Can a pre-AI Nikon 50mm f/2 be used safely on a Nikon D5100?
Asked 2/3/2013
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I have a Nikon 50mm f/2 pre-AI lens and want to know if it can be mounted on a Nikon D5100 without damaging the camera. Are there any compatibility or metering limitations I should be aware of?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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Yes, you're okay on an D5100. Higher-level Nikon bodies (like the D7000) can be damaged when used with pre-1977 lenses, but the D5100 and other bodies with electronic-only coupling will work fine with pretty much any Nikon-mount lens ever.
The D7000 and up have a tab used for metering with the newer lenses, and aren't safe — but that same tab means that you can get proper metering when using newer 20th century lenses.
See http://www.aiconversions.com/compatibilitytable.htm for more; that site also offers conversions so the lenses will work on higher-end bodies, and while the prices look pretty reasonable I've never used them so I can't make an endorsement.
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. A pre-AI Nikon 50mm f/2 can be mounted on a Nikon D5100 without damaging the camera. The D5100 uses electronic-only coupling and does not have the AI meter-coupling tab found on some higher-end Nikon bodies, so the older pre-1977 lens will not harm it.
The main caution is with bodies such as the D7000 and higher models that have the AI coupling tab; mounting an unconverted pre-AI lens on those cameras can cause damage.
On the D5100, expect limited functionality with this manual lens: you’ll be focusing manually, and you may not have normal in-camera metering support with older non-CPU lenses. In practice, that means you may need to use manual exposure and check results on the camera.
So: safe to mount on a D5100, but operation will be mostly manual.
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