how about useing nikon AF lens on MF cameras a good idea?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ditchdigger
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ditchdigger

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watching that photography series on the BBC [again] really brings it home to me how much i prefer film,its the whole slow determined process.

my film kit for many years was just a
f301
FA
28mm f2.8e
50mm f1.8
105mm f2.5

i was happy with it and have many pictures still being used today i took 20 years ago.

Ive since added a
f3 [sold the fa]
f801s
f301 [my favourite, added another]
85mm f2

last night 3am i thought why haven't i tried the more expensive faster AF
lens on the F3 instead of buying faster old mf lens?

so i tried these AF lens in a dry run without film but winding on,focusing, exposure etc.
24mm f2.8
35mm f2
50mm f1.4
85mm f1.4 [only one with a af/m switch]

i was surprised at how easy it was to use them the thinner focus ring didn't make any difference they fell to hand.the split image was superb, i miss it on AF, you can be sure you are in focus.my eyes have gone a bit but i found it really easy.

then i tried these AF

20-35mm f2.8
35-70mm f2.8 [this one after a lot of googling seems to be very popular on the F3]

i didn't find them as satisfying to use the split image was still nice and bright and the focus ring worked well.perhaps its because of my love of primes and the fact when taken of AF you have to zoom and focus separately and its a bit slower.

so now i am thinking i can load my f301 [superb at night with the bright leds]with film shoot some of the concerts i go to with film then switch the lens over to my digital body,less to carry on and maybe get the best of both worlds?
ive bought a load of hp5 and i am thinking of trying ilfords process and print service.as one of then said to me at focus if we cant do it well who can?

has anyone else done this?

one thing is for sure NIKON has done a fantastic job in the fact that just about any lens will work on any camera,pity about these new g lens spoiling the party.
 
I am not sure but some of the newer lens will not fit the older MF bodies cause of the contacts, but i am probably wrong as usual
 
ditchdigger said:
watching that photography series on the BBC [again] really brings it home to me how much i prefer film,its the whole slow determined process.
Click to expand...

The medium doesn't change the process,it's the way you choose to shoot that does. There's nothing to stop you shooting digitally in the same way as you perceive film 'forces' you.

The only differences are that the metering on the digital camera is likely to be better but you don't have the split screen focusing aid.
 
I'm not entirely clear on what the question actually is, but if I want to MF, I generally prefer to use a lens designed for MF, rather than use an AF lens with the gearing de-coupled. But off course it will all work fine.

MF lenses have a lovely tactile feel which you just don't get with AF lenses set to manual IMHO.
 
i thought i would be a pureist about this but when i put that 85mm afd on the f3 it just felt so right

i guess my question shoud be are there any real disadvantages and what results have you gotten on film,could you tell it was a af lens?
 
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