Opinions: Can I use my old Nikon lenses on a new Nikon digital camera?
Twibil
the obvious reasons, but I can't seem to get a straight answer to the
question of whether or not I can use my collection of old Nikon SLR
lenses on one of the new digitals.
I *assume* that they won't integrate with the newer automated onboard
systems, and that doesn't bother me as I've always preferred selecting
my settings manually anyway, but I've also been told that the older
lenses will screw up the color balance if used on a digital camera and
that said imbalance can't be corrected for, even with computer
editing.
Problem is that a couple of old film camera vets such as myself have
told me that they *do* use their old lenses on their new digital
cameras and that they're getting good results that way, but the guys
I've spoken to at camera shops tell me the exact opposite: "It won't
work".
I strongly suspect they're just angling to sell me an entire new
collection of lenses, but I don't *know*.
What say the assembled multitude? Nikon users in particular?
Thanx, ~Pete
nospam
<0c6d5220-d2f0-4401...@z28g2000prd.googlegroups.com>,
Twibil <noway...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm about to retire my old Nikon film cameras and go digital for all
> the obvious reasons, but I can't seem to get a straight answer to the
> question of whether or not I can use my collection of old Nikon SLR
> lenses on one of the new digitals.
>
> I *assume* that they won't integrate with the newer automated onboard
> systems, and that doesn't bother me as I've always preferred selecting
> my settings manually anyway, but I've also been told that the older
> lenses will screw up the color balance if used on a digital camera and
> that said imbalance can't be corrected for, even with computer
> editing.
which lenses?
manual focus lenses ai lenses will remain manual focus (obviously) and
you'll need to get a d200 or better for metering to work.
autofocus lenses will autofocus and meter on all but the d40/d60
series, where they will be manual focus.
if they're *very* old (non-ai) then they need to be modified before
mounting them on any recent nikon camera except for a d40/d60 which
does not need them to be modified.
there are a couple of exceptions such as the 6mm fisheye that required
mirror lockup just to mount the lens.
> Problem is that a couple of old film camera vets such as myself have
> told me that they *do* use their old lenses on their new digital
> cameras and that they're getting good results that way, but the guys
> I've spoken to at camera shops tell me the exact opposite: "It won't
> work".
they want you to buy new lenses. find a new camera shop, one which
gives you honest advice.
> I strongly suspect they're just angling to sell me an entire new
> collection of lenses, but I don't *know*.
that's exactly correct.
Jürgen Exner
>I'm about to retire my old Nikon film cameras and go digital for all
>the obvious reasons, but I can't seem to get a straight answer to the
>question of whether or not I can use my collection of old Nikon SLR
>lenses on one of the new digitals.
The basic rule is very simple: if the lens is at least AI-P (introduced
end of the 80s) then you can mount it and all features of the lens will
work with any current dSLR with one exception: autofocus on a
D40/D40x/D60 requires an AF-S lens.
If your lenses are older and are AI (introduced end of the 70s) but not
AI-P then they will mount on any dSLR, including the D40/40x/60, but
metering will work only on the higher end models. Your best bet in that
case is to add the chip and convert the AI lens into an AI-P lens.
If your lenses are yet older and are not even AI, then they won't mount
on dSLRs without hardware modifications and trying to mount them can
cause damage to lens or camera. Exception being again D40/40x/60, which
can mount even the very first Nikon F-mount lens.
For a detailed compatibility matrix please see
http://bythom.com/lensacronyms.htm
>I *assume* that they won't integrate with the newer automated onboard
>systems, and that doesn't bother me as I've always preferred selecting
>my settings manually anyway,
True for pre-AI-P, where it depends on lens and camera.
>but I've also been told that the older
>lenses will screw up the color balance if used on a digital camera and
>that said imbalance can't be corrected for, even with computer
>editing.
Urban myth. Whoever told you that doesn't know what he is talking about.
You can use any "film" lens on a digital camera without problems, there
is no difference. Some people claim that new lenses are "optimized" for
digital sensors. This may or may not be true, but you can use a "film"
lens without any drawbacks just fine on a digital camera.
>Problem is that a couple of old film camera vets such as myself have
>told me that they *do* use their old lenses on their new digital
>cameras and that they're getting good results that way, but the guys
And that's correct.
>I've spoken to at camera shops tell me the exact opposite: "It won't
>work".
