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Using non-AI Nikkor lenses on Pentax K10d
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:06 pm
Post subject: Using non-AI Nikkor lenses on Pentax K10d
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:06 pm
Post subject: Using non-AI Nikkor lenses on Pentax K10d
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Inspired by these experiments, I have acquired a few non-AI Nikkor lenses to use with my Pentax K10d.

I am very satisfied with the results. The lenses mount quite easily on the Pentax body without any adapter.

Here are the lenses on my K10d (sorry for the lousy digicam pictures):







Here are some shots of my children watching TV taken with these lenses wide open in available light (tungsten bulbs).

First, with the 24/2.8 (not very flattering) :



Then, with the 50/2.0 (800 ISO, rather grainy) :





Cheers,

Abbazz


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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:48 pm
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:48 pm
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I had no idea they would mount directly onto that body. I see the 105/2.5 on there - one of my very favourite lenses. Great results, you now have quite a world of cheap lenses open, since these will not mount on a modern Nikon.



patrickh


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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:38 pm
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:38 pm
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Very good idea and many Pentax user will love your post, thanks for sharing!


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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 5:30 pm
Post subject: Re: Using non-AI Nikkor lenses on Pentax K10d
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 5:30 pm
Post subject: Re: Using non-AI Nikkor lenses on Pentax K10d
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Abbazz wrote:
...The lenses mount quite easily on the Pentax body without any adapter.

Abbazz, I am amazed! I didn't know that. I've read somewhere that the mounts are quite similar, but that they fit so well?!! Wow!

Abbazz wrote:
...I am very satisfied with the results.

I am tempted to say "of course!" Pre-AI Nikkors are some of my favourite lenses! Wink

Thanks for that hint (and for the great shots)!


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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:03 am
Post subject: Re: Using non-AI Nikkor lenses on Pentax K10d
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:03 am
Post subject: Re: Using non-AI Nikkor lenses on Pentax K10d
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Thanks all for the kind words.

LucisPictor wrote:
I've read somewhere that the mounts are quite similar, but that they fit so well?!! Wow!


That's amazing that these old Nikkor lenses not only fit on a Pentax K body but also focus properly, but I must say that they just barely fit. When I mount one of these lenses, it turns a few degrees clockwise, but not enough for it to lock in place. It's OK for shooting around the house but I wouldn't take my K10d equipped with a Nikkor lens for mountain trekking Laughing

Cheers,

Abbazz


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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:20 am
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:20 am
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patrickh wrote:
I see the 105/2.5 on there - one of my very favourite lenses. Great results, you now have quite a world of cheap lenses open, since these will not mount on a modern Nikon.


Yeah, the 105 looks like a very nice lens. The 50/2 seems incredibly sharp too, with nice bokeh. And the 24/2.8 is no slouch either, it seems terribly good for close-ups.

I am new to Nikon lenses. Any suggestions regarding some other non-AI lenses to acquire? What about the 20/3.5? The 35/2?

Cheers,

Abbazz


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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:34 am
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:34 am
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You must try to find the 20/4 - it's a real killer, probably the best in the focal length they made.


patrickh


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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:40 am
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:40 am
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an extra in label means (.C) means multi-coated

Nikkor UD 20mm 3.5
Nikkor Micro 55mm f3.5 macro 1:1
Nikkor 50mm f1.2
Nikkor 50mm f1.4
Nikkor 85mm f1.8
Nikkor 105mm f2.5
Nikkor 135mm f2.8
Nikkor 200 mm f4
Yo can find samples with above lenses in mflenses.com/gallery these are my suggestion to take it.


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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:21 am
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:21 am
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How securely does the lens mount?


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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:12 am
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:12 am
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Richard_D wrote:
How securely does the lens mount?


Not secure enough for normal use, the lens will mount and turn a little but easily fall off if knocked.

You could always drill a small hole in the bottom of the Nikkor for the Pentax locking pin to latch into, then the lens would mount as securely as a k-mount lens albeit rotated off centre.


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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:51 am
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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:51 am
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Super Tak wrote:
Richard_D wrote:
How securely does the lens mount?


Not secure enough for normal use, the lens will mount and turn a little but easily fall off if knocked.

You could always drill a small hole in the bottom of the Nikkor for the Pentax locking pin to latch into, then the lens would mount as securely as a k-mount lens albeit rotated off centre.


Thanks - if i loan my Nikkors out I'll look out for small holes Shocked


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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:21 am
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:21 am
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patrickh wrote:
You must try to find the 20/4 - it's a real killer, probably the best in the focal length they made.


patrickh


how about the Nikkor 20/3.5? as good?
and what would you consider a good price for the 20/4 or 20/3.5?


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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:55 am
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:55 am
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kuuan wrote:
patrickh wrote:
You must try to find the 20/4 - it's a real killer, probably the best in the focal length they made.

patrickh


how about the Nikkor 20/3.5? as good?
and what would you consider a good price for the 20/4 or 20/3.5?


