Please help me re: Tamron adaptall for Nikon

Hello all,

A co-worker of mine recently picked up a Nikon D3400 and loves it. I decided to buy him a macro lens as a gift, but in my haste I bought a Tamron 90mm/2.8 adaptall lens. So I'm sure it doesn't AF. Not the biggest deal breaker as MF is generally preferred anyhow. But I am also confused on the weird aperture ring on the lens near the mount. Can't you just select the aperture as you would with the body? Or must one use the aperture ring? I'd love to test the lens out, but I shoot Canon and do not have a Nikon body.

Anybody know anything about this lens? Any good? I got it for $80 shipped to my door.

Thanks!

I don't have personal experience with this lens....it has good reviews on B&H. It looks to be a fully manual lens: there are no contacts for a camera to be able to AF or select aperture (or tell the camera what aperture you've selected to meter while open). You'd have to use the aperture ring to select an aperture....stop down the aperture to see DOF and meter at that aperture. It gets harder to see through the viewfinder, though, if you have a really small aperture with a small amount of light coming through. Edit: from what I can find....you may not have to stop down meter with Nikon: the Nikon mount has indicators like an old manual Nikon lens. You first setup the lens in the menu by select non-cpu lens, and assign the focal length and max aperture.

Is normal to have the aperture ring on the Nikon AI or AIS lenses. The issue is that I don't believe your friend's D3400 can support older, manual focus only AI/AIS lenses. You can mount it but you would get no metering on it. You have to shoot in M mode by changing the aperture on the ring and shutter speed with the command dial. But you would need another way meter and expose the scene because the camera isn't doing it with the lens you have.

Straight from the Nikon site..

This camera supports autofocus with AF-P and type E and G AF-S lenses only.
AF NIKKOR for F3AF not supported.
AI-P NIKKOR: All Functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II.
Electronic rangefinder can be used if Maximum Aperture is f/5.6 or Faster.
IX NIKKOR lenses cannot be used.
Non-CPU: Autofocus not supported. Can be used in mode M, but exposure meter does not function.
Other AF NIKKOR: All Functions Supported Except 3D Color Matrix Metering II.
Type D PC NIKKOR: All Functions Supported Except Autofocus and some Shooting Modes.
Type G or D AF NIKKOR not equipped with an autofocus motor: all functions supported except autofocus.

I thought the Adaptall mount was not camera specific, but generic, and an adapter to fit your cameras mount was required. You ordered the mount with the lens, but only needed one, and then you bought the next Adaptall lens only. So many shooters kept the adapter when they sold the lens. Not a problem THEN, but NOW, they're not made, it's hard finding a used one with an adapter so it may not fit. And there were different adapters for series 1 & 2. http://www.ebay.co.uk/​bhp/tamron-nikon-adapter
But looking closely at your pic, do I see the adapter already on the lens?

davesrose wrote in post #18518824
I don't have personal experience with this lens....it has good reviews on B&H. It looks to be a fully manual lens: there are no contacts for a camera to be able to AF or select aperture (or tell the camera what aperture you've selected to meter while open). You'd have to use the aperture ring to select an aperture....stop down the aperture to see DOF and meter at that aperture. It gets harder to see through the viewfinder, though, if you have a really small aperture with a small amount of light coming through. Edit: from what I can find....you may not have to stop down meter with Nikon: the Nikon mount has indicators like an old manual Nikon lens. You first setup the lens in the menu by select non-cpu lens, and assign the focal length and max aperture.

Beware, that a manual controlled lens like the Tamron 90mm/2.8 Adaptall may well result in Metering ERROR when used on the Canon dSLR. In the past I have documented error varying by lens, when doing stopped-down metering on Canon dSLRs. I have no experience with Nikon to know if it is prone to such error or not.

One can observe any non-linearity in metering as one stops down the lens while pointed at a uniformly lit wall...every f/stop change by -1EV should be accompanied by a +1EV change in the necessary shutter speed to maintain a fixed density in the resulting shot...any departure from the [-1EV:+1EV] or [+1EV:-1EV] correlation is a flag for metering error when stopped down!

The Adaptall mount is indeed not specific to a brand, but the Adaptall mount ordinarily uses appropriate linkages for use on one brand's lens mechanical linkages like the AI and AIS for Nikon film camera with meters; a Nikon dSLR uses electronic linkages for its dSLR lenses. Ordinarily lens mount adapters now contain electronic chips linked via electronic contacts, that allows the lens to identify its FL and its wide-open aperture, and that permit AF confirmation signals in the viewfinder. So on the used market there can be found some Adaptall mount adapters with chips and contacts for some brands...I have one for my Canon dSLR since it is the same as for the film EF mount lenses.

But, for certain, the Adaptall lens will behave as a 'manual diaphram' aperture control lens...it will always be at the set f/stop, and open fully when the aperture selection ring is set to the largest setting.

They are not. You just get the right mount for the same lens. The issue is that, when the Adpatall lens came out, all there was the Nikon AI/AIS mount. The D3400 has no "tap" by the mount. This tap is needed in order for the body to know at what aperture you are using.

Everyone else has addressed the auto focus issues with this lens so I just want to add a little other info based on my experience. I have a 90mm macro that I purchased back in the very early 80's. It looks a bit different from the photo you posted. Mine is all metal construction and appears more compact. Assuming they are the same basic lens I think you'll be happy to know that it's an incredible lens. It's tack sharp and produces incredible images. I have an adaptall T mount labelled N/AI. Nikon. The lens functions the same as it did with my Nikon F2. It's manual focus and auto indexing. So, you can focus wide open and it will stop down when exposing. I also have the Tamron 80 to 210 Macro which is also a very decent lens considering the original price. It will make a great gift if you can find the adapter.

correction, i thought you didn't have the adapter but apparently there is one on the lens.