I am the new owner of a Nikon D700 DSLR

Hi Raid,

Congrats on the D700. Have had one since 2009 and of all the DSLR's I've used over the years, except for the Df, the D700 I found to be the best for working with MF lenses. For some reason I find it easier to nail focus on the D700, not sure if it's the focus screen they used back then or what. And the one focus aid that you might want to consider if you struggle nailing focus, is the Nikon Dk-17M magnifying eyepiece. It's completely compatible with the D700 and makes focusing MF lenses a bit easier.

Have fun with you new D700 Raid, and share some pics.

Best,
-Tim
 
Hi Tim. I took 3 photos (without a card in the camera) and I seem to have focused correctly with the D700 screen using a 50/1.4 lens. I will look for a magnifying eye piece. Thanks for the tip.

This one: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...Ch15eQQxEAYYASABEgKl0vD_BwE&lsft=BI:514&smp=Y
The Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece is a replacement eyepiece for select Nikon SLR and DSLR cameras. This eyepiece magnifies the image within the viewfinder by approximately 1.2x. This aids in confirming focus particularly when using a non-autofocus lens or if the camera's autofocus feature is turned off. A comfortable surface for the area around your eye while framing a subject through the camera's viewfinder is provided as well. This eyepiece also serves to block unwanted and potentially distracting light from entering the viewfinder. Made from soft and durable rubber, the surface of the Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece prevents scratching and damage to eyeglasses. It mounts easily and securely to the viewfinder and is compatible with select Nikon cameras.
 
Yep, that's the one.

To swap them out you just turn the little lever next to the eyepiece, the one that closes the eyepiece shutter, then the original eyepiece unscrews and you screw the DK-17M into its place. Very straightforward and completely reversible. And sometimes you need to re-adjust the diopter adjustment with the DK-17M in place.

Have fun.

Best,
-Tim
 
Great camera I used a lot with the 200/2 and sometime 1.4TC when my daughter and son where playing sports. The AF is plenty fast and ISO is useable up to 6400.

Once my CF card became corrupt and I thought I lost a lot fo photos but I remember having the recovery software paper that came with one of my CF cards. I was able to retrieve those "lost" photos but I never used that same CF card again. Keep the recovery software paper with you just in case.

BTW, I never shot RAW and never really felt the need to. IMO the auto WB was good enough. I'm a dad with a camera who took photos of his kid's activities, not a paid professional.
 
I found at home a Nikon mount Kiron 28/2 in addition to second Nikkor 50/1.4. The Nikkor looks like new but it may not be AI but the older Nikkor 50/1.4 may have been Ai'd whereas the new looking one needs to be Ai'd. How good/bad is the reputation of the Kiron 28/2? I also found a Tamron 28 and a Nikkor 55/3.5 and a 105/2.5 Sonnar. The old 80-200/4.5 is also there. I seem to be able to focus well without any special eye piece.
 
wjlapier said:
Great camera I used a lot with the 200/2 and sometime 1.4TC when my daughter and son where playing sports. The AF is plenty fast and ISO is useable up to 6400.

Once my CF card became corrupt and I thought I lost a lot fo photos but I remember having the recovery software paper that came with one of my CF cards. I was able to retrieve those "lost" photos but I never used that same CF card again. Keep the recovery software paper with you just in case.

BTW, I never shot RAW and never really felt the need to. IMO the auto WB was good enough. I'm a dad with a camera who took photos of his kid's activities, not a paid professional.
Click to expand...

That was good luck for you. Old family photos cannot be replaced when lost.
 
raid said:
I found at home a Nikon mount Kiron 28/2 in addition to second Nikkor 50/1.4. The Nikkor looks like new but it may not be AI but the older Nikkor 50/1.4 may have been Ai'd whereas the new looking one needs to be Ai'd. How good/bad is the reputation of the Kiron 28/2? I also found a Tamron 28 and a Nikkor 55/3.5 and a 105/2.5 Sonnar. The old 80-200/4.5 is also there. I seem to be able to focus well without any special eye piece.
Click to expand...

