camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Jaime, I use old Nikon lenses with my cameras. There is a gentleman in Michigan by the name of John White that makes these conversions at reasonable prices and the turn around is pretty fast. He has done those conversions for me in the past and I am entirely satisfied.
Once converted the lens will meter with the camera and it is just a matter of programming the camera in the menus to work with the converted lens.
John White
1350 Folkstone Court
Ann Arbor
Michigan 48105.
Phone Number: (734) 662-1734.

jaimeblackwell Loc: Lewiston, Maine

Thank you for all the information. I have found and contacted a gentleman by the Name of John White. He is the owner of AI conversions and he has clarified everything to me. and also said he can convert these old lenses to work on the 7200 and others for only 25.00 each plus return shipping. Thats really a good deal as far as I'm concerned. These lenses can hold there own against any lens out there today! I dont care about auto focus. I grew up in manual mode. Digital cameras have made us lazy in our technic of exposing pictures and capturing moments. just blast off 100 pics and find 5 or ten you like. then you can photo shop them. before this, you knew your equipment and you shot pictures and then sent them in to get developed. You had one shot to get it right.
Sorry for the rant but i have a passion for old style equipment and the ability to use then correctly. True Photography is becoming a lost art!

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

You are not the only one using older lenses... Here is a picture of my Nikon lens cabinet from about 5 years ago. I have added about a dozen more (Mainly older AF) & sold 2. My main niche is macro & I shoot entirely in manual modes...Now to get out with my old Nikon F2 again !!!

(Download)

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I used a 50 MM 1.4 on my d5200 then I started hearing people saying it will work but could ruin the internal electronics of the camera. It wasn't worth
it to me and I stopped using them.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

If it has no electrical contacts, it can't interfere with the cameras electronics. The only possible damage it could do is if it damaged the contacts by the mount for AF lenses. Your AF lenses wouldn't work properly if they were damaged but mounting the older Non-AI lenses should not interfere with them. That said, any binding when mounting any lens should should make one stop & not mount a lens. Look, Nikon said that my old D70s had a non interchangable focus screen, but I changed mine from the bright sceen it came with to an older split screen model with no problems. If you feel insecure in using those older lenses on your D5200, then that is your peragative. I have used M3 tubes (Non-AI on my D300 & my D7100 without problems but it doesnt have a skirt that extends past the mount & I am still able to use my AF lenses as they are. Choice is yours to do what you feel most comfortable with. Google using Non-AI lenses on DSLR's and see what others are saying. Actually, look for people who have had issues, not people just repeating what they have read/heard.

CathyAnn Loc: Apache Junction, AZ

I have a non-AI lens that I use on my D5500. Wanting to use it on my D7100, I contacted Nikon customer support about using that lens on it. I was told under no uncertain terms to do NOT use any non-AI lens on it.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

That is correct. The entry level Nikon DSLR's are the only ones beside the Df that unmoddified Nikkor Non-Ai lenses can be used on without damaging the camera. 3rd party Non-Ai lenses can be used as long as they don't have an aperture "skirt" that extends down below the mount face & they do not bind unpon mounting. That said, most 3rd party lenses at that time were only consumer grade & not worth using.

dar_clicks Loc: Utah

Just being Nikon F mount doesn't tell the whole story. A few years ago, before I bought my D700, I went to a well-regarded camera store with my favorite 24mm and 85mm non-AI lenses and asked whether they would work on the D700. They were tried on a store D700 and after moving a tab (probably AI-follower tab) on the camera body, it seemed to mount and work okay. I later took a close look on my own and realized that a tab would definitely be bent and made useless on my D700 if I tried to do the same thing. Both my F and D700 obviously have a Nikon F mount and some pre-AI basic devices will work on both, but I will not use any pre-AI lens on the D700 unless it is so simple (like T-mount or old tubes) that has no conflicting connections. Yep, I bought newer versions of the 24 and 85 lenses and like them just fine ... and they also work great on the old F (functionally totally equal on the F only because mine are AF-D, not G lenses which would have some limitations).

Another thing to consider is that the lens elements' coatings might be a lot better on a new lens than on previous versions, and therefore yield better results on a digital camera which has a fussier sensor compared to film. Inadequate or no coatings on an old lens can cause "ghosting" when the digital camera faces some specular or other bright light sources, but not too likely if lens is properly shaded, etc.

forjava Loc: Half Moon Bay, CA

Often on eBay, non-AI (Auto, pre-AI) lenses are named as such but have been retrofitted with Nikon's factory-AI kit, converting them to the later AI mount. In other words, often, the seller does not know the offered lens carries the kit and so is more versatile and useful than a pre-AI lens lacking this update. Look for small white numbers under the fork/prong of Auto lenses; prong should have two "nostrils" rather than being solid.

The Nikon kit is about extending the life of an Auto lens, [i]via[/] the mount -- not about lens-camera digital communication. Don't bother trying to buy just these kits, for most lenses you are likely to have. Just buy a converted lens. These are readily found.

You can mill (trim) the bottom of an Auto lens to get you where the Nikon kit does. In my case I planned to do that and then realized that these lenses will endure for hundreds of years, as have my 18-th century decorative arts; we are just the transient custodians of Auto lenses; that is, we owe a responsibility to these lenses' integrity. Accordingly, you can consider how you feel about editing the intact form of an Auto lens beyond the maker's intent. In the case of 18th C furniture, the respect -- value -- always moves toward the pristine.

Similarly, many sellers fail to understand that Auto lenses with .C on the lens front are later and better-coated. For example, prefer the (later) 50mm f/1.4 S.C to the (earlier) 50mm f/1.4 S.

Finally, as one hog here has more or less said, consult (believe only) your user's manual about compatibility. Elsewhere, you may or may not encounter deficient information.