400mm f3.5 + TC301 on D2X - problems

Pierro

Senior Member
Just in case anyone still reads this section despite no posts since Sep 2011

Just purchased a TC301 for my 400 / f.35 Ai, and set to Manual + Ap priority, i get F32 in the display, and the aperture ring does not change it.
I have the NON CPU data entered in the menu for this lens, and also have Aperture Ring set in the menu I guess i'm not doing something, but cant figure out what.?

Just going to add this... Mounting the lens without the TC, the correct aperture ( F3.5 ) shows in the display. As stated, the lens FL and max ap have been correctly entered in the Non CPU data Menu. No problem there - moving the aperture ring changes what aperture is displayed.
Soon as the TC is mounted, I get F32 in the display and nothing will change it.

Just for curiosity, I went to the Non CPU data menu and changed this to 800mm F7 ( actually it was F7.1 ) , as these are the correct figures with a 2x TC. But all this did was just change the displayed aperture as F64, and still unable to change aperture using the Ap ring. So that didnt help at all
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
From what I gather from what you've described here, it seems to me that the problem isn't with the camera but with the 40mm AI lens. I'm thinking that the TC301 isn't compatible with the lens. The lens alone will work with the camera as you have it set up, but the problem seems to be with the TC301 AND the lens mounted together. Did you check with Nikon on the compatibility of this combination? I suspect this could be the issue here. Perhaps others may have a differing opinion.
 

Pierro

Senior Member
Thanks Jack - yes i did my research in some depth before the purchase. This is a compatible combo according to many Pro reviewers. I'm stumped on this completely.

My lens doesnt even reach F32 on its own , only F22. It seems ( complete guess ) that a coupling lever in the TC is not connecting with the lens and /or the body. I dont know which or even if thats the problem. But something's amiss, as the aperture ring on the lens should change the aperture reading in the display, but it does nothing. Thats why i'm thinking its a coupling rpoblem
 

Pierro

Senior Member
Ok, a quick test with the TC mounted to the lens , but without mounting to the body at all. Looking through the combo of TC and Lens, the aperture ring works fine. So the problem only presents itself when the TC/Lens is mounted on the camera. It suggests that something ( one of the prongs / levers ) is not engaging where it should ? Just a guess - i'm not good at the workings and mechanics of lenses and bodies
 

fotojack

Senior Member
OK......just a thought here.......what if you went straight Manual mode and no Ap priority....see if that works. Other than that, you may be right about it not engaging properly. Hopefully the TC has a warranty and you can get it repaired.
 

Pierro

Senior Member
I'll try full manual Jack and see if that changes anything. Although this shouldnt be the case. I've read many articles by famed pro Nikon guys and this TC has been documented to work in M and A as a minimum.

No warranty i'm afraid. It was a used Ebay purchase, though i can get my money back, but i cant leave it too long

I've noticed one of the ( indexing levers ?? ) on the rear of the TC ( body mount side ) levers is unsprung, the others have a spring tension to them that make them return to position, but this one, the largest, flops around and is totally unsprung. I dont know if this is normal or not

8dxq3q7ghj.jpg
 

fotojack

Senior Member
Unsprung lever....hmmmm...doesn't sound good to me, mate. Let me guess...you got this for a really good price? Perhaps this is why he was selling it in the first place. Just a thought. Any chance of looking at a brand new one to compare?

Do you have any good Nikon repair facilities near you? This still might be fixable.
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
Maybe it's the lens spring that will put tension on that lever. I remember reading that there is a mounting order. Not sure if you have to mount the lens to the extender and then the extender to the body or the other way around. Try that for fun and let us know if it does change something. I remember while on vacation I had the same kind of problem with an extension tube. And it was the mounting order that I hadn't done right.
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
[FONT=Trebucht MS, Arial, Helvetica]Pierro, I don't know if you have this, but it's something I found that may be of some help or interest to you.


Operation
Connecting Lens and Teleconverter Position the lens in the Teleconverter's bayonet mount so that the aperture index on the lens is aligned with the lens mounting index on the teleconverter; then while holding the aperture ring of the lens, turn the lens counterclockwise until it click-stops into position. To remove: While depressing the lens release button on the teleconverter and holding the aperture ring of the lens, turn the teleconverter clockwise until it comes off.

