Nikon TC-16A Teleconverter: AF in UV with Nikon DSLR?

[dabateman]

Update: 13 April 2021 tweak formatting

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Nikon TC-16A Teleconverter

With modification this moderately UV-capable teleconverter can autofocus Nikon manual lenses on those Nikon cameras having a built-in screw-drive AF motor. (See below for modification link.)

Nikons with autofocus motor in body: D50/70/80/90, D100/200/300, D7xxx, D6xx/7xx/8xx, D1/2/3/4, Df.

 

Manufacturer: Nikon

Designation: Nikon AF Teleconverter TC-16A 16X

Reference: https://www.mir.com....tc16a/index.htm

Design: 5 elements in 5 groups

Diaphragm: Automatic

Exposure measurement: via full aperture method

Autofocus: via any Nikon camera with built-in screw-drive AF motor

Mount: Nikon F-mount

Dimensions: Approx. 67 mm width x 71 mm height x 21 mm

Extension: approx. 30 mm from the lens mount:

Weight: approx. 150 g

Usable lens apertures: f/1.8 to f/32

Effective apertures: f/2.9 to f/51

Focal length: 1.6 x that of lens in use (with focus at infinity)

Reproduction ratio: 1.6 x that of lens in use (with focus at infinity)

Depth of field: 1/1.6 x that of lens in use (with focus at infinity)

Accessories: front cap BF-1A, soft case No. 61, rear cap LF-1

Introduction: 1985

 

 

Teleconverter TC-16A Modification

Reference: https://www.foologra.../modify-tc-16a/

 

Jump Pin 3 to Pin 6 to allow the TC-16A to work with digital Nikon DSLRs that have a built-in screw-drive autofocus motor. It is also best to cut Pin 11-2 and Pin 11-3 from ground. This will change the TC-16A to a 145mm f/4 lens. Metering is through the lens, so the camera will report an incorrect aperture. But the exposure will be ok.

 

My current Nikon camera is the Df. This modified TC-16A will work on the Df with any lens that has an aperture ring. It will move the aperture tab to full open for focusing and release it at exposure. So you need to first dial in an aperture.

 

Nikon F-mount lenses without aperture rings will be kicked to fully closed at time of exposure.

 

Example: A UV-capable manual focus 35mm f/3.5 lens with the addition of the TC-16A will become an equivalent 56 mm f/5.6 lens with autofocus.

 

Teleconverter TC-16A Transmittance

No integrating sphere was used. My light source is weak into the IR range, so the IR drop-off may be inaccurate. Please interpret this chart with those two comments in mind.

 

The spectrum of the adapter appears useful in the upper UVA range.

The UV Cut off is 349nm

The 50% transmission value is just below 370nm.

 

• UV Range: approx. 350 - 400 nm
  
• T_400nm (%) = 92%
  
• T_365nm (%) = 40%
  

• λ_{UV HM400}(nm) = 368 nm
  
• λ_{UV Zero}(nm) = 350 nm should be considered the limit even though there is a very small transmittance beyond that.
  

.

[dabateman]

Also the Tc-16a does work with at least the Nikon DF with digicamcontroller software. You can get focus bracketing with any manual lens that has an aperture ring.

 

http://digicamcontrol.com/

 

 

 

[nfoto]

OK, I caved in and ordered a nice & quite cheap sample from a Japanese seller. Getting it here will take time, but having waited so long before, another month or two won't matter. Meanwhile I might investigate the combination of a UV-Nikkor with other TCs. A DIY Petri-based 2X TC makes a 210mm f/9 UV-capable lens combined with the UV-Nikkor. There is colour fringing in UV not seen with the naked UV-Nikkor though, but sharpness is definitively adequate. I do hope the TC-16A might improved the outcome. I added CPU to my DIY TC so EXIF data is supplied and likely the TC-16A can transmit lens data from my UV-Nikkors, which are CPU-enabled too.

[dabateman]

Birna did you buy a modified one already or will you modify it yourself?

To be honest I just bought a modified one off Ebay. There are at least two sellers that supply modified ones. I didn't know if I would be careful enough with the remapping of the pin and cutting the legs off the chip.

 

It will not transmit any data to the camera. The Tc-16a is odd in that the lens mount side is dead, no electronics. How it works is just moves the elements inside the adapter for autofocus. Thus why you only get full range for a 50mm lens as thats all the room. What is great about it though is added close focusing distance. If you position the lens on closest point instead of infinity, you gain autofocus at a closer distance to subject.

 

For your 105mm you will have to be around the focus point, then the adapter will nail it afterwards. As a 105mm needs more distance to focus than other lenses, as you can see above from the table.

[dabateman]

Actually just reread the modification website. If you own a Nikon D200 it will work out of the box without pin remapping. It will just only meter to the maximum aperture and not to any other setting. So exposure compensation would be needed.

 

Silly that Nikon allowed pin 3 and pin6 to both work on the D200, but not any other digital camera.

[nfoto]

I'll see what can be found out when the TC eventually arrives. Per se, AF operation is not a feature I would give priority, so if need be, I'll modify the chip connections.

