Nikon F with Digital Back? or Nikkor F lenses with Dgital Body

Forgive the probably naive question but I'm a newbie. I have a Nikon F Photomic. I love the

lens quality and have found the quality of picture superior to most anything available

today.However, I want to enter the digital world.

 

I'd like to either use a digital back with the camera, or be able to use the lenses with a

digital SLR.

 

What equipment do people recomend?

 

Thanks

 

David

I WISH, there was a digital back for my F's, But that is just a wish. The New D200 will take your lenses if they are AI lenses. Pre-AI you (and I ) are out of luck.

Buy a NIKON high end film scanner, and use your "F" all you want.

I agree with Steve. Especially if you're satisfied with the quality of what you get, why not just stick with what works? Once you get the hang of scanning, you'll enjoy the quality and the control, and you'll certainly spend enough time at the computer to feel you've entered the digital world. I expect to use my F until either film is unavailable or I'm too old and weak to pick it up.

 

I have a Nikon Coolscan IV-ED, now obsolete. But check out the V-ED.

"I love the lens quality and have found the quality of picture superior to most anything available today."

 

This happens to not be true. Nikon's own top end DSLRs, such as the D2x, and D200 are capable of using all of your same lenses, and delivering results that outresolve anything 35mm film can deliver. This is also true with the top end Canon pro-caliber gear. Not to mention professional digital backs on Medium format cameras.

 

Whether you will get the same sense of mechanical precision and build quality that your F Photomic provides is entirely another story. But as for the quality of the photos that the newer top-end gear is capable of (in terms of actual, measured information content and detail), it's better than what 35mm film can deliver.

 

And I happen to own an F, an F2, an F3, Leicas, and various Rolleiflex, Mamiya, and Pentax Medium format gear. Don't confuse the mechanical precision and build quality and substance of the older gear with the objective metric of the dynamic range and information content of the image. Pro caliber Digital has passed 35mm by on that score.

I have a broad range of 'ages' of Nikon equipment, from an F to a D2H. As Michael said, the upper end of Nikon's digital range (D200, D2x, D2Hs) is engineered to accept AI lenses. You can of course have your 'F era' lenses AI modified if you wish.

 

Personally, I find I don't use my AI lenses all that much on my D2H. The 24/2.0 gets used, as I don't have anything else quite that wide/fast. My 105/4 gets used, as it's just a damn handy lens to have for working distance, and I haven't coughed up big bucks to 'replace it' with something from the AF era. I would probably use more of my AI lenses if Nikon had a Full Frame sensor body (then my 35/1.4 would probably rock, and the 105/1.8 would come out to play as well).

 

What I find is that the focal lengths that really work well for you gradually get 'upgraded' to new AF lenses. My 85/1.4 AIS still has a home in my F2 bag, but my 85/1.4 AFD is what I use on my D2H.

Dave, Check out Sinar M @ www.sinar.ch

Unfortunately, film scanning is very time consuming. If you merely scan a few selected images, it is not so bad. If you scan in large batches, you are better off with an auto loader. Moreover, you won't get digital's instant feedback and still need to pay for film and processing. This option might work for you, but is in way it is the "worse of both worlds."

 

If you want digital, the simpliest solution is to get a Nikon DSLR. They can vary from a $500 D50 to a $1700 D200 and up. But the chance is that you will eventually replace your lenses with more modern ones to work with digital. Pre-AI lenses must be AI'ed, and the D50 and D70s won't meter with them.

You can get your lenses AI-modified and then use them on a D200 or D2x, or you can

acquire a Canon EOS digital body and an F mount adaptor, which will mount any F mount lens

that doesn't require mirror lockup, and meter in stop-down mode, this doesn't require AI

modification..

David,<br>

<br>

I mix and match my AI & AIS lenses and AF lenses on my D2H.

If I want to manual focus then I prefer the AI & AIS lenses.

With flash I mostly want an AF zoom.<br>

<br>

My 25~50/4.0 AIS Nikkor works very well on the D2H as do most

manual focus lenses that are 50mm and longer. My 300/4.5 ED-IF AI

is an exception and really needs software correction for CA for

every shot. I pretty much dont use it on the D2H. My 15/5.6

AI is the only really wide lens I have for the D2H. Its

ridiculously big in this role and suffers purple color fringing

against an over case sky. It is also is quite flare and ghost

prone due to the bulbous front element unless the sun is mostly

to my back. My 28/2.0 AIS is very good but CA can be a problem

from time to time. Anyway I do find AI and AIS Nikkors quite

useful on my D2H.<br>

<br>

The lenses I use most with my D2H are the 28/2.0 AIS, 35~70/2.8D

AF, 50/1.8 AI, 50/1.8 AF, 55/3.5 Micro-Nikkor (compensating

aperture) with M tube,105/4.0 AI Micro w/ or w/o PN-11, 70~180/4.5~5.6D

ED AF Micro, 80~200/2.8D ED AF and 400/5.6 ED AI. The 35~70/2.8D

AF is my standard zoom and the 28/2.0 AIS is my normal lens for

non-flash, low ambient light.<br>

<br>

If Im turning towards the sun my 105/2.5 AIS and 135/2.8

AIS are very free of flare compared to the 80~200/2.8D ED and CA

is never a problem. All three of these lenses are excellent on

the D2H. The 55/3.5 Micro (CAV) and 105/4.0 AI give beautifully

mellow unfocused background rendition.<br>

<br>

A digital back to fit a Nikon F? I very much doubt that it will

ever happen, about zero chance. I think the Nikon D200 is

probably the camera for you. You might want to have some of your

lenses AI(ed) if they are pre-AI lenses.<br>

<br>

Best,<br>

<br>

Dave Hartman.

<p>Hey, <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=869561">Matthew Currie</a> , The Nikon IV ED is certainly not obsolete. I'm still getting great scans from mine using VueScan from<br>

<a href="http://www.hamrick.com/" target="_blank">Hammerick</a> . I have 3 scanners including my Nikon Coolscan IV ED connected to my Mac G5 (Leopard, 10.5.8) via USB, and am able to control each separately right from the Vuescan interface.<br>

I scanned this a few days ago from a 20-year-old neg, developed at Costco:<br>

<img src="http://www.darrowart.com/other/forums/truck.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>I think the nikon F body is a perfect candidate for a digital back as the design has a removable back ( no hinge). Someone should talk to Nikon about this, with all the old f's out there they would sell a bunch.</p>

<p>Nikon "thought" about this 20 years ago. They concluded it would be cheaper to just make a digital camera body that accepts Nikon F lenses.</p>