Mounting on the Camera Body Position the lens/teleconverter assembly in the camera's bayonet mount so that the camera mounting index on the teleconverter is aligned with the lens mounting index on the camera body; then while holding the aperture ring of the lens or the teleconverter, turn the lens/teleconverter assembly counterclockwise until it click-stops into position. When mounting on a camera with a meter coupling lever (Ai-type), make sure that the camera's meter coupling lever is correctly positioned; when mounting on a camera without this lever (non-Ai-type), "manual" maximum aperture indexing is required. In both cases, refer to the respective camera!s instruction manual.

To remove: While depressing the lens release button on the camera body and holding the aperture ring of the lens or the teleconverter, turn the lens/teleconverter assembly clockwise until it comes off.
[/FONT]
 

LensWork

Senior Member
I've noticed one of the ( indexing levers ?? ) on the rear of the TC ( body mount side ) levers is unsprung, the others have a spring tension to them that make them return to position, but this one, the largest, flops around and is totally unsprung. I dont know if this is normal or not

8dxq3q7ghj.jpg

The lever that you have pointed out is the lens speed indexing post (3 in the image below). This lever will flop around when the teleconverter is not mounted to a lens. It is a transfer bar type lever that is positioned by mating to the corresponding lever on the lens. Digital bodies such as the D2 series rely on the meter coupling ridge (4 in the image below) for metering with non-CPU lenses . On an Ai lens this ridge turns as the aperture is changed; this ridge is fixed on a teleconverter and does not turn with the the aperture ring on the lens. This is why the aperture setting is not functioning on the D2. There is nothing wrong, just the D2 lacks the coupling (lens speed indexing post) to determine the aperture as set on the lens.

TCreferencemap.gif
 
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Pierro

Senior Member
Thanks all for your help -Jack, Marcel... i had already tried different methods of mounting the TC and lens in combinations, and nothing works

Lenswork - thanks for that detailed info.. makes things very clear now, but still not sure why i get proper readings from f3.5 to f22, when starting in this direction, but not backwards from f22 to f3.5, where the ap ring no longer works, and the display remains at f22...see below

I had got to the point where i could get to see F3.5 in the display, as long as i had the aperture ring on F3.5 ( obviously ), and the aperture coupling tab on the TC ( body mount side ) pushed round to its natural stop. Then, as the aperture ring was moved from F3.5 to F4 / F5.6 / F8 / etc etc, the display would show all apertures correctly as I moved the Ap ring towards the minimum aperture.

But....soon as I moved the Ap ring back from minimum, to maximum , the display remains at F22 and the Ap ring no longer works. I have to start again by getting a finger nail onto the Ap coupling lever on the body side mount of the TC, push this to its stop, then i get the display changing immediately to F3.5 again, and as before, i can then go to F4/ F5.6 and all the way to F22, and the display will show each aperture in turn. And once again, soon as i reverse the action and come back to F3.5, the display remains at F22, and Ap ring does not work at all on its way back to F3.5. Then i have to use the fingernail once more to shift the Ap coupling lever back to its stop....blah blah

PS what i called the Ap coupling lever is the one you pointed ( No. 4 ) on the diagram, Lenswork. Thats the little lever that i keep moving with my fingernail when TC and lens is mounted on the D2x
 
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Pierro

Senior Member
Problem solved.

The track that coupling tab on the TC runs in, thats the tab that lines up with the aperture tab on the lens, was slightly dinged in. It took some better eye glasses to spot the ding, it was that small. It was this ding that was grabbing the tab and not letting it spring back.
 

fotojack

Senior Member
Problem solved.

The track that coupling tab on the TC runs in, thats the tab that lines up with the aperture tab on the lens, was slightly dinged in. It took some better eye glasses to spot the ding, it was that small. It was this ding that was grabbing the tab and not letting it spring back.

Good news. :) Glad ya got it fixed. Life is good, isn't it? :)
 

Pierro

Senior Member
Yeah life can be good - if you dont weaken, as my elders used to say !

I did a sample shot today after fixing the TC last night. A 200 ft shot, 800mm @ effective f7. The 4,200 pix 100% crop is a bit ropey, but once downsized to something reasonable like 1500, then IQ looks better
 

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