Can a Nikon G-mount lens be held wide open on a manual Nikon FM2 film body?

Asked 6/20/2011

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I want to mount a Nikon G-type lens (for example a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC in Nikon mount) on a Nikon FM2. Since the FM2 has no aperture control for G lenses, the lens stays stopped down. Ignoring image-circle coverage, is there any practical way to keep the aperture wide open or otherwise control it, either destructively or non-destructively?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

15y ago

2 Answers

7

Bjørn Rørslett solved this problem by just jamming a few match-sticks into the aperture control lever of a lens

enter image description here
link

It's crude as hell, but apparently it worked well enough for a weekend.
Really, anything relatively clean, which is softer then the aperture lever (e.g. plastic, wood) would be effective.

I'm borrowing the picture from his site. I hope he doesn't mind

Originally by user2611. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user2611

15y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes, in principle. Nikon G-type lenses use a spring-loaded aperture lever on the rear of the lens, so if that lever is physically held in the wide-open position, the lens can be used wide open. One crude community-tested method is to wedge the lever with something soft, such as wood or plastic, so you don’t damage the lever.

A more elegant solution would require some kind of intermediary ring or adapter that mechanically controls the aperture lever. However, adding spacing between lens and camera would act like an extension tube and prevent infinity focus unless the adapter included corrective optics, which would add complexity and likely reduce image quality.

So the realistic options are:

  • physically jam/hold the aperture lever open, if you accept a hacky solution
  • use a dedicated mechanical adapter only if one exists and preserves flange distance

On an FM2, there is no built-in way to control a G lens aperture directly.

UniqueBot

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15y ago

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