vedearduff

If you are content using either shutter priority mode or the various program modes, a G lens and an N90s will work together.

If you prefer aperture priority or full manual exposure, the combination (G lens and N90s) will NOT work.

While I agree that you can get by with shutter priority mode or one of the program modes in many (if not most) shooting situations, the combination of the N90s and a G lens is a disaster when working with a studio flash system. This is true because you need to operate in manual exposure mode when shooting with studio flash.

Vernon

Steve,

I am a Nikon shooter and have no real experience with Canon equipment.

Having said that, I join the others and suggest that you upgrade your lens selection. I have no idea what lens to suggest, but some of the others have made suggestions.

If there is something about the Nikon line that makes you want to switch, then the N55 would NOT be the way to go.

The N55 lacks the five focus areas required for VR (Nikons answer to IS) and any Silent Wave (AF-S) lenses will be manual focus only since the N55 does not support AF-S.

If you want a body that allows you to set the film speed manually, the N80 is the lowest priced option if you want a body that is still in production.

If you don't care about setting the film speed, the N65 would do. Keep in mind that the N65 will not be as easy to use in full manual mode. It has one command wheel and you are required to shift its function to control aperture and shutter settings.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

"With the 50mm lens, you need one or two extension tubes [or a 5T or 6T filter]"

Gerald,

Since the 50mm lens uses 52mm filters, one would need to use either the 3T or the 4T. They are the 52mm equivalents to the 5T and 6T.

Vernon

Jason,

How much can you justify spending?

I just checked the B&H web site, they list the gray market chrome FM3a for $469.95. The black version is $489.95.

If that is more than you want to spend, you should be able to get a used FM2n (in ex+ condition) for about $100.00 to $150.00 less.

The FM3a offers the advantage of aperture priority while still providing a shutter speed range from 1 to 1/4000th of a second even without batteries. With an FE2, you would get the aperture priority mode but you would be limited to 1/250th of a second with cold or dead batteries. Another potential problem with an FE2 is that it was discontinued in 1987 and parts MAY be rather hard to find.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Brian,

If you have (and want to continue to use) any AI or AIS lenses, you have two ways to go.

You can get one of the D1 series (D1, D1x, D1h) or the Kodak DCS 760. These bodies will meter (center weighted and spot) with AI/AIS lenses.

Or, you can one of the bodies that require a CPU in the lens and have your AI/AIS lenses chipped. The D100, Fuji S2, and the Kodak DCS 14N all require lenses with a CPU.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

From the post by David Kelly.

"1.There are no Nikon autofocus bodies that will accept the lenses you already own."

This is not completely true. There are no current production AF bodies that will accept non-AI lenses, but the out of production F4 will. This body has a flip up AI coupling tab like that of the F3. I'm not sure about metering (I suspect that you would be limited to stop down), but the pre-AI lenses are otherwise useable on an F4.

Vernon

Michael,

Two points in favor of the N80 that I've not seen mentioned in this thread.

The N80 will allow you to set the ISO rating manually, the N65 does not allow for this. This is useful if you want to up-rate or down-rate your film. It is also useful if you decide to purchase your film in bulk and load your own film canisters.

There have been times when I needed to uprate a roll due to a lack of light. I have up-rated Fuji NPZ (an ISO 800 film) at 1600 when the light level was lower than anticipated and flash was not an option.

Some films may give better results when down-rated. There are times when I down-rate Ilford XP2 Super (an ISO 400 chromogenic B&W film) to 200 to get even finer grain.

The N80 accepts a standard shutter release cable that screws into the shutter release button. The N65 requires an electronic cord.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Marvin,

Don't attempt to mount any non-AI lenses that have NOT been modified to the AI system. The aperture coupling ring on the body could be damaged by the solid base of the non-AI aperture ring. If you look at the back of the aperture ring on one of the lenses you use with your N4004s, you will see that it is not uniform like the front of the lens where the filter attaches. On a non-AI lens, the back of the aperture ring is uniform.

Since the N4004s lacks mirror lockup, avoid any lens that requires the mirror to be locked up.

Any F mount lens not covered by the above can safely be mounted on your N4004s.

You will lose matrix metering with AI and AIS lenses, but you will still have center weighted metering.

With AF-S lenses, you will lose auto focus, all other functionality is retained.

Since the N4004s uses a wheel on the body to control the aperture, G lenses will work as intended.

The N4004s does not support VR, it lacks the required focus sensors.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Ben,

If you decide to go with Nikon, you would be better off with the F65.

