From: kjm@cnmss.tredydev.unisys.com (Ken J. McFadden)
Newsgroups: rec.photo
Subject: Nikon FAQ (posted 8/27/92)
Date: 27 Aug 92 16:31:35 GMT
Organization: Unisys Corporation, Tredyffrin

The Nikon FAQ for rec.photo is posted about once a month.

Last Updated:  August 10, 1992

Sending comments to me will be a waste of time as I'm moving on to a new
position and won't be able to read my email.  If I do get news and email access
at my new position I will continue to post the Nikon FAQ.

================================================================================

1) Mail order ads sometime list AIS, AF and AF-AIS, are all of these autofocus
lenses?

No.  All autofocus lenses incorporate AIS metering, but if the ad doesn't
mention AF then the lens is almost certainly manual focus.

================================================================================

2) Can I use manual focus lenses on auto focus bodies and vice versa?

In general the answer is YES, however there are some restrictions.  Some older
manual focus lenses should never be mounted on the more recent bodies.  Plus you
may lose certain camera features like programmed exposure mode on some bodies
when you use manual focus lenses.

A chart below explains the restrictions.  The categories of lenses are:

  "pre AI"  - [F-mount + meter-coupling-shoe]
              MOUNTING "pre AI" LENSES ON SOME CAMERAS CAN DAMAGE THEM;
              lenses not incorporating AI meter coupling "ridge" to indicate
              aperture ring setting to the meter ("pre AI" lenses have a "shoe"
              instead, this shoe is found on some later lenses); "pre AI" lenses
              include all lenses manufactured prior to 1977?; Nikon used to
              offer an upgrade service to convert older lenses to AI, but now
              this service is only offered by a few camera repair shops

  AI        - [F-mount + meter-coupling-shoe + AI-metering]
              lenses that incorporate AI metering feature introduced in 1977
              (1978?)

  Series E  - [F-mount + AI-metering]
              same as AI (expect missing meter coupling shoe for "pre AI"
              bodies), lenses in this series are less expensive and marketed
              toward people who purchased the inexpensive EM body

  AI-S      - [F-mount + meter-coupling-shoe + AI-S-metering(=AI + something)]
              upgrade to AI standard - changes include:
                1) a scoop that indicates if lens is 135mm or longer &
                2) a tab on the lens to indicate maximum aperture(?) (this is
                   outdated for CPU bodies as CPU lenses now indicate this
                   electronically);
              offers some vague features to certain cameras, like:  choosing
              high/low speed programs on FA, permits matrix metering on F4, ...

  F3AF      - [F-mount + meter-coupling-shoe + AI-S-metering + AF-by-lens-motor]
              original AF offered in 1983; only 2 or 3 lenses in this series;
              can only AF on F3AF and F4, no other bodies have the software to
              drive their AF mechanisms; never really took off and Nikon forgot
              about AF until Minolta and others made a go at it years later

  AF        - [F-mount + AI-S-metering + AF-by-body-motor + CPU]
              newer AF introduced slightly after Minolta AF SLRs came out; first
              lenses to incorporate CPUs; unlike earlier F3AF lenses, these use
              a motor in the camera body to focus the lens

  AI-P      - [F-mount + AI-S-metering + CPU]
              manual focus, but includes a CPU which is necessary for certain
              features on certain bodies; only lens in this series is 500mm f/4
              EDIF P

  AF-I?     - [F-mount + AI-S-metering + CPU + AF-by-lens-motor]
              new motor in lens style AF; only F4 has software to drive their AF
              mechanisms; only lenses in this series are 600mm f/4 EDIF D? AF-I?
              and new 300mm f/2.8 EDIF D? AF-I?, these will be debugged at the
              summer olympics and offered for sale around 9/92

       \    "pre"        Series                                 "motor"
Body     \   AI     AI     E      AI-S   F3AF     AF     AI-P    AF-I?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
F        |   M      M      M+1     M      M       M+1     M+1     M+1
F2       |   M      M      M+1     M      M       M+1     M+1     M+1
F2A[S]   |   M      M      M       M      M       M       M       M
F3       |   M      M      M       M      M       M       M       M
F3AF     |   M      M      M       M      A       M       M       M
EM       |   -      M      M       M      M       M       M       M
FG       |   -      M      M       M      M       M       M       M
FG-20    |   -      M      M       M      M       M       M       M
FA       |   -      M      M       M      M       M       M       M
FM       |   M      M      M       M      M       M       M       M
FM2      |   -      M      M       M      M       M       M       M
FE       |   M      M      M       M      M       M       M       M
FE2      |   -      M      M       M      M       M       M       M
F4       |   M      M+23   M+23    A+2    M+2     A       M       A
N2000    |   -      M      M       M      M       M       M       M
N2020    |   -      M      M       M      M       A       M       M
N4004[s] |   -      M+234  M+234   M+234  M+234   A       M       M
N5005    |   -      M+23   M+23    M+23   M+23    A       M       M
N6000    |   -      M+23   M+23    M+23   M+23    M       M       M
N6006    |   -      M+23   M+23    M+23   M+23    A       M       M
N8008[s] |   -      M+23   M+23    M+23   M+23    A       M       M

