WILL ALL MF LENSES WORK ON NIKON FM3A ?

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Can someone tell me whether all manual focus lenses will work on Nikon Fm3A? Does aperture priority function AF lenses only or manual lenses wiil also do?

-- Dinesh Hukmani (dineshhukmani@hotmail.com), August 14, 2001

Answers

All AI or AIS MF lenses will work on your FM3a. All MF and AF lenses will give you aperture priority. Older lenses (pre -77) will need convertion.

-- Trygve Thorsen (trygvethorsen@c2i.net), August 14, 2001.

I believe the new budget G series lenses lack an aperature ring, yes? If so, you would have to adjust exposure by varying shutter speed.

-- Hung James Wasson (HJWasson@aol.com), August 14, 2001.

You're right. I forgot all about the G lenses.

-- Trygve Thorsen (trygvethorsen@c2i.net), August 14, 2001.

Since you are only asking about manual focus lenses, the "G" lenses are not an issue. The previous responses are correct in saying the pre-AI lenses will not be fully compatible. They will require stop down metering. I don't remember if the FM3A has mirror lock up, but if it does not, then some superwide lenses will not be able to be mounted.

-- Ed Farmer (photography2k@hotmail.com), August 14, 2001.

I thought the point of keeping the F mount was compatibility? If that was the case, surely this question was unnecessary?

-- Isaac Sibson (isibson@hotmail.com), August 16, 2001.


It has been many years since 100% compatibility was maintained. The old 8mm, 7.5mm and 6mm lenses required a body with mirror up capabilitity. Shutter priority exposure requires an AI lens. Of, AF requires an AF lens. Most older lenses will not meter with some of the new bodies and the new (low end) "G" lenese require a body capable of setting the aperture. But, the mount is the same and I can use an old 55f1.2 with an N80 if I meter manually.

-- Ed Farmer (photography2k@hotmail.com), August 16, 2001.

The problem is not only the metering, it is simply physically impossible (even possibly harmful to the camera) to mount pre-AI lenses to an FM3a body. When Nikon introduced the AI-system, the new bodys came with an AI-ring around the lens mount, this ring has a small cam that locks into a similar cam around the lens aperture ring. The aperture ring on pre-AI lenses simply conflicts with this cam, risking to damage it. Nikon solved this in the F3, FM and FE (typically cameras that would be bought by owners of old lenses) by making it possible to lock the AI-cam up, thus making room for the aperture ring. On the F4 and F5 this feature is not standard, but Nikon is able to add the feature. On the onther cameras, unfortunately it is simply impossible. This is a shame because there are a lot of very good and very affordable pre-AI lenses still around. The only possibility is converting the old lens with a new Aperture-ring, unfortunaltely, Nikon claims that these conversion kits are exhausted.

-- Johan Perremans (johan@creative-strategies.be), November 23, 2001.

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