'cuse my language, but that's bullshit.
>I strongly suspect they're just angling to sell me an entire new
>collection of lenses, but I don't *know*.
jue
Paul Furman
> I'm about to retire my old Nikon film cameras and go digital for all
> the obvious reasons, but I can't seem to get a straight answer to the
> question of whether or not I can use my collection of old Nikon SLR
> lenses on one of the new digitals.
There isn't a simple answer, list your lenses and we can categorize them
in a meaningful way.
If the lens won't meter on the camera, that means you can't even look at
the meter & adjust, you'll just have to guess. That's doable with trial
& error looking at the LCD on back but pretty crummy. Generally that
means you'll want a D200 or above to meter with old manual focus lenses.
If you have AF lenses, those will meter on any new camera but not AF on
less than a D80, D70, D50.
--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com
all google groups messages filtered due to spam
Twibil
> if they're *very* old (non-ai) then they need to be modified before
> mounting them on any recent nikon camera except for a d40/d60 which
> does not need them to be modified.
Bingo. *That's* the information I needed.
Much grass.
> they want you to buy new lenses. find a new camera shop, one which
> gives you honest advice.
So far I've heard variations on the same song and dance at three
different places. (It's a plot, I tell you!)
Thanx, ~Pete
Twibil
> For a detailed compatibility matrix please seehttp://bythom.com/lensacronyms.htm
Told me everything I needed to know in detail.
Thanx, ~Pete
Twibil
> If the lens won't meter on the camera, that means you can't even look at
> the meter & adjust, you'll just have to guess.
Well, no, that's why they invented primitive stone hand-held light
meters many eons ago. };-P
My old Gossen Luna Pro still works just fine, and will even do a
couple of things that in-camera light meters won't.
Thanx, ~Pete
Chris Malcolm
> On Jan 22, 7:43?pm, nospam <nos...@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>> if they're *very* old (non-ai) then they need to be modified before
>> mounting them on any recent nikon camera except for a d40/d60 which
>> does not need them to be modified.
> Bingo. *That's* the information I needed.
> Much grass.
>> they want you to buy new lenses. ?find a new camera shop, one which
>> gives you honest advice.
> So far I've heard variations on the same song and dance at three
> different places. (It's a plot, I tell you!)
But if they paid their assistants enough to be knowledgeable
photographic experts who would buy anything from them at the prices
they'd have to charge? The public has clearly told shops via the
market that they want to be served by the cheapest idiots employable.
--
Chris Malcolm
Scott Schuckert
defense of the salesmen: they may not necessarily be trying to sell
lenses (though that's certainly a possibility)
If a question of compatibility is at all complex, or involves the
possibility of equipment damage, I'd definitely have instructed my
staff to be VERY stingy with "yes, that will work."
Just because the customer says he has an AI 105mm Nikkor, doesn't mean
it IS AI; just because he says he has a D60 doesn't mean it's not a
D70.
So unless he actually brought in the two pieces in question ("Will
these work together?") I'd rather give out misinformation than face
accusations that my advice caused damage.
David Ruether
"Twibil" <noway...@gmail.com> wrote in message news:ab1deede-3699-4f13...@t39g2000prh.googlegroups.com...
--My 1939 Weston also works well in this digital age, and it
--is easy with it to introduce exposure compensations while
--taking the readings, an often useful advantage with snow,
--backlight, etc.
--DR
Chris H
<n...@aol.com> writes
>As a former camera store operator, I'll come in with some slight
>defense of the salesmen: they may not necessarily be trying to sell
>lenses (though that's certainly a possibility)
>
>If a question of compatibility is at all complex, or involves the
>possibility of equipment damage, I'd definitely have instructed my
>staff to be VERY stingy with "yes, that will work."
>
>Just because the customer says he has an AI 105mm Nikkor, doesn't mean
>it IS AI; just because he says he has a D60 doesn't mean it's not a
>D70.
Shirley not? Users getting it wrong? How can that be when we all know
that all camera shop sales men are thick as pig shit, are only there
because there were no more jobs at Mac-Donalds or are failed
photographers who want to get their own back on the rest of us.
I mean we know all camera users are intelligent, pleasant and polite
people who have well researched the subject, know their equipment and
are not trying to prove how clever they are because it is all they have
in life.
