The rubber O ring from my Nikon correction eyepiece is gone

zanxion72

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After yesterday's walk, I noticed that the rubber O ring from my Nikon correction eyepiece is gone. I have no idea how this happened. Can this be replaced with anything? Could the glass be removed and placed in another plain glass eyepiece?
 

Ian C

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The rubber ring surrounding the rear O.D. on the various Nikon correction eyepieces is a proprietary part of the assembly. It is not a common industrial O-ring. To the best of my knowledge, it is not available as a replacement part.

I think that there is no simple way to move the lens from the eyepiece to another. The practical solution is to buy another eyepiece.

Nikon DK-17C -2.0 Correction Eyepiece 4759 B&H Photo Video (bhphotovideo.com)
 
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zanxion72

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It is for the common 19mm eyepiece made for the FEs, FMs, etc.
@macrfred, Unfortunately there is a small path where the rubber gets attached on the eyepiece. Rounded rubber O rings won't stay on.
@Ian C , Thank you! They seem even better than the original one. I will get one right away.
 

mcrokkorx

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zanxion72, do not rush to buy the DK17C -2.0 correction eyepiece in the B&H link posted above until you post back telling us EXACTLY which model Nikon body you own, and whether your current eyepiece is truly corrective (if so, it will be engraved with the diopter strength). If you in fact have an FE/FM/FA, the DK-17 series at 22mm it is the wrong diameter size for the 19mm eyepiece on your body (22mm fits the F3HP, the round eyepiece AF bodies like N90 or 8008, and the higher-end DSLRs like D850, D4, etc). Nikon and its dealers have gotten kinda sloppy with their eyepiece marketing in recent years, as the rise of built-in adjustable eyepieces greatly reduced demand. Shopping by thread size or part number alone is risky: be sure the listing specifies the eyepiece you're looking at fits your specific body name (also check the illustration for similarity).

While the older 19mm size was indeed "common" among many older Nikon film bodies, things can get tricky due to the FE/FM/FA bodies branching off into a distinct separate fitting different from the F, F2, F3 (non-HP) and Nikkormats..The FM/FE/FA share the 19mm threading, but the actual physical size and construction of their eyepieces is narrower and notably smaller than the other 19mm-compatible bodies. The smaller bodies require this narrower fitting so the film door can clear the edge of the eyepiece.

The plain (non-corrective) eyepiece that came with the FM/FE/FA when sold new has a thin metal rim with a rubber coating (no larger than the threaded opening). That original plain eyepiece is the only one with rubber embedded on it: most of the optional corrective versions (-1.0, +1.0, etc) omit the rubber coating. Annoyingly, correction lenses made specific for the FM/FE/FA swap the nice rubber coating for a serrated metal ribbing that will shred eyeglasses in short order. Unfortunately there seems no possible way to add rubber to the FM/FE/FA correction lenses (I've tried everything).

The F, F2, F3 non-HP, and Nikkormats have the same 19mm thread as the FE/FM/FA, but their eyepieces have thicker rims that extend over the 19mm thread opening. These look similar to the DK17C: the rubber ring is removable and transferable to other eyepieces. In most regional markets, the rubber ring is/was only available for purchase with the plain (non-corrective) version (today sold new as the "F3 non-HP replacement eyepiece"). Correction lenses (-2.0, +1.0 etc) are sold without the rubber ring (Nikon assumes you will transfer the rubber ring from your plain eyepiece to the correction eyepiece if desired).

To make things even more complicated, there are situations where using the "wrong" 19mm eyepiece for your camera body can be advantageous. The thicker removable rubber ring on the larger F/Nikkormat version can be preferable on the FM/FE/FA for eyeglass wearers who need good protection plus a corrective diopter (drawback being you'll need to remove the eyepiece each time you load/unload film). OTOH, the thinner rim of the FE/FM/FA eyepieces offer slightly more eye relief, which allows one to see a bit more of the finder screen when used on the F/Nikkormat bodies (drawback being the smaller corrective diopters will scratch eyeglasses).
 
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BrianShaw

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That’s a really great treatise on Nikon eyepieces!

Dumb question: I haven’t used a diopter correction eyepiece in decades (and all of mine had that serrated metal, but I used them to replace my glasses. So scratching wasn’t an issue. I stopped bothering with them because seeing without looking through the camera was annoyingly out of focus. Was I using them wrong?
 

mcrokkorx

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Use case of the eyepiece correction lenses varies greatly depending on individual vision. Some people with relatively normal vision may just need a slight diopter correction to sharpen up the screen image. Some people with mild eyeglass prescriptions can fully substitute a correction diopter for their eyeglasses: this requires removing the glasses when viewing/focusing but allows more comfort and eye relief. Other people with strong eyeglass prescriptions might need to combine both a correction eyepiece and their eyeglasses to obtain a sharp view of the focus screen. Some really unlucky folks like myself have such bad myopia we can even see a slight difference between different models (i.e., I need a +0.5 correction on my F, F2 and Nikkormat but a +1.0 for my FM/FE).

From your description of your vision (blurry when not looking thru the camera sans glasses), I'd say perhaps you were using correction eyepieces in a manner that wasn't ideal for you. Like me, you probably would have been more comfortable with a weaker correction eyepiece that would clarify the the viewfinder while you still wore your glasses (+0.5 or +1.0 often does the trick for myopic eyeglass-wearing Nikon photographers, since the factory default Nikon prism optics are fixed at -1.0).
 

