Nikon SLR/D-SLR fans

[PCC]

my old Nikkor F1.2 50mm certain didn't take better picture than my std Nikkor F1.4 50mm len. the F1.2 however would allow a crack more light. back then we pushed tri-X for more speed. now days with super sensitive sensors .. wild ISO numbers are routine.

if OP still wants an old Nikon F ... got one available. been collecting em for years. something satisfying about having Nikon F's laying around. same for old Nikkor lens .. even the older manual focus only lens. despite not having auto focus .. could be wrong, but today's optics are no better

In theory, the faster lenses were nicer, quality-wise because they're more expensive to manufacture and so the manufacturer would make them to a higher quality standard, or so you would think since you're paying more for it. The reality is that each lens should be taken for its own merits and not so much compared to its faster or slower peers.

When I used the D70 the speed of the lens mattered more because of the higher noise at higher ISOs. I regularly set the ISO to 800 because the noise would go up exponentially as you went up from there. With the D610 that's not so much an issue anymore since I can shoot at ISO 6400 with about as much noise as I did with the D70 at ISO 800. I can also get rid of noise using post processing.

The older mechanical Nikons, especially the pro cameras (F and F2), are great to fondle and to take pictures with, but, I've not shot film in a very long time. There's still a roll of film in the F4 that I've loaded two or three years ago that I still need to finish off then I'll need to figure out how to get it processed. At this rate, I may never actually finish that roll and I've got three or four rolls of unused film waiting to use.

Since the Nikon pro cameras (and a few of the non-pro cameras) have removable backs, one would think that a digital back could be made to allow these mostly obsolete cameras to have a comeback. Forget the Df with its weird ergonomics and ugly styling. Give me an F2, F3, or F4 with a digital back and I'll be happy.

 

[will]

There's still a roll of film in the F4 that I've loaded two or three years ago that I still need to finish off then I'll need to figure out how to get it processed. At this rate, I may never actually finish that roll and I've got three or four rolls of unused film waiting to use.

I still have a few rolls of 35mm and 120 film in the freezer. I might even have a film mailer or two around. Here is a link to a company in CA that does quality film processing

http://aandi.com/film-processing

 

[Redhat703]

Costco now still does film processing. You can ask them to scan your pics to digital files.

 

[PCC]

Costco now still does film processing. You can ask them to scan your pics to digital files.

My local Costcos all stopped processing film last year, at least the Costcos I've been to.

 

[Fresh Light]

I used to have a Nikon D50 consumer dslr. It was 6.1 MP, I believe. It took great pictures but my biggest complaint was the tiny review screen and the settings info lcd was not back lit, so taking beam shots meant using a flashlight to see how it was set. My new camera is the D3200. It's a 24.2 MP sensor. The screen is much bigger but doesn't articulate like the D5200. I thought I would end up breaking it if I got that one and it was a couple hundred more. But I'm very happy with this camera.

The only things I wish Nikon would have built into these were:
1. WiFi built in- I think the dongle add on is cool feature to add on, but ridiculous that it sticks out so far that you cannot close the rubber access flap.
2. Touch screen like the Canon t4i/5i,SL1,D70- would add expense but I think it would make the controls simpler than holding fn keys and other buttons to change settings
3. USB 3.0- Its not like you don't use a card reader but why not have the latest connection even if it would cost a small amount more

 

[SemiMan]

I did the touch screens slow for many operations when I tried it. It encourages ui growth, not ui optimization it seems.

Semiman

 

[Aperture]

To answer the OP's question;

Yes I'm a big fan of Nikon DSLR's and Nikkor lenses but currently don't own the former since my recent switch to the Sony a7R (wanted to try something different).

Started out in 2006 with the D200 and some old consumer zoom lenses slowly building up to a month in Africa with a D300/D700 combo and the 14-400mm pro zoom quartet, sold everything for a D3s and later the D800E both used with a couple of legendary primes like the 16/3.5, 35/1.4G, 50/1.2, 200/2VR, etc. I once again sold everything but the 50/1.2, my first fast lens that took me years to master (focus on old DX viewfinders was a biatch) and appreciate, a perfect reminder of my 7 year Nikon adventure.

I like playing with light, preferably with one or several natural light sources but might on occasion throw some artificial light (like a flashlight) into the mix to spice things up a bit, below a couple from a recent canoeing trip in Sweden / Norway.

