Nikon D7000 and extension tube with 35G 1.8

Question

Recently i purchased an extension tube. (chepest one, with no af..etc..). Just for fun.

I attached it to my camera, and than the 35G. Unfortunatelly picture, and finder is dark too. I read somewhere this is why G type lens has no apperature ring, and normally the smallest apperature set when attach a lens.

On my body i get error F0. I read this is when optics did not attached well. I checked, its ok.

Is it possible to use this tube with my G type lens on this D7K body? Any way to set apparature on body?

Thank you

Answer 1

If you use a cheap extension tube without CPU connections between the lens and the camera, then as far as the camera is concerned there is no lens connected, which is why it says F0.

The lens automatically closes to its smallest aperture when it's detached, and if your extension tube doesn't hold it open, it will stay that way, because without a CPU connection, there's no way for the camera to control any part of the lens.

You can still take photographs, by setting the camera to Manual mode (M on the dial), but you will need long exposure times to get enough light in to expose properly.

The best solution would be to buy an old lens with a manual aperture ring; they are quite cheap. This will allow you to get decent shutter speeds using Manual mode. Otherwise you will need to invest in a set of extension tubes with a CPU connection.

Answer 2

Like ElendilTheTall said, there's no way for your camera to control the aperture of a lens that isn't electronically or mechanically linked, there is however a way of choosing whether to shoot at max or minimum aperture (and, with some finesse, any intermediate stop as well) even with your G-series lens.

As suggested in this article on the Photo.SE blog, you can use a piece of poster tack (or a piece of tape) to force the aperture open. It's a bit trickier when using extension tubes than when reverse-mounting, but workable (it helps to mount the lens to the tube, ensure the tack is secure by looking through the tube, and then mount the assembly to the camera).