new to photography need help please

hello fellow Nikon users, I need Help please I have a Nikon D3200 I bought on Amazon a zoom lens
TOP-MAX® 420-800mm f/8.3-16 High Definition Telephoto Lens for Nikon.

it appears to work ok but The picture I record is very dark before I take the shot the pic on the display screen is fine but on play back I have nothing I have to use the camera on M setting as on all the other settings the screen says lens not attached what am I doing wrong. thanks for your help in advance.

Chris

f/8.3 and f/16 are very small apertures for a DSLR. It sounds as the you're so under-exposing the image there's no light being recorded. Either slow your shutter speed down, or raise the ISO. Or both.

In either case, I doubt you'll be happy with the results as those types of lenses have only one purpose to exist: To separate you from your money. They're really, and I hate to be the one to break it to you,.......... junk.

I would suggest that this lens is not being advertised correctly on Amazon. It may be suitable for the Nikon F-mount, and therefore "can" mount to your D3200, but with the widest aperture being f/8.3 I don't believe your camera will be able to autofocus with it. That also has me questioning their "High Definition" designation.

Can you post a sample image that you got from your picture with this lens attached? The EXIF data will help match up the camera settings and any info that the lens might be reporting back to the body. My suspicion is that the lens is not reporting anything, and thus why you need to shoot pure manual mode.

Otherwise, welcome to Nikonites!

RocketCowboy said:

... I don't believe your camera will be able to autofocus with it..........

Click to expand...

The lens is not advertised as AF. Perhaps you mean it's too dark to even use the Green Dot in the viewfinder to confirm focus.

480sparky said:

The lens is not advertised as AF. Perhaps you mean it's too dark to even use the Green Dot in the viewfinder to confirm focus.

Click to expand...

Good point and I completely missed that.

Thanks Sparrky slowed down the shutter speed got a pic how do i raise the ISO?
I like this site

Chris Lilley said:

Thanks Sparrky slowed down the shutter speed got a pic how do i raise the ISO?
I like this site

Click to expand...

See page 37 of the user's manual.

Welcome to the forum.

Chris... That lens is a full manual lens. You will have to manually set the aperture and the focus on that lens.

Thanks all for your help I have been out playing and have managed to get some reasonable pics with your help. More practice I think.

you can post some of your pics so we can see it... anyway, welcome to nikonites my friend

Welcome to the forum

Welcome to the forum! Keep at it--practice makes better!

Welcome

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

If you have no idea of what exposure to set, here is a work around, using a CPU lens to give the exposure.
. Mount a lens with CPU. The kit 18-55 will do.
. Set ISO to 400.
. Set it in aperture priority mode "A".
. Point it at the object you want to shoot.
. The rear display should display the exposure speed.
. Now note the speed.
. Mount your Zoom.
. Set the mode to "M".
. Set the aperture ring on the lens to 16.
. Set speed to what you noted.
. Focus & Shoot. Your exposure should be correct.

If you shoot RAW, you can compensate the exposure by at least 3 stops either way.