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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bob Blaylock" data-source="post: 560247" data-attributes="member: 16749">Interestingly, unless I've been misinformed, non-AI lenses (those made before about 1978) cannot safely be used on the D7200; that there's a genuine risk of damaging a D7200 if you try, unless they've had the AI modification done to them.  <a href="https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/14439/~/can-i-use-my-lens-from-my-old-camera-on-a-new-digital-slr%3F" target="_blank">Nikon claims that the DF is the only DSLR that can use non-AI lenses</a>, but my D3200, my three old non-AI lenses, and I <a href="http://nikonites.com/prime/24774-lets-see-those-manual-focus-lenses-post344481.html#post344481" target="_blank">disagree with Nikon</a> on this matter.  The issue has to do with a change in 1978 to the method of coupling the lens' aperture ring to the camera's meter.  Before then, this one done using the shoe that is prominently-visible on nearly all older Nikon lenses, and a pin on the camera that engages that shoe.  The newer Aperture Indexing (AI) method, involved a tab on the camera that engages a notch cut into the aperture ring.  Non-AI lenses don't have this notch cut into the ring, to fit that tab, and there's a risk of damaging that tab if you try to mount a non-AI lens on an AI camera.  The D7x00 and higher models all have an AI tab, so that they can couple with older non-electronic AI lenses.  So you have metering with these lenses, and even automatic exposure control, but you cannot safely use non-AI lenses.  The D3x00 and D5x00 models do not have an AI tab.  This means that they cannot do exposure metering or automatic exposure with anything but fully-electronic lenses.  But it also means, contrary to what Nikon claims, that you can safely mount and use old non-AI lenses, which work with exactly the same expected limitations as non-CPU AI lenses; you can only use them in M mode, and have to control everything manually.</blockquote>

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