MF lens on AF body ?

[roy_g]

I'm going to retire my Nikon FE and get a Nikon F100 or ??. I have

nice MF primes 50/1.4, 105/1.8, 180/2.8 ED all are AIS, will it be

hard to MF on an AF body ? what's this electronic range finder thing

on Nikon ? is it accurate ?

 

Of coarse I'll get a nice AF lens but these primes are so clean &

sharp I'm almost afraid to part with them.

 

thanks

[arnabdas]

Of all current Nikon AF film cameras, only the F100 and the F5 will let you meter with MF lenses. Alternatively, you can go for the recently discontinued N90s with is a fine camera (almost every bit as capable as the F100 and there are plenty of great bargains in used market).

<P>

The rest of the bodies (N80/N75/N55) will not meter with MF lenses, though you can mount them fine.

<P>

<I>"will it be hard to MF on an AF body ?"</I>

<P>

It depends. If you are used to using the K screen (split-image center with microprism collar), you'll probably have some difficuly initially.

<P>

<I>"what's this electronic range finder thing on Nikon ? is it accurate ?</I>

<P>

It is a small round illuminated dot (yellowish green, F5's I think is red/green/red) that lights up (in case of F5, changes color) when the part of the scene <U>coinsiding with the active AF focus point </U> is in sharp focus.

<P>The electronic rangefinder should be useful most of the time. However, use it correctly, you have to coincide the AF point with the part of the scene you want in sharp focus. It may not always be possible to do while preserving your desired composition.

<P> I've found this electronic RF useless for macro work (for "macro hyperfocal" reasons). I'm far better off focussing by the clear gound glass alone.

[kasigi]

I've used many of my MF lenses on the N70, N90, F4, F5, and D1x. I've found that MF lenses are a little more difficult to use without the split-image finder. What Nikon does provide to assist in focusing is an electronic indicator. The AF sensor gives data to that indicator. Accuracy of the indicators seems on par with the traditional split-image finders.

 

The metering couples nicely and DOF preview also works. Have fun with the D100 and those primes!

[Ed_Ingold]

Your AIS lenses will work just fine with an F100 or F5, with aperture-priority auto-exposure as well. Auto-focus lenses are faster and cheaper, and often better optically than their manual counterparts. I wouldn't rush to replace the AIS glass, but I wouldn't buy any more either.

 

I find the plain screen with a grid the most useful. I have never liked the split-image or micro-prism screens: they're not particularly effective and are distracting for composition.

 

The focus indicator indeed works, and works well. It's just slower than using the ground glass most of the time. The F5 and F100 focus based on contrast, and don't need anything from the lens other than an image with an edge or pattern (and aperture >= f/5.6) to work. It works in light so dim you can't see the camera controls, let alone focus on the ground glass.

[roy_g]

You guy's are great, great answers & fast!

 

The reason I was asking is because I'm getting old and my eye's aren't what they used to be. I don't know how a plain focus screen would be but as long as the electronic range finder is accurate that'll work, I wouldn't need fast focus if I were using the MF primes.

 

Sounds like the MF lens will hold me over till I purchase AF lens then I'll sell the MF ones.

 

Thanks to all,

 

Roy

[frank_nikolajsen1]

Roy,

 

<p>

I'm a bit in the same boat as you, as my eyesight is anything but 20/20

(born that way). I have to tell you, that you can probably not focus the F100

and the 'lower' Nikon bodies like the F80 and the D100 the way you

describe. At the very least I would suggest you do some test runs before

you decide on a body for your nice AIS lenses.

 

<p>

The focus indicator in the F100 is a small dot on the in-camera display,

which is all but impossible (for me) to see with indirect vision. I suspect

you will need the much better indicator of the F4 or the F5 to be able to

operate the way you describe. In those bodies there is not one but three

focus indicators, two reds on each side of a green, all quite bright and

placed, so they stand out from the viewfinder display. It is very easy to

simply 'turn for green' while looking at the focus brackets and the subject. I

have found the focus indicator in my F4 to be more accurate than my own

eyes

(though that is not saying much...).

 

<p>

That said I have to admit that for action photos, defined for me as

anything where the camera is not on a fixed tripod, I have more or less

given up on MF myself and sold much of my MF glass in favour of some

nice AF Nikkors.

 

<p>

The ergonomics of the F4, even on its smaller MB-20 battery grip, appears

to be an aquired taste for many people (love it or hate it), and it has been

out of production for 8 years or so. Try before you buy. The F5 is big and

expensive, but otherwise a super body.

 

<p>

Regards

 

<p>

-- Frank.

[gib]

I use AI lenses on a N8008s and find the focus confirmation, green symbol, easy and helpful. Dont know about AIS.

[klix]

Like the others said, you can use your MF lenses on the F5 or F100; but you get center-weighted and spot metering only, NOT matrix metering.

<p><p>

If you want matrix metering, you'll need to get the lens chipped (assuming the lenses you have can be chipped).

<p><p>

<a href="

http://home.carolina.rr.com/headshots/Nikonpages/Contact%20Me.htm">

Contact Rolland Elliott. </a>

<p><p>

[martin_hupfer]

using mf optiks on the F100 is posiible, but you don't know wich f-stop you'v chosen, you can't see in the viewfinder.