Raid if you are not familiar with the Nikon AI arrangements and cannot tell for sure if a lens is AI or not, the following article may help.

http://pindelski.org/Photography/2013/02/06/nikkor-ai-conversions-diy/

The AI system used a simple (??) system of mechanical connection between lens and the camera to convey to the camera's metering system the maximum aperture of the lens. This allowed the camera to keep the lens full open for a bright image when composing and focusing but the metering system would convey the correct aperture for metering purposes. It was and is ingenious given that in those days there were no computer chips to store information digitally so it was all done by calibrating the cameras metering system to the simple system described below.

It used a "slot" cut in the base of the lens mount to achieve the required adjustments. The length / position of the slot was what did the job by way of a mechanical arm / connection in the camera body - its position as dictated by the slot conveyed the necessary information to the camera. That slot can be seen in the base of the lens in the first photo above. In that case it is hand cut and a little crude. But it still works. The factory AI lens adaptations were more neat and sophisticated. If the slot is present then the lens is AI.

I have converted a half a dozen lenses in this manner and all it takes are some small screwdrivers to disassemble the base of the camera and remove the ring (a simple task that in most Nikon lenses is not technically difficult at all) and one or two needle files to file the slot. There are plenty of references online to tell the home lens handyman where to position the slot - this is the critical bit. Most lenses can be modified and reassembled in half an hour or so -perhaps an hour the first time it is done. Occasionally it needs redoing if the slot is not quite deep enough (causing binding of the arm on the camera that reads the slot position) or does not end in the right position (which would give the wrong max aperture read out on the camera). Occasionally the "rabbit ears" which were used in by earlier non AI lenses to do something of the same sort are removed as no longer being necessary though many users leave them one so the lenses are backward compatible and can still be used in non AI cameras as well.
 
This is a great write-up on what Ai'd means and how it can be done, Peter. Thanks. I have been holding very gently a lens at the camera, followed by testing whether the lens snaps in or not.
 
raid said:
This is a great write-up on what Ai'd means and how it can be done, Peter. Thanks. I have been holding very gently a lens at the camera, followed by testing whether the lens snaps in or not.
Click to expand...
No problem Raid, glad it helps. I love the old metal and chrome Nikkors. They look good on a modern camera, they feel good to use when properly CLA'd, they produce fine images and in many cases they are relatively cheap (in some cases very cheap) to buy. And best of all perhaps, they are robust - made to take everything pro photographers could throw at them and stand the test of time. These are the lenses that a generation of war photographers took with them on the battlefield. In some cases, other than updated lens coatings the optical formulas have not been changed right though the MF era - they got it right the first time.

Some of these lenses are of the type that tend to be underrated simply because they are so common. The early non AI 135mm f3.5 is an example But it was a fine example of a Sonnar design lens that still is great to use and if you like Sonnar lenses you will like this. And even its "big" brother, the non AI 135mm f2.8 is excellent (The physically smaller later AIS version of the lens seems recognised even better and as particularly special by those who know of it - though many do not and because it is a "common" 135mm its is scorned by lots of people who should know better).

I should mention that AIS lenses have an extra slot in the base as well, but if you are converting a lens only the AI slot is essential to cut.
 
I have invested lots of money in multiple camera systems so far, and it makes sense to stop buying any lenses for a while. The 50/1.4 Nikkor may do for a while.
 
peterm1 said:
I have converted a half a dozen lenses in this manner and all it takes are some small screwdrivers to disassemble the base of the camera and remove the ring (a simple task that in most Nikon lenses is not technically difficult at all) and one or two needle files to file the slot. There are plenty of references online to tell the home lens handyman where to position the slot - this is the critical bit. Most lenses can be modified and reassembled in half an hour or so -perhaps an hour the first time it is done. Occasionally it needs redoing if the slot is not quite deep enough (causing binding of the arm on the camera that reads the slot position) or does not end in the right position (which would give the wrong max aperture read out on the camera). Occasionally the "rabbit ears" which were used in by earlier non AI lenses to do something of the same sort are removed as no longer being necessary though many users leave them one so the lenses are backward compatible and can still be used in non AI cameras as well.
Click to expand...
You are talented in doing many things, Peter. I would not know what to do.
 