>So unless he actually brought in the two pieces in question ("Will
>these work together?") I'd rather give out misinformation than face
>accusations that my advice caused damage.
You will only get sued and it will add to the "fact" that camera shops
are staffed by idiots.
So do you want loose or loose and get sued? As a business you know
which one is cheaper.
--
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
\/\/\/\/\ Chris Hills Staffs England /\/\/\/\/
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Jürgen Exner
>If the lens won't meter on the camera, that means you can't even look at
>the meter & adjust, you'll just have to guess. That's doable with trial
>& error looking at the LCD on back but pretty crummy.
Or check the exposure histogram. You need to learn how to read them and
they don't help with snap shots, but it won't get more precise than
that.
BTW: what on earth is that |GG| in the subject line for?
jue
nospam
<n...@aol.com> wrote:
> As a former camera store operator, I'll come in with some slight
> defense of the salesmen: they may not necessarily be trying to sell
> lenses (though that's certainly a possibility)
what else would they want to do? their job title is *sales*man and
they're there to sell. how else does the store make money? certainly
not from talking about the weather. this is particularly true if they
are on commission.
> If a question of compatibility is at all complex, or involves the
> possibility of equipment damage, I'd definitely have instructed my
> staff to be VERY stingy with "yes, that will work."
that's fine.
> Just because the customer says he has an AI 105mm Nikkor, doesn't mean
> it IS AI; just because he says he has a D60 doesn't mean it's not a
> D70.
you can only go by what they say. if they say it's a d60, it's a d60.
if they're incapable of reading 3 characters on the front of the
camera, then they are probably inept enough to end up damaging the
equipment no matter what you do.
> So unless he actually brought in the two pieces in question ("Will
> these work together?") I'd rather give out misinformation than face
> accusations that my advice caused damage.
deliberately giving out misinformation is not exactly the best way to
gain respect of customers.
Twibil
Not to seem like a trouble-maker here, but I've been your shoes re the
misinformation issue in retail sales, and what I always told my sales
force was "If you don't have an easy yes-or-no answer to a customer's
question about system compatibility, tell them you don't *know* the
answer, explain *why* you don't know, and offer to research the
question and get back to them with what you've learned in short
order!"
There's no crime in being honest, but saying "yes" or "no" when the
answer is complex or unclear can come back to bite you in the ass
either way, and that's how you lose potentially good customers.
~Pete
nospam
<7badacff-7451-4862...@v39g2000pro.googlegroups.com>,
Twibil <noway...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Not to seem like a trouble-maker here, but I've been your shoes re the
> misinformation issue in retail sales, and what I always told my sales
> force was "If you don't have an easy yes-or-no answer to a customer's
> question about system compatibility, tell them you don't *know* the
> answer, explain *why* you don't know, and offer to research the
> question and get back to them with what you've learned in short
> order!"
>
> There's no crime in being honest, but saying "yes" or "no" when the
> answer is complex or unclear can come back to bite you in the ass
> either way, and that's how you lose potentially good customers.
exactly.
Paul Furman
> Paul Furman <paul-@-edgehill.net> wrote:
>> If the lens won't meter on the camera, that means you can't even look at
>> the meter & adjust, you'll just have to guess. That's doable with trial
>> & error looking at the LCD on back but pretty crummy.
>
> Or check the exposure histogram. You need to learn how to read them and
> they don't help with snap shots, but it won't get more precise than
> that.
After a while of using an in-camera meter, it gets tedious to go back.
But I never used an 'external' light meter so what do I know <g>.
> BTW: what on earth is that |GG| in the subject line for?
Sorry, that's my google groups filter. It marks messages as read in
thunderbird but I can see them in the thread if someone replies. A lot
of discount tennis shoe spam goes away with that. I try to remember to
delete in the title.
--
Blinky the Shark
Filter on string googlegroups in the Message-ID header, and that kind of
make-work isn't nececssary.
--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups -
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org
ASAAR
>> BTW: what on earth is that |GG| in the subject line for?
>
> Sorry, that's my google groups filter. It marks messages as read in
> thunderbird but I can see them in the thread if someone replies. A lot
> of discount tennis shoe spam goes away with that. I try to remember to
> delete in the title.
It does more than just mark messages. It splits threads, making
it more difficult to review previous replies in what should have
been the same thread. Are you saying that you occasionally forget
to remove the "|GG|" before posting your replies?