So I would chose the F4, or probably the F5. But the F5 is more expensive and don't bring any advantages.

[lachaine]

I think you will be frustrated if you have to rely on the "electronic rangefinder", and, if you're eyesight isn't what it used to be, focusing using just the ground glass is not practical. It's not like the ground glass on a FE/FM-type camera. Why not replace your FE with today's version, the FM3a? It has a choice of focus screens, but it comes with the traditional split-image and micro-prism collar.

[ky2]

<p><i>"Auto-focus lenses are faster and cheaper..."</i> -- Perhaps the newer AF models are improved (though my 85/1.4 and 180/2.8 beat my 80-200/2.8 AFD) and offer things a MF simply cannot do (VR, for instance), but they're certainly not cheaper...</p>

[roy_g]

Thanks guys for all the help! if you ever need your computer or software fixed, give me a buzz!

 

I'm going to look for a nice used F4 and I'll dump all my money in a long mm fast AF lens for sports. My FE is mint & works perfect, I can use it for eveything else till I can afford more AF lens.

 

Live happy,

 

Roy

[todd peach seattle, washi]

Yaron beat me to it. There's not much in the AF line to compare to Roy's 105/1.8 for speed or price. The 105/2 AFDC is expensive, not to mention large and heavy.

[joseph_smith3]

I use MF nikon lenses all the time on my N90s. They work just fine. A used N90s might be a better buy than a new F100. Joe Smith

[Brian1664876441]

I used my 300mm F4.5 and 500mm F8 Reflex Nikkor on my N8008 without difficulty. My eye-sight is awful. I had no trouble focussing the Meade 1000mm f11 on the N8008, but the vibration was worse than the FE2. The Self-timer on the FE2 flips the mirror up. If you ever used a B or E screen in the FE, you will love the brighter view of the new AF cameras.<div></div>

[msitaraman]

<a href=http://home.carolina.rr.com/headshots/Nikonhome.htm>Roland Elliott </a>will upgrade your MF primes to meter with the newer AF bodies. Many people appear to have used his services here at photo.net. Do a search or check out the references in the Community section for references.

 

Those lenses you have are fabulous and legendary. It would be a shame to get rid of them.

[Jerry_]

...you may want to consider the N8008s (or F801s) Nikon body, too.

If lightning-fast auto focus is not needed, the negative has a hard time trying to figure out if a F100 body, a F5 body, or the N8008s body took the image. The older Nikon N8008s body also has a 'assist' spot for confirming focus with a Ai or Ais lens.

[david_h._hartman]

<em>"But the F5 is more expensive and don't bring any

advantages." -- Martin Hupfer<br>

</em><br>

Say what?<br>

<br>

<em>"I think you will be frustrated if you have to rely on

the "electronic rangefinder", and, if you're eyesight

isn't what it used to be, focusing using just the ground glass is

not practical." --Pierre Lachaine<br>

</em><br>

This depends on the camera used. The answer is yes and no.<br>

<br>

If you can see color the electronic rangefinder in the F4s/F4 and

F5 is easy to use, much easier for one with vision problems than

an F/N90s or an F100. The F4 and F5 display is red/green/red and

uses LED(s). The F/N90s and F100 used a green/green/green and its

a back lit LCD. The F4 and F5 are far easier to use than a split

image rangefinder if you can see welling enough to see where the

focus spot is. If this spot is hard to see with either the F4 or

the F5 you can replace the standard screen with a K or A type

screen with a split image rangefinder. You can have both

simultaneously. You can have your cake and eat it too!<br>

<br>

The F5 has a 0.75x finder magnification. The F/N90s has a 0.78x

finder. The F4 and F100 have only a 0.7x finder. The F4 and F5

have ADR (aperture direct readout).<br>

<br>

The best compromise is the F5.

[astral]

Remember though - only the F4 will give you matrix metering with manual focus lenses - no later cameras will (unless someone has info on the F5?)

 

The F80/N80 and F100 ain't very MF lens-compatible - in fact the F80 won't meter at all with MF lenses. The N8008/F801 will not give matrix metering with MF lenses - but I'm happy with the centre-weighted metering that it does give with anything from 24mm to 135mm.

 

I've been through the same decision (and I have 9 AI/AIS Nikkors); after agonising and researching I decided to keep all these lenses and buy a couple of "modern" zooms - the only rational choice was an F4 for serious work and an F80/N60 + zooms for lightweight work. "Modern" lenses work fine on the F4 too.

 

Alan C UK

[david_h._hartman]

<em>"...the only rational choice was an F4 for serious

work" --Alan Clayton<br>

</em><br>

So Im irrational. Big Deal! I still like the F5 better. ;)

[astral]

The correct quote was ". . . after agonising and researching I decided to keep all these lenses and buy a couple of "modern" zooms - the only rational choice was an F4 for serious work . . . "

 

My choice of and F4 was rational - many of my photographic decisions have been somewhat irrational. It hardly matters though if you're happy with the outcome. My least rational decision was to buy Nikon in the first place, but the outcome? . . . total satisfaction, regardless of model.