CMoore

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Sorry if i missed it on the B&H web site, but where does it say it is 19 or 22mm.?
I do not see where it specs any size.
 

BrianShaw

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CMoore said:
Sorry if i missed it on the B&H web site, but where does it say it is 19 or 22mm.?
I do not see where it specs any size.
Click to expand...
Designed for use with
Nikon D2Xs
Nikon D3
Nikon D5
Nikon D500
Nikon D810
Nikon D810A
Nikon D850
Nikon Df
Nikon F6
 

CMoore

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BrianShaw said:
Designed for use with
Nikon D2Xs
Nikon D3
Nikon D5
Nikon D500
Nikon D810
Nikon D810A
Nikon D850
Nikon Df
Nikon F6
Click to expand...

Yes, i saw where it mentions those models.
But i was wondering about the F2 and 19mm size.
 

macfred

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zanxion72

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It is meant for an FM camera. I have been sharing it among my FM, FM2, FE and FA. So I guess I will have to look for a 19mm one.
@mcrokkorx , Thank you!!! You saved me for getting the wrong one! I was just about to get a DK-17 with all things wrong!
 

mcrokkorx

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CMoore said:
Yes, i saw where it mentions those models.
But i was wondering about the F2 and 19mm size.
Click to expand...

This is what I meant earlier when I said Nikon and its dealer listings for eyepieces can be a bit sloppy, and that one needs to correlate several bits of info to confirm a specific eyepiece is meant for your camera. In this case, the only clue to the unitiated is the list of supported cameras: notice the F, F2, F3 non-HP, Nikkormats, FE/FM/FA are not on there, only the premium DSLRs. A camera model not being on the list is one hint, but it also helps if you're aware of arcane minutiae like Nikon's eyepiece sizing history (beginning with the F3HP, all higher end Nikons adopted the larger 22mm size, thus compatibility listed as D3 and D850 verifies the item as 22mm or HP).

Then you have the issue of Nikon handwaving away its entire history of cameras made before the F5: very rarely will you find a mention of the F, F2, F3 non-HP, or Nikkormats in viewfinder accessory specs, even if an accessory was in fact originally made for those cameras. Here again, you kinda need to "just know" they use the same accessories as the FM/FE/FA, that those accessories have a 19mm thread, the distinction between narrow 19mm eyepieces required to clear the film door of the FM/FE/FA and the thicker, more versatile 19mm eyepieces for the older cameras that allow use of a nice removable transferable rubber comfort ring, and finally the catch-all phrase "for Nikon F3 non-HP" (which Nikon sometimes confusingly refers to simply as "F3") covers the previous F, F2, and Nikkormats as well.

Anyone for lasik surgery? It might be a lot less trouble.
 
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CMoore

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Oh Wow......OK.
So the F3 and F3-HP are different.
Are the FM and FM2 also different.?
 
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mcrokkorx

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CMoore said:
So the F3 and F#-HP are different.
Click to expand...

Correct. The early F3 (pre-HP) has the same 19mm eyepiece thread, uses the same eyepiece correction lenses, eyecups, and same removable thick rubber comfort ring as the F, F2 and Nikkormats. The F3 can also use FM/FE/FA eyepieces and eyecups, but you lose the option of rubber protection with corrective diopters.

The F3HP introduced the larger High Eyepoint 22mm eyepiece that became standard on all pro and semi-pro Nikon bodies thereafter. Little by little, the F3HP size designation has disappeared from Nikon and dealer web listings, replaced by references to more current cameras like D850 and D5. That can help you identify the item as 22mm HP, meaning it will also fit older HP cameras like F3HP, F4, N8008, N90, D3, D700 etc.

Are the FM and FM2 also different.?
Click to expand...

No, all the smaller FM-shell bodies (FM, FM2, FE, FE2, FA, FM3A) share the same 19mm eyepiece accessories.

But beware of the "gotchas" I outlined in previous posts: the dealer must specify "for FM/FE/FA" somewhere in the ad, to be sure you get the special thinner version 19mm item that allows the smaller Nikons to be loaded/unloaded without needing to unscrew and remove the eyepiece each time. Some dealers group the "F3" eyepieces with FM/FE/FA because they'll technically fit the thread: check the illustration for additional confirmation you're looking at an FM/FE/FA-specific eyepiece. If the illustration looks thicker than your existing eyepiece, ask the dealer to verify the Nikon packaging reads FM/FE/FA.
 
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BrianShaw

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The additional shame is that Nikon had a very nice interchangeability table for eyepieces that appears to have disappeared from their website. I understand why they tended to refer to parts by part number but leaving size data off the specifications befuddles me.
 

CMoore

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Oh Man...............That would be VERY Handy.
We will wait for you to track it down

I wish Nikon still Made/Sold the right size eye-cup for the F2
 

BrianShaw

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CMoore said:
Oh Man...............That would be VERY Handy.
We will wait for you to track it down

I wish Nikon still Made/Sold the right size eye-cup for the F2
Click to expand...
Only because YOU ask… I might try to figure out how that way back machine works. I’d like that table too!
 
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