There is another option concerning conversions which is a factory conversion kit but there is the problem of the scarcity of the rings. Thousands and thousands of Nikkors were made so for most of them it is probably no big deal to hack them at least it keeps them in use. Some non ai probably should not be messed with though. My opinion. Non ai is one of those odd retro applied terms when you think about it.

I have a set of focal lengths all K era with factory rings. Although not a bunch of money was needed to get them it took a minute to get them all.
 
Last edited:
Contarama said:
There is another option concerning conversions which is a factory conversion kit but there is the problem of the scarcity of the rings. Thousands and thousands of Nikkors were made so for most of them it is probably no big deal to hack them at least it keeps them in use. Some non ai probably should not be messed with though. My opinion. Non ai is one of those odd retro applied terms when you think about it.

I have a set of focal lengths all K era with factory rings. Although not a bunch of money was needed to get them it took a minute to get them all.
Click to expand...

I agree this is a good option but in practice I have found it difficult to achieve. About a decade back I found a seller on eBay who was offering his last few conversion kits for various early Nikkor lenses (a "conversion kit" in effect is just the relevant lens ring factory made with the AI conversion so you do not need to cut it yourself) . I bought one for my 1970 (approx), Nikkor 50mm f2 which is a beautiful little lens which is sharp and has lovely rendering. But he had not a single other conversion kit that I could use - they were all for lenses I did not own. I have checked from time to time but seldom see the kits for sale online.

The problem is that the kits for common and popular Nikkor lenses sold like hotcakes when they were available (and they have not been available from the factory for many decades). Also Nikon regularly made cosmetic upgrades to many lenses - and each one required a different version of the conversion kit. Thus for example there was not one conversion kit for, say, a pre AI Nikkor 135mm f3.5. There were several. To make matters worse I believe (not sure) that kits were not never available for some lenses. Fortunately each conversion kit is sensibly numbered and it is easy to find which conversion kit is needed for any lens - all you need is the serial number on your lens as this tells you which model of a specific lens it is. There is a web site that has a table telling you all of the info you then need including the number of the conversion kit required assuming one was ever available. http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html

(Raid you may enjoy looking at this table in any event - the other info it provides is the date of manufacture of each lens within a given serial number range which for some reason I found to be an interesting bit of info with regard to my lenses)

The problem is it is now difficult to find a specific conversion kit. Though I suppose it might be possible to use the ring from a matching trashed lens sold cheaply for parts (assuming of course it is possible to find one of these). One possible source is eBay sourcing from Japan. Japanese owners are serious about condition of their lenses and tend to keep them in good physical condition. But Japan also has humid summers which produce dense fungus blooms on lenses and can kill them this way either by etching the glass or simply because it is uneconomic to CLA any lenses that are more common and cheap to buy in good condition. It is not unusual for these lenses to be sold with low BIN prices on eBay (Japanese sellers in general seem exceptionally honest) and it is a simple matter to remove a ring from the trashed lens and mount it on yours. (Raid I know you doubt your skills in doing such things but if you really wanted to do this a technician should not charge much for the job as it literally takes minutes.)

EDIT: Raid just to tempt you further....🙂 🙂 🙂 Boy this is cheap and with shipping included.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-ED-A...=item2f27e4f2dc:g:1W4AAOSwb8BcDkpw:rk:69:pf:0
 
Peter: I just checked this thread, and the 80-200 has sold! Thanks anyways for the tip. It is "dangerous" to just leave RFF for a day.
 
I had the 80-200 2.8d (push pull) on my D700. Great lens, but that combo is heavy. I only took it out when I knew I was going to use it.

Shawn
 
Fraser said:
I've ai converted at least a dozen lenses its quite easy just take your time and don't file to much!
Plenty of good buys out there I picked this up not too long ago the two touch version, already have a beat up one touch.
Click to expand...

I will have to look out for a clean 80-200 2.8 myself.
 
shawn said:
I had the 80-200 2.8d (push pull) on my D700. Great lens, but that combo is heavy. I only took it out when I knew I was going to use it.

Shawn
Click to expand...

I find it not practical to use a relatively large DSLR and then use only a 50mm lens with it. I may want to get the 80-200 zoom and use it a lot with the DSLR when such a zoom is needed.
 
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