18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom on an F80?

Hi, I'm going to buy a D70 kit with the 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S

DX Zoom Nikkor lense in a week or two, and I'm curious if anyone has

shot this lense with a standard Nikon 35mm (in my case, an F80, but I

can't imagine that the model would make much of a difference). Just

for grins, I slapped it on my F80 in the shop, peered through the

viewfinder, and discovered that I love wide angle (widest I've had is

a 28mm, and the 18mm was precisely what I've often wanted). I know it

is optimized for a smaller sensor, and the slides aren't back from the

lab (takes two weeks or so where I am) and may not be back before I

make the purchase. Any observations or advice on this lense duct taped

to the front of a 35mm analog sensor (film)? I've searched on this

lens and found lots of discussion with regard to it on a digital, but

nothing about it on a film camera.

Even with a D70, at 18mm, this lens vignettes. Why would you bother with a full frame SLR. All your slides shot at 18mm and infinity will have dark circles.

 

Vivek.

Good point...what about the 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D ED-IF instead?

Can't speak to its use on a D70, but the 18 - 35 is a pretty good lens for the money. You get some distortion at the very widest end but I expected that and if you don't use it with straight lines that wide, you're OK. I like it at about 5.6 until you get toward 20 and then I like it at 8. I have one I use on my F80s because the 17 - 35 is heavier and sometimes too expensive to take where I'm going. I haven't used it on any of my other cameras but my SO uses his on his F100 and it's his favorite lens.

 

Conni

What is a SO?

SO: Significant Other; it is a modern, politically correct term. For married people, it means your spouse. Otherwise, it could be your boy/girlfriend, fiancee/fiance, or same-gender partner.

You just wasted some film unless you like every picture with black vignettes around it... I put the lens on my F5 and in the viewfinder I only saw a circular image in the center and black all around. Get the 18-35 or if you're loaded the 17-35 which is about 1/2 stop faster. You could also look for a 20mm prime.

Fortunately, film is cheap...so I'm not all that concerned about those few shots. I *wish* I were loaded, but in all honesty, in most of the conditions I shoot, 1/2 stop isn't going to make a lot of difference. Primes would be my preference, but the cost (slowly, I'm adding them...my main concern is to get a flexible lens for the D70, but also will work on the F80). Connie, that's some good advice, I think i'm going to go with the 18-35 (however, this is the last zoom I'm planning on buying, I really do prefer shooting primes...and am considering proposing marriage to the 50/1.8 on the F80).

Ravi, you were 100% right. Vignetting like I've never seen before. I bought the 18-38...played with it a little under terrible light...lens is fine (light was terrible).