[nfoto]

Briefly tested other Nikon TCs with the UV-Nikkor. The old TC-200 (AI version of the original TC-2, released in 1977) did quite well and delivered acceptable images without sacrificing too much "speed" other than the -2EV default loss incurred by the TC optics. I hadn't my DIY 2X TC at hand right now, so could not make a direct comparison. Apparently the TC-200 delivers better results than the optically much simpler Petri-based 2X, at least combined with the UV-Nikkor.

 

For brighter setups, the Meyer Tele-Megor 180mm f/5.5 is preferred if the aim is to get close to 200mm.

[lukaszgryglicki]

Is this only for Df?

I have a Df - but unmodified - this is the most beautiful Nikon DSLR IMHO and serves as a "normal camera" for me (it's silver so with Nikkor 135/2 Ai looks like 1970s in digital world - beautiful)

I have two modified D600 (full-spectrum mono & full-spectrum with CFA) - will that work on D600?

[dabateman]

No the adapter, if modified will work on any Nikon DSLR with a screw drive.  Think of it like a AF-D lens. 

If Nikon releases a new Z adapter with screw drive,  then it might work on Z cameras as well. But I will not hold my breath for an AF-D Z-mount adapter. 

 

You need to buy a modified adapter or modify it yourself.  It has become my favorite combination with Loawa 12mm f2.8 lens on my Df. Offering a 18mm field of view and excellent macro capabilities. 

[lukaszgryglicki]

Hmmm but I don't like TCs... ideally I would use it with TC x1 (but I understand that we need a space to put TC between lens and camera, so it must be more than x1).

How about TC 1.4x? I've heard Nikon also had such... is it possible to do a similkar modification? That way we loose only one stop...

Ideally for lenses with a longer flange distance (like EL Nikkors > 80mm) we could (in theory) put just a ring with screw drive motor without extra magnification (it should be uncated of course and without cemented elements :p). Anyway, back to normal world...

 

It could probably work in a similar way with my Irix 11/4 lens...

 

[lukaszgryglicki]

OK I have TC-16A ow - it makes Nikkor 300/2.8 Ai an AF lens (needs to set it close to focus area), same wth Nikkor 135/2 AI-S and 55/1.2 Ai.

All fine but I need to se aperture to 2nd smallest (like when lens have aperture range 2-32, then I need to set 22).

Now how can I use that TC-16A with EL Nikkor 80/5.6?

El Nikkor has M39 mount, TC-16A don't know what aperture is set - it is only connected to Nikon-F->M42 then a helicoid then M42->M39 and finally the lens.

It displays f EE - but still autofocuses and confirms focus.

The problem is that I cannot shoot - pressing shutter button does nothing - f EE just blinks in the viewfinder.... so the simple question actually is "how to shoot Nikon Df without a lens at all - it seems it "thinks" there is no lens at all - just the converted TC-16A connected...

 

EDIT: actually when I take TC-16A off - I can shoot when I select "M" and choose an aperture and shutter speed - when I put TC-16A on - I can autofocus but cannot shoot with EL Nikkor - any ideas?

 

 

[lukaszgryglicki]

OK I'll answer to myself:

 

For non nikkor lens (or no les at all), it works for the following settings and all other settings will give f EE error:

 

Custom Setting Menu/f Controls/f8 or f/9 Command Dials/Aperture Setting/Aperture Ring, select OK, then
Under A and M mode, I can use aperture ring to adjust aperture.

[dabateman]

Yes I think that should be the default setting on the Df csmera.

It also works to autofocus the Canon 65mm Mpe macro lens,  with aperture locked at f8 on an other camera. 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, lukaszgryglicki said:

OK I have TC-16A ow - it makes Nikkor 300/2.8 Ai an AF lens

 

Lost in translation? There's no way you can make that lens autofocus, right? Maybe you mean focus confirmation.

[dabateman]

5 hours ago, Blazer0ne said:

 

Lost in translation? There's no way you can make that lens autofocus, right? Maybe you mean focus confirmation.

Yes the teleconverter moves its elements within its self for focus. Works best with lens 50mm and wider. But any lens will "autofocus " with it you just may have to get close your self.

Because the adapter has some good movement it helps to make most lenses focus really close.  This turned my Loawa 12mm f2.8 lens into a really fun macro lens. 

The penalty is 1.6x teleconverter,  so your camera is like a Canon. 

[lukaszgryglicki]

It does make 300/2.8 Ai an AF lens. It also makes EL Nikkor 80/5.6 an AF lens too.

When using a "long" lens (like 300/2.8) you focus manually "close" to "ideal focus" (but still out of focus - focus calibration will show "> <" or ">" or "<") then you half-press the shutter and internal optics from TC-16A "autofocuses" (calibration shows "o") then you just shoot - as if the 300/2.8 Ai was an AF lens. Works in live-view/through the viewfinder, etc. The only difference is that you initially focus manually somewhere in vicinity of actual focus.

 

 

[lukaszgryglicki]

This turned my Loawa 12mm f2.8 lens into a really fun macro lens

Ohhhh I need t test Irix 11/4 then...

[Guest]

When did Nikon hire Rube Goldberg.

[lukaszgryglicki]

Speak what you want, but precise focusing of 300/2.8 is not that difficult but can be challenging sometimes. Now I just focus very fast/approximate using the focus ring and then I just shoot. Already tried on my son's games (soccer) from far away... and it now works just like 460/4,5 AF lens - very usable for me.