M = manual focusing only (even if both body and lens support some form of auto
    focus)
A = auto focus possible
- = mounting "pre AI" lenses on these bodies will squash AI mechanism on body,
    void warranty and most likely damage the camera (NOTE: there are camera
    repair shops that can convert most "pre AI" lenses to AI)
+ = restricted functionality, see definitions of numbers following the "+" below
1 = need meter coupling shoe added to aperture ring for older style camera
    meters to work
2 = lose program and shutter priority exposure modes
3 = lose matrix metering
4 = lose all exposure modes except manual/lose in camera meter

================================================================================

3) Many camera bodies today seem to be missing important features like
depth-of-field preview or mirror lockup, which bodies offer these features?

There is an AF SLR Camera Features FAQ that covers every conceivable feature for
all currently available AF SLR's from all of the popular manufactures.  My list
only covers some features that I consider important, but it covers many of the
manual focus bodies too.  The other FAQ is posted with the subject "Camera
Features List - AF" by glporter@hebe.calpoly.edu (Glen Porter).

The chart below indicates some features and which bodies they are found on.
The feature abbreviations are listed first.

  ISO Flsh  - uses an ISO flash shoe for mounting standard flashes
  NS Flsh   - uses a non-standard flash shoe
  PC Flsh   - has PC connector for Studio style flash
  DOF Prvw  - has depth-of-field preview
  MLU       - has mirror lockup
  Mult Exps - allows multiple exposures on a single frame
  Spot Mtr  - has a spot meter
  Mtrx Mtr  - has matrix metering
  Auto Brck - allows auto bracketing
  Mech Rls  - can use an inexpensive mechanical cable release
  Elct Rls  - can use an expensive electronic "cable" release
  No Batt   - can be used without a battery
  No Lith   - does not use expensive/short lived lithium batteries
  Expr Lock - has botton for locking metered exposure then changing composition

       \   ISO   NS   PC   DOF      Mult Spot Mtrx Auto Mech Elct No   No   Expr
Body     \ Flsh  Flsh Flsh Prvw MLU Exps Mtr  Mtr  Brck Rls  Rls  Batt Lith Lock
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F        |             Y    Y    Y   Y+7                 Y         Y    Y
F2       |        Y    Y    Y    Y   Y                   Y         Y    Y
F2A[S]   |        Y    Y    Y    Y   Y                   Y         Y    Y    ?
F3       |        Y    Y    Y    Y   Y                   Y    Y+1  Y+5  Y    Y
F3AF     |        Y    Y    Y    Y   Y                   Y    Y+1  Y+5  Y    Y
EM       |  Y               Y+6  Y+2 Y+7                 Y         Y+5  Y
FG       |  Y               Y+6  Y+2 Y+7                 Y         Y+5  Y
FG-20    |  Y               Y+6  Y+2 Y+7                 Y         Y+5  Y
FA       |  Y          Y    Y    Y+2 Y         Y+8       Y         Y+5  Y
FM       |  Y          Y    Y    Y+2 Y                   Y         Y    Y
FM2      |  Y          Y    Y    Y+2 Y                   Y         Y    Y
FE       |  Y          Y    Y    Y+2 Y                   Y         Y+5  Y
FE2      |  Y          Y    Y    Y+2 Y                   Y         Y+5  Y    Y
F4       |  Y          Y    Y    Y   Y    Y    Y    Y+3  Y    Y         Y    Y
N2000    |  Y               Y+6                               Y         Y    Y
N2020    |  Y               Y+6                               Y         Y    Y
N4004[s] |  Y               Y+6                Y+9            ?         Y    Y
N5005    |  Y               Y+6  ?+A           Y                        Y    Y
N6000    |  Y               Y+6           ?    Y    Y    Y                   Y
N6006    |  Y               Y+6           Y    Y    Y    Y                   Y
N8008    |  Y          Y+4  Y        Y         Y    Y+3       Y         Y    Y
N8008s   |  Y          Y+4  Y        Y    Y    Y    Y+3       Y         Y    Y

1 = with accessory motor drive
2 = pseudo MLU - mirror locks up prior to exposure with self-timer
3 = with proper accessory data back
4 = with special adapter
5 = has only 1 shutter speed without a battery
6 = "potentially dangerous" method of depth-of-field preview is possible
    (see question #8)
7 = "unofficial" method of multiple exposures is possible (see question #9)
8 = FA has AMP (advanced metering pattern?), which was the prototype for
    matrix metering
9 = N4004[s] matrix metering uses 3 segments instead of 5
A = T (timed exposure) on shutter speed dial delays exposure for 0.5 seconds
    after pressing shutter release according to Andreas Wolpers
    (wolpers@ira.uka.de).  could this delay be for a pseudo MLU prior to
    exposure?

