evan_bedford2

I'll have to experiment a bit more rigorously going forward, since the first set of CR123's was from another camera (therefore perhaps low already). The second set occurred when I was shooting at a snow scene and perhaps did not have the circle focus indicator on (thus thinking the batteries were at fault...I later used a multi-meter to determine they was still OK). In the next few days, I'll use the F6 extensively at -10 degrees C, so I hope to get something close to the 6 rolls that the manual states. I do know that the internal clock battery is shot, so I'll also have to see if the camera will keep my custom settings if I take the CR123's out overnight. The second post in this thread (Nikon F6) indicates that battery drain is somewhat of an issue, so I can see myself removing the CR123's occasionally.

Admittedly, no, not a lot of experience with AF. And the F6 was mainly just a technical itch I had to scratch. My best luck with robust SLR's which didn't need a lot of thought,, have so far been the Oly Om-4ti, and the Leica R7. One of these days, I'll hopefully learn to leave well-enough alone.

Good info from Maurits on this thread: Nikon F6 Maybe I should hold out for a later serial number.

Another update. Voltage fluctuating from 2.89v upwards to 2.94. Maybe that's what the lithium batteries do? However, I now think my real problem is simply that when I think the camera is broken, the actual culprit is that it won't take a photo if the subject is not in focus (ie, I'm getting a triangle or two in the viewfinder, instead of the circle). So I'll just have to learn to keep my thumb on the AF-on button when I'm composing a photo.

An update. Two rolls of film, and three sets of batteries. The third set was bought right from the store, and I immediately confirmed they both had 3.26v of charge in them. Popped them in the camera, re-set the date/time, and turned the camera off for the night. Next morning, checked the voltage, and it was down to 3.04v...and I was prompted to re-set the date/time again. Can I safely assume that the internal rechargeable battery is totally shot, and that it is somehow providing a short circuit to quickly drain any of the CR123 batteries that I put in? Thanks in advance.

Yup. Mine is 0009322. So that's probably the issue. I guess a possible work-around is to just have a spare set of batteries around, in case the unit starts to behave weirdly. But if anyone knows of a place in Canada that might be able to service the unit, please let me know.

So the universal default re-set definitely doesn't work (even with brand new batteries), so I wonder if that had something to do with it. Maybe I should send it back.

I also had to change batteries, since the indicator -- at about the same time -- went down to "begun to decline" (or two bars). Popped in new batteries, but the af still didn't work. Had to re-set all the menu items to default, and then the af worked again. So maybe the declining voltage on the old batteries somehow screwed with the menu system.

It's an ebay item from Japan which I could still likely return. I hope I don't have to do that. But if the menu system decides to go rogue again...

Thanks folks, but yes, I had the S selected on the focus mode selector, and I did try both the shutter activated af, as well as the "af-on" button activated af. But I still couldn't get af to work. However, since then, I've gone into the guts of the menu and set everything back to default individually (as mentioned above, the universal default re-set didn't seem to work). Now, the af works again. (shrugs with quizzical look). Could there have been something inside the menu that could totally disable the af?

Another weird thing is that the default re-set (menu button + info button) doesn't seem to work. When I do the operation, I get the message that the camera has gone back to all defaults. However, when I go into the menu system, I see asterisks everywhere (indicating custom settings have been set).

Did I just buy an expensive door stop? The first few frames on the first roll worked just fine. But now the autofocus won't work at all. I switched lenses and still nothing (the same lenses work just fine on my Nikon Df). I set the menu items all back to default and still nothing.

Ahh, but will the Nikkormat also do autofocus with my 28-105 zoom? :D

Very well put. You should be a technical writer for Nikon.

I think this only works for non-shift lenses, though. My Nikkor PC 28mm f4, for example, has the aperture ring right up near the front glass element. Same with my Oly/Leitax conversion.

Hmm. I guess I should've read the manual a bit more closely. On page 144, it clearly indicates that the need for inputting non-CPU lens data only applies to AI lenses. For non-AI lenses, the user is supposed to specify the null option (ie, -------) for both widest aperture and for focal length. But I will report back on how the testing goes, since I have 2 non-AI's (including an Olympus with a Leitax adapter), one AI, and one CPU.

Exactly. And nowhere in the manual -- that I could find -- does it mention using the DOF button for non-Ai lenses.

Thanks. I should've read this before I replied to rodeo_jpe above.

Yes, that was I who had contacted Nikon Canada to discover that they no longer have the parts to allow a flip-tab. However I will file off an extremely small sliver of one of my non-Ai lenses, since it barely touches the tab as it rotates into position. It seems that metering works with the non-Ai lenses, since the meter in the viewfinder changes when I change the lens aperture. I'm just puzzled as to why the camera then would need to know the widest f-stop and focal length of each lens, and then have it recorded in the menu system (just like the Df). Wouldn't the sensor automatically know what amount of light is getting through whether the lens is a CPU unit or simply a piece of cardboard with a pin-hole in it?

This one is a puzzle. The menu item refers not only to differing focus screens, but also differing lenses or tele-converters. I guess I'll try it both with the function set as advised by the manual, as well as with the function set to zero compensation. I wouldn't want to have to delve into the guts of the menu each time I switch from non-Ai to either an AI lens or a CPU lens.

Throughout the manual, it does say that most non-AI lenses are supported, but only via stop-down metering, and center-weighted or spot metering.

Hi All, So I've got a couple of non-ai lenses (which don't seem to interfere with the tab, thankfully). But a couple of questions, since my Nikon Df seems to handle these lenses somewhat differently than the F6. With the Df, I have to tell the camera how much I've stopped down the lens, but with the F6, am I OK to stop down without telling it what the aperture is set at? (I've already entered the correct non-CPU lens data into the camera). Also, when I set "b6: screen comp" to +0.5 in the menu (as mentioned in the manual p.39), will the camera still operate normally when I exchange the non-ai lens for an AF lens? Or would I have to go back into the menu and change the setting every time I change the lens? Thanks in advance. Evan

...ah, but the prism housing on the f100 blocks the full shift on the Oly (not on the Nikkor, though). Such is life.

On a whim, I thought I'd try attaching my two shift lenses to my f100. The PC-Nikkor 28mm f4 slides freely past the aperture mechanism on the f100 with less than 1/10mm to spare. But it seems to work just fine in manual mode and stopped-down metering. And the Oly 24mm shift with the Leitax adapter fits with absolutely no danger of touching the aperture mechanism. And on the +++ side, the very unwieldy Olympus glass is better balanced and has a better overall ergonomic relationship with the f100 than it ever had with my OM-4ti or my Nikon Df or the Sony A7s I used to own. So I'm now quite sure that an f6 will be on my Christmas list...or perhaps even in my halloween goody bag. On the arctic blizzard stuff, yes, I may have been exaggerating slightly. However, I have been reduced to cursing twice in the past, on long hikes at about plus-5 degrees Celsius, when in one case, several batteries for a Sigma DP digital refused to work, and in the other case, when the shutter mechanism for a Mamiya 6 refused to work (typical magnet weakness and linkage lube issues, as I later learned). So the extensive testing of the f6 in cold conditions really puts my mind at ease.

I came across this page: Nikkor AI conversions DIY | Photographs, Photographers and Photography So if I get an f6, I'll probably take a file to my PC-Nikkor. As for my Olympus 24mm shift with the Leitax adapter for Nikon, John White said he would probably be able to adapt that (easier sending an adapter through the mail than the whole lens).