20/3.5 very nice for close-ups, for landscape use stop down a lot or prepare to crop a little from corners if you want sharp corners in large prints. The 20/3.5 performs same or better than 20/4, but both have lots of field curvature, so watch out.


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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:16 pm
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:16 pm
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Hello,

Old Nikkors perform really well on Pentax bodies, with or without an adapter, just note the position of the "rabbit ears" of the 35/2 in the picture below to realize how to mount it ... I have been truly impressed by the IQ of the old Micro Nikkor 55/3.5 and by the Nikkor-O 35/2 ...






Now i'm waiting for a sunny day to play with my Nikkor-Q 135/2.8 ...
You can find some more samples with a Nikkor E 50/1.8 on Flickr ...

Best wishes for an happy new year.

P.S.: It seems that the old Nikkor 24/2.8 even locks in as a Pentax-K lens ...


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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:45 pm
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:45 pm
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Esox lucius wrote:

20/3.5 very nice for close-ups, for landscape use stop down a lot or prepare to crop a little from corners if you want sharp corners in large prints. The 20/3.5 performs same or better than 20/4, but both have lots of field curvature, so watch out.


it is so small, very attractive, now one available for 150 Euro. Not a super bargain but an OK price I'd think?
do you know how well it mounts on a Pentax?

indianadinos wrote:
Hello,

Old Nikkors perform really well on Pentax bodies, with or without an adapter, just note the position of the "rabbit ears" of the 35/2 in the picture below to realize how to mount it ... I have been truly impressed by the IQ of the old Micro Nikkor 55/3.5 and by the Nikkor-O 35/2 ...



I have a Nikkor 28/3.5 which is mountable in the same position as you describe but is much more stable mounting with the 'rabbit ears' pointing exactly down, ending up a bit to the left from pointing down when locked and viewed from the front.


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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 2:24 pm
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 2:24 pm
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Yes, I've tried this also.

In fact, I've been toying with the idea of getting a FM/FE or Nikkormat and delving into the NAI lenses - they are more plentiful and seem to be less expensive than the equivalent (and much rarer) Takumars and SMC's.

Having this limited compatibility over to Pentax is just a bonus Wink


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 7:18 am
Post subject: Using Nikkor Lenses on Pentax K10D
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 7:18 am
Post subject: Using Nikkor Lenses on Pentax K10D
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Hi: I am a new comer to the Pentaxforums. I have been using Manual Focus Lenses on my Canon EOS cameras, especially the Takumars, OM Zuiko's and the Nikkors. I have now bought a Demo model K10D and have the M42 to Pentax K adapter to use my M42 Pentax lenses on it. They focus to ininity and otherwise do not act as close focus or macro lenses, and perform very well.

However, I have a few Nikkors that I want to use on my Pentax K10D, especially the Nikkor 135 F2, which is a fantastic lens. I have been looking for Nikon to Pentax K adapters; and most of them seem to be the ones with corrective optics, which presumably degrade the IQ of the lens. It was my understanding that Nikon's registry distance is 46mm, whereas Pentax K and Pentax M42 are 44.6, which leaves a gap of 1.4mm. It is also my understanding that as long as the Nikkors are mounted between 44.6mm and 46mm (their native moutning distance), they should be able to focus clearly on the distant objects; so long as the mounting distance is less than 46mm, the corresponding nearest focus distance would go up slighlty, and possibly the lens would focus at infinity past the infinity mark?

So, why are glass optics being used in the Nikon to Pentax K adapters? If I am willing to allow the nearest focusing distance to be longer than what the lens was intended for, and get a glassless adapter, would I not be then able to use only the optics of the Nikkor lenses that I have? Are there any adapters without the glass element in it?

I would really, really appreciate any help that I can get on this matter.

Regards,

Pramod


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 7:20 pm
Post subject: Re: Using Nikkor Lenses on Pentax K10D
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 7:20 pm
Post subject: Re: Using Nikkor Lenses on Pentax K10D
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Hi,

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your stay ...

pramodmamidi2 wrote:

However, I have a few Nikkors that I want to use on my Pentax K10D, especially the Nikkor 135 F2, which is a fantastic lens. I have been looking for Nikon to Pentax K adapters; and most of them seem to be the ones with corrective optics, which presumably degrade the IQ of the lens.


Right, avoid those adapters ...

pramodmamidi2 wrote:

It was my understanding that Nikon's registry distance is 46mm, whereas Pentax K and Pentax M42 are 44.6, which leaves a gap of 1.4mm.


Wrong, the register distance for Pentax lenses is 45.46mm, while for the Nikkors it is 46.5, which leaves a gap of 1.04mm only ...

pramodmamidi2 wrote:

It is also my understanding that as long as the Nikkors are mounted between 44.6mm and 46mm (their native moutning distance), they should be able to focus clearly on the distant objects; so long as the mounting distance is less than 46mm, the corresponding nearest focus distance would go up slighlty, and possibly the lens would focus at infinity past the infinity mark?


