Nikkormat FTn lens advice needed.

[George Mann]

How would I identify this version?

Miha seems to know more about these lenses than I do.

 

[KerrKid]

The FM, FE, and F3 will let you flip the AI follower out of the way so you can use non AI lenses in stop down metering with no damage to the camera. Your FTN will use any lens that has the rabbit ears and if you look at AIS and some of the early auto focus lenses you'll see two little dimple around the f5.6 mark where the ears can be mounted. Biggest problem wiyh your camera is that it uses the discontinued Mercury 1.3 volt battery, but there are work arounds, a hearing aid battery placed inside a #10 "O" ring will work but life is short. Thers an adapter I believe called a L-9 that will allow you to use the 1.5 LR and SR batteries. If you move up to the Nikkormat FT2 you can use the 1.5 battery and stll use your Non AI lens. By the way, you can tell the differenc in AI and Non AI by the rabbit ears Non AI are solid AI have holes in them, If no rabbit ears, probably AIS or Series E. I still have my FTN, mostly from nostalgia, in 68 in Natrang, RVN, as I was climbing out of a truck a rocket exploded , 3 pieces shrapnel in my torso, 2 hit the back of the camera and the rest went into the door. Without the camera hanging around my neck all 5 would have been in me!

Thank you for this information. Yes indeed the FM and FE do have that little tab that flips out of the way. Nice.

I wasn't sure about the battery. The hearing aid battery and o-ring will probably suffice for now. I do have a metal Weincell ring that I pulled off of one of those batteries that I use with hearing aid batteries as well. I may spring for the adapter if I find I'm using the camera more.

A Vietnam vet, huh? I was fortunate to miss that one. Good story. It wasn't your time, yet.)

 

[FriedLouisStudio]

It's not difficult to identify particular versions of Nikkor lenses when there are outstanding resources like these to consult:

Nikon Lenses

Nikkor 50mm f/2 and 50mm f/1.8 Standard Lenses

This web site documents my Nikon F collection and is trying to show the evolution of the Nikon F System. The site is not finished (will never be) and I am continously adding subjects.

www.destoutz.ch

 

[KerrKid]

It's not difficult to identify particular versions of Nikkor lenses when there are outstanding resources like these to consult:

Nikon Lenses

Nikkor 50mm f/2 and 50mm f/1.8 Standard Lenses

This web site documents my Nikon F collection and is trying to show the evolution of the Nikon F System. The site is not finished (will never be) and I am continously adding subjects.

www.destoutz.ch

Thanks! That's a goldmine of information.

 

[FriedLouisStudio]

Absolutely. The level of detail available from those sites is just amazing.

 

[jimjm]

Another great resource is Richard de Stoutz's Nikon F Topology site. Mostly F and F2 bodies and earlier lenses, but also a section on Nikkormats.

 

[FriedLouisStudio]

Uh, that's one of the sites I linked to above. I just didn't go to the top-level contents page, I went right to 50mm lenses.