Using Lenses from Nikon 8080 film camera on Nikon D80 digital

Have decided to purchase a Nikon D80. Currently have a Nikon 8080 film
camera with AF Nikkor 28-85mm 1:3.5-4.5 and AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 lenses.

If I purchase a new digital lens, I am looking at the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G
ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. This is the kit lens and only adds about
$200.00 to the price (separately the lens alone sells for about $330) so it
would appear to be a good value.


If I purchase a body only (and use my existing lenses) instead of getting a
new digital lens with the body, what exactly am I losing other than the
additional wide angle and telephoto capability? I am thinking in terms of
functionality. My reading makes me think the old lenses will do all the
autofocus and autoexposure just like the new digital lenses. What am I
missing?


Mel_J

 

Apart from the obvious loss of wide angle capability that you point out,
the newer lenses have AF-s (AF motor in lens) and tend to focus more
quickly than cheap screw-driven lenses that use the motor in body.
The 18-135 has a "micro-motor" rather than better "ring motor" (called
HSM or USM by other makers), but playing with that lens and the Nikkor
18-70 (with ring motor) on D70 and D80 bodies, the 18-70 is certainly
faster, but not so much that the 18-135 would be considered slow
focusing, and I expect much faster than the old 28-85. Also, the 18-70
and 18-135 have front elements that do not rotate when the camera
focuses - which may be a significant advantage if you use a circular
polarising filter. The AF-s lenses are also nearly silent when focusing.
IIRC the 28-85 came in two versions - a really cheaply made version with
a tiny thin focus ring at the front, and a slightly better earlier
version (made in Japan) with wider focus ring. The 18-70 and 18-135, and
possibly even the latest 18-55 aren't bad lenses, and at the price as a
"kit" with the D80 are very good value.

 

Anything wide angle is likely going to be pretty bad when used on the
digital. Stick with DX lenses for this, you can probably get away
with old film lenses for longer lens applications. No real vignetting
with the old lenses, but sharpness and resolution suffer compared to
newer lenses. I compared 28-70 and 28-105 D lenses to a new DX 18-70
and it clobbered them. While distortion and vignetting were well-
controlled on the old lenses (larger image circle) they were just
nowhere near as sharp, contrasty and didn't have nearly the same
resolution as the DX.

 

TOTAL NONSENSE!

I know you didn't compare a 28-70/2.8 Nikkor to the 18-70 and got better
results from the 18-70. I've had the 28-105 D a while back and for a slow
lens it does really nice compared to the 18-70. If the 28-105 were a bit
wider and didn't have that aggravating rotating front element it would be a
sweet lens. I would take the old 28-105 over the 18-70 or the 18-200 VR any
day of the week.






Rita

 

Not the f2.8

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1030&message=22909693

 

Sorry, my mistake. You're talking about the Nikon AF 28-70mm f3.5-4.5D. I
know my 28-70/2.8 is razor sharp.






Rita

 

Perhaps you mean a Nikon 8008?

 

No, the 28-85 build quality was pretty good for a consumer lens. I don't
think you'll find many Nikon consumer lenses today that'll have better
construction.

 

I think you are right - I've assumed the Nikkor 28-80 - not 28-85.
And I agree that "consumer" lenses are more fragile. Either cheap
plastic, like the 18-55, or more complex mechanical design, like the
18-70 with formerly "pro" features like IF/non rotating front element
assembly, but on plastic mechanisms. My 18-70 broke (fixed by Nikon
under warranty) which was the first failure I've ever had with a Nikon
lens - except for gummed up aperture blades on an AI-s 50mm f1.4.

 

So is the 28-70mm f3.5-4.5 Nikkor, certainly at f7.1. RichA's results may
be accounted for by mis-focus, a particular zoom model's poorer performance
at close focus, camera shake, or? There is no reason why a wide angle lens
that is sharp on 35mm would not be sharp on digital (and if anything, sharper
than a middling-quality DX lens). For instance, the Nikkor 18-70mm is a
decent lens on digital, but the 16mm f3.5 Nikkor is noticeably sharper, as is
the 24mm f2.8.

 

I agree. The 18-70 really isn't a bad lens for being a DX lens and for as
little it costs. That has to be one of the best starter lenses ever offered
by Nikon or any other manufacturer. What ever happened to the day when the
old 50/1.4 AI was considered a starter lens?







Rita

 

It died somewhat after the time that the 50mm f1.4 *pre*-AI
(just the half-moon clip for the Photomic meter) was considered a good
step up from a 50mm f2.0 or so. I've still got a couple of these,
which I can't mount on the D70 -- unless I modify the aperture ring to
give them the AI capability. But since I now have a 50mm f1.4 AF lens,
why bother?

Enjoy,
DoN.

 

Go look up parallel ray lens design as it applies to digital cameras
and you'll understand why it performed that way.
BTW; Whenever I do these tests, I use manual focus and a focus
magnifier.

 

--
-

Oops....Yes, I meant the 8008.

 

Thank you all for your comments. You have been very helpful.

 

That's a bit before my time but the thing that irks me is they don't
even make an equivalent normal fast prime. It's simply not available,
you have to go to Sigma's 30/1.4