Nikon Lens Converter: General Operations

Modes and Icons

Since there are five lens converters, Coolpix 990 has five converter modes, one for each lens converter: Wide Adaptor for WC-E24 or WC-E63, Telephoto 1 for TC-E2, Telephoto 2 for TC-E3ED, Fisheye 1 for FC-E8 in circular image mode, and Fisheye 2 for FC-E8 in full frame mode. Coolpix 950, on the hand, only has four converter modes because TC-E3ED was released after Coolpix 950 has gained its popularity. Therefore, Coolpix 950 has the following modes: WIDE for WC-E24 or WC-E63, TELEFOTO for TC-E2, FISHEYE1 for FC-E8 in circular image mode, and FISHEYE2 for FC-E8 in full frame mode. The following table summarizes these modes:

*Converter*	*950*		*990*
*Converter*	*mode*	*icon*	*mode*	*icon*
*WC-E24 or WC-E63*	WIDE		Wide Adaptor
*TC-E2*	TELEFOTO		Telephoto 1
*TC-E3ED*	not available		Telephoto 2
*FC-E8 circular*	FISHEYE1		Fisheye 1
*FC-E8 full frame*	FISHEYE2		Fisheye 2
*No lens setting*	no icon

After setting the camera to one of these modes, the on-camera lens will be zoomed in or out so that the combined lens will not vignette and at the same time disables internal and external flashes. Details can be found on each individual page.

Using Lens Converters in Regular Mode

If fact, you do not have to set your camera to one of the converter modes. In general, you can simply mount a lens converter and use the zooming buttons to adjust the focal length of the on-camera lens until you are satisfied with your composition. In this case, the camera is in the Regular mode. This means you are either in A-REC which does not allow you to set any converter mode, or you are in M-REC and do not bother to set any converter mode.

When you are in the Regular mode, you can operate the camera and the mounted lens converter as if the converter is not there. You can zoom in and out in the extended focal length range, although vignetting may occur in some cases. More precisely, when TC-E2 or TC-E3ED is mounted, vignetting will occur if the on-camera lens is zoomed all the way out. See the image below. Although both internal and external flashes can be used (if they are not turned off), exposure will not be correct because all lens converters block the flash sensor. Another obvious problem is that the viewfinder is blocked partially or completely. Thus, use LCD monitor instead. Other than these problems, there is no big differences between the Regular mode and any other converter mode.

Setting and Resetting a Lens Converter Mode

Use the following procedure to set or reset the camera to a particular lens converter mode:

*950*	*990*
Take all filters off from the on-camera lens
Mount the desired lens converter
Enter M-REC
Press the MENU button twice to enter the second page of the menu system. You will see the following screen:	Press the MENU button once to enter the first page of the menu system. You will see the following screen:
Press the zooming button W or T to highlight the LENS item as show below: Note that if the camera has been set to one of the converter modes, the square to the left of LENS has a check mark.	Use the up and down arrows of the multi-selector to highlight the lens converter icon. The top line should display LENS as shown below: Note that if the camera has been set to one of the converter mode, the corresponding icon appears on the first column.
Press the shutter release button to select this item. A a new screen appears showing all four lens converters. The item NORMAL is used for resetting the converter mode.	Press the right arrow of the multi-selector to select this item. A new screen appears showing all five lens converters. The item Normal is used for resetting the converter mode.
Use the zooming buttons W and T to move up and down until the corresponding lens converter is highlighted. Then, press the shutter release button to select. After making a selection, the camera returns to shooting mode immediately and a lens converter icon appears on the LCD monitor:	Use the up and down arrows of the multi-selector to move up and down until the corresponding lens converter is highlighted. Then, press the right arrow to select. After making a selection, press the MENU button twice to return to shooting mode. The icon of the selected lens converter appears on the LCD monitor:
To reset to no lens converter, following the above procedure and select NORMAL on a 950 or Normal on a 990. Once reset, the converter icon on the LCD monitor disappears. To set the camera to a different lens converter mode, follow the procedure above and select an appropriate one.

Coolpix 990 has a shortcut for selecting a lens converter. Once the LENS item is highlighted, you can use the command dial to make a selection. As the command dial is being turned, the icon of a lens converter is shown on the first column. Keep turning until the corresponding converter icon appears. Then, press the MENU button twice to return to shooting mode.

Some Reminders

The following are some important notes when using a lens converter.

When a converter is mounted, internal and external flashes are either turned off (if you have set the converter mode) or not function properly (because the flash sensor is blocked).
Since converters block the viewfinder, you should use the LCD monitor for composition.
Except for WC-E24, all other lens converters are heavy and big. Consequently, the lens unit may tilt even the camera is mounted on a tripod. Hold the camera and the lens unit firmly.
Never pick up the camera by converter. This could break the connector between the on-camera lens and lens converter.