Corrections
No book with as much detail in it as Nikon Field Guide makes it to market without a few errors, despite my best efforts to the contrary. Fortunately, the Web gives me a way to let you know where the problems lie. So break out your red pencils, grab your book, and manually add the following to your copy. If you've got the Second Edition, click here.
Found a mistake in any edition of the Nikon Field Guide? Drop me an email and let me know so that I can correct it in future editions.
Nikon Field Guide First Edition Corrections, Clarifications, and Additions
Page 27, Shooting the moon. I identify three moon phases and the exposure for each. Here's all five major phases:
- Full -- 1/125 at f/11 and ISO 100
- Gibbous -- 1/60 at f/11 and ISO 100
- Quarter -- 1/30 at f/11 and ISO 100
- Wide Crescent -- 1/15 at f/11 and ISO 100
- Thin Crescent -- 1/8 at f/11 and ISO 100
Page 27, Shooting the moon. The table notes that exposures longer than 30 seconds result in an oblong moon with washed out details. More precisely:
- Max Exposure Time = 250/focal length
- example: 1/2 second for 500mm lens
Page 38: Nikon Filter naming
Nikon seems to have two (maybe more) conventions for naming their filters. This is very confusing.
For filters intended for black and white film, the convention seems to be that the number in a Nikon filter designation indicates the wavelength (nanometers x 10) below which it passes less than 50% of the incoming light. So, the L37 passes less than 50% of the light below 370 nm, the Y52 less than 50% below 520 nm, the O56 less than 50% below 560 nm, and the R60 less than 50% below 600 nm.
For filters intended for color film, the naming convention is related to filter factor. The "12" in an A12 (Amber) filter refers to the full stop loss in filter factor, as does the "12" in a B12 (Blue) filter. This convention breaks down with the neutral density filters, which use a different value to indicate a full-stop loss ("2s").
Finally, the Green filters don't relate to either convention (X0 and X1), for reasons no one seems to know.
I'm considering using a graph to show the filtering properties of each filter in the next edition of the Nikon Field Guide.
Page 82, Magnification can be calculated as follows:
- Magnification = extension / focal length*
- *at infinity
- Example: PN11 (52.5mm) / 300mm lens = 1:5.7 magnification
You can calculate the new focus distance by the following formula:
- focus distance = (focal length + extension)^2 / extension
- Example using the PN11 and 300mm lens:
- (300 + 52.5)^2 / 52.5 = 2367mm, or about 2.4 meters
Page 85, Diopters and magnification. I provide a formula that is more complicated than necessary. Here's a better one:
- Magnification = (diopter value * focal length) / 1000
Page 85, Diopters and magnification. The focus distance when a lens is set at infinity with a diopter on it will always be (1 meter / diopter value). From this formula you can calculate other focus distances than the table shows if you happen to have an oddball diopter.
Page 88, Camera-lens compatibility. The Nikon F5 can be modified to accept pre-AI lenses in A or M exposure mode and centerweighted metering by a Nikon authorized repair center.
Page 92, AF Nikkor Lenses (Zoom). Nikon has introduced four new lenses since the table was published: 28-200, 75-300, 28-70 AF-S, and 80-200 AF-S [Actually, they've introduced several more since I wrote this correction; the Nikkor lens table on this site is kept up to date, however.]. I'll update this page as soon as I get all the details on these lenses (still waiting for lens hood specifications).
Page 91, Nikon Autofocus Lenses (Fixed Focal Length). Note: AF-I and AF-S lenses only autofocus on N70/F70, N90/F90, N90s/F90X, F4 and F5 cameras. On all other cameras, these lenses do not autofocus and appear to the camera as an AI-P lens.
Page 95, Nikon Teleconverters. The TC-16A is a 1.6x converter than can only be used on N8008/F-801, N8008s-F-801s, N90/F90, N90s/F90X, F4, and F5 cameras.
