nikon adapter quality - are some better than others?

FatDaddy said:
Okay a noob question - can you use autofocus on a Nikon lens?
Click to expand...
Nope. A Canon body cannot communicate with anything but a Canon lens or a third-party lens designed for Canon bodies. Each manufacturer's lens communication protocol is different.

Additionally, lens mount adapters don't transmit electrical signals between body and camera.
 
Thanks. That's what I thought, but a friend wants me to sell his two Nikon lenses and they are nice and I thought if they worked on a Canon I could get them.
 
John,


I'm not sure if ydgmdlu understood well your post or you understood fine his.

The point is not to have AF straight out of the box but a fast focus via AF confirmation.

Comparing with manual focus is apples to oranges. Closer to Canon EF auto-focus but without the motor drive, as matter of fact.

The lens mount adapters emulate the electrical signals contact with the camera.


http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/247160964/AF_Confirm_Adapter_Contax_Lens_to.html

«This AF-Confirm adapter is an emulation of Canon EF auto-focus lens and has the electronics to communicate with the EOS camera (...)»


Or take a second glance on my posting and you'll read manual focus lenses work well with:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showpost.php?p=1749786&postcount=38


Hope this helps.

E. :-)
 
Okay so I'm using the fotodiox $18 adapter from ebay and tried it with my nikon mount tokina 11-16 and its all good no problems there.

Went to try my manual nikon AIS 35mm f1.4 and hit a problem. The metal thingy that sticks out ... (yeh you know the one) strikes the 7D's electric lens contacts at the bottom of the mount. It would not go on. This is nothing to do with fotodiox as all nikon adapters would be the same. I tried bending the protrusion on the old lens to 45 degrees with a pair of pliers. Still no joy. Used the pliers to repeatedly bend it till it gently broke free. Much better than the hacksaw method. All good now so be warned nikkor users.

Not tried other lenses yet.
 
J Davis said:
Okay so I'm using the fotodiox $18 adapter from ebay and tried it with my nikon mount tokina 11-16 and its all good no problems there.

Went to try my manual nikon AIS 5mm f1.4 and hit a problem. The metal flange thingy that sticks out ... (yeh you know the one) strikes the 7D's electric lens contacts at the bottom of the mount. It would not go on. This is nothing to do with fotodiox as all nikon adapters would be the same. I tried bending the protrusion on the old lens to 45 degrees with a pair of pliers. Still no joy. Used the pliers to repeatedly bend it till it gently broke free. Much better than the hacksaw method. All good now so be warned nikkor users.

Not tried other lenses yet.
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Interesting...are modifications like this required for most Nikon brand lenses?
 
modern nikon's would be fine, its just the old manual ones that have a largish (and useless) metal protrusion sticking out the back.

I saw a thread here showing how to cover the rear glass element and hacksaw it off.

I found that by carefully repeatedly bending it with a pare of pliers it comes away clean without any hacksaw dust.
 
This is the bit I'm talking about
(not my pic, I'm linking this from a thread in the 5D section)
prongwi2.jpg


It bangs into the EF lens contacts inside the 7D body (the little gold dots)

Don't use a hacksaw, carefully bend it repeatedly with pliers.

EIT:
just tested all my nikons (24, 35, 50, 75-150), only one I had to doctor was the 35/1.4
 
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Speaking of adapters, my m42 adapters that work fine on the 5D2 apparently short the lens contacts on the 7D.

I get "Err 01"... Can't connect to the lens, clean lens contacts.

Solution: Electrical tape at the bottom of the adapter to prevent contact with the pins in the camera.

m42_tape_electrique.jpg
 
Most old nikkor lenses are fine and have no rear protrusion. The 24mm ai is said to protrude but I have one and it hasn't been a problem. The mirror flips up out of the way in live view.
 
squig said:
Most old nikkor lenses are fine and have no rear protrusion. The 24mm ai is said to protrude but I have one and it hasn't been a problem. The mirror flips up out of the way in live view.
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It's not the mirror it bangs into, its the little gold bumps/lens control contacts that it hits
and I tried mounting it so the lens was rotated a third of the way round,
not possible, lens can only mount with the protrusion at the bottom which is
where the gold bumps are
 
so it's only your 35mm nikon that has that? because all my nikon AIS primes don't seem to have such a thing.
 
Just a note not to waste your money on the stainless steel ebay one from 'buyitjnow'.
It allows focus past infinity and uses a lame way to achieve a tight fit that would certainly loosen over time. For $6 is it even worth returning? Not.
 
Tim Joy said:
Just a note not to waste your money on the stainless steel ebay one from 'buyitjnow'.
It allows focus past infinity and uses a lame way to achieve a tight fit that would certainly loosen over time. For $6 is it even worth returning? Not.
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Thanks for the heads up. I was looking at getting that one.

I'm actually a little confused by this thread. Can anyone just tell me the cheapest adapter that I can get for this purpose that will actually work and not have focus issues? I'm okay with it loosening a bit, so long as it's something I can be aware of and it won't affect the image quality if I'm careful.
 
A lot of adapters allow a little focus past infinity. Nothing wrong that as long as you are aware.
Better to have an adapter do that than not reach infinity! :)

I've used the FD and Nikon F adapters for the GH1 and now this Fotodiox Nik / EOS adapter
all of them allowed focus past infinity.
 
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So folks, at the end of the day, what is the verdict? Whats the one to get? Need to pick one up asap!
 
I think that unless you are gonna spend a few hundred and change on a novaflex then spend as little as possible.
There are some around for $6 but I went for the Fotodiox one at $18.
Seemed like a good affordable 'middle of the road' adapter from those that I have seen.
 
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