Nikon PB-6 bellows question

[alex]

I am trying to copy some negatives using my D3 with a Nikon PB-6 bellows. Unfortunately my only macro lens is the 60mm AF-G, which of course does not have an aperture ring, so the aperture can't be selected. However the PB-6 has a manual stop down lever - if this is pressed when the shutter is fired, the lens does appear to stop down. Is it in fact stopping down to the minimum aperture (f32) on this lens?

Also, a further point - the image is much sharper at the centre when wide open than when stopped down, though the opposite is true of the corners, as you'd expect. I should add that I'm using this with a PK-12 extension tube - unavoidable in order to attach a D3 to the bellows.

Thanks,
Alex

[dwswager]

I am trying to copy some negatives using my D3 with a Nikon PB-6 bellows. Unfortunately my only macro lens is the 60mm AF-G, which of course does not have an aperture ring, so the aperture can't be selected. However the PB-6 has a manual stop down lever - if this is pressed when the shutter is fired, the lens does appear to stop down. Is it in fact stopping down to the minimum aperture (f32) on this lens?

Also, a further point - the image is much sharper at the centre when wide open than when stopped down, though the opposite is true of the corners, as you'd expect. I should add that I'm using this with a PK-12 extension tube - unavoidable in order to attach a D3 to the bellows.

Thanks,
Alex

Nikon technical document Using a PB-6 Bellows with a Nikon Digital SLR camera

It contains the following warning at the bottom!

Important - AF-G type lenses should not be used with the Nikon PB-6 bellows attachment as aperture settings cannot be selected and therefore no aperture control is possible.

[alex]

Thanks, I saw that - I'm assuming that the lens is in fact stopping down to f32 when the manual lever is pressed, hence the softness due to diffraction, I suppose. If only there were a way to select f8 . . .

[NancyP]

If you have old enlarger lenses hanging around, they can be decent when adapted to bellows. Adapters are now cheap and pretty easy to find on eBay. 52mm reversing adapter, then 52 to 39 (or whatever) mm step ring, then enlarger lens 50 to 80mm. Easiest of all would be to find an old manual AI/AI-S Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 1:2 (1:1 with extension ring) macro lens, there are some 350,000 of them out there, mostly unloved. It's actually a decent lens.

[alex]

Good point. I've just remembered I do somewhere have an old 105mm Nikkor (not the micro-Nikkor) which would presumably work as well, if reversed

[AFairley]

Alex, if you are using the Nikon PS-6 film/slide holder that attaches to the bellows, you will not be able to get enough bellows draw to copy at 1:1 with the 105 (or even a 75mm enlarging lens for that matter) without adding the PB-6E bellows extension, which is relatively hard to fine and ungodly expensive for what it is. However, the 55mm f2.8 micro-Nikkor works quite well with the PB-6/PS-6, I have found the best balance between center and corners to be around 5.6, assuming a perfectly flat slide/film frame. 

[muntanela]

You can invert a Nikon 50 not G.
You can  invert  a 50 G AF-S and then use the novoflex adapter Nikon-Canon EOS/NIK NT on the inverted Nikon lens. You could also  try to invert the 60 micro.
https://www.nikonschool.it/experience/accessori-macro4.php

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/8989090909/novoflexeosnikntadapter



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Novoflex-EOS-NIK-NT-Adapter-1/281922536486?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D35721%26meid%3Dbf9f9d6e342f41aeb7ee30db3415f2cc%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D222013335161