Railfan Technology > Time to go digital

Hey guys, guess it is time to go digital. Nikon fan, fm FM2 have various lenses from years past . Can one use these on Nikon digital cameras. What I am looking for is a decent digital to learn, that would hopefully allow me to use my old glass. Was looking at packages from Costco to start, do not do an abundance of pix but would like to learn on a half way decent moderately priced camera. Suggestions please

All Nikon INTERCHANGEABLE lens cameras use the 'F Mount" lens.  In many, not all, cases, old lenses are not up to the demands of modern sensors.   CP+ has just concluded in Yokohama, and several new Nikons have been announced, with new, 1 inch sensors.  These are plenty good enough for reasonable size prints and posts on the internet and social media.  Take a look at www.dpreview.com.  Browse the various forums to get an idea of what is available from numerous manufacturers.  Don't get locked into one brand or type of camera merely because you have a bag of old lenses. 

Make sure that the Nikon body can run your auto-focusing
lenses. Some of the cheaper Nikon bodies do not have
focus motors but instead rely on the lenses themselves
to provide the auto focus motor.

I'd never be afraid of old glass. If it worked on the film
camera, it will work on the digi camera. Once in a while you
might want to send the old glass into a repair shop for cleaning
and adjustment.

HTH.

John.

The move from film to pixels is pretty brutal but there are spectacular advantages to the Digital cameras. Getting past the digital nature of things, I really missed my older Nikkor lenses and was surprised to find a recent move to using the older manual lenses and older auto-focus lenses in recently designed Nikon cameras. I haven't tried one out but having been watching for a way to make a connection, as well as the bucks, but that 'time' thing as well. Check out the discussion on Ken Rockwell's page, notice the lens on the photo of the featured camera, but also Google the key words to find out more about the idea:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d7200.htm

list of compatible equipment and discussion:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility.htm

Let us know if it works out...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/16 11:41 by TCnR.

NormSchultze Wrote:
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> All Nikon INTERCHANGEABLE lens cameras use the 'F
> Mount" lens.

Not true. The Nikon 1 series uses a special 1 Nikkor line of lenses with a smaller mount.

I was more interested in entry level camera than using my old glass so suggestions on a camera was what I was seeking

If you're sticking with Nikon, Costco seems to stock the D3x00 series and the D5x00 series. I have a D5000 from B&H and Adorama which is working out very well. I suspect it's not like other Digital cameras but I was able to work with it and tweak some settings to make it work a bit better. Note that all the Nikon D series have the smaller sensor. The D series also has a plastic shell series of Nikkor lenses that do well but are clearly not the heavy metal Nikkor's of old. Nikon targeted a specific market and price point with the D series.

In general, Canon and other manufacturers have a larger sensor so the pricing and performance go along with that. The sensors are the key component but there's a lot of things that go into the camera. Complexity and feel are hard to describe. I guess if you're looking for user opinions I've already offered mine.

Note that you can search a Users name in the TrainOrders 'Static Photography' section. There is a large number of vocal supporters of each manufacturer on TO. The key phrase is 'f8 and be there'.

cda301 Wrote:
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> I was more interested in entry level camera than
> using my old glass so suggestions on a camera was
> what I was seeking

Right, but since the OP was talking about his old glass, the new Nikon format wasn't in play. 
And that old glass may or may not be OK. Remember the 43-86 Zoom Nikkor ?  Coke bottles were just as sharp ! There is a reason why the new glass is almost twice as expensive as the old. It's the resolving power of the sensors.

And Ken Rockwell.  The gearheads on dpreview are universally critical...to the point of Ken being a real guffaw.  your mileage may vary.

Digital has so many advantages over film that It is surprising you have held out this long.

The primary lens on my D90 is a DX 18-300/3.5-5.6.  This lens gets good results when there is enough light, but when the light starts going away it leaves you dead in the water.  That is when I turn to a 35-70/2.8 D lens and a 50/1.4 D that I originally used on my N90S film camera.  The focus and metering functions of the D lens work fine on the digital D90.  I had an FM before the N90S but I haven't tried any of those lenses on the digital because I have no interest in going back to manual.

Enjoy digital..   

I bought at Costco after looking at the different body's and lens compatibility. All my old lens work on my new Bobby.
But look at the compatibility grid, before you buy.....Swede....Albany,Or.

I have a Nikon digital and have no complaints. If you don't plan to get really heavily involved in photography then camera kits offered by Costco will serve you well. Those Nikon kits are solid cameras for general use.

Mainly I would like to add that I don't think I can ever go back to a manual focus camera. The modern lenses focus pretty well, many times better than I was able to do back in the film days.

Gary

Posted from iPhone

Yes, your heritage F mount lenses will all work on the digital F mount bodies. Of course none will autofocus and depending on the camera will auto expose.

I still occasionally use a couple of old lenses on my digital Nikons. I was nice to have them around while I was buying new autofocus lenses. Those new state of the art autofocus lenses are worth the price they are asking.

Posted from iPhone

KR has quite a few faults but he catches the really bad stuff and has some interesting lists of equipment. DPReview is a great site if you can figure out how to find what you're looking for and if they have reviewed what you're looking for.

You really need to have a bit of a clue anywhere you go these days, I can't imagine how may times I've talked with a Salesperson, had that flashing BS light go on and then turned and walked away. You can do the same thing with a web page believe it or not.
-------------------------------------------------------
...
> And Ken Rockwell.  The gearheads on dpreview are
> universally critical...to the point of Ken being a
> real guffaw.  your mileage may vary.

TCnR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you're sticking with Nikon, Costco seems to
> stock the D3x00 series and the D5x00 series. I
> have a D5000 from B&H and Adorama which is working
> out very well. I suspect it's not like other
> Digital cameras but I was able to work with it and
> tweak some settings to make it work a bit better.
> Note that all the Nikon D series have the smaller
> sensor. The D series also has a plastic shell
> series of Nikkor lenses that do well but are
> clearly not the heavy metal Nikkor's of old. Nikon
> targeted a specific market and price point with
> the D series.
>
> In general, Canon and other manufacturers have a
> larger sensor so the pricing and performance go
> along with that. 


Nikon DX sensors will change the apparent field of view of your old lenses but should work well if you get a camera that drives the focus of the older lenses.  Canon has crop sensor cameras as well, not just Nikon.  In fact, canon's sensor in crop format is smaller than Nikons by a slight margin, which slightly enhances the tele effect of the crop sensor. Far more crop sensor cameras are sold than full frame by Canon and the other manufacturers .  Adorama, B&H Photo, and KEH camera are very reputable and you can get a Nikon D7100 or D7000 refurbished or used from them at a reasonable price. Those will work with almost all the old AF glass.  Or MF as well.  If you are mostly manual focus, you have a bit more of a challenge as the viewfinder in the DX cameras is harder to focus for a lot of folks as its smaller than the 35mm Finder you're used to.  You of course can get a great D700 full frame used at KEH for about $500 and it will be much easier to manually focus on that screen. KEH thoroughly inspects their cameras and you can trust their ratings generally. Hope this helps.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/16 12:28 by Gateway97.

I found that my previously used lenses from my film days did not cut it with digital, and they were of good quality. So, whether or not it mounts may not be the real issue here. If you are moving to a purchase of a digital body, put the REAL money on your glass that is up to the task. For me, as a Canon user, that meant S glass. The sharpness is incredible. The camera body can and will evolve but the fine glass is worth it if you are serious.  My .02. Best of luck, it's a worthwhile move on your part.