Nikon lens compatibility

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

I would like to purchase a manual focus lens for my brother who has a Nikon D90. I am unfamiliar with lens compatibility with those cameras. Can someone tell me what Nikon mount lenses work on the D90 and how I identify them in pictures?

Thanks much.

Boomer Depp · Expire: 2011-12-04

All AI converted,AI,AI-S,AF,AF-D,AF-S,AF-I,VR and G lens will mount on the D90...however the AI converted,AI and AI-S will not meter on the D90,but can still be used on the D90 in M mode....

Courtesy of Nikkor USA on the D90 "Non-CPU AI & AI-S Nikkor: Can be used in exposure mode M."...Factory AI converted lenses can be used in M mode as well.

CPU'd with a matrix chip and a electrical contact block from a cannibalized AF,AF-D or AF-S Nikkor,AI-S lenses will meter on a D90...AI lens can be CPU'd,but it is not recommended to use a CPU'D AI lenses on a D90.

Once the lens is CPU'd,the correct aperture must be set on the D90 body and the lens is stopped down to the smallest aperture.The D90 will operate the aperture the same as it would an AF lens.

Courtesy of Bjørn Rørslett.....http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_CPUconversion.html

During the autumn of 2002, I began a project aiming to modify a large number of my manual-focus Nikkor lenses. By inserting a matrix chip print into such lenses, they could be made compatible with all of my modern Nikon cameras. Rolland Elliott has offered such a service for several years, but won't upgrade all lenses and doesn't do bellows or extension tubes. Lately, his services have become unreliable and people now are warned against doing business with him.(of note: Rolland Elliott did a fine job CPU'ing lens,but the past couple of years he has become unreliable...taking from months to a year to finish and return the lens,in some cases not returning the lens at all....because of this it is recommended to send your lens elsewhere to be CPU'd or learn to do this simple task yourself)

The first years I did the conversions using existing Nikon chips, but recently customized chips have been available to me. Since the new class of chips can be programmed, exact specifications are easy to implement.

Benefits achieved by upgrading MF lenses are several. You get matrix metering with all Nikon cameras supporting this metering method by electronic means, and color metering is possible. Programmed operation modes (P, S) are available for people desperately in need of those short-cuts. You can set apertures by the command wheels on the camera, thus allowing manual lenses to operate with fully functional metering

This is possible because Nikkor lenses have no linkage between the aperture control and the lens electronics, the steering of the aperture stopping down is entirely performed by the camera and depends on the camera being told some crucial data about the lens. Here the matrix CPU chip implanted in the lens comes into play. As long as it fakes the necessary data and communicates the needed information to the camera, the camera itself doesn't understand it has been tricked.The EXIF header in the image files will show data from the chip, not those of the lens in which the chip has been inserted, if case you wondered - any miracle has inherent limits. The aperture value will be correct, however. And if the newest class of customized chips are used, even the focal length data is correct.

If converted lenses are deployed on a D40, D50, D70,D90 or D100, you have to control aperture from the camera itself and only using AIS lenses is recommended in this situation.

An in depth explanation of Nikkor Lens Compatibility at he following link with descriptions and pix of the differences....http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm

Nikkor lens terminology and pix of the different generations here... http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/nikortek.htm

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Thank you very much, Boomer. I'll look at those sites.

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Boomer: Sent you a PM.

Boomer Depp · Expire: 2011-12-04

PM answered....your brother is a lucky man!

BTW to anyone interested in CPU'ing a Nikkor lens....most Nikkors can be CPU'd in a couple two or three hours or less....some lens require significantly more grinding with a dremel tool to remove enough metal to install the contact block in the lens....and may take up to four hours for a first time novice installation....A very significant amount of metal has to be removed to get the CPU or contact block to fit inside lenses such as the 35/1.4, 85/1.4, or 16/3.5. For other lenses there is space given you have a small enough chip, but the inside of the bayonet mount itself has to be thoroughly reworked on the 20/2.8, 20/3.5, 24/2.8.....And removal of sections of the light baffle applies to all lens conversions.

For those interested more information is available here....http://www.nikongear.com/smf/index.php?topic=12807.0

Screamin Scott · Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 11:49 am Post subject:

"can still be used on the D90 in A and M mode"

Boomer,
Are you sure about this?....I don't have a D90 but a D70s & I can only use MF lenses in "M" mode...."A" mode won't allow me to shoot...

Boomer Depp · Expire: 2011-12-04

Thank you Scott!

Sorry in reviewing my link that I referenced at Nikon I now see I checked the D200 rather then the D90.On my D300 and a friends D200 the non-CPU'd AI converted,AI and AI-S does work in A and M modes,on my old D40 and D80 it only works in M mode.

If you look at the links that I referenced at the bottom of the page,you'll see the D90 does indeed only work in M mode only on AI converted,AI and AI-S....on AF,AF-D,AF-S,AF-I,VR,and G then M,A,P and S modes can be used.

On the D40,D40X,D50,D60,D70,D70S,D80,D90,D100,D3000 and the D5000 only M mode will work on AI converted,AI and AI-S lenses.

On the D200,D300,D300S (all),D700,the D1 series(all),D2,D3 series (all) the AI converted,AI and AI-S will work in A and M mode.

Of note:on the Canon xxD series and my Canon 40D,50D and 5D non-AI,AI-converted,AI and AI-S will work in M and A modes...on Canon 1D series(all) A and M mode will work.

I don't have or have used the Canon xxxD series,so I'm not aware if A mode will work on these bodies(someone familiar with these bodies will have to chime in).

Edited the above post for the gazillionth time....thanks again!

sdjensen · Joined: 06 Jun 2010 Posts: 29 Location: Denmark

Buy the Dandelion chip, it is cheap way to get the chip.
http://www.leitax.com/leica-lens-for-nikon-cameras.html

I use mine on an adaptall-2 adapter and I can shoot in A and P mode on my Nikon D60.

Boomer Depp · Expire: 2011-12-04

The glued on electronic blocks are a excellent alternative way to go without having to do invasive surgery on a lens.

Please be aware due to Young's Modulus or tensile modulus(modulus of elasticity) eventually with even the most perfectly prepared glue joint will fail...due to linear-elastic portion of the stress-strain curve with enough cycles or being damaged by perhaps a dropped lens will result in a failure of the glued joint.

Yes,indeed gluing is a good alternative way to go and can be re-glued on after proper removal of the old glue and re-abraded surfaces ...however,mechanical fasteners(screws) or mechanical connection in conjunction with a glued joint have a considerably longer cycle life till failure.