Problem with Nikon Front Caps for TCs

[Mary Doo]

<p>It can't be just me (?) - why is it that it seems the front cap of the TCs are more often than not stuck, and it's almost impossible to take the cap off without force? Every time I did this I was afraid I would break something.</p>

<p>Am I doing somethng wrong?</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>I've noticed some slight variations in fit among my batch of Nikon brand front, rear and body caps. There may be some slight tolerances in manufacturing but I suspect it's mostly due to wear. When I find a cap that's too tight or loose, I'll find a better fit for it on another lens and mark them with a bit of tape.</p>

<p>Since you specified the front cap I'm assuming you're referring to the same cap that can serve as a body cap? If so, the softer snap-on caps that come with some less expensive Nikon bodies may work. They just pop on and off like a Tupperware or Cool-Whip lid. Not as aesthetically appealing as the black Nikon caps, but no bayonet lugs to match either.</p>

<p>It's even worse with third party lenses. I can't find a single end cap, Nikon or aftermarket, that will stay put on my Vivitar Series 1 70-210/2.8-4. I just use a leftover Olympus OM system rear cap on the Vivitar. At the other extreme, front and rear caps tend to get stuck on my Tamron adaptall AIS adapter, other than the original Tamron brand cap.</p>

[jarle_aasland]

<p>Known issue. Been there, done that. Here's a previous reply on this forum:<br>

I have the TC17e. BEWARE! It's worth pointing out that you can easily put the grey "body cap" on the TC in the wrong orientation and then have one hell of a job getting it off again. There's actually an alignment mark (just like the normal white body/lens marks) on the cap - but as it's grey-on-grey it's almost invisible. I had been using it for months before I discovered this and then only when the cap had become stuck on the TC causing me to sweat. A horrible design fault.<br>

<a href="http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00TMjE">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00TMjE</a></p>

[john_newell2]

<p>Post above is right on. Can't say how often this has happened to me in the heat of things, though. I put a big black stripe on the gray cap for alignment purposes but I still sometimes get is wrong, with frustrating results.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Unlike the Nikon body cap and the old non-AF teleconverters on which you can put the cap on in either one of the three orientations which are 120-degrees apart, the TC-14e, TC-17e, and TC-20e have an extra tab. As a result, there is only one way to put the BF-3 (black) and BF-3A (gray) cap on.</p>

<p>When you put the BF-3 cap onto a TC, always line up the letter N in the Nikon logo on the cap to the last letters "ER" in TELECONVERTER on the side of the TC-nne, and you'll never have any problems putting the cap on and off again.</p>

<p>P.S. If you modify those TCs by removing the extra tab, this restriction also goes away: http://nikonpages.heymanphotography.com/tcmod/</p><div></div>

[ShunCheung]

<p>And after you put the TC caps on and twist them tight, it should be like this:</p><div></div>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Reading the thread <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=636771">Jarle Aasland</a> linked to, I just realized that there is indeed an alignment mark on the BF-3 and BF-3A (gray) caps, but it is hard to see. So you can use that or the "N against ER" method I mentioned earlier.</p>

<p>When I bought my TC-14E a decade ago, I struggled with the cap problem for a while before I figured out how to align it. That is why I am somewhat interested in this topic.</p><div></div>

[joseph_wisniewski]

<p>I read the first few posts on this thread with confusion, having been using a TC-14E and TC-20E for some years without ever getting the caps stuck. Then Shun provided the clue I needed...</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Unlike the Nikon body cap and the old non-AF teleconverters on which you can put the cap on in either one of the three orientations which are 120-degrees apart, the TC-14e, TC-17e, and TC-20e have an extra tab.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Mine don't. My TC-20E came with my near mint 300mm f2.8 AF-I about 10 years ago. At that time, I also had an 80-200mm f2.8 AF-D, so after assuring myself that the TC-20E was optically and mechanically sound, I performed a "tab-ectomy". I guess I was lucky and never got a cap stuck in the half dozen times I put it on before the tab got removed. The TC-14E that I got a couple of years later for the brand new 70-200mm f2.8 also got its tab removed almost immediately.</p>

[kevinwalsh]

<p>Great thread. I got the cap stuck on my TC 1.4 a while back and it was a headache. </p>

[Mary Doo]

<p>Thank you folks. Thanks Shun for the detail directions. Mystery solved! </p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>Thanks for the great tip! I'm always battling to get the the cap on my TCs :-)</p>