Can You Use Old Nikon Lenses On New Digital Cameras

Photographic camera brand loyalty is a strange affair if you were to ask me. Camera companies generally practise little for us every bit individuals; your father unlikely worked for the company, they don't call you on your birthday, they don't rub your caput when you've got a headache, all tin can do a very good job at shriveling your wallet, and I know I'll go some scoffing at this, merely really they all pretty much do the same matter. Spare a very few situations and circumstances, give me, or any competent shooter a Nikon or Canon or Pentax or what have you lot, and we'll exist able to execute pretty much the same shot with each brand. So why and then, do we tend to accept an affection for one and not the other?

Well, I believe it often has something to practise with what you grew up with, what was your first, what you associated with expert equipment, and then as a event, buying into it and not wanting the trouble inherent with shifting systems. For me, it'due south Nikon, and I've e'er been that way. The first baby pictures of me were taken on a Nikon, a Nikon I however have to this day an with the same lenses, too. Information technology'southward not just a sense of nostalgia that I bask, and when I transitioned to digital some many moons back, I didn't similar the idea of those lenses tucked away, simply they only weren't practical to exist used on my then-electric current DSLR.

Older lenses that were transmission focus, similar the legacy Nikon F-mount lenses, had bright optics and control, simply no brain. Unlike modern lenses that are 'chipped', they couldn't digitally communicate with the photographic camera, so in that location was no AF, and couldn't fifty-fifty speak automatically to the cameras to tell them what aperture they were at, and what focal length and so metering properly was non-existent. This renders them somewhat useless for most people with modern DSLRs, and that's a shame. Nikon, however, seems to beloved their old lenses every bit many of us do. Thus, on many modern, albeit higher-cease Nikons, in that location exists a menu choice in the SETUP Menu called Not-CPU Lens Data. If your photographic camera has this, it ways you can pair your onetime lenses and breath life back into them for use with your current body.

Non-CPU Lens Data

Currently, in that location are a number of higher-end Nikon DSLRs that accept an aperture indexing (AI) ring built in, which allows for meter coupling with lenses that can't digitally communicate with the body. These Non-CPU lenses simply don't have the chip and contacts on their mount and, therefore, tin can only communicate with the new bodies via aperture (manual aperture ring – your camera body won't be able to adjust aperture whatsoever other way).

What you'll encounter hither is how Nikon allows you lot to ready-up the Non-CPU lens information on your camera which volition give yous pretty much the same functionality you'd get from a modern but strictly manual focus lens. So what am I talking well-nigh? Probably the biggest one hither is metering. Once you input the data every bit I'll explain, your photographic camera will know some parameters of the lens and will really allow for the internal metering system to piece of work, and that'south a large bargain. This means y'all tin shoot as you exercise your other lenses pretty much, and furthermore, it allows iTTL to work properly, and automatically. Nice right?

Hither'southward what to practice:

*I've been told that Not-AI lenses should not exist mounted on Nikon DSLRs without the band as they requite massive trouble to dismount and often cause harm. Plainly, nonetheless, if you become your Pre-AI lens serviced past Nikon they can make information technology AI.*

SETUP

Pace 1:

Hit the MENU push button, and curlicue down to the SETUP MENU (the fiddling wrench).

Footstep 2:

Scroll down and near the finish of that menu, you'll see Non-CPU Lens Data. Select it, and the next screen volition present you lot with a few more options: Lens Number, Focal Length (mm), Maximum Aperture.

Nether lens Number, choose whatever, and y'all can plan upwards to 9 lenses! I showtime with one because I'm just original like that.

Step three:

For Focal Length, if yous're shooting prime number, just select the one that fits your lens, and if you're shooting a zoom, select the longest focal length of the lens. So for i of my lenses, I use an old 70-210, so I cull the high end of that. For Maximum aperture, but choose the widest aperture for your lens.

Step iv:

Go to Done, and that'southward precisely where you'll discover yourself. Now, yous tin can go ahead and programme all the other lenses you want by repeating these steps for each.

A little note hither is that my 70-210 is a strange beast, and within the Non-CPU Lens Data menu, I'chiliad not able to actually select 210mm, so I chose 200mm instead as it'southward the closest option. I've found that that lens minutely underexposes but compensating for about .3 tends to exist simply perfect. It's unlikely you'll run into this problem with your lens, so I wouldn't worry; even if y'all've got something like the 58mm, the arrangement has you covered. Actually, if you lot're programming a lower focal length like 21mm, then probably get with the nearest higher pick.

How To Use

The simply slightly annoying affair about using these lenses is the fact that your camera will not know which lens you're using unless you straight tell it – each time you put the lens on. And then if you lot're shooting with, say everyone's favorite 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII, and then switch to a Not-CPU lens, you take to go into the Non-CPU Lens Data bill of fare and select that item lens. Honestly, it takes only a moment and so shouldn't bother you. Keep in mind as well, that if you apply this method, y'all understand your camera body will not be able to dispense the lens discontinuity for you, thus, only Transmission and Aperture Priority shooting modes tin exist used.

[REWIND: How To Move Images From 1 Lightroom Catalogue To Another]

In regards to metering, having used this Non-CPU function on a D750 and D610, the metering was (pardon the pun), spot on. Using spot metering peculiarly resulted in 'merely right' metering.

Getting EXIF Information From Old Lenses

While many of u.s.a. don't mind and even embrace using manual lenses, a downside specially for older glass, is they often don't take any electronic way to communicate with the photographic camera, which means upon import yous'd be bereft of EXIF data.

Why does that matter? Well, that depends on the individual, simply EXIF data can be used to report your images to get a sense of the settings you use and how maybe you should suit, or fifty-fifty to let Lightroom clarify and assistance you to run into what lenses y'all use and which you don't, which in turn helps when travel or shoot planning. In addition it helps in overall sorting and if you upload to online platforms like 500px information technology helps with sorting. Simply there is a way to do it, and it's only past using a free plugin.

Information technology's chosen LensTagger Lightroom Plugin, and it is very quick to install and have upwards and running,

"LensTagger is a Lightroom plugin that adds EXIF data to photos directly out of Lightroom. Wether you are shooting with legacy lenses on Micro 4 Thirds, or desire to properly tag your pictures shot with an analog camera, LensTagger will give you the possibility that Lightroom is missing since 6 Versions."

Essentially all you do is download, install, select the images yous desire to have the EXIF for, and so select in LR to adhere metadata to file. Photographer Micael Widell has made a breakdown video that shows yous step-past-stride how to use the plugin, and you can find that at the pes of the article.

*LensTagger is a free plugin, so I'm sure any donation amount would be appreciated

I hope you constitute this interesting, and mayhap fifty-fifty practically applicable. Perhaps it'll allow you lot to utilize some fantastic glass you oasis't been able to in ages, or now you tin shop some older, less expensive, but still immaculate lenses still on the market. I typically use the Nikkor 70-210 F/four and Nikkor 28mm f/2.eight, which both nevertheless allow me to produce lovely images. You can run across a few casual ones below:

*A version of this mail was originally published in Jan 2016

Source: https://www.slrlounge.com/how-to-use-old-legacy-lenses-on-your-modern-nikon-dslr/

Posted by: halehimentrapsed.blogspot.com

Share this post