Lenses

Nikon F Manual Prism

Using 80mm to 200mm zoom Makinon f4.5

how may stops must I stop down when using a zoom Lens and what if I use a Vivitar Teleconverter

2X and 3X Must I increase the stops or not?

An 80-200 doesn't require any special f/stop, use the one that goes with the shutter speed and lighting conditions. The rule of f/16 says match your shutter speed to ISO ie. ISO 400, go with 1/500 and in bright sun go with f/16, cloudy bright f/11 and so on. If you change the shutter speed to 1/250, close one f/stop and if you increase one shutter speed, open up one f/stop. This works with most lenses and certainly will with your 80-200. This is a place to start since you don't have a meter in the camera and I don't know if you have a handheld or a meter in another camera. There are things like depth of field which may cause you to want a given f/stop so you can then adjust shutter speed as needed using the same rule. Teleconverters generally require you to open one or two stops but I've always felt they cause a loss of sharpness unless you have a very good one. Try yours out and see what you get. These days the cost of manual focus lenses is so low you might consider just buying a 300mm lens.

Rick H.

I don't want to sound condescending, but the questions you've asked the past few days indicate that you may need to go back and review the fundamentals of exposure and the relationship between shutter speed, aperture, and film speed.

A Nikon F is a simple and reliable camera as such things go, but it's one that requires knowing a bit about these basics in order to use correctly.

Ben and Rick I am sorry you did not understand my question Let's start again please.

I am 70 years old rarely ever take pictures without a Tripod and use a Cable release so I do not jerk the Camera

yes I have the F-36 connected but only use it for fast shots I was trying to refresh my memory about the Vivitar 2X and 3X Teleconverters

it has been a long time since I have used either one so I now know for the 2X, I stop down 2 Stops and for the 3X, I stop down 3 stops

Now I have the answer I was seeking.

This Post is Closed.

Merry Christmas to all.

A 2x TC does indeed "cost" two stops of light, but you don't need to physically do anything to the lens.

Basically, if a lens is 2.8, for example, what is actually marked 2.8 on the aperture ring acts like 5.6. If you use a TTL meter(from your posts, I think you mentioned your F being a plain prism model) it will automatically compensate for this. If using an external meter, you need to manually take this into account, or just set your meter to a film speed two stops lower than the one in use.

There's no obligation to use the lens at any less than full aperture.

In fact, with the lens you're suggesting to use, you may HAVE to do that. A 2x give you a maximum aperture equivalent to f/9 and a 3x will give you f/13, The viewfinder is going to be so dark that you will find it difficult to focus, and on a standard A or K screen the focusing aids will black out. You really will want a B or C screen, and probably a magnifier. You MIGHT get away with an H4.

Additionally, you're starting with a generic brand 70s or 80s slow tele zoom. These lenses were once quite popular, but they largely perpetuated the predjudices that folks had against zoom lenses back them-i.e. they were optically poor. Also, I'm guessing your 3x converter is 3rd party, and perhaps your 2x also. I rarely use teleconverters, but when I do I'm VERY picky about only using camera-branded TCs and using them strictly within the manufacturers recommendations. The good TCs are often only good for certain focal length ranges, and when good they can be fine. I use to frequently use my Canon FD 1.4x on the 200mm 2.8, and it makes a great lightweight 280mm f/4. It also sees a lot of time on my 400mm f/4, where it turns the lens into a functional 560mm f/5.6. Still, though, that's a high quality TC that is designed exclusively for use with fast long lenses-my 200mm only just skates by because it's the last revision of the lens and will fit safely even though it's not officially supported.

Ben I have only use the 3X TC once and that was about 10 years ago Maybe the 3X TC is not a good choice? I also have a 500mm F8 to f32 no name made in Korea

After hearing what you said about the 3X TC I think the 500mm would be a better Idea Thanks Annette

A 3x TC will degrade optical quality a lot, and probably the zoomlens you're using itself already isn't too great performing. To recuperate some of the sharpness, you'd need to stop down a couple of stops, but that will mean you're always at f/16 minimal - and hence long-ish shutter speeds. With long lenses, every vibration is much more noticeable in the image, so any weakness in a tripod is sure to show up, so unless your tripod is really solid and free of vibrations, you're going to suffer.

The 500mm f/8 might be a better bet, but realistically, cheap long lenses always trade off on quality. Possibly the cheapest good option for a Nikon F would be a 300mm f/4.5 or 400mm f/5.6, and at max. a 1,4x TC.

I have a couple of 3x teleconverters. They're off brands, old, and not very good. I'd get better results if I stacked good quality 1.4x and 2x teleconverters to achieve 3x. I have found that, if the teleconverters are good quality, very little image degradation occurs when stacking them.

The best non-camera brand 2x I have used (and own) are the Vivitar 7-element macro-focusing TC and the Komura 95 II TC, also a 7-element design. All my other TCs are made by Canon and Nikon, both 1.4x and 2x flavors. Oh, and I also own Tamron 1.4x and 2x TCs. They are excellent, but they're also dedicated for use with Tamron Adaptall-2 lenses only.

Your 500mm f/8-32 sounds like one of those bargain telephotos most of the big photo mail-order houses used to carry, the businesses that advertise in the backs of photo magazines. Back in the 80s, for example, you could by a new 500mm f/8 preset T-mount lens for $70-100. They actually do a good job, if you respect their limitations. The biggest problem with using a lens like this is your viewfinder image is gonna be dark, and any focusing aids on your camera's focusing screen aren't gonna work. So you're better off using a plain matte screen. It takes some practice using a plain matte screen, but it is well worth it, IMO, if you'll be shooting with lenses that have a widest aperture slower than f/4.

I have used eyepiece magnifiers to aid in focusing with long slow lenses, like my 500mm f/8 mirrors, for example. I found this helped a lot in insuring that my images were in focus. Of course, a tripod and cable release are a must with this sort of setup.

Yes I have been using a Plain Focusing Screen since 1966 and have never shot any film with that 500mm f8 Lens you are most likely correct Last time I ever used that

3X TC was after Dark with a 300mm Lens about 6 Blocks away timed Exposure about 30 Seconds, Rarely shoot pictures like that any more and I use an 8X

magnifier also.