Nikon 500mm f/4P question & discussion

[Roland Vink]

The hoods for most (all?) 200/2, 200-400/4 and 300/2.8 lenses are interchangeable. These all have a similar size entrance pupil of 100-107mm.

The front element of the 500/4 is significantly larger at 125mm, I think the hoods for the lenses above will be too small to fit this lens.

[Erik Lund]

The manual focus 500mm f/4 Ai-P is front 'filter size' 122mm, same as the old 300mm f/2.8 lenses for instance,,,


Pretty sure I remember, but off course,,, could be wrong (Yes I was wrong) so let's hear it from Current owners should be easy 


This is with the original HK-17
https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_lund/18830637619/

[Roland Vink]

Maybe you are thinking of the AI-S 400/3.5?

The 500mm f/4 Ai-P only accepts 39mm internal filters. It has a fixed protective front glass plate if my records are correct, not screw-in.

If it accepted 122mm filters, either Nikon are cheating on the focal length or max aperture, as a 500/4 lens requires at least 125mm front element, so the hood should be even bigger.

[Birna Rørslett]

The 500/4 Ai-P is indeed 122mm in front, but its hood is not interchangeable with the 200/2 & 300/2.8 AF Nikkors as the latter have slightly narrower hoods.

Roland, do remember the entrance pupil is virtual so using the size of the front element is just a first-order approximation and only makes sense for long focal lengths.

[Matthew Currie]

The instructions don't give a front filter size,  and there are no filter threads in the opening, though there are threads deeper in. I think you'd have a problem trying to thread a filter in, because it would be recessed and very hard to get out.  The opening looks to be about 122 mm at those threads.

The hood mounts on the outside of the barrel, and that is 130 mm.

[Birna Rørslett]

Sorry forgot to mention the 500/4P doesn't have filter threads in front. It relies on 39mm drop-in filters.

[Erik Lund]

Well it's 122mm front according to Mir 'filter thread' so most likely it comes from the brochure  Yes it has a rubber bumper as all of the later big tele lenses
Sorry, hope nobody went ad bought a wrong lens hood - I'll edit the post Thank you all for checking!!!
Then back to the question, what hood fits? apart from HK-17
Anyway, I don't recall if I modified it,,,
The old 122mm filter threads of 300mm AI Ais f/2.8 correcponds in dimensions. Check Rolands pages as allways! He is right of course

[Roland Vink]

My site says the 500/4 P has 39mmdrop-in filters, nowhere does it say it has 122mm filters... I'll see if I can dig up any old brochures which list this lens.

[Erik Lund]

Sorry, not formulated well, ill correct it:
Mir quote:
The front filter thread is 122mm but it accepts 39mm drop-in filters at the special filter drawer at the rear section. A special extra long extension dedicated carbon-fibred strengthened HK-17 lens hood was a standard accessory
Exposure measurement: Via full aperture method; meter coupling ridge provided for Al cameras and meter coupling shoe for non-AI cameras, CPU integrated for Matrix Metering with suitable Nikon SLRs
 Maximum Reproduction ratio: 1:9.1
 Distance scale: Graduated in meters and feet from 5m (16.4ft.) to infinity (oo)
 Weight: 3,000g; Tripod Mount: Fixed type
 Dimensions: 138mm dia. x 384mm long (overall)
 Filters (Rear/Front): 39mm slip-in via special slip-in filter holder/122mm optical protective UV filter
 Front lens cap: Slip-on; Lens hood: HE-17 Extension Hood as standard accessory

The old 122mm filter threads of 300mm AI Ais f/2.8 correcponds in dimensions. Check Rolands pages as allways! He is right of course

My guess is that I remembered wrong. Probably the hood for 500mm f/4 AF-S was the one I used,,,
 

[MILLIREHM]

My 500 /4 AF-S has the really extra long HK-24 (and no front filter thread). The HK-17 for the 500 mm f/4 P is shorter (and there appeares to be a Hood extension as accessory).
The also mentioned 400 mm f/3,5 AI-S has 122 mm front filter thread (in addition to the 39 mm drop in) and a (very short) built in lens-hood- never tried to adapt another hood here.

[Matthew Currie]

Here are a couple of quick and dirty pictures.  As you can see, the front threads are recessed behind the rather deep rubber bumper.  I don't know what would be revealed if some intrepid experimenter pried off the rubber. 

I got the dimensions a bit wrong in my previous post, and it looks as if the distance between the plastic stops on the hood is more like 133 millimeters, not 130. 

[rs]

I think you might find that what looks like threading in that first photo, are just parallel grooves to make the lock ring less reflective, from a flare perspective.

Regards,

Richard

[Asle F]

The hoods for most (all?) 200/2, 200-400/4 and 300/2.8 lenses are interchangeable.

Not all. The hood for my AIS 200mm/2 and AF-I 300mm/2.8 are not interchangeable.

[Matthew Currie]

I think you might find that what looks like threading in that first photo, are just parallel grooves to make the lock ring less reflective, from a flare perspective.

Regards,

Richard

I'll check again when I get it back.  On close examination I found that it had been in its suitcase too long and was growing some fungus so it's off getting taken apart and cleaned.  Probably won't be back for a little while.