Which Nikon mount?

What kind of mount do I need for my Quantaray 28-500mm zoom lens to

fit my Nikon F50? All it has is threading. How do I determine what

gauge this threading is? Is it listed on the lens somewhere? Any

suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Sounds like it's a T-mount. Do the threads on the end of the lens look like the ones in the scan above? If so, then you need a T-mount adapter. A standard part, just get one for Nikon mount.<div></div>

Is there a typo in the question, or do you really have a 28-500mm zoom lens?

 

Nikon lenses are of course the F mount. Due to some logic from another universe, it is indeed a "T-mount adapter for Nikon" that will allow a generic T-mount lens to fit the F mount on your F50.

 

I think you'll find you lose autofocus and program modes and probably most metering options.

 

For newer Nikons like the F50, what you really want is a lens made specifically to fit the Nikon mount, not a lens that can be adapted by a one-size-fits-all T-mount. You don't need to buy the Nikon brand... you can get Quantaray (which is to say, Sigma) or Tamron or Tokina lenses that are built "for Nikon" and you get to keep your autofocus, autoexposure and metering functions.

 

Good luck and have fun,

Jim, there are still a few of us left out here that take great photos, support ourselves doing so, use incident meters for exposure determination, and our eyes for focussing with ground glass or rangefinder. When we push the button the shutter goes off RIGHT NOW, not after the camera decides on focus and exposure. Hell, the cameras even work without batteries!

Yes, Al, but Keith isn't in that group.

 

He's in the group that is holding an autofocus Nikon in one hand, hefting a third-party superzoom in the other hand and scratching the head with the third hand.

 

You might be delighted to play around with a T-mounted lens for the heck of it. Why not? Could be fun.

 

Keith needs a lens that was made to fit his Nikon.

Keith and Al,

 

I might have come across as a curmudgeon just now. That wasn't my intent.

 

You guys should know that I don't think T-mount designs are inherently bad. The first photo of mine to be published was a shot of a shuttle launch in 1992. The camera was a Nikon EM (gasp! sputter! why, that's the CHEAP one!). The lens was a no-name 500mm reflex with a T-mount adapter for Nikon's F mount.

 

Everybody else standing by the big countdown clock had bazooka-sized lenses and stout tripods. I know they say "size doesn't matter" and all, but it was an exercise in humility nonetheless.

 

So actually I have a soft spot in my heart for T-mount designs.

 

And I don't support myself with my photography. The few times I've seen my images in print it has been as an adjunct to the income from working with words.

 

Keith, if you wanna snick that Quantaray onto your N50, knock youself out. Yep, it probably can be made to work. But it'll not work the sme way a built-for-autofocus-Nikon lens will work.

 

Have fun, peace, may your shutters never kink... -Jim

I must say, I am quite encouraged by the passion with which contributors to my question spoke. For the sake of clarity let me share the full story.

 

I bought the Nikon F50 with Sigma 28-105mm aspherical lens for a very modest price. I also, at an earlier date, bought the QT II 35-500mm zoom lens(sorry about the earlier typo which referred to this lens as a 28-500mm) for a song. My intentions are to fit the QT II lens to my F50 and experiment, fool around, you know, play with. I have no idea what the QT II lens is worth, but it seemed like a great purchase at the time(less than $40) and it is my first delve into "super telephoto" photography. As far as the F50, I couldn't be more pleased with it. It feels as though it grew out of my hand, very comfortable, and from what I've experienced, takes great pictures.(I know, I know, cameras don't take pictures, people take pictures)

 

I've decided to build upon these few pieces to put together a great kit to play with, recently adding a Nikon F3hp body and if I happen to get assignments from the local paper or shoot a friend's wedding, then maybe I'll invest in better equipment. Right now, its all experimentation.

Question:

 

If you owned the F50 and F3HP, what lenses would you buy if you wanted to take candid photos of people. Thanks again for all your help.

<<If you owned the F50 and F3HP, what lenses would you buy if you wanted to take candid photos of people. Thanks again for all your help.>>

 

Well, you could stand in Boston and take candid pix of people in Providence if you spent a few grand on the 600mm Nikkor AF-S lens.

 

If you like your subjects to be unaware that you're taking their pictures, you could go wide with something like the 20mm f/2.8 or the 24mm f/2.8. The field of view is so broad you can snag people when they think the camera is not "seeing" them because you appear to be looking somewhere else. Or if you prefer to hang back half a block, you could get the 70-300mm AF-D ED zoom lens, not a particularly fast lens but a comparatively compact one so you don't stand out in a crowd with a thigh-sized hunk of glass.

 

Easiest ones to use might be the 85mm f/1.8 AF-D if you like to work at a modest distance, or the 35mm f/2 for close-quarters shots without having to be as fussy about leveling the camera as you'd need to be with the 20mm.

 

Have fun,