Help for those of us with adapters at DVinfo.net

Ben Waller · October 2nd, 2007, 05:11 PM

When looking at Nikon lenses on ebay, I noticed some descriptions said, "Non AI'd." What exactly does this mean? Is this a bad thing? Will it not work with our adapters?

David W. Jones · October 2nd, 2007, 07:04 PM

Maybe this will help you.

http://www.nikonlinks.com/unklbil/nomenclature.htm

Steve Wolla · October 2nd, 2007, 10:05 PM

Non-AI lenses were made for use on the earlier Nikon F and F2 cameras.

Nikon lenses used to have to use a prong to hook up with the metering prism on the F and F2. Problem was, once attached to the cam, you could not see the F stop in the viewfinder and you had to set the lens for F/16 (I think that's right) prior to installing the lens on the cam.

The AI series lenses did not require that you index it at F/16 first, just go ahead and put it on. You could also see the F Stop in the viewfinder of certain F2 cameras when using AI (Auto Indexing) lenses.
that was HUGE back then (early '70's, I beleive).

You will often see lenses identified as being AI'd. These are non-AI lenses that have been modified, hopefully by the factory. Cost to do this was $35/lens, I believe.

Be sure you check for fungus, etc when looking at lenses that old. Otherwise optically they're great.

Bill Pryor · October 3rd, 2007, 09:01 AM

I have all non-AI lenses, the slow but sharp ones. I checked with one of the adapter manufacturers some time back and was told they are fine. That was Redrock, and it was over 2 years ago.

The older Nikkor lenses (and possibly some newer ones) usually came in two varieties, the cheaper but significantly faster ones and the more expensive slower ones that were sharper. I always went for the sharper ones, which was great for still photography but probably not so good for this application, because of the light loss from the adapter itself.

Paul Cascio · October 3rd, 2007, 09:16 AM

Bill, are you sure about that? It's been my experience that faster lenses were more expensive.

Thanks

October 2nd, 2007, 05:11 PM	#1
Ben Waller New Boot Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 12	Help for those of us with adapters When looking at Nikon lenses on ebay, I noticed some descriptions said, "Non AI'd." What exactly does this mean? Is this a bad thing? Will it not work with our adapters?

October 3rd, 2007, 09:16 AM	#5
Paul Cascio Trustee Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bristol, CT (Home of EPSN) Posts: 1,192	Bill, are you sure about that? It's been my experience that faster lenses were more expensive. Thanks __________________ Paul Cascio www.pictureframingschool.com

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October 2nd, 2007, 07:04 PM	#2
David W. Jones Trustee Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Little Rock Posts: 1,383	Maybe this will help you. http://www.nikonlinks.com/unklbil/nomenclature.htm

October 2nd, 2007, 10:05 PM	#3
Steve Wolla Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 477	Non-AI lenses were made for use on the earlier Nikon F and F2 cameras. Nikon lenses used to have to use a prong to hook up with the metering prism on the F and F2. Problem was, once attached to the cam, you could not see the F stop in the viewfinder and you had to set the lens for F/16 (I think that's right) prior to installing the lens on the cam. The AI series lenses did not require that you index it at F/16 first, just go ahead and put it on. You could also see the F Stop in the viewfinder of certain F2 cameras when using AI (Auto Indexing) lenses. that was HUGE back then (early '70's, I beleive). You will often see lenses identified as being AI'd. These are non-AI lenses that have been modified, hopefully by the factory. Cost to do this was $35/lens, I believe. Be sure you check for fungus, etc when looking at lenses that old. Otherwise optically they're great.

October 3rd, 2007, 09:01 AM	#4
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	I have all non-AI lenses, the slow but sharp ones. I checked with one of the adapter manufacturers some time back and was told they are fine. That was Redrock, and it was over 2 years ago. The older Nikkor lenses (and possibly some newer ones) usually came in two varieties, the cheaper but significantly faster ones and the more expensive slower ones that were sharper. I always went for the sharper ones, which was great for still photography but probably not so good for this application, because of the light loss from the adapter itself.