Startrails, Northern Light and the orange glow from a campfire (D800E & Samyang 14/2.8, 30 minutes on tripod)

Blue Hour, foreground lit by my buddies headlight (D800E & 35/1.4G, ISO4000 and 1/10th a second, handheld)

Glootube in the tent and painted the rest with my Surefire P2X-18650, sadly the blue hour was over for the final shot (D800E & Samyang 14/2.8, 4 minutes on tripod)

 

[Redhat703]

Beautiful pics!

 

[P_A_S_1]

Very nice pictures, especially the first one.

 

[cy]

Since the Nikon pro cameras (and a few of the non-pro cameras) have removable backs, one would think that a digital back could be made to allow these mostly obsolete cameras to have a comeback. Forget the Df with its weird ergonomics and ugly styling. Give me an F2, F3, or F4 with a digital back and I'll be happy.

unfortunately digital backs older pro Nikon will never happen .. Nikon would rather sell a completely new digital camera. Hasselblad took a different approach by offering a 16 megapixel digital back way back when Nikon's digital offerings were 4.1 megapixel range.

my comment were really for old Nikkor lens which I routinely use on my ancient Nikon D2H with a whopping 4.1 meg. Nikon pro digital bodies have advantage of built in motor. allowing both AF Nikkor (no motor) and DX lens. HUGE advantage being able to use AF Nikkor lens. which costs a fraction of newer DX lens. with added bonus of being full frame, which is exactly what's needed for latest full frame Nikkor bodies.

for instance one of the most desirable of all normal lens is Nikkor 1.4 50mm ... AF Nikkor 1.4 can be found for $200 range vs $400 range for DX version F1.4 Nikkor. that's just tip of iceberg costs wise .. one can put together a butt load of AF Nikkor lens on Craigslist, etc for $500 range. that would buy 1-2 DX lens if you are lucky. if one is going full frame .. one gets to upgrade again, unless they are AF Nikkor.

 

[Redhat703]

I sold all my Nikon DX lenses and get ready to go to FX . In fact, most of my flashlight pics shown here were taken by my trusty D200 with a Nikkor 35mm F2.0.

 

[geoturtle]

Hello.

I have a D40 and a gripped N90S, AF 24mm f/2.8 Nikkor, AI-S 105mm f/4 Micro Nikkor, and AF 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor. This summer I picked up and a Nikkormat FT3 with a 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor-S Auto, Vivitar Auto 28mm f/2.5, and a Vivitar 75-205 f/3.8 "Close Focus." There's also the Minolta HiMatic 7S rangefinder I got as a birthday present about 1974.


Charlie

 

[rexster314]

Hello. I started out with a Pentax K1000 waaaay back in 1976. Other than the 5mp Sony camera in 2002, everything else has been Nikons. In order, Nikon N2020, Nikon N4004, Nikon 8008 that I used for about 10 years. Took a LOT of film through that camera. First digital camera was the Nikon 950. 2MP that cost more than that N8008. Moved on to the D70 for a year or so, got a D200. Couple years later got the D300 and thought that would be the last Nikon I'd own, but then a year after the D800 came out I couldn't stand it and got the D800. Now that's a LOT of camera. Present lenses are 70-200 2.8 VRI, 80-400 VRI, 28-70 Nikon, DX lenses 18-200VR, 12-24 WA. This will be the last camera I will have bought.

 

[PCC]

Pentax K1000 - classic film camera
Nikon N2020 (AKA F501 outside of the US) - my brother had one. Early autofocus Nikon. Nice.
N4004 - no experience with this model
N8008 - my cousin had an N8008s. Very nice camera.
I've lusted after the D200 and D300, but, could never win the argument with the wife that I needed one.
The choice for me came down to the D610 or the D800 and I decided on the D610 because it fit my needs better. File sizes and slower continuous frames were enough for me to decide on the D610 instead of the D800. I don't need the larger file sizes and I sometimes use the faster frame rates so I went for the faster camera. That's also why the Df wasn't even a consideration: it's a deliberately slower camera to use.

 

[Steve K]

...<snip>... Present lenses are 70-200 2.8 VRI, 80-400 VRI, 28-70 Nikon, DX lenses 18-200VR, 12-24 WA. This will be the last camera I will have bought.

The lenses really sound nice! The 80-400 would be quite handy at airshows!

