K200D + OLD lenses...

[sam_le_breton]

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>I'm doing some research into a birthday present for my dad (sorry, another "help me choose a camera thread" to an extent). </p>

<p>I'm looking quite closely at the K200D, and have got my mum to do some behind the scenes research (read; searching through my dads stuff) as I know he used to have an SLR when i was younger.</p>

<p>The old camera he used to have is a Nikon FM2, and my mum found a selection of sigma lenses with it.</p>

<p>Now the question is, would these lenses fit on to the K200D? It would amazing news if they would as he would already have some lenses to play with!</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

[jim_b9]

<p>The short answer is no. None of the contacts or mechanical linkages on the lenses that allow for automation will work on a different brand body. <br>

If you are set on a Pentax, best course would be to sell the Nikon kit and use the funds to buy a new lens or two for the Pentax.</p>

[sam_le_breton]

<p>I'm right in thinking that the lenses wouldn't fit on a Nikon Dxx either though right?</p>

[zane1664879013]

<p><em>I'm right in thinking that the lenses wouldn't fit on a Nikon Dxx either though right?</em></p>

<p>Correct - they would not.</p>

[jim_b9]

<p>They might fit on a Nikon D90 (for example) depending on how old the lenses are (whether they are pre-AI or later), but they probably won't have all of the features of modern lenses, such as autofocus and programmed exposure support. The Nikon bodies vary in their ability to support older lenses, so you need to verify compatibility on the specific body your interested in.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>My understanding (though better to confirm this with Nikon rather than Pentax shooters!) is that there are limitations on many lower-end Nikon models such that many of the manual-focus lenses will mount but not meter--meaning you're stuck with a separate handheld meter or estimating via sunny-16, etc. A higher-end (D200/300/700 and up) incorporates the mechanical linkages to allow metering.</p>

<p>Not knowing the details of those Sigma lenses, it's hard to say but my guess is that most Sigma manual focus lenses are not particularly valuable today--they tend not to hold value as well as cameramaker-made lenses.</p>

<p>Another issue with using old designed-for-film lenses (from any maker) on consumer-level bodies is that the digital sensor is smaller than film, so there is generally-speaking a 1.5x 'crop factor' for the effective angle-of-view. This means that a 50mm lens will function like a 75mm lens would have on film...and a 35mm lens on film functions like a 50mm lens on digital...the end result being that wide angle lenses aren't nearly as wide as they used to be, and telephoto lenses seem 'longer'.</p>

[miserere_mei]

<p><a href="http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm">This page here</a> will tell you how compatible those old lenses will be.</p>

<p>The FM2 is an 80's camera, so if the lenses are from the same era they should be AI or AI-s. In order to have metering capabilities on a modern Nikon DSLR you would need to purchase one of the Dxx or Dx series cameras. The cheapest option would be a used D200, which seem to sell for around $600-1,000, depending on the number of included accessories. If you want a new camera, the D300, at $1,650 or so, would be the cheapest.</p>

<p>Please note that these cameras have a sensor that is smaller than the film used by the FM2, which means the field-of-view of the lenses will be smaller than it was on the FM2. If you want a Nikon camera with a sensor the same size as 35mm film, then the D700, at $2,400, is your cheapest choice.</p>

 

[miserere_mei]

<p>Looks like I was typing while Andrew was posting :-)</p>

<p>You can find the Nikon forum <a href="../nikon-camera-forum/">here,</a> although I will echo Andrew's comment that sticking with a camera brand because of old Sigma lenses might not be the best idea. If they were original, old Nikon lenses or modern Sigma lenses, it would be a different story.</p>

[jim_b9]

<p>Ack! A Rockwell link! Please don't send newbies to KR! :)<br>

<br /> <a href="http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html">Here's another page</a> with similar information.</p>

[michael_kuhne]

<p>Compared to a K200D, you would need to spend probably 3x as much for a new Nikon D300 to accommodate those old Sigma lenses. For less than that, you could get a K20D and a couple of extra fine new lenses having autofocus. The K00D combined with the basic 18-55mm kit lens provides very good quality for a basic zoom lens at a low price. No other model offers the weather sealed high-quality build of th e K200D at anywhere near that price. </p>

<p>Both the K200D or K20D will work with old Pentax lenses, however.</p>

[orly_andico]

<p>Having no metering is no biggie.</p>

<p>Stopdown will still work. Use the histogram to meter.</p>

<p>The K10/20/200's green button is so damn inaccurate that you have to chimp the histogram after using the green button anyway.</p>

[sam_le_breton]

<p>Ok, thanks a lot for all the answers, great input. Think I'll stick with the Pentax 200D/20D depending on prices I can find.<br>

It would have been more a nice bonus if he could have used his old lenses, never a huge factor in camera choice. I thought I'd read somewhere about Pentax and old lenses, I think I may have misunderstood what I was reading! </p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>Put another way, Pentax is pretty good at allowing use of old <em>Pentax</em> lenses, with all digital bodies providing similar facilities. Better Nikons are pretty good at using old <em>Nikon</em> lenses, while cheaper Nikons are less capable. Both types of lenses can be adapted to other bodies like Canon or Olympus (shorter register distances) but with some additional penalties in usability--such as manually stopping down the lens. The lack of convenience may sometimes be worth it for a particularly good, expensive-to-replace, or infrequently -used lens. Sometimes people who prefer focusing manually (more difficult on a D-SLR's smaller viewfinder than most better film cameras) like the 'feel' of a lens designed for manual focus.</p>

[radfordneal]

<p>To try to cut through some of the misinformation above...</p>

<p>The old lenses for the Nikon FM2 will NOT work on a Pentax camera of any sort.</p>

<p>The old lenses WILL work on any Nikon camera, including all DSLRs. However, it is likely (if the lenses are typical of those used for the FM2) that lower-end Nikon cameras' exposure meters won't work with these lenses. They will function fully on the Nikon D1, D2, D3, D200, D300, and D700. However, these lenses are probably not auto-focus lenses, so they of course won't auto-focus.</p>

<p>It is likely that these old lenses are/were cheap enough that they should not be a big factor in your choosing a DSLR, unless you just want them to be useable for sentimental reasons, or unless you want compatibility the other way - ie, if you want to buy new lenses for the DSLR that are also useable on the Nikon FM2. In that direction, any Nikon lens that isn't marked "DX" or "G" will be useable on the FM2 (auto-focus lenses won't auto-focus, however, since the FM2 is a manual focus camera).</p>

 

[michael_kuhne]

<p>Yes, a good friend of mine shoots Nikon. He bought a nice D80, a pretty expensive model, but not in the high-end category that will be useful with old lenses. He sold most of his old manual focus lenses, but kept one ot two. One is a macro 50mm lens. It will "work" on his D80, that is take a photo, but it will not meter. </p>

<p>I do not have experience with the very old K Pentax series, but do have several of the M series. Using the Manual mode, and the green button, I get good metering and exposures on my K200D even in low lighting, as long as I do not close down more than around f/11. If more than that, exposure metering is no longer accurate. </p>