The cost is not all that much higher and the F65 has several advantages over the F55. Some of the limitations that affect the F55; you get TTL flash metering only with the built in pop-up flash, no support for AF-S lenses (they will not autofocus but are otherwise functional), and the F55 does not support VR. The F65 has none of these limitations.

The N55 kit sells for $269.95 USD and the N65 kit costs $339.95 USD. These prices come from the B&H web site and are for the US versions (not gray market).

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Bob,

One thing to keep in mind about AF bodies, many of the newer models cannot meter with AI/AIS lenses. If all of your lenses are AF, this is not an issue. If you have any AI/AIS lenses and want/need to be able to use them on the second body, avoid the N60, N65, N80, and N55 bodies. I'm not sure about the N70 and how it functions with AI/AIS lenses. An N8008s or an N90s would be good choices.

If you decide to go with a manual focus body, there are several good choices.

If you want to keep the cost to a minimum, an FM2n or an FE2 would be a good choice. The main advantage of the FE2 would be the fact that it has an aperture priority mode, the main advantage of the FM2n is that is retains the full range of shutter speeds without batteries.

If cost is less of an issue, the FM3a would be a great choice. It combines the advantages of the FE and FM bodies and add a few of its own. One of the extras with this body is that it reads the DX code from the film canister, the only caution with this is that there is no way to confirm the it has been read correctly. The film speed can also be set manually.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Ate,

There are DX coding labels that are marketed for those that purchase their film in bulk and load their own canisters.

These labels can be purchased in several ISO ratings.

One source that I am aware of is Porters. Their web address is as follows.

http://www.porters.com/

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Hans,

I e-mailed an answer to you, let me know if you receive it.

Vernon

Marian,

If you are in the US, give Nikon USA a try. If there are any good camera shops in your area, you may want to check their used department.

The Magic Lantern book on the N90 has a section that covers some of the basics but you will probably want to get a copy of the manual eventually.

If you have any specific questions, e-mail me directly and I'll see if I can answer them from my manual. I have the N90s and the MF26.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Erik,

Which lens came on the FE2? You mentioned "something between 28-70", do you want a prime in that range or a zoom that covers that range?

If you want a zoom that covers that range, and want to stay with a manual lens, your options are a bit limited. There is the old 28-85mm f/3.5~4.5 AIS that was discontinued in 1990, I've read that it is a good lens.

If you want a prime (or two) within that range, the 35mm f/1.4 AIS would be a good choice as a (slightly wide) normal lens and would be good for low light situations. The new 45mm f/2.8 AIP is another good choice. The 105mm f/2.5 AIS, although not within the your stated range, is perhaps the best portrait lens in the Nikkor line.

Do you think you are likely to add an AF body at some point? If so, or if you're not sure, you may want to consider AF lenses. There are many good choices. One of them is the 35-70mm f/2.8 AF-D. The manual focus feel of this lens is quite good.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Patrik,

For macro work, the Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 AF-D Micro would be a good choice. It is also an acceptable portrait lens.

Another option for a macro would be the Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 AF-D Micro. One thing to keep in mind with this lens is the shorter working distance as compared to that of the 105mm. It would also make a good, if slower (f/2.8 vs f/1.8), alternative to a 50mm f/1.8 normal lens.

One more option if you think you may want a longer lens would be the 70-300mm f/4~5.6 AF-D ED. This lens, combined with the 6T close-up lens, will provide slightly better than 1:1 at 300mm without the light loss of a macro lens or an extension tube.

The 55mm f/2.8 Micro was mentioned. It IS a great lens, but your N80 will not meter with it unless you get it chipped (CPU added). I suspect that this lens is one of the few that cannot be chipped since there is no AF version.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Jim,

Keep in mind that the G series of AF lenses lack an aperture ring and are rather useless on a manual body.

Vernon

Bjoern,

If I remember correctly, the MF-26 display flashes to indicate a low battery condition.

Try cleaning batteries and the contacts in the battery compartment. The contacts and/or the batteries may be dirty. You may also want to try another set of batteries, the ones you just installed COULD be bad. You may also want to check the contacts between the body ad the MF-26.

About the focus indicator, have you tried a fresh set of batteries in the F90x? Does it work with another AI/AIS lens, or with an AF lens?

I hope this helps.

Vernon

"It won't support "G" lenses, though, including the AF-S Nikkors."

The only AF-S lenses that will not work with the FM3a are the 24-85mm AF-S G and the upcoming 70-200mm AF-S VR G. Any of the other AF-S lenses will work just fine (no AF, obviously) on an FM3a or any other AI or later manual body.

