Would appreciate any tips/tricks (if there are any) on using non-cpu lenses with Nikon D200. I've inherited Nikkors in 28mm; 35 mm; 55 mm and 135 mm. I know how to set my camera for non-cpu lens data. This is probably a stupid question, but do you have to attach the lens at a specific f/stop even though it's not communicating with the box? Any other tips or issues you've run into would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I only have one non-CPU lens and it fits onto my body with an adapter (it's a Tokina) -- there isn't a specific aperture it needs to first be on before I mount it. I would go to a site like kenrockwell.com and search to see if those lenses can safely be mounted before doing it. I know some lenses mount more 'into' the body than they should and your mirror can get broken if it's the wrong type. Hope that helps a little!
@lesphoto - I've got a D200 and have had many non-cpu lenses. Once you set the maximum aperture on the camera, the camera will be able to detect approximately what f/stop you're currently on. The lens does not need to be at any specific f/stop when you attach the lens.
Your main issue will be with using a flash since the lens cannot communicate distance information to the camera. My results with non-cpu lenses on my D200 with TTL flash metering have been hit and miss.
There is little risk to mirror interference with old Nikon lenses, unless you're using the fisheye lenses that are designed for mirror lockup. (you won't accidentally mount this on your camera is very obvious that the last element mounts very close to the film plane / sensor)
You also have to be sure that your lenses are AI or AIS. (All lenses made after 1977 are AI indexed and can mount on the D200 except for those fisheye lenses designed for mirror lockup) If you attempt to mount a non-AI lens on the D200 you can damage the mount.
I have some old lenses too, that can only be manually focused (but I have a D5000, which hasn't got an auto-focus motor built in), I found out recently that there's a little green dot in the viewfinder that lights up when it's in focus, which is really useful.
@sudweeks Josh - Thank you very much - this helps tremendously. I think what's throwing me is the fact that the f/stop reading on the box and the one the lens is set at aren't matching up at all. I thought I'd read that even with non-cpu lenses you still could use ap priority. If the camera is saying one thing, but in truth it's something else - how can it properly compute shutter speed? I will definitely check out the site mentioned. Thank you very much for taking the time to address my questions.
@wormentude the D200 has that "little green dot" as well. Assumed that wouldn't work with these lenses, but nice to know it does! Thank you for your reply.
@sudweeks Me again... been fooling with these things this morning - managed to get 50mm and 55 mm to work fine and jive with box readings. I must have some pre '77 lenses (which is quite possible) because they're not reading correctly. Will save for future when I pick up some film again. Thanks again for your help.
@lesphoto - Good to hear you got a few of them working. If you have multiple non-cpu lenses with different maximum apertures, it's easy to forget to change the lens info in the camera, which will lead to the camera reporting an incorrect aperture.
@sudweeks Thanks again Josh - I did look at your site and a subsequent one where I could look up lens based on serial number. Didn't force anything so "so no mounts were damaged" in this little experiment. The mounts were the problem with the data being incorrectly reported. (Well lets be truthful - first I entered the largest # not ap and was getting readings like 64!) Really appreciate your help.
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Your main issue will be with using a flash since the lens cannot communicate distance information to the camera. My results with non-cpu lenses on my D200 with TTL flash metering have been hit and miss.
There is little risk to mirror interference with old Nikon lenses, unless you're using the fisheye lenses that are designed for mirror lockup. (you won't accidentally mount this on your camera is very obvious that the last element mounts very close to the film plane / sensor)
You also have to be sure that your lenses are AI or AIS. (All lenses made after 1977 are AI indexed and can mount on the D200 except for those fisheye lenses designed for mirror lockup) If you attempt to mount a non-AI lens on the D200 you can damage the mount.
This site has a lot of good information on older Nikkor lenses. http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/
Nikon's site has some information on how to tell if your lens is AI, AI-S or Non-AI. (Both AI and AIS will work on your D200, non-AI can damage the mount if you attempt to force it on) http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5366/~/what-is-the-difference-between-an-ai-lens,-an-ai-s-lens,-and-non-ai-lens%3F