g-fi
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2008
- Messages
- 401
- Reaction score
- 45
- Location
- Ohio
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
So, I have been trying to purge some of my gear that I no longer use, and as I went around listing my lens various places, I listed a 24mm and 50mm AiS lens here in the Buy and Sell forum. This evening I get an inquiry from a forum member and after a bit this member says that with his research, he believes that my 50mm AiS lens that I have listed is actually a pre-Ai lens due to the markings on the front of the lens. This baffles and confuses me because I have USED this lens on my D50, I know without a doubt that it mounts to my camera with no issues. A little bit of history on this lens, it's one that was passed down to me from my father who was an amateur astronomer in his college days, he was the original owner of the lens so I didn't purchase this lens from another seller thinking it was an AiS lens. In researching the pre-Ai lens, I notice that the markings on MY lens do match most of the markings on all the reference pictures of the pre-Ai lens. (Namely, the Nikkor-S Auto wording), but my lens is absent the "Nippon Kogoku Japan" markings. The mount DOES appear to be identical to the pre-Ai mounts, and everything I have read says that the pre-Ai mounts will damage a modern dslr. Now, confused, I took the lens out of its bag, and MOUNTED IT TO MY D50. Then I took *this* picture:
DSC_0159 by G-Fi, on Flickr
Here is a picture of the lens mounted to my D50: (camera is in manual, 1/30, f/11, before the above picture was taken, picture above was taken at f/2.0, 1/45)
So... what's the deal? I have a hard time imagining that my dad had this lens modified as all the websites I've read said that you have to in order to mount it to a modern dslr, but I don't know for sure as he passed away before the gear was given to me. The lens mount doesn't appear to be modified at all. Have I been playing Russian roulette with my camera every time I've used this lens and not been aware? I haven't used the lens much as almost immediately after I got this set of gear, I purchased a 50mm 1.8 AF and I'm lazy and prefer my autofocus. BUT, I have used it!
I'm leaning towards the dumb luck theory, that somehow despite everything saying it should damage my camera, it simply hasn't, because it appears to mostly be a pre-Ai lens. I am putting myself in photographers time-out for assuming that since it mounted, and worked, and I never really looked very closely at the lens, that it was an AiS lens. I'll be relisting it as a pre-Ai lens since apparently people still want them, I'm just kinda dumbfounded and a little embarrassed.
DSC_0148 by G-Fi, on Flickr
The offender
DSC_0149 by G-Fi, on Flickr
DSC_0159 by G-Fi, on Flickr
Here is a picture of the lens mounted to my D50: (camera is in manual, 1/30, f/11, before the above picture was taken, picture above was taken at f/2.0, 1/45)
So... what's the deal? I have a hard time imagining that my dad had this lens modified as all the websites I've read said that you have to in order to mount it to a modern dslr, but I don't know for sure as he passed away before the gear was given to me. The lens mount doesn't appear to be modified at all. Have I been playing Russian roulette with my camera every time I've used this lens and not been aware? I haven't used the lens much as almost immediately after I got this set of gear, I purchased a 50mm 1.8 AF and I'm lazy and prefer my autofocus. BUT, I have used it!
I'm leaning towards the dumb luck theory, that somehow despite everything saying it should damage my camera, it simply hasn't, because it appears to mostly be a pre-Ai lens. I am putting myself in photographers time-out for assuming that since it mounted, and worked, and I never really looked very closely at the lens, that it was an AiS lens. I'll be relisting it as a pre-Ai lens since apparently people still want them, I'm just kinda dumbfounded and a little embarrassed.
DSC_0148 by G-Fi, on Flickr
The offender
DSC_0149 by G-Fi, on Flickr