SLR Lens Snafu

Fausto

Fausto

semper ubi sub ubi
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After consulting the various online lens compatibility charts, I bought a non-AI lens & mounted it to my F3.

Well, it doesn't work and I can't get it off.

So, what did I do wrong?

Do I have to send it to a professional for repair?

Have I wrecked my gear?

I feel like a real nimrod.:bang:
 
There is a small tab that needs to be flipped up 'out of the way' when mounting a non-AI lens - did you perchance miss that and force the isssue? It engages with the aperature 'collar' to let the camera know what aperature you've set.

Non-AI lenses work fine on the F3 in general, but you're stuck with stop-down metering.
 
BillBingham2 said:
Fausto, any luck?
Click to expand...


No, the thing is stuck & immovable. I don't want to damage it any more than I already have, so I'll have to take it over to Nippon Photo sometime this week. They ought to get a good chuckle over this.

Someone there will have to show me the tab that needs to be flipped up.

I wish some enterprising person would make a series of YouTube videos/podcasts about the care & feeding of "classic cameras"! Wouldn't that be useful?
 
If you post a few photos of the stuck lens it will be easier to diagnose the problem. Are you sure the lens is mounted correctly? Are you an experienced Nikon user? In other words, are you familiar with mounting and removing lenses?

Jarle
 
If the lens went on, it should come off. The ring the tab is mounted to has a little in and out play (at least it does on my F3).

Here's a pic I found on the web that illustrates the AI tab - in this case, it's already flipped up:

VGAF4withTabUp150withText25.jpg


If the tab is only partially obstructed by the aperture ring you may be able to release the button and pry the tab up using a plastic pick or a wooden toothpick.
 
Last edited:
Fausto said:
After consulting the various online lens compatibility charts, I bought a non-AI lens & mounted it to my F3.

Well, it doesn't work and I can't get it off.

So, what did I do wrong?

Do I have to send it to a professional for repair?

Have I wrecked my gear?

I feel like a real nimrod.:bang:
Click to expand...

Non-AI's don't fit well with newer bodies. I have a 55 micro and 85mm non-AI that I can't put on my FM2. I think the mount is the same but you just really really have to twist it to get off.

Which older non-ai did you get?
 
sitemistic said:
"I think the mount is the same but you just really really have to twist it to get off. "

Yikes. I'm not sure this is really good advice. 🙂
Click to expand...

Yep, do it at your own risk 🙂

Seriously, I had my 55mm micro stuck on my FM2. It took a good twisting to get it off.
But yah, if you don't feel good about it, don't do it.

So now you have a good excuse to get an F2 or something just so you can use those old non-ai lenses!
 
Success!!

Finally managed to depress the release button & pry up the tab, without any damage (he says, keeping his fingers crossed).

The other thing that was confusing me was I had accidentally tripped the eyepiece shutter, which I had never used, so the finder was dark....

Thanks for your help everybody, my weekend is saved.

As Peter Cook said, "Yes I've learned from my mistakes, and I'm sure I could repeat them exactly!"
 
eric said:
Which older non-ai did you get?
Click to expand...


The 50mm f2 HC. It's been praised to the skies in a number of places online, and it made me very GASsy.

Now I have to learn how to do stopped-down metering.
 
if you want automatic exposure and open aperture metering with Non AI lenses try a Nikkormat EL (not EL-2). It was the last (and best) camera build for Non AI lenses. Similar in size to your F3. They got very cheap these days. Plus it works with AI lenses the same way, as long as they have the fork on the aperture ring.

cheers, Frank
 
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