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Archive 2012 · Older lenses on a D800?

trifona
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p.1 #1 · Older lenses on a D800?

36mp files? holy cow. I think that would choke my 4 1/2 yr old iMac.

I have a D7000 now, and ironically just picked up my first DX lens, a second hand NIkkor 17-55. I'm sitting on a bunch of FF AF-D Nikkors; the 20mm 2.8, 35mm f2, 50mm 1.4, 105mm f2 DC, and the 28 105mm.

How would my old AF-D lenses fare on a D800?

Edited on Feb 07, 2012 at 01:49 PM · View previous versions

Feb 07, 2012 at 01:41 PM

Mishu01
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p.1 #2 · Older lenses on a D800?

We shall see! I have some AF-D too (20/2.8 35/2 85/2 135/2 DC and 180/2.8) but I also have about ten MF Nikkors, AI-S and AI-P... I'm impatient to play with old glass on the new camera. On my D7000 105/2.5 AI-S and 45/2.8 AI-P rocks so I have good hopes!

Feb 07, 2012 at 01:45 PM

Two23
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p.1 #3 · Older lenses on a D800?

trifona wrote:
36mp files? holy cow. I think that would choke my 4 1/2 yr old iMac.

I have a D7000 now, and ironically just picked up my first DX lens, a second hand NIkkor 17-55. I'm sitting on a bunch of FF AF-D Nikkors; the 20mm 2.8, 35mm f2, 50mm 1.4, 105mm f2 DC, and the 28 105mm.

How would my old AF-D lenses fare on a D800?

What sense does it make to put old lenses like those on a state of art camera? For starters they don't have digital coatings to increase contrast, color saturation, and veiling flare. I had the 28-105mm and used on my F100. It wasn't that great on film. It's a low cost consumer grade lens from the 1990s. Just as cameras have changed over the past 20 years, so have lenses. I'm figuring the net cost for me to change lenses & D300 to pro level Nikon FX will be $4,300. I absolutely will not consider going "backwards" on lenses. Absolutley not.

Kent in SD

Feb 07, 2012 at 01:55 PM

Chris Ventura
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p.1 #4 · Older lenses on a D800?

I think you have to ask yourself how good they perform for your needs on your D7000. There are plenty of primes that should be just fine. If they work well on your D7000.. they should work well on the D800. Also remember that just because the camera can produce 36MP files, that doesn't mean you will notice lens shortcomings in print. To me, there are a lot of reasons to want the D800.. and resolution isn't at the top of the list.

The pixel density of the D800 is less than the D7000, so the only difference will be how well those lenses hold up in the corners.

Your desired print size, how much you crop, and your technique will play JUST AS BIG A ROLE as your lenses.

Feb 07, 2012 at 02:06 PM

Two23
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p.1 #5 · Older lenses on a D800?

Chris Ventura wrote:
IThe pixel density of the D800 is less than the D7000, so the only difference will be how well those lenses hold up in the corners.

I'm into photo history and have been collecting lenses from the "beginning of time." (My oldest is a Grubb Petzval from the 1840s, and I have two from the 1850s.) Lens technology has been ever changing, especially in the past ten years. A lens is much more than just some glass stuck into a brass barrel. The current generation of lenses have aspherical elements to correct for distortion better (and CA,) have much better coatings to resist veiling flare and increase contrast/color saturation, CAD design, and have newer kinds of glass elements. That helps improve light transmission. There's also less CA in modern lenses vs. the older, predigital ones. Modern lenses are made by robots for more consistency. Then there's the other improvements to usuability--VR, AFS, etc. Just as cameras have been changing, so have lenses. It's a fact that's often overlooked. To get the best out of an expensive modern camera, go with a modern lens.

Kent in SD

Feb 07, 2012 at 02:30 PM

Taoguy
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p.1 #6 · Older lenses on a D800?

Two23 I absolutely will not consider going "backwards" on lenses. Absolutley not.

I agree plus! I bought into the D700in 2009 coming over from Canon. My lens selection has been very expensive as they are all the new generation but I feel they are without a doubt the best quality lens I have owned in the past 35 years. I was never a zoom guy but the 14-24/2.8, 24-70/2.8 and the 70-200/2.8 II have changed my mind. I love my primes but Nikon has incredible zooms. Confident they will work well on the D800E.

