Do Nikon manual lenses work with D90?

Tomas Riuka

Tomas Riuka

Well-known member
I mean like 50mm f/1.4 etc..

i want to get a still camera and a set of lenses which i could use for 35mm adapter... seems like canon is not a good choise, as new canon cameras like 5d mk2, doesn't work with full manual lenses...

what about d90? is it compatible with old manual lenses?

by saying manual, of course i mean where i can set aperture by hand..

thanks
 
All AI and AIS lenses work on the D90 as in they fit and dont cause an error. However the camera, in still mode will not meter, as in if you set the aperture on the aperture ring, the camera cannot evalute the shutter speed for you. It's fully manual so only works in M mode and you would need a lightmeter. If i mount an AIS lens on my D70 i get no F number on the info display so i can only control the shutter manually and set aperture on the lens itself. ISO works of course.

However, the gurus here say, that in Liveview on the D90 (i dont have one yet so i cant comment), if you set the aperture on the aperture ring on the lens, the camera can adjust shutter automatically and thus able to meter, only in Liveview though.

If you want to meter AI/AIS lenses in still mode, you will need a Nikon D200/D300 D1/D2/D3 cameras.
 
You don't really need a light meter with AI and AIS lenses. You have a perfectly good one already in your hands. Take the picture in Manual mode and look at the histogram, then adjust. Its a bit of a pain, but you don't need to carry another bit of kit with you.

Also, it is quite easy to modify NAI (Pre-AI) lenses to safely fit on the D90. Doing so takes about 15 minutes and requires a jeweler's screwdriver set, a file, and maybe (some lenses) a pair of scissors to use as an improvised wrench... I posted a link to instructions in another thread.

I am definitely prefering manual lenses on my D90. I am also declicking them so I can use the iris to manually adjust the otherwise locked exposure. Most of my AF lenses don't focus smoothly enough for my tastes when pulling focus in a shot.
 
Tomas Riuka said:
I mean like 50mm f/1.4 etc..

i want to get a still camera and a set of lenses which i could use for 35mm adapter... seems like canon is not a good choise, as new canon cameras like 5d mk2, doesn't work with full manual lenses...

what about d90? is it compatible with old manual lenses?

by saying manual, of course i mean where i can set aperture by hand..

thanks
Click to expand...


i think you can get a canon - to nikon mount adapter and just rock and roll from there.
 
An adapter to put Nikon lenses on Canon bodies is pretty common. eBay and many of the normal US camera stores should have them. If the Nikon glass is not DX, then it will cover full frame.

I haven't seen it noted, and it should be, that many film lenses exhibit different corner focus and fall-off characteristics on a digital sensor. Sensors have photosites with microscopic little lenses. These photo sites are optimized to receive light from certain directions, whereas film is not very particular about what angle the light is coming from. Read reviews about the lenses you plan to use on full-frame sensor Nikon bodies- they should work about the same on a Canon. This is less of an issue with the smaller DX sensors, but for some lenses it is still a problem.
 
Okay, this is confusing. I have old nikon lens/manual focus, but I cannot change the aperture blade. It keeps it wide open all the time until I take a picture and it closes to the stop, but opens right back open. Is there a setting in the camera that lets me choose the aperature that disables it?? It goes into live mode fine, doesn't read as an error, but it still has control of aperture? What's up? I don't know what lens it is because I'm not familiar enough with lens. It has no sensors. But a little pen on the back of the lens that controls the aperture.
 
Car3o said:
Okay, this is confusing. I have old nikon lens/manual focus, but I cannot change the aperture blade. It keeps it wide open all the time until I take a picture and it closes to the stop, but opens right back open. Is there a setting in the camera that lets me choose the aperature that disables it?? It goes into live mode fine, doesn't read as an error, but it still has control of aperture? What's up? I don't know what lens it is because I'm not familiar enough with lens. It has no sensors. But a little pen on the back of the lens that controls the aperture.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, thats how lenses usually work on DSLR's when aperture is locked in auto, the lens is wide open while the camera meters and focuses and only stops down to the selected aperture during the actual exposure, then opens up again. Maybe it still does the same with this manual lens? I've never really used manual lenses so i dont know excactly.
 
With my manual lens, I need to have it in A or M mode, ensure the aperture is set to the highest (i.e. smallest) setting. Then adjust the aperture using the camera dial (I guess this only works for newer model manual lenses which allow the camera to set it as well). Depending what you adjust the aperture on the camera to be, in liveview mode this will be the smallest aperture setting you can use on the lens.

For example, on my 50mm f/1.4 lens, I set the aperture to 22. In M or A mode I adjust the aperture by using the front dial also to 22. Then I enter liveview mode. From this point I can roll the aperture wheel on the lens from 22 down to 1.4 and it changes the aperture the whole way.

If, however, I had set the aperture on the camera reading to, say, 10, then the smallest aperture available to me in liveview would be 10, irrespective of what the dial read on the lens. So from f/22 to f/10 would equal f/10. From f/10 down to f/1.4 however would be available.

If this doesn't make sense tell me and I'll try and clarify further!
 
