eskoufos

I've been there...

 

you really have to commit to one system. Nikon or Minolta (my chose was Nikon for several reasons, especially compatibility of older lenses). Sell the other system's lenses and bodies and get the equivalent in the other system...

 

good luck!

you'd need a low light lens...

I'd put an 85 1.4D on one body and a 50 1.4D or a 55 1.2 (AI'd) on the other. Get an 18-xxx kit lens for the wides (use tripod).

 

i'd put the slowest lens on the D2H...

From what I've seen, it seems that the 85 1.4D Nikkor AF is a better lens and less expensive...

just don't understand the hype for a Cosina-made lens...

Japanese alright :)

ditto for what everyone else said...

 

the only lenses that you can convert for Nikon without hiting the mirror (and then you might not have full infinity focus( are M42 ("pentax" screw mount) lenses.

 

now

if you get a K mount to M42 mount adapter, get an M42 spacer (5-8mm M42 to M42 ring) and an M42 to Nikon AI or AIS adapter, it might work...

on other words, you are better off ebaying that lens and getting the same lens with a Nikon AI or AIS mount

Thanks to your responses.

 

I do have an AI'd Nikkor-S 55 1.2 that I love. With this lens I am pretty much fine around normal focal lengths. I am interested in longer lenses and thought that the Kowa might be interesting especially given the price <$50. I'd love to have the AF 85 1.4, but not for the $1000+ it would take or the close to $4000 for the Repro Nikkor:)

 

I might just play with this... never thought about using a body cap. Have a couple of spare body caps, a T mount and a couple of junk AIS lenses I can use for mount parts...

 

On the other hand, I could get a lensbaby (the effect is fairly similar without the magnification)

 

what is the mount on the Repro Nikkor?

55mm f1.2 Nikkor-S (AI'd)

8mm f3.5 Peleng (AI mount)

 

other than that, my 18-70, 50mm 1.8 D, and 70-300

technically it is not a "macro". It is a 77mm fixed focus (less than 0.5 meter), fixed aperture (f1.1) industrial application lens, which for all practical purposes acts as macro with razor-thin DOF in 35mm or digital. Kowa made several of these types of lenses with ultra wide apertures in lengths varying from normal to medium telephoto. These are kind of esoteric lenses (at the same category as fast Rodenstocks). Have mounts about C-size (though no C mounts.) I've seen some of them fitted on Nikons and wandering what it takes (other that a pipe of a certain length, an M42 male thread, an M42 to AI adaptor, soldering gun and elbow grease). <a href="http://mynakedsoda.smugmug.com/photos/44941312-L.jpg" target="x.html">here</a> is one of these beasts mounted on a D100...

any ideas what it takes? Thanks!

primes will work better at less light (pick up a 50mm 1.8D if you can, it's great lens); that said, i never had problems with sharpness or color with the 18-70<div></div>

if anyone purchased a D200 and regreted it, I'd love to take it off their hands at a reasonable price :)

If you need it for a course, I would suggest that you buy a Nikon EM or FG with series E 50mm, 28mm and 105mm lenses. The whole thing would cost less that $100 and the results will be better that a cheap AF camera with a cheao AF lens

the D200 is definitely the camera to buy (because it meters with AI and AIS lenses), but... i have used MF lenses (Nikkor-S 55mm f1.2 (AI'd) and Peleng 8mm f3.5, 500 f8 mirror) on a D70 and D50 with no problem. Shoot at M using your best judgement for A and S, look at the LCD and adjust next shot accordingly (obviously will not work for sports/wildlife, but you don't want to use MF for this...<div></div>

I know that D70 does not meter with non-AF lenses. I have been shooting in all manual mode and using the sunny 16 rule with those lenses, checking the images on the LCD and adjusting my settings accordingly...

I was wondering whether that particular lens would mound without hurting the innerds of the D70 and was also wondering about its image quality. My understanding is that it is somewhat soft on film and was being sceptic whether it is so on digital (with using more of the center of the lens.) I will primarily use it for portraits (available light) so softness is probably not a bad thing, on the other hand, the ultra minimal DOF @ 1.2 might be...

(professionally AI'ed). Has anyone used this combination? Thanks!

I have used several digital cameras & I found that SLRs are a bit more difficult to use for macros. In addition to a good macro lens, you would need macro flash and possible extention tubes. The camera we like to use for macros is a simple Olympus 5050; It performs better than our D70 with a micro lens. Unless you want prints larger than 8 by 10 (inches, roughly an A4), get a point and shoot digital. You can pick the Olympus on ebay for $350 or so...

you will be fine. We print large prints regularly from images taken with D70 cameras. Make sure that your photo is sharp and contrasty. Good luck!

Might be a contrarian opinion, but the only filters I use on my lenses are IR filters, when I am taking IR photos. The quality of the filter glass in most cases is not up to par and really downgrades the quality of the pictures. In most cases (other than shooting practically into the sun, where you might need a polarizing filter), with digital photography you can create "filter-like" effects using photoshop or another post-"processing" application.

50mm 1.8G. Inexpensive, sharp and grat bokah

I use manual focus lenses on my D70 very frequently, especially mirror telephoto lenses (there is no problem with those), 8mm fisheyes and 50mm f1.2. What I do is I take a picture using the sunny 16 rule, check it on the LCD, if it does not work, I manually adjust the aperture or shutter speed. With the post photo editing (photoshop), you can allow yourself some margin without worrying about getting a perfect exposure directly off the camera...

Mark,

I have been using my unmodified D70 for infrared photography (see my photos for examples) and it has been performing very well. I use an external viewfinder to compose, because you cannot see through the filter (I use R72). Tripod is also needed because of the slow exposures. I have been using a Sony F707 that has a removable IR filter and a modified Olympus digital camera and even though they are lesser cameras that my D70, the fact that they give me fast exposures and I can hand hold them, makes me pick them up first these days. I suggest that you modify your camera, much differece and you'd really enjoy it. Good luck!

 

Emmanouil

hmmm

 

Do not buy an Olympus. Thay have smaller sensors, the lens variety and the picture quality is not that great & lenses are hard to find. The D100 is probaby a better choice than a D50, but if you can find a used D70 would probably be a better compromise. I looked at the D50 and it is just too limiting...

Sensor size is the key. The bigger the sensor, the better the image

Very similar with film: medium format is better than 35mm is better than APS.

As far as the glass goes, the Zeiss glass in the Sony cameras is very good, maybe a tad sharper (in my experience) than the 18-70 D70/D70s kit lens, but nothing like the Pro Nikkor glass...

Are there any teleconverters that would allow the D70 to meter

properly with MF AI-S lenses? Would the TC-16A work? I do not expect

it to provide the limited AF capability it supposed to do on the N2020

as designed, I just care about metering... thanks!

So how do you make double exposures with a D70?