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12/05/2005 11:59:47 PM · #1 |
| I found a few old film lenses for use with nikon film slr's was wondering if they will work with digital... |
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12/06/2005 12:01:53 AM · #2 |
For the most part, older Nikon lenses will work on Nikon digital cameras.
With Canon, the lens has to be made for the EOS line of cameras to work on the digital cameras and even some of those lenses aren't completely functional.
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12/06/2005 02:34:33 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
For the most part, older Nikon lenses will work on Nikon digital cameras.
With Canon, the lens has to be made for the EOS line of cameras to work on the digital cameras and even some of those lenses aren't completely functional. |
Or buy the nikon to EOS adapter and use some gret manual focus glass with AP.
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12/06/2005 02:45:16 AM · #4 |
I cant say first hand because I do not own a Nikon digital, but, I have heard that it is easier to use old MF Nikkors on Canon via an adapter (I have two, use them on a 300D--LOVE them) than it is to use them on a Nikon !
I think the ease of use on the Canon had to do with not having to futz with the cameras electronica, cuz you already mounted an adapter ring. |
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12/06/2005 03:02:15 AM · #5 |
I would say be carefull because i tried an old... very old 50-300mm Nikon lens on my D2H at a recycle shop with intent to buy it but after close looks i saw some mould inside and decided not to buy it.. later that day i tried to use my AF-S VR lens the auto focus was not working. I had to send my camera back to Nikon and the cost of the repair is not very nice either ..
Reason - the older Nikon Ai-s have a small ridge around the mount, they will still fit the camera but my advice would be to use a coller first when trying out old old lenses.. I have had no trouble with the later Ai series lenses and adore my old Ai 85mm f1.4 (now owned by my friend)..
Caution is the key the older lens had actually broken the contacts inside my camera body, I had to have this replaced at a cost of around $300-$450 ... 42,000YEN.
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12/06/2005 09:20:30 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by hollisterGq:
I found a few old film lenses for use with nikon film slr's was wondering if they will work with digital... |
One of the "advantages" of Nikon systems is that a vast amount of glass is available and interchangeable due to their consistent use of the connecting hardware over the past several decades (have forgotten the name and designation of the connecting ring). Meaning that many Nikon owners from the film days can use their lenses on their new Digital bodies. HOWEVER, as posted above, there are a few very old lenses that are not compatible and others that can damage the current electronic sensors, especially if the connector is broken or damaged. Therefore, caution is the wisest course, as advocated above, with the understanding that in many many cases, excellant results can/will be achieved with older lenses.
Short answer is yes they can. Long answer is "it depends".
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12/06/2005 09:59:20 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by Flash:
consistent use of the connecting hardware over the past several decades (have forgotten the name and designation of the connecting ring). |
F-Mount, I believe, and yes, Nikon has consistently used it for a while now so pretty much all Nikon lenses will work with some functionality on all Nikon cameras (with the exception I guess of the really old ones previously referred to in this thread). There have been some changes in the way cameras communicate with the lenses, so sometimes functionality is reduced (to say, manual focus, manual everything else) but they still should be usable. This is generally more of a problem when putting a new lens on an old camera than it is putting an old lens on a new camera (in part because the old lenses don't have as much automatic, motor driven functionality).
We (my boyfriend and I) have a small assortment of lenses here: my 18-70DX, his 50mm E-Series, Sigma 70-300 Macro, and one other mid range zoom that I rarely use since it's similar to my 18-70. I shoot with a D70, he shoots with an N80 (film). All the lenses work fine on both cameras, with the exception of the 18-70 since it's a DX (designed for digital only, projects a smaller image circle so can only be used by cameras with 1.5x crop factor sensors). He gets vignetting if he uses that, but I think he did put it on his camera once and the camera was able to control it.
Message edited by author 2005-12-06 10:00:14. |
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12/06/2005 11:13:18 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by alionic:
Reason - the older Nikon Ai-s have a small ridge around the mount, they will still fit the camera but my advice would be to use a coller first when trying out old old lenses.. I have had no trouble with the later Ai series lenses and adore my old Ai 85mm f1.4 (now owned by my friend)..
