MattClara.com Nikon Bellows and DSLR Compatibility Page

(Scape Goat Clause: Neither Matthew Clara, nor mattclara.com are responsible for anything you do that damages your camera or camera equipment. The material found on this and other mattclara.com web pages is for informational purposes only.)

I've been using a PB-5 bellows with a D70 for several years now, and more recently I've used the bellows with a D200. You can see the results from both cameras here (text in white indicates web link):

Using the PB-5 has never damaged my Nikon dSLRs in any way, but I've recently found a few pages on the internet that indicate damage is possible, most interestingly, Nikon's support forum. Continued research found other information on the subject as well, though precious little of it; so, feeling the need to rectify that and starting with the Nikon support nay-saying web page, here that tale of research is:

• If you go to support.nikontech.com (which is Nikon's tech support website) and search for "PB-5 Bellows," you'll find something on the PB-6 bellows, which says, in part, "This information applies exclusively to the PB -6 bellows and PB -6E bellows extension. The older, PB - 5 bellows cannot be used with the newer digital SLR's."
  
  Here's the link Nikon sent to me when I asked them to share the answer via email. I'm uncertain how long the link will remain valid.
  
  It's interesting to note that in their answer, which mostly had to do with the mounting and use of the PB-6, Nikon makes no mention of the use of a PK-11a extension tube, which you're about to read all about:
  
  
• Nikonians.com refers to the use of a PK-11a extension tube to ensure no damage is done to AF contacts on AF cameras. This makes sense, as the PK-11a would mount safely to your camera, and if any damage is done, it will be to the extension tube and not the camera, putting you out $76 instead of $1000 (or whatever). The drawback to the PK-11a is that it adds extension between your camera and your lens. The bellows already has some minimum extension, even completely collapsed, and more is not always what you're going to want or need.
  
  
• Still, wanting a more definitive answer, I went to the horse's mouth and called Nikon. I told them of my success having mounted the PB5 on both the D70 and D200, I told them I'd read some stuff on the web that made me doubt the good sense of this undertaking. They conferred for a moment, and then told me, if it's working, it must work. Thanks for that, fellas.
  
  Addendum: in retrospect, this is the most honest answer Nikon is offering on the subject.
  
  
• So, I wrote support.nikontech.com using their Ask A Question form. This is what I asked them:
  

  "I have both the PB-4 and the PB-5, I have a D200, I've successfully mounted the PB-5 onto a D70 on several occasions, with no ill effect. I called Nikon Tech support, told them about my success with the D70 and PB-5 and asked if it would work on the D200. I got an educated guess that since I'd mounted it successfully on the D70, it was therefore ok to mount the PB-5 onto the D200. Rather than an educated guess, what I really would like is someone who actually knows something about the mount and the bellows in question to give their opinion on the subject."

  This is their reply:
  

  "The only bellows we can recommend using on the D200 or the D70 is the PB-6 bellows. Using any of the other bellows may damage the camera and we cannot support it."

  As an addendum, I wrote them back for greater clarification as to exactly what might go wrong. They indicated that the bellows was designed pre-AI, and they "do not recommend trying the PB-4 or PB-5 on the DSLR cameras as it is not recommended." Can't recommend it because it's not recommended--these guys should be in government!
  
  
• Still not satisfied (but leaning towards a PK-11a), I posted some of the above on Usenet, specifically, rec.photo.digital.slr.systems. One individual of note, David Ruether, responded;
  

  "Nikon says my 28mm f4 PC of my serial number cannot be mounted either, but I say, "Nonsense!" ;-) The bellows units and early (non-AI) PC lenses may nudge the body meter tab a bit, but if there is no serious deformation of the ring it is attached to, and if the rear of the bayonette itself cannot contact the electrical contacts, I don't see what the problem could be (other than misplacing the tab a bit, giving an incorrect exposure, but making sure that the tab is back in its normal rest location around the mount after the lens/bellows is mounted takes care of this)."

  If you followed the above link to David's site, you'll see he has a lot of experience with Nikon lenses.
  
