NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3

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Internet Message Format | 1993-01-23 | 17.2 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!paladin.american.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!bogus.sura.net!udel!gvls1!tredysvr!ubbpc!kjm From: kjm@ubbpc.tredydev.Unisys.COM (Ken J. McFadden) Newsgroups: rec.photo Subject: Nikon FAQ Message-ID: <1048@ubbpc.tredydev.Unisys.COM> Date: 22 Jan 93 23:31:46 GMT Organization: Unisys UNIX Portation Center, Blue Bell, PA Lines: 320 The Nikon FAQ for rec.photo is posted about once a month. Last Updated: January 22, 1993 I got a chance to put a little more information into the faq recently. It includes my understanding of AF-D and AF-I. Apparently many people are confused and think that AF-D and AF-I are the same thing, while AF-I CANNOT AF on Nx00x bodies, AF-D CAN AF on them. See question 2 below. This confusion has lead to a lot of Cannon (Canon?) Fodder lately, so I thought that I'd put in my 2 cents worth. Feel free to send comments and suggestions to me. Please note my new, improved and still long winded address: tredysvr!ubbpc!kjm@gvls1.vfl.paramax.com ================================================================================ 1) Mail order ads sometime list AIS, AF and AF-AIS, are all of these autofocus lenses? No. All autofocus lenses incorporate AIS metering, but if the ad doesn't mention AF then the lens is almost certainly manual focus. ================================================================================ 2) Can I use manual focus lenses on auto focus bodies and vice versa? In general the answer is YES, however there are some restrictions. Some older manual focus lenses should never be mounted on the more recent bodies. Plus you may lose certain camera features like programmed exposure mode on some bodies when you use manual focus lenses. A chart below explains the restrictions. The categories of lenses are: "pre AI" - [F-mount + meter-coupling-shoe] MOUNTING "pre AI" LENSES ON SOME CAMERAS CAN DAMAGE THEM; lenses not incorporating AI meter coupling "ridge" to indicate aperture ring setting to the meter ("pre AI" lenses have a "shoe" instead, this shoe is found on some later lenses); "pre AI" lenses include all lenses manufactured prior to 1977?; Nikon used to offer an upgrade service to convert older lenses to AI, but now this service is only offered by a few camera repair shops AI - [F-mount + meter-coupling-shoe + AI-metering] lenses that incorporate AI metering feature introduced in 1977 (1978?) Series E - [F-mount + AI-metering] same as AI (expect missing meter coupling shoe for "pre AI" bodies), lenses in this series are less expensive and marketed toward people who purchased the inexpensive EM body AI-S - [F-mount + meter-coupling-shoe + AI-S-metering(=AI + something)] upgrade to AI standard - changes include: 1) a scoop that indicates if lens is 135mm or longer & 2) a tab on the lens to indicate maximum aperture(?) (this is outdated for CPU bodies as CPU lenses now indicate this electronically); offers some vague features to certain cameras, like: choosing high/low speed programs on FA, permits matrix metering on F4, ... F3AF - [F-mount + meter-coupling-shoe + AI-S-metering + AF-by-lens-motor] original AF offered in 1983; only 2 or 3 lenses in this series; can only AF on F3AF and F4, no other bodies have the software to drive their AF mechanisms; never really took off and Nikon forgot about AF until Minolta and others made a go at it years later AF - [F-mount + AI-S-metering + AF-by-body-motor + CPU] newer AF introduced slightly after Minolta AF SLRs came out; first lenses to incorporate CPUs; unlike earlier F3AF lenses, these use a motor in the camera body to focus the lens AI-P - [F-mount + AI-S-metering + CPU] manual focus, but includes a CPU which is necessary for certain features on certain bodies; only lens in this series is 500mm f/4 EDIF P AF-D - [F-mount + AI-S-metering + CPU + AF-by-body-motor + distance-encoder] upgrade to AF that includes an encoder to indicate how far way the subject is from the camera - this information is used for calculating exposure with the new matrix metering introduced with the N90 AF-I - [F-mount + AI-S-metering + CPU + AF-by-lens-motor + distance-encoder] new motor in lens style AF; only F4 and N90 have software to drive their AF mechanisms; only the N90 takes advantage of the distance encoding \ "pre" Series Body \ AI AI E AI-S F3AF AF AI-P AF-D AF-I -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F | M M M+1 M M M+1 M+1 M+15 M+15 F2 | M M M+1 M M M+1 M+1 M+15 M+15 F2A[S] | M M M M M M M M+5 M+5 F3 | M M M M M M M M+5 M+5 F3AF | M M M M A M M M+5 M+5 EM | - M M M M M M M+5 M+5 FG | - M M M M M M M+5 M+5 FG-20 | - M M M M M M M+5 M+5 FA | - M M M M M M M+5 