andrew_guttry_guttmeyer

Nikon FE ties with my Canon EF 'Black Beauty'.

Either a Canon EF 'Black Beauty' or Nikon FE.

'Great bokeh'. Since when was the out of focus background of an image more important than the subject? I don't understand the ridiculous obsession with emphasising this as an adjunct to a lens' performance.

<p>I have to agree; there is no substitute for sheer quality and there's a very good reason the F3 was in production for 20 years.<br>

I intensely dislike modern plastic cameras and the 'one year and it's obsolete' marketing ethos. 'Cost-effectiveness' is today's mantra; why was it 'cost effective' 25 years ago and not now?<br>

I have two F3HP's both of which are working as perfectly as the day they were built; I have no doubt that many today's digital wonders won't last past their 5th birthday.</p>

Sorry Bruce,I should have been more specific. All lenses are AIs; will that do?

My partner is about to purchase a new D40X; will she be able to take advantage of my prime Nikkors and, if so, what

will she sacrifice in terms of features?

My lenses: 28 f3.5, 50 f1.8, 55 f2.8 micro Nikkor, 135 f3.5.

 

Thank you, with apologies for a question no doubt asked a gazillion times already!

Absolutely use a split image/microprism focus screen. Screens on DSLR's are hopeless for manual work and,aren't designed with manual focus in mind.

I tried working with a DSLR but couldn't get over the nasty, creaky feel of cheap plastic. I use a couple of F3HP bodies along with an FM2N all of which are beautifully engineered machines designed to last a lifetime-not spat out of a mould with instant obsolescence.

That the F3 in all its incarnations was in production for 20 years speaks for itself.

Lex, the models you mention are not Nikon's finest thus are not fair examples; the cameras I specified most certainly are. My 1983 F3HP is still working flawlessly after 25 years.

Wayne why do you assume that skills learned using film are a waste? Many people, including myself, much prefer working with film rather than digital and have continued to do so long into the digital 'revolution'.

Immediate feedback is not a selling point to me; the luminous quality of a well developed and printed silver-based film, most definitely is.

I too would recommend something like the Nikon FM2N; a beautifully engineered and rugged camera which will still be taking photographs long after the latest digital 'wonder camera' has become obsolete or fallen apart . With a couple of inexpensive Nikkor lenses you'll get superb prints.

I had a similar problem with my laptop not recognising anything connected to a USB (running XP). Apparently this is not uncommon with XP and my only solution was to re-install XP which solved the problem.