Matching Nikon Lenses

[Tosh McCaber]

My son has just purchased a Nikon D50. Like father, like son. I purchased a Nikon F2 some 32 years ago, which has given me great sevice over the years. As well, I have an 80-200mm manual zoom lens, and a 500mm mirror lens, which I purchased along with the F2.

I gave my son a loan of the lenses to use with the D50, since I understood that all Nikon cameras were backward compatible with all their own lenses. Unfortunately, he has told me that he can't get them to work with his camera.

Can anyone tell me whether this is the case, or whether the lenses are just too old?

Thanks for your help.

Tosh

[deckcadet]

The mount is the same- however there are several things:
1) YOUR LENSES MUST BE AI or AI-S or they WILL Seriously Damage his camera.
This is because pre-AI lenses did not have the appropriate cut out for the tabs that are now used to facilitate communication of the lens settings. Putting a non-AI or AI-converted (by milling the aperture ring and not directly replacing it) lens on his D50 will cause severe damage.
The D50 owner's manual discusses this as well.

2) your lenses are manual focus- therefore IF THEY WERE AI OR AIS (see above) he could mount them, but he would need to operate the camera in Manual mode (M mode), setting shutter speed on camera, aperture on the lens aperture ring, focusing manually, and with no metering except guess and check or use an external meter.
modern day lenses are 'chipped' meaning they have a microchip that interfaces with the camera to help with metering. In digital cameras, only the nikon D1 and D2 series cameras and the D200 camera will meter with manual focus lenses that have not been modified with a CPU.

I'm guessing by the purchase date of your F2 (1974) that yours is an F2 Photomic, Photomic S, or SB. If you purchased the Photomic A or AS finders later, then your lenses might be AI. lenses made after 1977 are generally the ones that are AI.

[freygr]

My son has just purchased a Nikon D50. Like father, like son. I purchased a Nikon F2 some 32 years ago, which has given me great sevice over the years. As well, I have an 80-200mm manual zoom lens, and a 500mm mirror lens, which I purchased along with the F2.

I gave my son a loan of the lenses to use with the D50, since I understood that all Nikon cameras were backward compatible with all their own lenses. Unfortunately, he has told me that he can't get them to work with his camera.

Can anyone tell me whether this is the case, or whether the lenses are just too old?

Thanks for your help.

Tosh

With my D70, you have to set the ISO at any setting but "Auto", and use the manual controls with a external light meter.