M+5 FM | M M M M M M M M+5 M+5 FM2 | - M M M M M M M+5 M+5 FE | M M M M M M M M+5 M+5 FE2 | - M M M M M M M+5 M+5 F4 | M M+23 M+23 M+2 A+2 A M A+5 A+5 N2000 | - M M M M M M A+5 M+5 N2020 | - M M M M A M A+5 M+5 N4004[s] | - M+234 M+234 M+234 M+234 A M A+5 M+5 N5005 | - M+23 M+23 M+23 M+23 A M A+5 M+5 N6000 | - M+23 M+23 M+23 M+23 M M M+5 M+5 N6006 | - M+23 M+23 M+23 M+23 A M A+5 M+5 N8008[s] | - M+23 M+23 M+23 M+23 A M A+5 M+5 N90 | - M+23 M+23 M+23 M+23 A M A A M = manual focusing only (even if both body and lens support some form of auto focus) A = auto focus possible - = mounting "pre AI" lenses on these bodies will squash AI mechanism on body, void warranty and most likely damage the camera (NOTE: there are camera repair shops that can convert most "pre AI" lenses to AI) + = restricted functionality, see definitions of numbers following the "+" below 1 = need meter coupling shoe added to aperture ring for older style camera meters to work 2 = lose program and shutter priority exposure modes 3 = lose matrix metering 4 = lose all exposure modes except manual/lose in camera meter 5 = body won't understand the distance-encoder ================================================================================ 3) Many camera bodies today seem to be missing important features like depth-of-field preview or mirror lockup, which bodies offer these features? There is an AF SLR Camera Features FAQ that covers every conceivable feature for all currently available AF SLR's from all of the popular manufactures. My list only covers some features that I consider important, but it covers many of the manual focus bodies too. The other FAQ is posted with the subject "Camera Features List - AF" by glporter@hebe.calpoly.edu (Glen Porter). The chart below indicates some features and which bodies they are found on. The feature abbreviations are listed first. ISO Flsh - uses an ISO flash shoe for mounting standard flashes NS Flsh - uses a non-standard flash shoe PC Flsh - has PC connector for Studio style flash DOF Prvw - has depth-of-field preview MLU - has mirror lockup Mult Exps - allows multiple exposures on a single frame Spot Mtr - has a spot meter Mtrx Mtr - has matrix metering Auto Brck - allows auto bracketing Mech Rls - can use an inexpensive mechanical cable release Elct Rls - can use an expensive electronic "cable" release No Batt - can be used without a battery No Lith - does not use expensive/short lived lithium batteries Expr Lock - has botton for locking metered exposure then changing composition \ ISO NS PC DOF Mult Spot Mtrx Auto Mech Elct No No Expr Body \ Flsh Flsh Flsh Prvw MLU Exps Mtr Mtr Brck Rls Rls Batt Lith Lock -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F | Y Y Y Y+7 Y Y Y F2 | Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y F2A[S] | Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y ? F3 | Y Y Y Y Y Y Y+1 Y+5 Y Y F3AF | Y Y Y Y Y Y Y+1 Y+5 Y Y EM | Y Y+6 Y+2 Y+7 Y Y+5 Y FG | Y Y+6 Y+2 Y+7 Y Y+5 Y FG-20 | Y Y+6 Y+2 Y+7 Y Y+5 Y FA | Y Y Y Y+2 Y Y+8 Y Y+5 Y FM | Y Y Y Y+2 Y Y Y Y FM2 | Y Y Y Y+2 Y Y Y Y FE | Y Y Y Y+2 Y Y Y+5 Y FE2 | Y Y Y Y+2 Y Y Y+5 Y Y F4 | Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y+3 Y Y Y Y N2000 | Y Y+6 Y Y Y N2020 | Y Y+6 Y Y Y N4004[s] | Y Y+6 Y+9 ? Y Y N5005 | Y Y+6 ?+A Y Y Y N6000 | Y Y+6 Y Y Y Y N6006 | Y Y+6 Y Y Y Y Y N8008 | Y Y+4 Y Y Y Y+3 Y Y Y N8008s | Y Y+4 Y Y Y Y Y+3 Y Y Y N90 | Y Y Y ? Y+3 Y Y Y+3 Y Y Y 1 = with accessory motor drive 2 = pseudo MLU - mirror locks up prior to exposure with self-timer 3 = with proper accessory data back 4 = with special adapter 5 = has only 1 shutter speed without a battery 6 = "potentially dangerous" method of depth-of-field preview is possible (see question #8) 7 = "unofficial" method of multiple exposures is possible (see question #9) 8 = FA has AMP (advanced metering pattern?), which was the prototype for matrix metering 9 = N4004[s] matrix metering uses 3 segments instead of 5 A = T (timed exposure) on shutter speed dial delays exposure for 0.5 seconds after pressing shutter release according to Andreas Wolpers (wolpers@ira.uka.de). could this delay be for a pseudo MLU prior to exposure? ================================================================================ 4) What do those obscure lens designations mean? CRC - Close Range Correction: designed to maintain good results even at closest focusing point PC - Perspective control: allows lens to be "shifted" to correct converging verticals (to a certain degree); used for example to make buildings not appear to fall over backward when shooting up at them Micro - Macro to every other manufacturer; lets you take extreme closeups of small objects ED - special glass to keep all colors focused together in telephoto lenses IF - focusing is done inside the lens without front lens element moving Noct - an f1.2 