I think Nikon began updating their lens in 2005 or 2006, my timing was good and I too will never go backwards in lens. My kids and grand kids may have to decide if todays lens are good enough for tomorrows bodies but for today I'm good.

Gerard

Feb 07, 2012 at 02:39 PM

HerbChong
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p.1 #7 · Older lenses on a D800?

i think many people will find out that their technique is not up to 36MP even if their lenses are.

Herb....

Feb 07, 2012 at 05:37 PM

Stdon
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p.1 #8 · Older lenses on a D800?

Not many times I agree with you Herb but this is one.

I've been using non-uber 60+ year old glass on digital for years. (I have an adapter plate to mount my Nikon bodies on a Busch 4X5) and the effect is stunning, as it is with 4X5 film.

Feb 07, 2012 at 05:50 PM

deadwolfbones
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p.1 #9 · Older lenses on a D800?

Some of my AI-s lenses are the best performers I have when mated with my D700. Would love to see how they perform on the D800's sensor, but I doubt I'll get the chance for a few years yet.

Feb 07, 2012 at 08:10 PM

thedruid
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p.1 #10 · Older lenses on a D800?

Well rent a D7000 and pop those AI-s lenses on and see

Feb 07, 2012 at 08:14 PM

Smiert Spionam
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p.1 #11 · Older lenses on a D800?

Every camera is a little different, but it shouldn't be hard to extrapolate out which lenses will work well on the D800. If a lens is sharp enough to perform decently on a D7000, it should be plenty sharp enough in the center to do well on the D800. Corner issues are different -- but there's plenty of info in lens reviews on the D700/D3/s/x to predict at least generally how they'll do.

I've got plenty of older lenses that are great on full frame, and equally great on a D7000/D5100.

Older wides are not likely to fare well, because they don't fare well on full frame in general. Your 20/2.8, in particular, is not a fantastic performer on an FX camera. Your other lenses (excepting the zoom, which I don't know well) will probably be fine. The 35/2 is a solid performer, though it benefits from stopping down a little (even f/2.2 is an improvement). The 50/1.4D isn't as good as the new 50/1.4G, but it will still keep up with a new sensor just fine when it's stopped down a bit. The DC lens should be very decent, too.

Edited on Feb 07, 2012 at 09:50 PM · View previous versions

Feb 07, 2012 at 09:35 PM

Smiert Spionam
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p.1 #12 · Older lenses on a D800?

HerbChong wrote:
i think many people will find out that their technique is not up to 36MP even if their lenses are.

Herb....

Truth.

Feb 07, 2012 at 09:36 PM

lxdesign
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p.1 #13 · Older lenses on a D800?

This is the reason why I have been moving towards FX lenses for years.... and now that I have most of the Nano coated lenses, a D800 will be well suited to my photography.

Feb 07, 2012 at 09:38 PM

jhinkey
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p.1 #14 · Older lenses on a D800?

Oh Kent -

We've had this discussion before haven't we?

There are plenty of MF Nikkors that still kick ass on digital sensors and I look forward to seeing them on a higher resolution sensor.

Specifically, the ones I have are:
16/3.5 AI - better than any other fisheye that Nikon has for FX or DX.
105/2.5 AIS - More than a match for my D700 even wide open. At f/4 it's fantastic.
200/4 AIS - There still some resolution left in this lens even wide open on 12MP FX
400/5.6 ED-IF AIS - Excellent wide open. 12MP is not enough to fully get out everything this lens has to offer when used properly.

Yes the coatings are not super up to date on these, but the coatings they have are excellent already.

I do have lenses that suffer on 12MP FX, but I'll continue to use them anyways because Nikon still has no modern equivalent for size/weight which is very important to me:

20/2.8 AIS or AF-D
17-35/2.8 AFS - I think it's better than the 16-35 aperture for aperture.
50/1.2 AIS - What other 50mm-ish f/1.2 lens does Nikon still carry today?
135/2 AIS - Just plain fun at f/2
28-105/3.5-4.5: My FX hiking lens. Great macro at 50 to 70mm. Cheap and does just fine stopped down.
24-85AFS: Best 24-XX non-f/2.8 lens Nikon made. Cheap, small, light, and very very good IQ.