I'm intrigued by the possibility of it being your last camera, though. I got a Nikon D40x after decades with the same two Canon film bodies. The newer of the two bodies was developing a small crack in the plastic housing, but the older one was nearly all metal and nearly zero electronics.

Looking at the D40x, and the recently acquired D5200, I do wonder how long the mechanical bits will hold up, how long the electronics will last, and how fast the memory cards will be obsolete. As an electrical engineer, I know that the modern I.C.'s use very small features (i.e. incredibly tiny conductors and transistors) that just wear out faster than the larger features from 20 years ago. What are the odds that my shiny D5200 will even be functional in 10 short years? And will I have replaced it in 5 years with a shinier model with a more sensitive sensor, faster shutter, better user interface, etc??
Does the industry ever mention stuff like this?

 

[PCC]

Looking at the D40x, and the recently acquired D5200, I do wonder how long the mechanical bits will hold up, how long the electronics will last, and how fast the memory cards will be obsolete. As an electrical engineer, I know that the modern I.C.'s use very small features (i.e. incredibly tiny conductors and transistors) that just wear out faster than the larger features from 20 years ago. What are the odds that my shiny D5200 will even be functional in 10 short years? And will I have replaced it in 5 years with a shinier model with a more sensitive sensor, faster shutter, better user interface, etc??
Does the industry ever mention stuff like this?

I've had my D70 for about 9.5 years, now. Still works fine. I've rolled the counter once (the picture name numbers reached 9999 and went to 0001). I wanted newer, faster, and larger (full frame) so I bought a new camera. In theory, unless your D5200 has a mechanical or electrical failure, there should be no real reason for replacing it as megapixels above about 16MP just isn't needed. Your D5300 has a lot of features that should hold you over for awhile. What more can they put into these cameras to make them work any better than what is available today? More speed, video, and WiFi are about the only things I can see upgrading for, but, would you really use them?

 

[Steve K]

When I was considering the D5200, I was considering getting a body that would let me change the ground glass. I miss the focusing aids of my old film Canons. Sometimes the Nikon D40x just didn't know what to focus on when things were changing fast, and it would have been simpler doing it by hand. However, judging the focus on a plain ground glass is just not very precise. Only the pro level bodies let you change the ground glass, and I wasn't prepared to pay that sort of money. The extra focusing zones of the D5200 help, but I've still run into situations where it focuses on the wrong things.

I do like the HD video capability of the D5200. Very handy.

What would I still want? I could use a RF remote shutter. Especially one that would let you pre-focus on the subject (IIRC). At airshows, I like to hold the camera up on a monopod to get a higher viewpoint. I just use the timer to trigger the shutter now.

 

[will]

This is a somewhat negative post about the newer Nikons. I bought a new N80 around 12 years ago. This is a film camera. I still have it , but do not use it because I switched to DSLRs - I bought a used D70s about 7 years ago and recently a great D90 - my primary camera these days. All these cameras work great, but the problem that has started to occur with the N80 and the D70s is that the bodies have become 'sticky', This is the rubberized coating that has replaced the old leatherette coverings on the bodies. There are various posts all over the internet about fixing this. The most popular seems to be to rub the coating with alcohol. I have ordered a specialized product which claims to remove this sticky feeling. Apparently this coating starts to break down over time.

I also have an N90s with a data back, film camera as well. The back got so sticky. I removed the coating completely with lots of rubbing with alcohol. This left a really shiny finish on the plastic.

I wonder if the other camera manufactures have this problem as well.

 

[rexster314]

RE: sticky feeling of the camera bodies. The D300 I have had since 2006 when they first came out. So 7 1/2 years of use. The rubbery/leathery material is still in great shape, is not peeling. This camera has been in salty air environments more than I can count, hot car trunks, wet hands, you name it. The paint has rubbed off the bottom of the MB D10 grip but that's about all.

 

[will]

RE: sticky feeling of the camera bodies. The D300 I have had since 2006 when they first came out. So 7 1/2 years of use. The rubbery/leathery material is still in great shape, is not peeling. This camera has been in salty air environments more than I can count, hot car trunks, wet hands, you name it. The paint has rubbed off the bottom of the MB D10 grip but that's about all.

I don't know if it is due to time or the environment. If you google sticky nikons - there are lots of hits. Nikon will replace the parts, but it is expensive. I don't know if it affects all, or just some. I have mine stored in a camera backpack, maybe if they were open to the air, it would not happen.