Do modern AF lenses fit the old FM bodies?

[edward_gabriel]

Folks,

 

I am still a diehard film user for my documentary work and generally shoot with Leica Ms but was considering adding a film SLR body to

my lineup as well - for faster focusing.

 

For digital I have nikon bodies - thus I already own several modern AF nikkors.

 

I just came across a cheap FM in pretty good shape - for sale and wanted to jump on it.

 

My question is simple: will this body function at 100 percent with my modern lenses? I believe it will but have read somewhat conflicting

reports on the internet.

 

Many thanks!

[Ian Rance]

It will work perfectly with all Nikon AF lenses with an aperture ring (AF or AF-D). It will not work with 'G' lenses with no aperture ring - it will always fire at minimum aperture otherwise.

 

The 35mm f2 AF-D works well with the FM range I have found.

 

Ian

[pnance]

It depends. All lens AI-S and newer will fit on the FM (a very nice body incidentally). G lens will fit but will only have the smallest aperture available. So you should only use AF lens that have an aperture ring.

 

To use the meter on the FM you set the aperture and shutter speed to the indicated LED.

 

Keep all functions? Obviously auto-focus lens won't and the FM has no auto-exposure.

 

Most auto-focus lens suffer from the same failure (unless used on a AF body) that the manual focus ring has a very short turn for setting focus. This can reduce the ease of use of the lens as compared to a manual focus type lens, where a large turn for focus was considered desirable.

[edward_gabriel]

Thanks very much guys! I guess the only thing I'll have to check on is the condition of the light seals - but that's easily

repaired anyhow.

 

Take care,

 

Edward

[michael_darnton1]

Any of the old lenses will fit, not just the AI-S series. The FM has a flip-down aperture sensor flap.

[Sanford]

It is generally not very enjoyable to focus an AF lens on an MF body because of the very thin and loose manual focus ring

supplied to most AF lenses now. The focus rings are a mostly useless appendage now and have shrunk away over the years

because of non-use, like an appendix.

[craig_shearman1]

"generally shoot with Leica Ms but was considering adding a film SLR body to my lineup as well - for faster focusing."

Thought you Leica fans always argued that the focusing is easier and faster with a rangefinder, especially under low light, than an SLR. I don't meant to be flippant, but as a Leica user 1) do you think SLR focusing is better and 2) if so, why are you using a Leica?

[photo5]

If you're generally shooting with Leica rangefinders, why not get a Leica SLR? I had a photo professor that had just bought a Leica R5 and was very happy with it. The 20x24 enlargements he made from transparency film looked gorgeous.

[derek_stanton2]

Craig, i don't mean to speak for Edward, but i also shoot rangefinders, including Leica and Zeiss Ikon. But, i've always

preferred viewing through an SLR. Rangefinders have their charms, though. For one thing, if you're a 'camera nut,' the

cameras themselves are just 'nice' to use. Secondly, not having a mirror that needs to flip up to expose film means there's

no impact to affect slow shutter speeds. So, you can shoot handheld at 1/15 or so, and get better results than with an SLR.

At least, in theory. My hands aren't so steady, so i probably see less of an advantage in that respect.

 

Then, there's the lens range. You can use anything from the 1930s to current day lenses. And, all of them have very

interesting "characters." Lots of RF users are equally interested in history and historical photographers, and it's a bit of a

'thing' to use some of the same gear, toward getting a similar 'vintage' look.

 

There are photographers who prefer a RF viewfinder because the framelines allow you to see the area around what's

actually being captured. Some people see that as an advantage. I think it's a bit of a compositional nuisance....

 

Personally, i think SLR autofocus is the best method for me. But, focusing a rangefinder is easier than manually focusing an

SLR. It's more of a 'finite decision' to arrive at focus - the patch is either aligned or it isn't. With an SLR, i'm always racking

back and forth: is it sharper here, or is it sharper here?

 

Oh, the big problem with rangefinders is that they're not accurate with telephoto lenses, especially over 90mm. And, with

wide angle lenses, you need an auxiliary finder in order to have the appropriate framelines. Generally, a 35mm lens is fine,

but the standard Leica won't have framelines for lenses wider than 28mm, for example. On a .72 Leica, the frameline pairs

are: 28mm + 90mm; 35mm + 135mm; and 50mm + 75mm.

 

See this link:

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/camera/leica-m6ttl-camera/383669/

 

 

@Dave:

Edward seems to already have Nikon lenses and may not be interested in buying+carrying a different, yet still redundant

set. As well, my experience with Leica-Rs didn't yield any results that were better than similar experiences with Canon and

Nikon SLRs. The R- lens line is nice, but not consistently as fantastic as the M- series. Regarding the R5: it's a nice,

compact body, but there is so much mirror impact with that camera, i found it shocking. The whole camera jumps in my

hands. A moment later, when i picked up a Contax Aria, i was thrilled at how smooth it was..... Later, i acquired a Nikon F80,

and it has to be the smoothest mirror+shutter i've ever used, challenged possibly by a Contax RX.

[lex_jenkins]

Yup, any AF Nikkor or screwdriver-type autofocusing third party lens will work with the FM-series, as long as it has an aperture ring.

 

The manual focus feel of some AF Nikkors isn't bad. The placement of the AF ring is sometimes less than optimal, often far forward on a zoom. But the focus damping isn't bad, just not as good as a properly greased, well damped manual focus lens. The 50/1.8D AF, 28-85/3.5-4.5 AF and 35-70/2.8D AF all worked fine for me.

 

While I haven't tried it, there's a possibility that some AF-S Nikkors will work with the FM-series. The 300/4D AF-S, 17-35/2.8D AF-S and 28-70/2.8D AF-S all have aperture rings. The manual focus feel of AF-S Nikkors tends to be, ehh... just so-so. But workable.

[pnance]

Is anyone aware of any problems with using one of the variable aperture zooms causing a metering problem with the FM or other manual type bodies?

 

Michael Darnton: Only the FM has the flip lever for AI, the FM2 and FM2n don't.

[mlg28]

...and at the risk of stating the obvious, you can't use a DX lens on your FM -- severe vignetting would result. I have a few full-frame AF lenses (non-G), and they work fine on my FM, FM2, FE2, and FA. The focus rings do feel a bit cheesy, as others have said.

 

Regards,

Martin