Nikon D600/D800 support for manual lenses with adapter

Question

I am considering buying a Nikon D600 or a D800.

I have some old manual lenses, most of them have Pentacon Six a.k.a. Kiev 60 mounts. On my Nikon D3200 I was able to use these lenses with adapters (such as Pentacon-to-Nikon and Arax Tilt), in manual mode.

I assume that those adapted lenses behave in a same way as pre-AI Nikkor lenses, right?

But recently, I encountered this chart which states that pre-AI lenses would not mount on D600/D800, while they would mount on a D3200. I found no exact description anywhere, why a D3200 would mount a wider spectrum of lenses than a D600/D800.

Now the question: Is my assumption true, that an old adapted lens is technically a pre-AI lens, thus being unusable on a D600/D800?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Short answer to your question is: no.

Long answer to your question is: The chart from Ken Rockwell is specific to Nikkor lenses, not lenses with appropriate adapters for modern F-mount cameras. Given that Nikon is a significant brand, there are quite a few adapters from various lens mounts to the modern F-mount, including the Pentacon Six, as you discovered. The Fotodiox adapter should be fine. For further details on options with other lens, including other medium format lenses, see this guide: Master Guide to Rigging a Nikon D800 or D800E which includes some information to reassure you that you're good to go.