matching bodies and lenses and lenses and bodies

[mich8261]

<p>I seem to be accumulating some nice Nikon gear almost without trying. First came a F2 Photomic with the radioactive Nikkor 35mm/f1.4 (with rabbit ears) found at my mother-in-law's house. A few weeks ago I found a Nikon FG with Nikon 50mm/f1.8 for $25 at a yard sale - although it's not functioning right now, the film counter is not resetting so the meter does not engage. And the grand prize came this weekend when I stumbled upon another yard sale and found a Nikkormat FTn, Nikkor 55mm/f1.2, Nikkor Micro 55mm/f3.5, Nikkor 28mm/f3.5 and Vivitar 85-205mm/f3.8 all with rabbit ears - all for the low low price of $75 (the seller even commented that I was getting a couple of thousand dollars worth of lenses for $75). I have tried reading all I can about the bodies at the MIR website and others, but I have to say I am thoroughly confused by indexing, AI, AIS and non AI nomenclature. So my questions are:</p>

<ul>

<li>The F2 Photomic does not have the pin that fits between the rabbit ears, will it meter accurately? Do I have to use stop down metering?</li>

<li>The Nikkormat focus screen does not have the split circle in the center making precise focus difficult and with f1.4 and f1.2 lenses it's pretty important. Can the focus screen be replaced?</li>

<li>I believe that to use these lenses on the FG (if I get it fixed) they would have to be modified, does that make them unusable on the F2 and Nikkormat?</li>

</ul>

<p>Thanks for taking the time to read my post.</p>

[bob_sunley]

<p>There are two different meter heads for the F2, one is AI(no coupling pin), the other is with the coupling pin only.<br>

No to the replacement screen for the Nikkormat.</p>

<p>No, AI modified lenses will work on either meter coupling system.</p>

 

[mich8261]

<p>just to clarify when you say <em>"There are two different meter heads for the F2, one is AI(no coupling pin), the other is with the coupling pin only" </em> do you mean there are two models of the F2 or the F2 can accommodate both types of lenses? My F2 does not have a pin like the Nikkormat does.</p>

<p>Cheers.</p>

[bob_sunley]

<p>There are two different meter heads for the F2, they are removable and interchangeable. There is also a plain prism head without a meter. So technically there are three different models of the F2 with eyelevel finders and four if you include the waist level finder. :)</p>

<p>Which meter head do you have, one with a small tab on it or one with a broken off pin?<br>

If you spend an hour or so reading the mir.com site on nikons, you will learn a lot about the F2.</p>

<p> </p>

[akira]

<p>Deleted by the poster to avoid further confusion.</p>

[ian_watson1]

<p>Don't worry, Michel, it is a bit confusing at first. Early Nikon metering used a pin that couples with the rabbit ears. One sets the lens at f/5.6 when mounting and everything meets happily. One then twists the aperture ring to and fro so that the meter knows what the maximum aperture of the lens is. That is called indexing the lens. It is necessary because the rabbit ears are at the same position on the lens, regardless of maximum aperture.</p>

<p>I have never tried it myself, my F2 being a later F2A. More on that in a moment. </p>

<p>Nikon eventually provided a way to mount the lens and have the meter be able to account for the maximum aperture. No more faffing with the aperture ring; indexing was automatic. AI stands for "automatic indexing." On the lens, look at the rear edge of the aperture ring. Is there a ridge along its circumference? If so then it is suitable for AI. One edge of the ridge engages a lever on the camera. The position of that edge is always a certain distance from the maximum aperture of the lens. Hence the meter can automatically account for the different amount of light seen through lenses with different maximum apertures. Such lenses retain the rabbit ears, so they can be used on earlier cameras.</p>

<p>AI lenses with the ears can be used on earlier cameras. Non-AI lenses, which lack the ridge at the back of the aperture ring, can be used on some later cameras by metering when stopped down. (More modern designs are not always accomodating, but you will have no problem with any F2.)</p>

<p>Now to the wonderful F2! It is a modular design. There are several designs for the head, some AI and some not. "Photomic" simply means the head contains a light meter. Hold your camera with the lens mount towards you. Look at the right edge of the head, just above the lens mount. Do you see "A" or "AS?" If so then it is intended for AI lenses. You will also see a small lever protruding from the head at the same spot. It is moved by that ridge on the rear of the aperture ring of such lenses. It is possible to push it into the head, out of the way, to use non-AI lenses with stopdown metering. There is a small tab just above the "A" or "AS" that is pushed sideways to return the lever to its normal position.</p>

<p>Clear as mud? :-)</p>

[joe_a2]

<p>Michel.... The F2 cameras that have a pin like your Nikkormat FTn are the ones with the first three metering prisms, the DP-1, DP-2 and DP-3. These are the F2 Photomic, F2S Photomic, and F2SB. Take your prism off and look at the name underneath. If you have a DP-1, -2 or -3, and you don't have the pin, your meter will not work. The F2A and F2AS say "A" and "AS" prominently on the prism, and they are AI cameras with later DP-11 and DP-12 prisms, respectively.</p>

<p>What does it say on the bottom side of your prism?</p>

[mich8261]

<p>thanks to all for the info. I am starting to get a better understanding of the whole thing. I will have a close look at the camera and lenses when i get home tonight.</p>

[bob_hamilton2]

<p>The two things that stand out in your purchases are the 35mm f1.4 and the 55mm f1.2 lenses. Take a look on Ebay at the going prices on them. If you are not already aware, you will be very surprised.</p>

[mich8261]

<p>Bob, the 35 was actually a find :-))) it does have the yellow cast because of the aged thorium element, but that just makes it a great B&W lens. I new instantly when I saw the 55mm/f1.2 that I had come across a nice "little" lens. A visit to KEH.com confirmed what the seller had said (although he was exaggerating). I think the 35/55 makes a great combo.</p>

[mich8261]

<p>Ian, thanks for the thorough explanation. Contrary to what I had stated before, I can now confirm that I have a F2A with the DP-11 Photomic frankenmeter. Right below the "A" there is a metal tab with a red dot which can be pushed up under the "A" and then revealed again by sliding the ridged button above the "A". So if I understand your comment above, I would push in this metal tab when using non AI lenses for stop down metering, right?<br>

Now to determine if my lenses are AI or not. Looking at this website - http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html, it seems that the only AI lens I have is the 55mm Micro (it does have the added tab protruding below the aperture ring which hooks on to the metal tab on the F2A and lets the camera meter properly.)<br>

So based on what I learned, the Nikkormat is the better body to use since it will meter without having to stop down (the Micro 55 is the only lens that would meter "normally" on the F2A). Does that sound right?<br>

Thanks.</p>