In the end it's if you are happy with the final image, which is more than just lens sharpness, that matters the most. And more to loving a body than just it's MP count - ergonomics, DR, viewfinder, etc. are important too even if the lenses you use can't out-resolve the sensor.

John

Feb 07, 2012 at 09:39 PM

leighton w
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p.1 #15 · Older lenses on a D800?

thedruid wrote:
Well rent a D7000 and pop those AI-s lenses on and see

I can vouch for the AI-s lenses on a D7000, outstanding performance! here's one taken with the 50-135mm f/3.5 AI-s.

NIKON D7000 50 mm f/11.0 1/640 sec 400 ISO 0.0 EV

Feb 07, 2012 at 09:43 PM

Jammy Straub
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p.1 #16 · Older lenses on a D800?

Two23 wrote:

What sense does it make to put old lenses like those on a state of art camera?
Kent in SD

If you've really been collecting lenses from the beginning of time you'd think you actually liked some of those lenses character and would want to use them on the best sensor possible.

Sometimes a lens preference has nothing to do with it's sharpness or modern coatings, but is all about the lenses unique drawing style.

Old Nikkors that immediately spring to mind are the old 24mm f/2 AIS, 50mm 1.2 AI, 135mm f/2 AIS, etc... Also many of the old Leica R lenses are ripe for adaptation.

If you want that lens character and want to print massive, the D800 is going to be a valid option.

Feb 07, 2012 at 09:45 PM

elkhornsun
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p.1 #17 · Older lenses on a D800?

CA will be the primary concern and the Nikon lenses released since 2002 should be fine as will the primes where CA was well controlled This first started showing up with the D1x so it is by no means a new problem.

The 36MP is really pushing past the capabilities of the majority of lenses in peoples' hands which will be good for Nikon as like the switch to DSLR's it will increase lens sales.

Feb 08, 2012 at 12:30 AM

elkhornsun
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p.1 #18 · Older lenses on a D800?

At 36MP most lenses will fall short. The pro level 14-24, 15-55, 17-35, 24-70, 70-200, and old lenses with great CA control will be fine. Problem in part is that with larger files there will be also larger prints made and any lens defects will become more visible to the critical viewer.

Feb 08, 2012 at 01:44 AM

LLondon
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p.1 #19 · Older lenses on a D800?

HerbChong wrote:
i think many people will find out that their technique is not up to 36MP even if their lenses are.

Herb....

But will blame it on the lenses or body

Feb 08, 2012 at 01:55 AM

camerapapi
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p.1 #20 · Older lenses on a D800?

Two23 wrote:
trifona wrote:
36mp files? holy cow. I think that would choke my 4 1/2 yr old iMac.

I have a D7000 now, and ironically just picked up my first DX lens, a second hand NIkkor 17-55. I'm sitting on a bunch of FF AF-D Nikkors; the 20mm 2.8, 35mm f2, 50mm 1.4, 105mm f2 DC, and the 28 105mm.

How would my old AF-D lenses fare on a D800?

What sense does it make to put old lenses like those on a state of art camera? For starters they don't have digital coatings to increase contrast, color saturation, and veiling flare. I had the 28-105mm and used on my F100. It wasn't that great on film. It's a low cost consumer grade lens from the 1990s. Just as cameras have changed over the past 20 years, so have lenses. I'm figuring the net cost for me to change lenses & D300 to pro level Nikon FX will be $4,300. I absolutely will not consider going "backwards" on lenses. Absolutley not.

Kent in SD

I respectfully disagree. I am not going to buy a D800 but I see nothing wrong using, let's say the 28-105, an excellent optics, with the D800. It is one of my favorite lenses and if you ask me, I do very well with it and my F-100. I am convinced the other "old" lenses are also going to do very well with the D800.
I admit I do not know what "digital coating" on lenses is.

William Rodriguez
Miami, Florida.

Feb 08, 2012 at 03:45 AM

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