================================================================================

4) What do those obscure lens designations mean?

    CRC   - Close Range Correction: designed to maintain good results even at
            closest focusing point
    PC    - Perspective control: allows lens to be "shifted" to correct
            converging verticals (to a certain degree); used for example to make
            buildings not appear to fall over backward when shooting up at them
    Micro - Macro to every other manufacturer; lets you take extreme closeups of
            small objects
    ED    - special glass to keep all colors focused together in telephoto
            lenses
    IF    - focusing is done inside the lens without front lens element moving
    Noct  - an f1.2 lens that can be shot wide open with good results; point
            light sources don't cause problems; meant for shooting at night?

================================================================================

5) Why does LCD aperture display not always match setting on aperture ring?

Newer lenses with CPUs can determine their effective aperture, which may
be different from the aperture set on the ring.  Camera bodies that can
read this information from the lens, display the effective aperature on their
LCD displays.  The F4 only displays this information on the LCD of MF-23 and
MF-24 data backs.

CPU lenses that can have different set and effective apertures include:
  - Micro (marco) lenses, due to bellows factor at high magnifications, and
  - Non-constant aperture zoom lenses (have smaller effective apertures at
    longer focal lengths

================================================================================

6) Nikon USA uses model numbers like "Nx00x[s]" for camera bodies, but every
where else in the world they are different.  What are the equivalent models?

    N2000   =  F-301     |  N5005   =  F-401X    |  N8008   =  F-801
    N2020   =  F-501     |                       |  N8008s  =  F-801s
    N4004   =  F-401     |  N6006   =  F-601     |
    N4004s  =  F-401s    |  N6000   =  F-601M    |

================================================================================

7) Can Mirror-lock-up be used on F so that no frames are wasted?

Yes.

MLU and the shutter release interact on the F.  MLU normally occurs after
pressing the shutter release - you fire a frame and get MLU on the next one.
Also if you advance the film prior to dropping the lockup, you waste a frame
because the mirror doesn't come down.

The "tapping" technique for MLU without losing frames on the F is:

  Advance film, compose, turn up lockup, tap shutter release lightly but
  sharply, fire shutter release using self timer, drop lockup, advance
  film.

================================================================================

8) How can I determine depth of field with a body that doesn't have a
depth-of-field-preview button?

The "safe" method is to use the depth of field markings on the lens barrel, but
not all lenses have these markings (most or all AF zooms lack the markings).

The "dangerous" method is to unlock the lens from the lens mount and turn it
to the position where you would remove it from the body, but hold the lens
against the body.  At this position the lens is stopped to the set aperture
and you get the same effect as a depth-of-field-preview button.  You will have
to lock the lens in its normal position before making the exposure.  BE CAREFUL
THAT YOU DON'T DROP YOUR CAMERA AND/OR LENS WHILE USING THIS METHOD.  This
method is performed by professional stunt photographers; please don't try this
at home.  >8^)

================================================================================

9) Can I do multiple exposures on a single frame, if my camera body doesn't
have a multiple exposure switch?

On some bodies, the answer is yes, sort of.  The way to do this is to disengage
the film advance and then cock the shutter with the film advance lever.  The
problem is that the film may still move a little anyway, so frame registration
may not be exact.

On the Nikon F, turn the film advance/rewind collar to the rewind position
before recocking the shutter with the film advance lever.  Reset the collar
after the completing the last exposure on the frame.

On the EM, FG and FG-20, press the film rewind button on the bottom of the
camera before recocking the shutter with the film advance lever.  It is
highly recommended to also press down on the film rewind crank assembly while
recocking the shutter to ensure that the film doesn't move too much.  The rewind
button will reset itself each time the film advance lever is used, so you will
have to press the rewind button for each additional exposure you make on the
frame.

The N8008[s] bodies have a multiple exposure switch.  On the other Nx00x series
cameras, you are probably out of luck.  Built in motor driven film advance and
rewind prevent the disengaging of film advance from the non-existant film
advance lever.  I'm not sure, but the N2000 and N2020 may still have film
advance levers, but I'm almost certain that the N4004[s], N5005, N6000 and N6006
all don't.

I believe that the frame counter goes up each time you use the film advance
lever, even if you don't really move on to the next frame.  So you will have
to keep track of the actual frame you are on manually.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ken McFadden        kjm@cnmss.tredydev.unisys.com
Unisys Corporation  kjm@cnmsa.tredydev.unisys.com
P.O. Box 203        work: (215) 648-3742
Paoli, PA 19301     home: (215) 675-0382
Newsgroups: rec.photo