Adapting a vintage nikon mount lens to EF-S

[Illumined]

Hi guys,

I just found a Tamron AF28-200mm Super LD Aspherical Lens that uses the Nikon AF-D mount. This is apparently a super old mount and I'm having trouble finding clarity on how to adapt it to the canon ef-s mount that my rebel T3 uses. the back lens cap says "for nikon AF" so maybe it's not a D mount at all? I've never used nikon cameras, but it would be super cool to try out this vintage lens, so if anyone knows how to adapt it, I'd really appreciate it.

[deebatman316 · Accepted solution]

It's not worth adapting to your camera. Everything will be manual. There will be no Autofocus. If there's an aperture ring you will be able to control the aperture. Nikon G type lenses removed the aperture ring. The "D" in AF-D means that the lens has a distance encoder for flash photography. This helps the camera determine flash power when TTL is used. There is NO Nikon D Mount only Nikon F Mount. Older Nikon lenses designated "AF" rely on a camera body with a motor in it for AF to work. Later AF-I, AF-S & AF-P lenses have a motor in them for AF. Instead of relying on a motor in the camera body. Canon EOS has ONLY used motors in the lens for AF. In fact the EF Mount was the world's first ALL electronic lens mount. Most Nikon lenses have a mechanical interface. Mainly to control the aperture. Newer lenses designated with "E" have electronic aperture control. Like Canon EOS lenses do. Also your camera uses both EF & EF-S lenses. No 3rd Party company makes EF-S lenses. They use the Full Frame EF Mount for APS-C lenses. The lens just projects an APS-C image circle instead of a Full Frame one.

[deebatman316 · Accepted solution]

It's not worth adapting to your camera. Everything will be manual. There will be no Autofocus. If there's an aperture ring you will be able to control the aperture. Nikon G type lenses removed the aperture ring. The "D" in AF-D means that the lens has a distance encoder for flash photography. This helps the camera determine flash power when TTL is used. There is NO Nikon D Mount only Nikon F Mount. Older Nikon lenses designated "AF" rely on a camera body with a motor in it for AF to work. Later AF-I, AF-S & AF-P lenses have a motor in them for AF. Instead of relying on a motor in the camera body. Canon EOS has ONLY used motors in the lens for AF. In fact the EF Mount was the world's first ALL electronic lens mount. Most Nikon lenses have a mechanical interface. Mainly to control the aperture. Newer lenses designated with "E" have electronic aperture control. Like Canon EOS lenses do. Also your camera uses both EF & EF-S lenses. No 3rd Party company makes EF-S lenses. They use the Full Frame EF Mount for APS-C lenses. The lens just projects an APS-C image circle instead of a Full Frame one.

[justadude · Accepted solution]

I'm not real familiar with the Nikon lens mount lettering system.  Is the AF mount the same as the F mount?  I'm guessing that it might just mean "automatic", but I honestly do not know.

That being said, Demetrius makes some very valid points.  If you are looking for auto focus, forget it.

However... if you don't mind using it as an all manual lens, you can find adaptors at B&H for as low as $20 for the Nikon F to Canon EF.  Here is one I found...

[Inserted Screenshot to facilitate conversation]

I have several old lenses from the film era that I use on my modern DSLR and Mirrorless bodies quite often.  They are a bit of work compared to an all automatic lens, but if you don't mind playing around with full manual lenses, some of these old lenses are really nice.  I use mine for mostly nature, landscapes, or architectural shots.  It's not something you really want for night time photography, people that are in motion, or wildlife.  

[deebatman316]

Nikon has been using the F Mount since 1959 and has gone through changes over the years to make today's lenses fully electronic communicating. The way the Nikon F Mount is that it has different generations of the mount and different naming to differentiate between certain features that a lens may have. Also AF is just to designate a lens a being an Autofocus capable lens. I also shoot Nikon too so when it comes AF lenses not every DSLR camera can AF all lenses. This is also true when it comes to Nikon's new Z Mount system. Nikon's entry level cameras lack an AF motor so does Nikon's F-Z Mount adapter. These lenses become manual focus lenses on such cameras. Higher end cameras such as the Nikon D500 (7D Mark II equivalent) & D850 (5D Mark IV equivalent) have built in AF motors. So all Nikon AF lenses will AF on those cameras. Entry level cameras require at least an AF-I (1992) (Integrated AF motor) or AF-S (1996) (Silent Wave Motor SWM) lens this is Canon's equivalent of a Ring Type USM lens. AF-I is Canon's equivalent of an old AFD (Arc Form Drive) AF motor lens (1987-1992). These lenses have been long discontinued and replaced by AF-S lenses. Nikon also has AF-P (2016) lenses these are the equivalent of Canon's STM lenses. These lenses are not compatible with all cameras. Older bodies cannot AF lenses and the lenses rely on the camera menu to control AF and VR (Canon's equivalent of IS). These lenses won't even focus manually without a compatible camera. @justadude If the OP's lens doesn't have an aperture ring they can't control the aperture at all.

[Illumined]

Thanks guys, this is super helpful!