Vernon

"You would actually buy the 80-200 after the new lens comes out !!!!!"

I suspect that anyone who has a problem with G lenses would.

If the new lens were not going to be a G lens, I'd get one even though I cannot (yet, I have an N90s) make use of the VR system. The AF-S and the extra 10mm on the wide end would be worth the added cost to me.

On the other hand, even if I had an F5 I would not purchase the new lens as long as it is a G lens.

I have no doubt that the quality of the new lens will be right up there with the 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-S, it's the lack of an aperture ring that I have a problem with. I know that the AF and VR would be lost on my FM3a, but if it had an aperture ring I would be able to use it as a manual focus 80-200mm with a constant f/2.8 aperture.

Vernon

Ramiro,

While I have not yet had any film processed by them, I have read several good reports about a company that will process many B&W negative films and provide slides.

Their web site, www.dr5.com/main.html, has all the details.

I plan to shoot a roll of Ilford FP4 and have them process it as slides. I'll post the results when I've had a chance to do so.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Megan,

When I listed my 70-300mm with an aperture of 4~5.6, it was to indicate that it has a variable aperture. The actual aperture range is from f/4 to f/32 at the wide (70mm) end and from f/5.6 to f/45 at the long (300mm) end.

The aperture range for my 35-70mm lens is from f/2.8 to f/22. Since it has a constant aperture, the range is the same at both ends of the focal length range.

Lenses are listed with the widest aperture they are capable or. Usually, the only time a lens is listed with more that one f-stop is when the lens is a variable aperture design. Constant aperture lenses are usually listed with their maximum (f/2.8 for my 35-70mm) aperture.

When you shoot with the lens fully stopped down (at the minimum aperture), image quality will suffer due to refraction. The larger the f-stop number (f/22 for example) the smaller the aperture.

Most of the lenses mentioned in this thread will stop down to f/22, some will stop down as far as f/45 (my 70-300mm at 300mm).

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Megan,

I'll join Mike Kovacs in recommending the 35-70mm f/2.8 AF-D. I just checked the KEH web site and found that they are selling the AF-D version of this lens for $449.00 and the non-D version for $399.00, both are rated "Excellent". The prices at KEH may be higher than those of some used dealers, but the DO have a good reputation for accurately rating their used equipment.

Unless you plan to do a lot of flash photography, the non-D version may be a better buy. All the D chip gets you is distance information that is used in automated flash exposure settings.

Two additional lenses that would be worth consideration are the 24-85mm f/2.8~4 AF-D and the 28-105mm f/3.5~4.5 AF-D. Both are good choices for general shooting. The 28-105mm is a bit less expensive and has a better reputation.

Do you expect to make much use of either Manual or Aperture Priority exposure modes? If so, avoid any of the G lenses. They lack an aperture ring and will be useless on your N90 for Manual and Aperture Priority modes. They will work fine in Shutter Priority and the various Program exposure modes.

Even if you don't plan to use Manual exposure on a regular basis, keep in mind that Manual exposure is best for studio work.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Cindy,

Go to your "Workspace" and click on "Manage Your Portfolio". From there, click on one of your folders.

Once the folder page loads, click on any photo that you want to be publicly viewable. Once the image page loads, click on "Edit Image Info". Once this page loads, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the check box for "Photo available to public?".

Once you have done this, click on the "Submit Changes" button at the bottom of the page. This should make the image viewable.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Lars,

Which 35-70mm lens do you have?

If you don't mind manual focus, you should consider the 105mm f/2.5 AI/AIS. This is a classic Nikkor portrait lens and will work just fine with your N6006. You would lose AF, Shutter Priority and the various Program modes, and be limited to spot or center weighted metering.

If you want AF or prefer Shutter Priority or one of the Program modes, the 85mm f/1.8 AF-D would be a good choice.

The 105mm f/2.8 AF-D Micro would be a good dual purpose lens. With it, you would have a decent portrait lens and a macro lens that provides 1:1 reproduction with a good working distance.

Of the three lenses I mentioned, the 105mm f/2.5 AI/AIS (used) would probably be the least expensive.

I hope this helps.

Vernon

Ian,

I have an Epson 1650 scanner and have scanned the format you are asking about.

I have a friend who has a large quantity of old slides and had me scan several of them. There were five or six that were this format. The 1650 produced good scans of them, I'll post an example if I can get the OK from my friend.

I hope this helps.

Vernon