lens that can be shot wide open with good results; point light sources don't cause problems; meant for shooting at night? D - Defocus control (not to be confused with AF-D): let's you adjust where the depth-of-field is in relation to subject (instead of the normal 1/3 in front and 2/3's behind)? ================================================================================ 5) Why does LCD aperture display not always match setting on aperture ring? Newer lenses with CPUs can determine their effective aperture, which may be different from the aperture set on the ring. Camera bodies that can read this information from the lens, display the effective aperature on their LCD displays. The F4 only displays this information on the LCD of MF-23 and MF-24 data backs. CPU lenses that can have different set and effective apertures include: - Micro (marco) lenses, due to bellows factor at high magnifications, and - Non-constant aperture zoom lenses (have smaller effective apertures at longer focal lengths ================================================================================ 6) Nikon USA uses model numbers like "Nx00x[s]" for camera bodies, but every where else in the world they are different. What are the equivalent models? N2000 = F-301 | N5005 = F-401X | N8008 = F-801 N2020 = F-501 | | N8008s = F-801s N4004 = F-401 | N6006 = F-601 | N90 = F90 N4004s = F-401s | N6000 = F-601M | ================================================================================ 7) Can Mirror-lock-up be used on F so that no frames are wasted? Yes. MLU and the shutter release interact on the F. MLU normally occurs after pressing the shutter release - you fire a frame and get MLU on the next one. Also if you advance the film prior to dropping the lockup, you waste a frame because the mirror doesn't come down. The "tapping" technique for MLU without losing frames on the F is: Advance film, compose, turn up lockup, tap shutter release lightly but sharply, fire shutter release using self timer, drop lockup, advance film. ================================================================================ 8) How can I determine depth of field with a body that doesn't have a depth-of-field-preview button? The "safe" method is to use the depth of field markings on the lens barrel, but not all lenses have these markings (most or all AF zooms lack the markings). The "dangerous" method is to unlock the lens from the lens mount and turn it to the position where you would remove it from the body, but hold the lens against the body. At this position the lens is stopped to the set aperture and you get the same effect as a depth-of-field-preview button. You will have to lock the lens in its normal position before making the exposure. BE CAREFUL THAT YOU DON'T DROP YOUR CAMERA AND/OR LENS WHILE USING THIS METHOD. This method is performed by professional stunt photographers; please don't try this at home. >8^) ================================================================================ 9) Can I do multiple exposures on a single frame, if my camera body doesn't have a multiple exposure switch? On some bodies, the answer is yes, sort of. The way to do this is to disengage the film advance and then cock the shutter with the film advance lever. The problem is that the film may still move a little anyway, so frame registration may not be exact. On the Nikon F, turn the film advance/rewind collar to the rewind position before recocking the shutter with the film advance lever. Reset the collar after the completing the last exposure on the frame. On the EM, FG and FG-20, press the film rewind button on the bottom of the camera before recocking the shutter with the film advance lever. It is highly recommended to also press down on the film rewind crank assembly while recocking the shutter to ensure that the film doesn't move too much. The rewind button will reset itself each time the film advance lever is used, so you will have to press the rewind button for each additional exposure you make on the frame. The N8008[s] bodies have a multiple exposure switch. On the other Nx00x series cameras, you are probably out of luck. Built in motor driven film advance and rewind prevent the disengaging of film advance from the non-existant film advance lever. I'm not sure, but the N2000 and N2020 may still have film advance levers, but I'm almost certain that the N4004[s], N5005, N6000 and N6006 all don't. I believe that the frame counter goes up each time you use the film advance lever, even if you don't really move on to the next frame. So you will have to keep track of the actual frame you are on manually. --- Ken McFadden tredysvr!ubbpc!kjm@gvls1.vfl.paramax.com Unisys Corporation burdvax!ubbpc!kjm Open Systems Marketing Services (215) 986-3326 !!! NOTE THE NEW EMAIL ADDRESS (STRANGE, I DON'T WORK FOR PARAMAX) !!!