FE2 and Pre-AI lenses

My photography teacher is letting me test out an FE2 before buying it from him.

It came with an old Nikkor f1.2 lens, which doesn't interact with the light

meter. Putting on a different, newer, 105mm lens, I can tell the meter does work

(lens interacts with the meter).

 

From what I've read, it's because the older lens is "pre-AI" and it doesn't

couple to the meter, so it's not technically broken. What concerns me is I've

read that pre-AI lenses can break the mechanism the FE2 uses to interact with

apertures. Since the camera came to me with this lens, does that pre dispose it

to breaking? I have no idea how much he used it with this lens. I get the

feeling it's not too much, since he said a friend gave it to him around 9 years

ago, and it's been sitting around. Am I way off on what I'm thinking, and the

lens is just broken? Should I never use that lens again, and just get an AI

lens? How could I tell for sure that the old lens is pre-AI?

 

Thanks very much,

 

-Rob

http://hometown.aol.com/wdshpbiz/AImod.html << check that website...

 

Thanks 50mm 1.2 lens cost a "lot" of money...

It will be well worth it to sent it to >> http://aiconversion.com/

Hi,

 

Thank you for the link, and for catching my mistake, I mean 55mm f1.2 lens

 

-Rob

Rob, Nikon introduced AI (auto indexing) lenses back in 1977. So anything pre-AI was from over 30 years ago.

 

Do a search on Nikon AI conversion, and you'll find a lot of old threads on it. Even 30 years later, we still have 1 or 2 threads on this topic monthly. E.g.: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00ACZi

Most Pre-AI lenses will come into contact with FE2 metering tab, but some some do not (my 28 3.5 does not). If you can mount it and turn the aperture ring freely without binding or hitting the tab, it is "safe" to use for stop-down metering, but do so at your own risk ;').

I also had a 28mm f2.5 non-AI that I used all the time on my FE2. The metering tab wasn't hit by it, and it was a great lens.

 

Dave

Look into an FE. Unless your teacher's giving it away, you'll have as much fun with an FE that can use old NAI lenses, thanks to its flip-up AI tab. These are very affordable now and easy to find in good condition since many were lightly-used amateur cameras.Stop-down metering works just fine.