  Addendum: David later stipulated it's been several years since he's seen a PB-4, and that there may be a lot of ifs in his ifs.
  
  Double Addendum: David wrote me directly and clarified:
  

  "From what I know about the 28mm PC and what I remember about the PB-4, there was no issue with anything dangerous extending into the camera. With the early 28mm f4 PC, the barrel diameter does nudge the camera meter tab outward slightly, but not dangerously so (but the friction can cause a little rotational displacement of the meter tab away from its "0" position when a lens is mounted, so this should be checked after mounting the lens). With the PB-4 bellows, I think there is also nothing that extends far enough inside the camera bayonette to cause problems, but I'm not certain about clearance for the meter tab - its tip could conceivably be forced inward toward the camera body or (less likely) forced away from the body opening. Since you have successfully mounted the similar PB-5, my guess is that there really is no problem..."
  

• Again, not satisfied (will I ever be?), I decided to contact a gentleman with many decade's experience converting Nikkor pre-AI lenses to AI-S lenses, John White of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
  
  I said to John essentially what I said to Nikon Tech Support. John replied:
  

"I don't have a PB-5 here to look at, but all that I recall of them would make me think there is no problem. What to look for is some part of the mount protruding so far into the mirror box that it would hit the gold contacts or another part of the bellows interfering with the spring-loaded tabs that stick out from around from lens mount on the body. I don't think there is a problem with either of those."

• I found another link on the subject - Conrad Hoffman is just talkin' 'bout usin' a PB-5 and D200 with a slide copier like it's no big deal. So, I wrote and asked him if it's true. He said, indeed it is. I wrote him back and told him about my quest, and here's what he said:
  

  "I just checked the flange of the PB-5, and the bayonet sticks out about 0.178" from the flange surface. Other Nikkor AiS lenses stick out about 0.180", so the PB-5 is just like any AiS lens, but without the various protrusions, lugs, and element guards. The contacts of the D200 are buried somewhat deeper than that number. I didn't extend the calipers enough to get an exact measurement, but I don't see any danger whatsoever in using the PB-5 with the D200. Hopefully that will make people sleep easier!"

  Hard to argue with calipers...
  

• Finally, a member of rec.photo.digital.slr.systems sent his PB-4 to John White of Ann Arbor, Michigan (you may remember John from the entry prior to this one). Here's what John had to say on the subject:
  

  "I have been working with your PB-4 bellows. There will be no problem with damage to the electronic contacts inside the mirror box or with metering tabs on the outside of the lens mount.
  
  The trick is mounting the unit on a body. Although I don't have a D100 or D200 here right now, I do have a N4004 that has a similar protruding handgrip. Using the rotating lens mount on the bellows unit. I was able to mount it on the N4004. I suspect it will work fine on your bodies as well. For bodies like the D2 series that have two protrusions, e.g., grip on the side and battery pack on the bottom, you will need to use an extension tube like the M, M2 or PK-13 to move the bellows away from the body."

  The "trick" John is referring to has to do with the difficulty some have in mounting their cameras onto the PB-4/PB-5. Nikonians has a nice tutorial, complete with animated gifs, explaining how to do exactly that. (Scroll down for animated gif.)

So, is there a definitive answer? I trust the fact that I've had no problem mounting two Nikon DSLRs on several occasions, combined with the opinions of Mr.(s) Reuther, White and Hoffman, particularly now that there are calipers involved, and John has actually handled one. So, I mounted my D200 again recently, and autofocus, et al, continue to function as normal. I don't want to play down the caveats, however, for fear it will lead to me getting sued; therefore I hereby declare that the safe bet would be to purchase and use a PK-11a extension tube, and then if something gets damaged, it'll likely be the tube, and not your $1400 D200.

Finally, I'd like to take yet another moment to indemnify David Ruether, Conrad Hoffman, John White, and myself: if reading anything written on this web page leads you do something that damages your camera equipment, we can not be held responsible in any way shape or form. This webpage is for informational purposes only.

Page created Wednesday, February 28th, 2007. Last updated July 05, 2007.