50mm 1.8 usable on D90?

ernieh

ernieh

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Ernie
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Hi All,
I keep seeing references to old Nikkor lenses such as the 1.8 Nikkor AIs being usable on modern cameras. I have one such, from my FE2 days which I'm sure would give good results as it's had hardly any use.

Could somebody please fill me in on what are the limitations and provisos of using such a lens on my D90. Clearly it would have to be manual focus, but what about metering and TTL flash.

If somebody uses such an old lens, how do you go about it. For example, do you set it on f11, or has it to be completely manual?

Many thanks for any help at all; it is appreciated.


Ernie
 
Nawty said:
Unfortunately the AIS won't meter on the D90, you need a 'pro' spec body for it to do that.

Have a look here:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link.......seems like that lens will work on manual focussing and manual (guesswork) exposure, using the histogram / results to check. Sounds like I might be better buying a nifty fifty or 35 and selling the AIs! Either of these would then be backwards compatible with the FE2 if I ever get round to using it again.

Ernie
 
Yep, but be sure to get the AF-D version as the newer AF-S versions don't have an aperture ring so won't work with the FE2.
 
ernieh said:
Sounds like I might be better buying a nifty fifty or 35 and selling the AIs! Either of these would then be backwards compatible with the FE2 if I ever get round to using it again.

Ernie
Click to expand...

The 35 f1.8 is DX so would vignette on a film body (well unless it was an APS one).
 
Many thanks to both of you, I appreciate your help and advice. I hadn't actually thought about the vignetting issue.

Ernie
 
I used an old AI 50mm 1.8 on my D60 for some time.

yes, EVERYTHING is manual, but so what? I got pretty good at guesstimating exposure and then fine tuning. Give it a try, you might like going back to basics :D
 
My 16 year old son has the D3100 which I occasionslly use and plan to use a 50mm f2 Nikon NON AI on it, with no problem in manual mode.
 
Harvey_nikon said:
I used an old AI 50mm 1.8 on my D60 for some time.

yes, EVERYTHING is manual, but so what? I got pretty good at guesstimating exposure and then fine tuning. Give it a try, you might like going back to basics :D
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Thanks for the encouragement, Harvey. I will give it a go, because that is too good a lens to let go easily. We get pretty well mollycoddled nowadays with all the gadgetry. I started my photographic life with an old Agfa Silette and a Weston 3. The Weston gave up the ghost some time ago, but the Agfa still works. Even the distance scale has to be set manually on that camera!

Ernie

ps Are there any views as to how the Nikkor AIs 50 1.8 of about 1986 compares with modern AF 1.8 / 50s?
 
I think the optical formula is the same as the AF-D version (but it will lack the modern coatings that stop flare). The most recent AF-S is a new design however.

I've got an old AIs 50mm I use on my manual film cameras and it's a cracker!
 
if budget is a constraint.......?

you can pick up a 50mm 1.8 Series E lens cheaper.......it has Ai-S coating

people turn their noses up ..but i have one on a Nikon EM and it's a fine lens
 
Yardbent said:
people turn their noses up ..but i have one on a Nikon EM and it's a fine lens
Click to expand...

People who have never "used" one may, but I have a 50mm Nikon f2 NON Ai, look the age of that up and its superb, as for the "cheaper" lenses you speak of, place two identical shops of a landsacpe at identical settings side by side and I bet no one could tell 100% which was which
 
Yardbent said:
if budget is a constraint.......?

you can pick up a 50mm 1.8 Series E lens cheaper.......it has Ai-S coating

people turn their noses up ..but i have one on a Nikon EM and it's a fine lens
Click to expand...

I had both 28mm and 100mm 2.8 Series E lenses for the FE2 which I sold on Ebay for a lot more than I paid for them second hand! I found those lenses excellent for the type of use I was giving them, and certainly wouldn't turn my nose up at them.

I'll give the 50 / 1.8 a try manually and see how it goes. Thanks to all.


Ernie
 
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