Nikon D70s and manual lenses

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Am I right in thinking that a manual-focus, 'old-fashioned' Nikon-fit zoom
lens will work quite happily on a Nikon D70s? I'm about to buy the D70s, but
I have a Sigma APO 75-300 f4.5/5.6 Nikon-fit lens which I currently use on
my FE2, and it would be a shame to have to get rid of it.

Without a split-image focussing screen to help me focus, will some sort of
focus confirmation work? Which semi-auto modes will work - I'm mainly going
to be interested in aperture priority? Will shutter priority work (i.e. will
the camera stop the lens down to the suggested aperture automatically)?

Thanks in advance,

Hamish

Please see my other question about CF cards

Background: I spent nine years working in the photographic retail trade in
the UK (serving amateurs and latterly pros), up to around 11 years ago when
I changed careers. As you can imagine I have owned a variety of bits of kit
over the years, pretty much giving all of it up when I left. Currently I use
a Toshiba 4.2 megapixel compact camera with a Canon lens (bought when 4.2
megapixels was a lot!). I also have a Nikon FE2 I got off Ebay a couple of
years ago because I was missing SLR photography too much. I've always loved
(most) Nikons in general, and FE2s in particular. I've decided to go digital
mainly because developing and printing is expensive, slow and of variable
quality, and because the majority of my pictures end up on the web or being
e-mailed to people anyway. So... it's got to be a Nikon, and the D70s seems
to be the best compromise of 'pro'-like quality, a good feature set and a
reasonable price.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"Hamish Walker" <hamish@nospamhaymee.com> writes:

> Am I right in thinking that a manual-focus, 'old-fashioned'
> Nikon-fit zoom lens will work quite happily on a Nikon D70s? I'm
> about to buy the D70s, but I have a Sigma APO 75-300 f4.5/5.6
> Nikon-fit lens which I currently use on my FE2, and it would be a
> shame to have to get rid of it.

If it's modern enough to be an "AI" or "AIS" lens, yes, with one
limitation: On a D70, it won't meter at all. You'll have to use
manual exposure. On a digital, with instant review, and histogram
display, manual exposure by trial and error doesn't bother me at all.
Some other people it drives crazy. Anyway, them's the facts, decide
what you'll be happy with.

> Without a split-image focussing screen to help me focus, will some
> sort of focus confirmation work? Which semi-auto modes will work -
> I'm mainly going to be interested in aperture priority? Will shutter
> priority work (i.e. will the camera stop the lens down to the
> suggested aperture automatically)?

Yes, the focus confirmation dot would work, if the lens was fast
enough for auto-focus. Yours is just marginal.

None of the semi-auto modes will work. Not aperture priority, not
shutter priority. Metering is completely absent. This is a design
decision by Nikon; a D1 or D2 series camera will meter just fine with
that lens, they just chose to leave it out of the D70 (and D100).
--
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