I understand the effect of not having the mechanical AI coupling has on metering, but since the metering is TTL won't it work in Stop Down manual or Aperture perfered AE? (If you use a screw mount lens on a K mount body, there is no meter coupling, but once you manually stop the lens down the meter indicates the proper shutter speed. I don't understand why the Nikon should be different.)

-- Bruce Rubenstein (brubenstein@lucent.com), January 31, 2000

Answers

This is bec with Nikon SLRs and lenses - the meter readings are taken with the aperture wide open(To provide a bright VF image) - there is no way of stopping down the aperture unless the camera has DOF preview .

While the new F80 has DOF preview, it is still uncertain if it will work with mf lenses that lack the electronic contacts of the AF lenses - the DOF preview function of the F80 might require electronic coupling with the lenses to work(I don't know - I'm just speculating) - it might be electronically activated. But if it doesn't need that - U should be able to perform stop down metering with the F80

-- Shannon (shong@lhc.qld.edu.au), January 31, 2000.

The reason is that Nikon has eliminated the mechanical coupling most Nikon bodies have that tells how many stops the lens is closed down. Instead, they rely on the lens' electronics to relay this info. However, this only works with AF lenses. Previously, the N4004, N4004s, N5005 and N50 worked the same way.

I guess on the bottom of the line body this is acceptable but I find it really cheesy on any other body. Nikon could have done better.

-- Paul Wilson (pauldwilson@mediaone.net), February 01, 2000.

I think it's Nikon's way of hurrying people along to AF lenses so they could discontinue the MF line. I also think it kinda sucks and rather dumb. People who previously only had Nikon MF bodies and who is looking to upgrade to their first AF bodies now has less incentive to stick with Nikon. Afterall, How's the N80 much better than the Elan 2E if you must buy new lenses anyway.

-- chuck fan (chaohui@msn.com), February 01, 2000.

Let me ask this another way. You have a mirror lens: fixed aperture and no meter coupling. Why does it matter if it's mounted on F5 or an N50? The camera just reads the amount of light coming into the body.

-- Bruce Rubenstein (brubenstein@lucent.com), February 01, 2000.

I don't think the N60 can meter with a lens. AFAIK, the N60's meter would only activate when a second tab (not the AI tab) on the aperture ring engages a small switch outside the lens mount in the 8 o'clock position. This indicates to the body the lens is set to minimum aperture. When this tab is either missing or not pressed against the switch due to the aperture ring being set on anything other than the samllest aperture, meter cuts out. This is why is it impossible to do stop down metering with the N60.

-- chuck fan (chaohui@msn.com), February 01, 2000.

I meant to say the N60 can't meter with a mirror lens. It obviously can meter with a AF lens.

-- chuck fan (chaohui@msn.com), February 01, 2000.

And I thought it was bad enough that I lost Matrix metering when I plugged an MF lens onto my 801s!

It saddens me to say that Nikon aren't the company they once were. Even their lenses are becoming mediocre these days.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), February 02, 2000.

Chuck,

There is an easy way around the problem of activating the metering on the F50(N50)/F60/F80 - it is just a micro switch located at the 7 o'clock position beside the lens mount. The lenses have to be locked at the minimum aperture to activate metering I believe - a tab on the aperture ring depresses this microswitch when the aperture ring is set at the smallest aperture.

Just use a folded piece of paper to wedge it to the ON position or tape it down. I believe with a bit of creative thinking, one could fashion something out of a piece of wood or paper clip to hold the switch in the ON position.

Thus with the metering activated - I don't see why constant aperture lenses like mirror lenses could not be used with the cameras mentioned above. And why stop down metering could not be used with mf lenses on the F80 using DOF preview.

My $0.02

-- Shannon (shong@lhc.qld.edu.au), February 03, 2000.

I can upgrade Manual Focus Nikkor Lenses to matrix metering compatible via a matrix chip. See my web site at: www.homstead.com/rolland

Peace Rolland rolland_elliott@yahoo.com

-- Rolland Elliott (rolland_elliott@yahoo.com), February 03, 2000.

Shannon:

Even if you wedge the microswitch in the on position, the meter would still remain inactive unless the camera also senses the lens's ROM chip.

-- olenbeck (chaohui@msn.com), February 04, 2000.

OIC - thanks Chuck.

-- Shannon (shong@lhc.qld.edu.au), February 05, 2000.