G lenses

Does anyone really know why Nikon has chosen to release all new lenses as G series lenses? There must be

thousands of potential customers in the world who cannot use G series lenses. It seems like such a stupid thing

to do because it doesn't appear that it makes the lenses any more affordable or better in any way. I would love

to have the new 14-24mm, and someday the 600mm f/4 AF-S, but I would not be able to use these with most of my

cameras so I would be hesitant to purchase them. Of my 10 Nikon SLR's only 3 of them have in-camera aperture

setting.

Not sure, but I would think maybe cost reduction. I have trouble getting over this concept and don't buy G lenses, but it's probably just my old fashioned thinking.

It's just progress, even if you disagree with it.

 

The first G-compatible body was the F5, announced in 1996.

 

AF-S is usable back to cameras like the the N90/s and N70 of the early 90s. Even the F4 can use AF-S.

 

As for "thousands of potential customers", most people buying into Nikon in this day and age don't even know what an aperture ring is. I can recall at least one thread here on photo.net from someone stating "What are all those little numbers near the lens mount?"

 

I'm not saying this to argue with you - I wish all lenses still had aperture rings. The cost argument has been around for quite awhile but high end lenses aren't getting any cheaper. Although, I paid considerably less for the 12-24 DX (US $920) than I did for the 17-35 (US $1,500).

As Eric points out, with a couple of exceptions such as the now discontinued FM3a, which maintained the 1977

FM/FE design, almost all Nikon SLRs introduced since the 1996 F5 are fully compatible with G lenses. In fact, the

F5 is also the first Nikon SLR that is compatible with the VR feature. I wonder how many people would buy a $9000+

600mm/f4 AF-S VR G lens to match a pre-1996 body that is either manual focus or has primitive AF and

incompatible with VR.

 

Today, in the used market, a very good F100 probably costs $300 or so and an F5 is around $500.

If you can afford a $9000 600mm/f4 or a $1600 14-24mm/f2.8 or 24-70mm/f2.8, you should be able to afford a body to

go with those lenses.

For sure, cost reduction is one of the reason. it doesn't mean that Nikon will pass the saving to the users. Also in my case,

since I bought my first camera in 1982 the Aperture ring its been useless. They were Canon film cameras but the aperture

was set on the camera. Now with Nikon DSLR's the aperture ring is on the way. Some times while changing lenses it

moves. In a lens, I think the less moving parts, the better. So I like the G series! Rene'

I think we are lucky the older lenses still work at all.

 

If you want to do everything, graduate to a view camera. Those do nothing you do not tell it to do and you have to tell it every time.

may be time to upgrade your SLRs or move to DSLRs.

 

IMO most people with camera non compatibles with a G lens are not potential costumes for them, you maybe the exception.

Juanjo - I've missed you around here! Any new f/1.4 or f/1.8 lenses to report?

Shun, I do have bodies that are compatible with the G series lenses. If I were to purchase the 600mm I would certainly use it mostly with my F100, or maybe even my N80, but it would be nice if it also worked with my F4s' because even though the F4s is old it focuses quite fast with AF-S lenses. I won't argue that most of Nikon's customers are purchasing the lenses for newer cameras that are G compatible but there still must be a great deal of people who are not. It seems like a poor business decision to purposely alienate a portion of your customers (users who PREFER the older bodies like me) unless there were some financial benefit to doing so. I just wonder what that could be?

:D

Eric, no new 1.4 or 1.8s lenses to report..., but lately I been having a lot of fun with a 410 (cc that is.. ;))

<img src="http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc112/Juanjo_Viagran/_DSC2973-2.jpg">

Nick, I have heard the speculation that somehow Nikon cannot put AF-S and VR into a lens that has an aperture ring, but I did not get a satisfactory explanation why that is so. However, the fact of the matter is that there is no non-G AF-S VR lens. The only VR lens that has an aperture ring is the 80-400mm which is not AF-S.

 

In any case, you can use the 14-24, 24-70, and 600mm/f4 AF-S VR on the F4 in either the P or S exposure modes. Since you insist to use lenses introduced in 2007 on a body introduced 19 years earlier in 1988, unfortunately you have to accept some inconvenience. Otherwise, there are two earlier versions of the 600mm/f4 AF-S that have an aperture ring but no VR. You may be better off getting one of those since VR won't be functional on the F4 anyway.