Caution is the key the older lens had actually broken the contacts inside my camera body, I had to have this replaced at a cost of around $300-$450 ... 42,000YEN. |
ais lenses are actually newer versions than the ai versions, not older. The ai & ais have identical specifications except the ais has a scoop cut into the mount to communicate the focal length to certain cameras for their program mode. The older, non-ai as they are called, lenses do not have the “automatic indexing” feature built into the aperture ring. As a result if you try to mount a non-ai lens on a newer body with the ai coupling then damage can occur to the camera. However the D70 and most newer cameras do not have the auto-indexing ring on the camera, depending on electrical contacts to communicated aperture information to the camera instead. This is why metering is lost with manual focus lenses on the D70, D100, etc.
Most non-ai lenses can be modified with a dremel tool to cut out the extra material on the rear of the aperture ring to make your own ai lens. It’s really not as a big deal as it sounds, just make sure no shavings get into the back of the lens.
The basic F mount is still the same as when introduced in 1959 and whole line was updated to ai in 1977, so there are literally hundreds of incredible lens choices out there (All AF lenses except for G & DX lenses adhere to the ais standard).
Until Nikon introduced the D200 recently there was no pro-am support of older (non-af) glass, forcing many such as my self to use other manufacturer camera bodies to take advantage of the older Nikon Glass (I use Olympus Digital SLRs).
As far as an older lens messing up the contacts, I doubt it was the lens' fault unless it was defective. I have used the 50-300 before without trouble, and have also used a chipped 50-300 also. The only official mount troubles with the AF contacts are with the BR-2 reversing ring and the PK-11 8mm extension tube. Both of these have been replaced with newer versions that do not come in contact with the contacts. They are the BR-2A and the PK-11A.
Message edited by author 2005-12-06 11:15:02. |
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12/06/2005 11:48:48 AM · #9 |
I've got a 40-year-old Perspective Correction lens that mounts perfectly, focuses manually, and has abosolutley no CPU communication with my D70, and I love it.
YMMV, but with a very few exceptions most Nikon glass mounts just fine to a D series body. |
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12/06/2005 03:13:20 PM · #10 |
Nikon can mount to Canon quite easily with the proper adapter because Nikon lenses are shorter in the mount than Canon lenses, and the adapter adds just that amount of thickness. Here's a page that discusses the adapter: Nikon-Canon Lens Adapter. It's expensive, though; in the $200 range. And as pointed out, you will lose some of the automatic functions as there's no communication between lens and camera.
R. |
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12/06/2005 03:32:13 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by bear_music:
Nikon can mount to Canon quite easily with the proper adapter because Nikon lenses are shorter in the mount than Canon lenses, and the adapter adds just that amount of thickness. Here's a page that discusses the adapter: Nikon-Canon Lens Adapter. It's expensive, though; in the $200 range. And as pointed out, you will lose some of the automatic functions as there's no communication between lens and camera.
R. |
I have a friend who uses an adapter on his 1ds Mark II and it works great. He loves his nikon 85mm PC lens.
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12/06/2005 03:38:57 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by Brent_Ward:
Originally posted by bear_music:
Nikon can mount to Canon quite easily with the proper adapter because Nikon lenses are shorter in the mount than Canon lenses, and the adapter adds just that amount of thickness. Here's a page that discusses the adapter: Nikon-Canon Lens Adapter. It's expensive, though; in the $200 range. And as pointed out, you will lose some of the automatic functions as there's no communication between lens and camera.
R. |
I have a friend who uses an adapter on his 1ds Mark II and it works great. He loves his nikon 85mm PC lens. |
The PC lenses (and other specialized lenses) would be the obvious examples of when this is a good idea. They are expensive, and they are mostly manual anyway, so loss-of-function is not a problem. If I still had my old Nikkor PC lenses, I'd buy this adaptor in a heartbeat.
R. |
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12/06/2005 07:10:20 PM · #13 |
Seller fotodiox_gear on ebay has nikon lens to canon camera adapters for less than $30. I've made five purchases from them and they have quality products for cheap$$. Plus the most amazingly fast shipping you can imagine. See it here.
Canon makes an excellent camera to use other manafacturers glass due to its relatively short flange to focal plane distance of 44mm and its large bayonet size. Nikon's flange to to focal plane distance is 46.5mm. See a chart here for a chart of flange to focal plane distances of poplular formats.
The 4/3rds could become the the universal camera for other brand lenses with its 38.58mm focal plane distance. |
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12/06/2005 07:18:15 PM · #14 |
| I heard any Nikon lens manual or auto built after 1972 should work. I've used several old manual lens on my D70 and a really old one. Only the old one doesn't fit, I think it in the old coupling. |
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