The thing with fully manual lenses, like my 28mm f/2.8 AIS, you cant change aperture at all using the camera dials on a camera like my D70 and i assume the same goes for D80/D90. When you mount the lens, the Aperture on the status LCD shows F-- and in M mode you can only adjust shutter speed and you have no lightmeter to work with. All you can do is adjust aperture on the lens ring, guess the shutter speed, take a picture and see what you get, then re-adjust until you get it right. You need a Dxx or Dx body to meter with these lenses in regular still image shooting. On my D70 the light +/- indicator in the viewfinder does nothing.

I do however have no idea how these lenses behave in Liveview and video recording as i'm still waiting for D90 to become available over here.
 
All right, well my lens aperture I can adjust on the lens when in live mode, but not in still? Weird. I just use the kholi trick using AE in live mode. I figure it's probably the same as in still. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I was under the impression, you could dial the aperture when in still mode, but apparently you can't.
 
not a problem, because you can do it by hand, and if you take full auto lens, you can only change aperture in the camera, so such lenses are not useful for shooting with 35mm adapters...
 
Car3o said:
I was under the impression, you could dial the aperture when in still mode, but apparently you can't.
Click to expand...

Well technically you can, just the camera doesnt have a clue what aperture you are using and therefor cant meter for you. If you select for example f/5.6 on the aperture ring on a manual AI/AIS lens, and guess the shutter or use an external lightmeter to tell you the shutter, it will take the image at f/5.6 and if you have the correct shutter for the scene, it will expose correctly.

This is something that all Dxx models since D70 have lacked. Since the manual lenses have no CPU contacts the lens cant tell the camera which aperture is used. I dont know why or how it works on higher end models.

But, according to people here, manual lenses DO meter in Liveview, for reasons unknown to me.
 
.1. Without engaging LV mode, set the camera in Manual Mode. If you're already in
....... Live View, exit. NOTE: The Viewfinder will automatically disengage the meters
....... (AE-L (hold)) If you wait too long. The original time is four (4) seconds. You
....... can set the time-limit to a longer length by going to: Menu > Custom Settings (Pencil Icon) > C (Timers/Ae-Lock) > Auto Meter-off Delay > Select amount of time.
 ....2. Turn on AE-L (hold), you can check to see if it's active by peerin' into the viewfinder for the AE-L icon.
....3. Close your Iris down to an f5.6 ~ 8
....4. Aim the camera at a wall or surface that's brightly lit. It should not be blown out, but bright. ....I would say just about sixty-percent (60%) Exposed or a little more.
....5. Activate LV mode.



This is why I thought you could set the aperture without activating live mode.
 
Car3o said:
.1. Without engaging LV mode, set the camera in Manual Mode. If you're already in
....... Live View, exit. NOTE: The Viewfinder will automatically disengage the meters
....... (AE-L (hold)) If you wait too long. The original time is four (4) seconds. You
....... can set the time-limit to a longer length by going to: Menu > Custom Settings (Pencil Icon) > C (Timers/Ae-Lock) > Auto Meter-off Delay > Select amount of time.
 ....2. Turn on AE-L (hold), you can check to see if it's active by peerin' into the viewfinder for the AE-L icon.
....3. Close your Iris down to an f5.6 ~ 8
....4. Aim the camera at a wall or surface that's brightly lit. It should not be blown out, but bright. ....I would say just about sixty-percent (60%) Exposed or a little more.
....5. Activate LV mode.



This is why I thought you could set the aperture without activating live mode.
Click to expand...

I'm not completely sure what you are trying, but as far as i know you can set the aperture with both manual lenses and automatic (modern AF). With manual (AI/AIS) you do it with the physical aperture ring on the lens and with an AF lens, you do it with the front control wheel, which controls aperture.

Could you explain in detail what you want to achieve? Do you want to take a still image in A or M mode where you want a certain aperture, say f/5.6? Or do you want a certain aperture in Livemode, again, lets say f/5.6?

Can you tell excactly what lens you are using? Name or perhaps a picture of it?
 
Car3o said:
It looks like this:
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photograph...s/late70nikkor/wides/BFurnari_nikon28mm-3.jpg

Now, the camera is set to M. I have it in still mode(meaning LV mode is not on) and the aperture ring does not move when I close it to 5.6,8,11,22 ...it only closes when I have it in LV mode not still. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

What do you mean the ring does not move? You move it manually... but I think you mean that the iris does not stop down. It stops down when taking a picture or when entering LV, and otherwise stays open to facilitate focusing through the viewfinder... btw, I find focusing through the viewfinder on my D90 is dim, difficult, and most importantly it is noticeably off.
 
Car3o said:
Yes, that's correct. The rings moves, but the iris doesn't stop down unless it's in LV mode. Thought it did.
Click to expand...

I just got my first ED lens, and it was behaving the same. Took me a while to figure it out. Essentially M mode only, select the shutter. AND

Disable auto iso. The problem is probably you are stuck in a 200 iso in no light. The ED lenses pay no attention to it. Nor will it let you do easy iso and have it on a thumbwheel.

You have to go into the menu, and whatever iso you select there, thats what you are stuck with till you adjust.

Liveview of course, does its special sauce and avoids that limitation. So if you are happy to let it meter, shutter for you, go for it. That's what I think I'll do with this lens in normal light. In low light, I am concerned about a clean image still, so I need to figure out a max acceptable iso in that menu for a clean image (at say 1/30-1/60 shutter), and just know I need to set it manually in there for that lens, and then lock exposure and shutter before LV mode using AEL, then in LV I have manual aperture ring only to work with.

cheers
 
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