"MANUAL" Aperture Nikon Lenses ??

G

George D.

Well-known member
I'm looking for Nikon Prime Lenses in the 30mm to 105mm range with "NON-AUTOMATIC MANUAL" apertures.

I don't think Nikon ever made manual aperture lenses in the past or present, but I need them for custom photo purposes if they did. These will be used on a DSLR where the aperture will NOT close down each time the shutter is pressed, but will stay at the f-stop it was previously set at.

No, I cannot use Live View while doing this photography, so that is not an option. The aperture control MUST be within the lens itself.

*If there are any good "off-brand" lenses that are adapted to Nikon, that could work too. (I do have a couple of Hasselblad Lenses (80mm & 150mm) that I use, but I need other millimeters too, especially designed for a 35mm camera).

NOTE: I do not believe Ai or AiS lenses will work. To my knowledge, the "aperture" is still automatic with those lenses, and closes down every time the shutter is released.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks.

.

If anyone knows of a lens, or lenses like that, please let me know what model, mm, and where I might be able to buy them.

Thanks for your time.

.
 
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There are a ton of vintage "ai" or "ais" manual aperture lenses out there. Try keh.com or the used dept at B&H or Adorama or give Ebay a try.
You can also use the later non-g AF lenses that allow manual control of aperture.
Your Nikon camera will need to be a D7000 or above to meter with the ai lenses.
 
You can always unlock the lens and twist it loose a few degrees - this will stop the aperture from changing (it's like holding the DOF button down - I use it for timelapse to prevent flicker).
 
Michael Carter said:
You can always unlock the lens and twist it loose a few degrees - this will stop the aperture from changing (it's like holding the DOF button down - I use it for timelapse to prevent flicker).
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Does not sound safe to me, especially with a "bayonet" mount. And, also it seems very likely that it would throw off the calibration. It does not seem like the best alternative to me.

Thanks anyway.

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All Nikon lenses up to the G versions has manual aperture. Plenty of great glass to choose from. I'll be getting a 28-70/2.8D and 105/2.8D this week.
 
George D. said:
Does not sound safe to me, especially with a "bayonet" mount. And, also it seems very likely that it would throw off the calibration. It does not seem like the best alternative to me.
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Click to expand...

Nope, they stay on pretty tight if you go just enough to lock the DOF. Focus stays aligned since the lens doesn't screw in like a pentax or something - it's flat against the mounting ring until it comes off. I've only done it manually, I'd guess the auto features will shut off since the contacts won't align. It's about the only way to shoot time lapse unless you're shooting wide open. The aperture doesn't close down exactly the same with each frame so you get exposure flickering. Not an issue on stills but very visible on time lapse.
 
I am pretty sure that you can use any manual aperture Nikon F-mount lens for what you describe, even the AI and AI-S lenses. It is my understanding that the aperture control by the camera would only be in specific mode settings (Like aperture or shutter priority). I am not really sure that modern Nikon cameras would even offer that level of aperture control on the vintage lenses. If the manual mode was set I would believe that the camera would not control the aperture and it would remain open during an exposure. I am not 100% on that, but you can find vintage F-mount lenses for very little money and it would be easy to test and see if they do as you want.

Here is the Wikipedia article on the Nikon F-mount.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F-mount
 
Most manual lenses basically work fine in 99% of situations

there is the time lapse flicker associated with the camera stoping the lens down slightly differently for each shot

it is worth checking out lenses like the nikkior 28pc which have a smooth aperture (click less) - theyay provide the control you desire
 
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