i up again with that lens only)?

If you really feel bad about it, you could always ask Nikon what they think...

--
Be seeing you,
François

I've tried the Sigma 30mm f1.4 and it seems to work like it did before I mounted the Nikon.

Almehag said:

I've tried the Sigma 30mm f1.4 and it seems to work like it did
before I mounted the Nikon.

Click to expand...

And if you put the 24mm back on?

One thing to think about is stopping down. This is performed mechanically through the small lever at the back of the lens. And that mechanism might be noisier on the older lens.

You can try to move it manually, while the lens is off the camera (the lens must not be wide open), and compare with your other lenses.

If this is indeed your problem, it should not be perceptible when you shoot wide open.

--
Be seeing you,
François

François FORNIER said:

François FORNIER said:

The first one (the one I mounted) certainly seems to be a pre AI.
Could it me the case that it got hit by the mirror? If so, could
that hurt the camera?

Click to expand...

It is indeed a pre-Ai lens, but it has been modified. Dead
giveaways are:
The meter coupling shoe ("rabbit ears") has holes in it
There is a second aperture scale for the direct readout
There is a meter coupling ridge

Click to expand...

The lens in the picture is AI, but most likely, original, not modified. Rabbit ears with holes were used on later model lenses. Also, the 2nd aperture scale appears to be embossed on the lens with the corresponding depth-of-field markings in color. I have never seen an AI-modified lens where the aperture numbers have been embossed - they look factory to me.

The vibration you speak of may be the aperture "noise/vibration" many of us have mentioned in another D200 post. It can easily be felt when you press the DOF preview button. It has something to do with the aperture lever returning to the normal position.

There was another thread recently where a lot of people (including me) noted that they felt a vibration. This is felt to be the aperture lever in the camera mount returning to it's neutral position after pressing the DOF preview button, or during normal shutter release.

as otherwise noted, you're ok- this time. The lens was AI modified all the way and properly.

The noise you hear is a difference between using a CPU lens (especially a G-type no aperture ring lens) and a non-CPU lens with regards to the operation of the camera's stop down mechanism.

When using a CPU lens, especially a G, the camera knows exactly where to stop the aperture coupling lever for the selected aperture. This applies in DOF preview and shooting. If you leave a G lens wide open, you should notice a definite difference in the sound of a DOF preview's first noise compared to stopped down another stop or two.

When using a non-CPU lens, however, you are using the aperture ring alone to set the aperture. The default for a lens is to stop all the way down. The aperture ring limits how much it can stop down to the aperture selected. When mounted, the aperture coupling lever opens up the lens aperture lever all the way so you can view and focus properly.

When shooting with a non-CPU lens, it cannot be sure exactly where to stop the lever for the appropriate aperture, as you may not have the right lens data, variations in versions, and so on and so on. Therefore, it does what the old cameras do- it drops the aperture coupling lever all the way, and so the lens aperture lever moves to close as far as it can- your setting on the aperture ring limits this to the selected f/stop.

Therefore, the very large travel on the way down makes that loud, and the hard trip back up makes it loud as well, plus it is catching the lens aperture lever on its way up so it makes a more metallic, resounding noise.

I kind of like it

You can see this in action. Take off the lens, and watch the aperture coupling lever when you hit the depth of field preview button.

Mark53 said:

The lens in the picture is AI, but most likely, original, not
modified. Rabbit ears with holes were used on later model lenses.
Also, the 2nd aperture scale appears to be embossed on the lens
with the corresponding depth-of-field markings in color. I have
never seen an AI-modified lens where the aperture numbers have been
embossed - they look factory to me.

Click to expand...

This lens was modified by replacing the older aperture ring with a newer Ai one.

It is pre-Ai as shown by the older design of the full metal focusing ring. Nikon has been using rubber on focusing rings ever since it introduced the Ai line.

--
Be seeing you,
François

I couldn't say it better ;-).
Thanks for the very clear and accurate explaination.

--
Be seeing you,
François

I really appreciate the lengthy explanation!