Page 98, Hyperfocal Distances. Doh! These tables are incorrect. Here's an accurate table (using .025 circle of confusion, the Zeiss standard):
|
aperture
|
16mm
|
20mm
|
24mm
|
28mm
|
35mm
|
50mm
|
100mm
|
200mm
|
300mm
|
|
f/1.4
|
24'
|
38'
|
54'
|
74'
|
115'
|
235'
|
938'
|
3750'
|
8437'
|
|
f/2
|
19'
|
29'
|
42'
|
57'
|
89'
|
182'
|
729'
|
2917'
|
6563'
|
|
f/2.8
|
12'
|
19'
|
27'
|
37'
|
58'
|
117'
|
469'
|
1875'
|
4219'
|
|
f/4
|
8'6"
|
13'
|
19'
|
26'
|
40'
|
82'
|
328'
|
1313'
|
2954'
|
|
f/5.6
|
6'
|
9'5"
|
14'
|
18'
|
29'
|
59'
|
235'
|
938'
|
2110'
|
|
f/8
|
4'3"
|
6'8"
|
9'6"
|
13'
|
20'
|
41'
|
164'
|
657'
|
1477'
|
|
f/11
|
3'2"
|
4'10"
|
7'
|
9'6"
|
15'
|
30'
|
120'
|
478'
|
1075'
|
|
f/16
|
2'2"
|
3'4"
|
4'10"
|
6'6"
|
10'
|
21'
|
82'
|
329'
|
739'
|
|
f/22
|
1'6"
|
2'6"
|
3'6"
|
4'9"
|
7'5"
|
15'
|
60'
|
239'
|
538'
|
|
f/32
|
1'1"
|
1'9"
|
2'5"
|
3'4"
|
5'2"
|
10'
|
41'
|
165'
|
370'
|
|
aperture
|
16mm
|
20mm
|
24mm
|
28mm
|
35mm
|
50mm
|
100mm
|
200mm
|
300mm
|
|
f/1.4
|
7.3m
|
11.4m
|
16.5m
|
22.4m
|
35m
|
71m
|
286m
|
1143m
|
2571m
|
|
f/2
|
5.7m
|
8.9m
|
12.8m
|
17.4m
|
27.2m
|
56m
|
222m
|
889m
|
2000m
|
|
f/2.8
|
3.66m
|
5.7m
|
8.2m
|
11.2m
|
17.5m
|
36m
|
143m
|
571m
|
1286m
|
|
f/4
|
2.56m
|
4m
|
5.8m
|
7.8m
|
12.3m
|
25m
|
100m
|
400m
|
900m
|
|
f/5.6
|
1.83m
|
2.86m
|
4.11m
|
5.6m
|
8.8m
|
17.9m
|
71m
|
286m
|
643m
|
|
f/8
|
1.28m
|
2m
|
2.88m
|
3.92m
|
6.1m
|
12.5m
|
50m
|
200m
|
450m
|
|
f/11
|
0.93m
|
1.46m
|
2.10m
|
2.85m
|
4.46m
|
9.1m
|
36m
|
145m
|
328m
|
|
f/16
|
0.64m
|
1m
|
1.44m
|
1.96m
|
3.06m
|
6.3m
|
25m
|
100m
|
228m
|
|
f/22
|
0.47m
|
0.73m
|
1.05m
|
1.43m
|
2.23m
|
4.55m
|
18.2m
|
73m
|
164m
|
|
f/32
|
0.32m
|
0.5m
|
0.72m
|
0.98m
|
1.53m
|
3.13m
|
12.5m
|
50m
|
113m
|
Flash section. I should have noted somewhere that with an SB-26 on an F4, the F4 must be in AF single servo or manual focus mode for the focus assist function of the SB-26 to work.
Page 199, N90s instructions on Self Timer (also as appropriate for other cameras). Note: The N90s calculates exposure at the start of the self-timer countdown (i.e., when you press the shutter release), so make sure that you are not standing in front of the lens or otherwise blocking the lens when you press the shutter release!
Page 204, N70/F70 instructions. It has been pointed out that the N70/F70 can be tricked into doing multiple exposures by using the following method:
- Hold the camera back shut with your thumb and middle finger of your left hand. You must keep the back tightly closed!
- Press and hold the "Open Camera Back" button with your index finger on the left hand.
- Take your first exposure while continuing to hold the back closed and the open back button pressed.
- Let go of the "Open Camera Back" button after taking the first shot. Make sure the camera back is locked closed! Take your second shot.
- Note: remember to use exposure compensation for the two shots, if necessary (typically -1 stop).
Page 216, N70/F70 instructions. Someone has challenged the note regarding flash versus regular exposure compensation. Unfortunately, I don't have an N70 handy to test this (it was tested by myself and another photographer prior to releasing the book, as were all instructions, but that doesn't mean we were right ;-). Next time I get an N70 with enough time to test, I'll post my results.
Page 247, Nikon contact info. The Nikon headquarters for Israel is not located in Torino, Italy, as written. The contact information has changed. If you'd like to know the official distributor for a country, click here.
Nikon Field Guide Second Edition Corrections, Clarifications, and Additions
Page 92, AF Nikkor Lenses (Zoom). The 28-70mmD uses an HB-19 hood. The 800-200mmD AF-S uses an HB-17 hood.
Page 132, Setting Repeating Flash. You need to select a manual power level (1/8, 1/16, 1/32, or 1/64). I'd add this as step between Step 2 and 3.
Page 133,
Setting High-Speed Sync Flash. Step 4 is slightly misleading. "choose
the 1 or 2 setting" doesn't tell you how. You choose the FP1 or FP2 setting
by pressing the M button an additional time (e.g., FP1 is the power that appears
after 1/64, FP2 is the power that appears after FP1).
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