Page 169 of the owners' manual, says non-AI lenses cannot be used with the D3200…

Bob Blaylock

Senior Member
Page 169 of the owners' manual says non-AI lenses cannot be used with the D3200…

I beg to differ.

50mm ƒ1.4 non-AI Nikkor lens—the stock lens from my ancient Nikon F2 Photomic.
Allie_20130911_202540.jpg

28mm ƒ3.5 non-AI Nikkor lens.
ParkingLot_20130916_000000.jpg Cassiopeia_20130915_.jpg

85-205mm ƒ3.8 non-AI Vivitar zoom lens.
Squirrel_20130909_171924.jpg Moon_20130913_200004.jpg Bird_20130906_145721.jpg Bokeh_20130904_174047.jpg

My early 1970s-vintage non-AI Vivitar zoom lens mounted on my modern Nikon D3200.
2013-09-06_17.57.33.jpg
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
There is a little more to it. The question is, do your newer lenses still work after the non-AI lens damaged the aperture coupling lever in the camera? The camera has this lever sticking out, which the non-AI lenses do not provide for.

nikon non-ai damage - Google Search


https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/14439

Nikon is not idiots, and clearly say:

1. Non-AI lenses cannot be used on new DSLR.
2. AI system added the aperture coupling lever.


Non-AI lenses can be modifed to be compatible with AI systems.
 
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Bob Blaylock

Senior Member
There is a little more to it. The question is, do your newer lenses still work after the non-AI lens damaged the aperture coupling lever in the camera? The camera has this lever sticking out, which the non-AI lenses do not provide for.

nikon non-ai damage - Google Search


https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/14439

Nikon is not idiots, and clearly say:

1. Non-AI lenses cannot be used on new DSLR.
2. AI system added the aperture coupling lever.


Non-AI lenses can be modifed to be compatible with AI systems.

I'm no idiot either. Having heard of rumors that old lenses might damage some newer cameras, I carefully examined both my camera and my lenses before I mounted any of them, to make sure that there was nothing on any of the lenses that would mechanically run afoul of anything on the camera. There is no such issue. There is nothing on the D3200 body that will run afoul of anything on a non-AI lens (at least not anything on any of the non-AI lenses that I have). They fit just fine, and work exactly as the manual says AI lenses would work with this camera.

I gather that there is some plausible risk of a non-AI lens damaging the AI coupling on a camera that uses it. I'm afraid I am not sufficiently familiar with the working of the AI coupling to grasp how this damage occurs. But the D3200 doesn't have an AI coupling.

I suppose we can argue all day about the theories about how damage may or may not occur from using the wrong lenses on this camera, but I have empirical results that prove I am right. The pictures in my OP were all taken using non-AI lenses mounted on my D3200. I've taken many more pictures since then, using these lenses,and before, them, within them, and after them, I've taken pictures using the stock lens that came with the camera. I've not damaged by camera by so doing, and a careful examination of the camera and the lenses shows no manner in which I plausibly could damage it in this manner.
 
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ScotchieBoxy

New member
That's this obvious in a Pre-AIS Mount is a Impossible at Df/DSLR series with Only-Electric Focus [Nikkor's DSLR's type D70/Dx Series] -> Nikon Manual Focus Lens Versions,Nikkor Lens Information by Thom Hogan,Compatibility Table and KEH Camera Blog: Nikon Lenses: Non-AI, AI, AI-S, and AI'd @WayneF "Bob Blaylock" has a right... (But I knowing from a ~half-one month ago...) But Nikon policies is for money about a un-objective compatibility... But that's not bad about a Nikon DSLR Technics addiction... (Megapixels/Functions)
[MENTION=16749]Bob Blaylock[/MENTION]
Besides... You have a good compare... But I want to buy a April 2014' (I am from a Poland...) I Have a planed buy Maybe with Tair-3S :p
Yea. :D I like M42/T-Mount Vintage lenses... Because I have a 55-300 VR [Broken AF]... And After a AF Broke that's will be a very hard to sharp focus... :/ (But on fortunately that's VR Stabilization works around...)
But If I will to buy a Jupiter-37a MC/Tair-11A/Tair-3S when I will be buy a "T-Mount" Adapter for a good sharp-focus focal... Flange focal distance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Nikkor Format haves a "46,50mm",T-Mount format haves a "55mm" and uses M42x0,75 [Normal M42 Uses M42x1]) Becuase That's "T-Mount" lenses is not a same as M42...
When I will be waiting about a "Super-Takumar 50mm f/1,4" Compare [Yea... with a Nikkor 1 is will be perfect sharp. But With a Nikkor F... is not very but that's is possible... - but With a additional Lens is would be sharp a Un-end but that's blurry than without Additional Lenses: Качество изображения на переходник M42 - Nikon с корректирующей линзой. ]
More at T-Mount/Nikkor AIS Lenses [Kiev]: Советская оптика на Nikon. Переходник м42 Nikon. Как использовать советские объективы на камерах Никон [Russian only]
When anyway I will be waiting about a More compares or I will be waiting to a Buy That's DSLR/Lenses...
Thank you...
 

STM

Senior Member
I think what they meant to say is you can't meter (at least not meter coupled) with them. Since the body does not have the meter coupling prong around the lens mount, there should not be any issues at least with mounting it (as opposed to bodies which do and trying to mount them would damage the prong). You will have to work in manual mode and probably stop down meter with it using the depth of field preview button.
 
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