I don't know how the shortest focusing distance would be affected, but, if the register distance is less than 46.5mm, the lens should focus the infinity before the infinity mark on the focusing barrel ...

pramodmamidi2 wrote:

So, why are glass optics being used in the Nikon to Pentax K adapters? If I am willing to allow the nearest focusing distance to be longer than what the lens was intended for, and get a glassless adapter, would I not be then able to use only the optics of the Nikkor lenses that I have? Are there any adapters without the glass element in it?


When you mount M42 lenses, you will notice that their rear part will flush into the camera body, through the M42-to-Pentax adapter.
Because of the size of the Nikon mount, a Nikkor lens will not flush into the camera body, it will stay in front instead ... Thus, because of the mechanical realization of the adapter, the lens will stay at more than 46.5mm from the camera sensor, and a diopter will necessary to allow for infinity focus.

If you rally want to play with Nikkors, you can "easily" find Nikon-to-M42 adapters without lenses inside, that fits well the K10D (i know what i'm talking about, i use one of these). The lens will not focus to infinity, but it will be fully usable as a close focus/macro lens (some sample pics with a Nikkor 50/1.2, a 50/1.4, a Micro 55/3.5 and a 35/2 here) ...

Hope this helps

Cheers


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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 2:43 am
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 2:43 am
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You can fit non-AI Nikkors to a Pentax body, but it's a bit of a kludge unless you're prepared to shave the rear of the Pentax mount.
There's an old thread detailing this, which links to a French forum where a member modified his PK mount to accept not just Nikkors but several other makes of lens.
http://forum.hardware.fr/hfr/Photonumerique/Objectifs/adaptation-objectifs-bagues-sujet_12101_10.htm
The site isn't up at the moment, but have a look at it when it comes back up. I have a download of the important page, but can't get it to zip up with all the formatting files, I'll have another go later.

Here's the skeletal page - there are some photographic links on it. http://www.mediafire.com/?ozmwnlzztnw

As it stands now, you can simply jiggle the Nikkor into position on the Pentax and it will rotate on by 10mm or so, but will not be firmly held and might fall off. Your call. It's worth trying to see if you might feel inclined to modify either your existing camera or a spare one to use for Nikkors - nice to have the option.


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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 4:24 am
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 4:24 am
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Oh Lordy...Now I feel the urge to collect Non-AI Nikkors....When will it end???!!!


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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 2:38 pm
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 2:38 pm
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There seems to be something missing from this discussion. Let's see if I have my head screwed on well this morning. I've had my coffee. The Nikon registration distance (RD) is 1mm greater than the Pentax. For the purpose of this discussion let's not worry about .04mm either way. A full millimeter is significan enough to have an impact on infinity focus. In this case an adapter - N to P - would not be able to provide the correct RD, thus would hold the lens out further than the prescribed RD, resulting in not focusing to infinity. However, modifying the Nikon mount to fit the Pentax, or even just partially mounting as discussed here, will not hold the Nikon lens out far enough to reach the 46.5mm RD, resulting in focusing past infinity. This may not be as serious as not reaching infinity, but does create a challenging situation when focusing to infinity. I have such an arrangement with one of my lenses and have a difficult time getting the focus correct at infinity.

If the Nikon lens will not be serving double duty between Nikon and Pentax cameras, why not just convert the mount? Nikon is an ideal RD lens to convert. OR, another approach if you do want to keep the Nikon mount - and maybe modify it to fit better - would be to shim the mount by 1mm to accomplish the correct RD. This can be accomplished by inserting a 1mm spacer under the mount - or even just at the screw points - while hoping the screws will be long enough.


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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 3:27 pm
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 3:27 pm
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patrickh wrote:
I had no idea they would mount directly onto that body. I see the 105/2.5 on there - one of my very favourite lenses. Great results, you now have quite a world of cheap lenses open, since these will not mount on a modern Nikon.



patrickh


Just a heads up for Nikon shooters,the older Nikkor Pre-Ai lenses will mount and can be used on the consumer grade bodies. That would be the D40/D40X/D60/D3000 & D5000 models...They of course would not auto focus or be able to meter (that's not really much of a problem though except in rapidly changing lighting or action shots)...They (Nikkor Pre-Ai) cannot be mounted on any other Nikon DSLR's without modification though..Another point I'd make is that many 3rd party (Vivitar,Soligor,Tokina, etc) lenses in the Pre-Ai mount will work with any Nikon DSLR...On the pro models (D200 & up) they will also meter...I moderate a group on Flickr devoted to this (it's the No Metering Lenses on Nikon DSLR's group)


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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 3:44 pm
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 3:44 pm
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Why would a 3rd party pre-Ai lens work on all models and a Nikkor pre-Ai won't on all models?


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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 4:32 pm
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 4:32 pm
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It's due to the length of the "skirt" on the aperture ring. On Nikkors, it extends past the mount whereas on most 3rd party Pre-Ai's it's flush with the mount...There are a number of people who are doing their own conversion by machining off the excess skirt...


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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:59 am
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:59 am
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Yep, I've been mounting them to my Penatx for quite some time. You just need to be careful, they will fall off if you make sudden movements.
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