Trouble setting f/stop through dissecting scope setup

HollyR · Post by **HollyR** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 11:37 am

This is my first post so thanks to the admin for accepting me.
I am very much an amateur but have been photographing insects through a Swift dissecting microscope with a trinocular eyepiece for many years. I use a Niikon D-90 attached to a MEIJI TECHNO tube with a photo eyepiece. Suddenly I am no longer able to set an aperture. I am shooting using manual mode and Live View. I can change the shutter speed and ISO but the f-stop just refuses to be set. All I can see is "f--". So far I have reset the camera to factory defaults but to no avail. I also tried shooting in Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority but nether will allow me to shoot. Note that the camera works fine with a regular lens (off of the microscope).
Any help greatly appreciated.

Saul · Post by **Saul** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 12:10 pm

Welcome to the forum !

HollyR wrote:...Note that the camera works fine with a regular lens (off of the microscope)....

Manual lens ?

HollyR · Post by **HollyR** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 12:12 pm

Saul wrote:Welcome to the forum !
HollyR wrote:...Note that the camera works fine with a regular lens (off of the microscope)....
Manual lens ?

Yes, it works fine with a manual lens and always worked fine with this same setup in the past. Obviously I have done something dumb.

Saul · Post by **Saul** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 12:31 pm

HollyR wrote:
Saul wrote:Welcome to the forum !
HollyR wrote:...Note that the camera works fine with a regular lens (off of the microscope)....
Manual lens ?
Yes, it works fine with a manual lens and always worked fine with this same setup in the past. Obviously I have done something dumb.

"On the D90 lens mount, at about 8 o’clock, there is a switch that senses the minimum aperture."

What about this switch ?

HollyR · Post by **HollyR** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 12:52 pm

What about this switch ?

[/quote]
Well, seems like a good idea but I tried it in both positions and it didn't do anything.

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 1:12 pm

HollyR wrote:TI use a Niikon D-90 attached to a MEIJI TECHNO tube with a photo eyepiece. Suddenly I am no longer able to set an aperture.

I'm confused about your setup.

I think of a "photo eyepiece" as being something that projects an image directly onto a camera sensor, with no other lens on the camera. In that case there's no aperture that can be adjusted, or at least none that the camera has control over.

Can you clear up my confusion? What aperture are you trying to adjust?

--Rik

Saul · Post by **Saul** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 1:12 pm

No short on the camera lens contacts, when camera is sitting on the microscope ?

Lou Jost · Post by **Lou Jost** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 1:26 pm

I had the same question as Rik. But Holly says it used to work before...

Saul · Post by **Saul** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 1:29 pm

Lou Jost wrote:I had the same question as Rik. But Holly says it used to work before...

I suspect, Holly's problem is that camera does not work, when he has that "f--" sign

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Fri Nov 30, 2018 1:15 am

In principle if the camera doesn't detect a lens it's logical that it only works In M or AV modes.

Is it possible that the camera menu has an option to "fire without an attached lens" and it has been disabled inadvertently or after a firmware upgrade?

Lou Jost · Post by **Lou Jost** » Fri Nov 30, 2018 5:16 am

I have the D90 and it does NOT need a lens....I vaguely remember that a menu item needed to be properly set...

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Fri Nov 30, 2018 9:22 am

Maybe you must set the AF-M camera lever to M.
(I haven't a Nikon DSLR so I'm just guessing)

HollyR · Post by **HollyR** » Fri Nov 30, 2018 1:33 pm

Pau wrote:Maybe you must set the AF-M camera lever to M.
(I haven't a Nikon DSLR so I'm just guessing)

Thanks to all of you for excellent suggestions. I am throwing in the towel. I know I am missing something, probably a menu setting but for the life of me can't find it. To answer your questions, I am shooting in the manual "M" mode, the only other "lens" is the optics of the microscope, and as far as a short goes I am not adept enough to figure that one out. If I should ever figure it out I will let you know.
In the meantime, thanks for the help!!! (and for the welcome to the forum)

Lou Jost · Post by **Lou Jost** » Fri Nov 30, 2018 2:02 pm

Holly, you were never actually controlling any f-stop, so the fact that you can't control it now should not cause you any new problems.

I just checked my D90 and it works fine with no lens, but only if the left-hand upper dial is set to M. I see you have it set at that; maybe try switching modes and then switching back?

Saul · Post by **Saul** » Fri Nov 30, 2018 2:25 pm

Lou Jost wrote:Holly, you were never actually controlling any f-stop, so the fact that you can't control it now should not cause you any new problems.

I just checked my D90 and it works fine with no lens, but only if the left-hand upper dial is set to M. I see you have it set at that; maybe try switching modes and then switching back?

Hi Lou,

I think you can save your D90 settings to the SD card ? If it is true, you can transfer them to the PC and send to Holly

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-e ... smart.html

Trouble setting f/stop through dissecting scope setup

Trouble setting f/stop through dissecting scope setup

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