Digital lenses

[rhncue]

I have an 8008s with a AF Nikkor 50mm 1.8, a Sigma UC zoom28-70mm 3.5-4.5 and a Sigma AF - APO 75-300mm 4.5 - 6.5 lenses. I have now bought a D-50 to get into the digital world and be able to use these lenses. I know the lenses are older but I own them.

My question is: what is the differance between the D lenses that are being made for the digital cameras and these AF lenses other than the correction for the differance in size of the apparent magnification do to the size of the electronics in the digital camera? Inquiring minds would like to know and all that stuff.

Thanks, Dick

 

[JDP]

What you've said is about it - the DX lenses have a smaller image circle then ones for film cameras. D lenses themselves relay the distance to the subject to the camera to make matrix metering and such work.
I think most of us Nikonians have a mix of DX and older style lenses. Most of us have the 50mm 1.8 - works like a charm

I have an 8008s with a AF Nikkor 50mm 1.8, a Sigma UC zoom28-70mm 3.5-4.5 and a Sigma AF - APO 75-300mm 4.5 - 6.5 lenses. I have now bought a D-50 to get into the digital world and be able to use these lenses. I know the lenses are older but I own them.

My question is: what is the differance between the D lenses that are being made for the digital cameras and these AF lenses other than the correction for the differance in size of the apparent magnification do to the size of the electronics in the digital camera? Inquiring minds would like to know and all that stuff.

Thanks, Dick

 

[ksmattfish]

I don't know the specifics about these particular lenses, but I've seen 3 claims that make lenses "optimized" for digital. Not all digital lenses appear to have all of these so you have to check out the specifics for each:

1) Digital lenses for x1.6 sized digital sensors are designed to cover the smaller sensor size, rather than full frame 35mm size.

2) Special multicoatings to help prevent chromatic abberation (purple fringing, etc...).

3) Film emulsion is a flat surface, while every pixel on a digital camera sensor is a little bucket. With "film" lenses, particularly wide angle, the rays of light near the edges of the film/sensor are at an angle, and thins means they don't go in the bucket as well. Digital lenses cause the light to strike the sensor at less of an angle. Imagine looking at a bucket that's 15' away from you vs looking straight down into the bucket. The actual sensor pixel is the bottom of the bucket, and your eyesight are the light rays.

I use both regular made for film lenses, and optimized for digital lenses, and I haven't noticed any difference, so who knows how much of this stuff is real, and how much is sales hype.

 

[JIP]

One other thing is that "G" lenses have no aperture ring making them impossible to use with the 8008 unless mabye using program mode if that.

 

[boclcown]

I keep hearing about this 50 mm lens...

I don't understand. You can't zoom?

What's the use of a lense with a fixed zoom. I've always needed to tweak the frame of a pic a bit wit a slight zoom in or out...

Regardless, what makes the 50mm lens good?

 

[LWW]

Optical quality is incredibly high.

Price is remarkably low.

Speed is amazingly fast.

Weight is fantasticly low.

Put another way it's a 1 1/3 stops faster than an 18-55 2.8 with lighter weight and better optical quality for about 10% of the price, all the while using less expensive filters.

For that I can take a couple steps forwards/backwards.

LWW

 

[Tiberius]

I keep hearing about this 50 mm lens...

I don't understand. You can't zoom?

What's the use of a lense with a fixed zoom. I've always needed to tweak the frame of a pic a bit wit a slight zoom in or out...

Regardless, what makes the 50mm lens good?

That's what feet are for.

The 50mm f/1.8 has better optics than any other lens under $1000, is super light-weight and very fast. There's nothing bad about it.

 

[Rob]

We like 50mm prime lenses! Can you tell?

Rob

 

[ksmattfish]

The 50mm f/1.8 has better optics than any other lens under $1000...

It does a better job resolving fine detail than zoom lenses, but other prime lenses (most under $1000) would do just as good or better. In recent Popular Photography mag lens tests the $75 Canon 50mm f/1.8 beat all Canon L zooms for resolving small detail, no matter what the price of the zoom. It wouldn't surprise me though, if other Canon primes outscored the 50mm f/1.8.

 

[ravikiran]

Hai Guys,
I recently bought Nikon D50 camera body. I would like to get a lens for the peice. Can you suggest me one. My use is mostly for taking pics of wildlife and landscapes. I do have a limited budget and I am looking for a novice lens set to use for a few months, which I shall upgrade later.
Thanks,

amiably,
ravikiran.

 

[Rob]

Hai Guys,
I recently bought Nikon D50 camera body. I would like to get a lens for the peice. Can you suggest me one. My use is mostly for taking pics of wildlife and landscapes. I do have a limited budget and I am looking for a novice lens set to use for a few months, which I shall upgrade later.
Thanks,

amiably,
ravikiran.

50mm f1.8 is probably the best quality/price tradeoff lens. Landscapes and wildlife are pretty much opposites - generally for wildlife you want a fast long zoom with wide maximum aperture, whereas for landscapes you want a wide sharp lens. The 50mm sits pretty much in the middle, so it will be a good starting point.

Rob

 

[LWW]

Hai Guys,
I recently bought Nikon D50 camera body. I would like to get a lens for the peice. Can you suggest me one. My use is mostly for taking pics of wildlife and landscapes. I do have a limited budget and I am looking for a novice lens set to use for a few months, which I shall upgrade later.
Thanks,

amiably,
ravikiran.

Assuming that you have the 18-55 kit lens, go and pick up a Nikkor 55-200 zoom and a 50 i.8 and you have everything from a fairly wide angle to a fairly long telephoto with a low light indoor/outdoor mild telephoto. If you spent $300.00 on this setup you might be paying too much, and you can buy them 1 at a time.

LWW

 

[ravikiran]

Thank you Rob and LWW. I am going with your suggestion. But LWW the problem is I didn't get the Kit lens. So It's making some thing out of my budget. But I don't think it's worth to compromise and postpone. I shall go along with your idea and get the three lens.
But one doubt is my dealer says that there is some problem with the 18-55mm Nikkor lens that it stops functioning after a few months of usage. He claims that it's due to some problem in the electronics embedded in the lens. Is it correct? Please suggest me.

Thank you
Ravi Kiran.

 

[fmw]

I don't understand. You can't zoom?

What's the use of a lense with a fixed zoom. I've always needed to tweak the frame of a pic a bit wit a slight zoom in or out...

Camera lenses are actually complex groups of lenses that complement each other by correcting each others' optical aberrations. Zoom lenses are particularly complex because they need to correct aberrations over a range of focal lengths rather than just one focal length. While modern zoom lenses are very good, they aren't quite as good as fixed focal length lenses. The fixed lenses always have more contrast (capacity to render a greater range of dark to light tones) they usually have a larger maximum aperture because they can and they are smaller and lighter. You can make framing adjustments with your feet and you make perspective adjustments by changing to other focal lengths.

When I sold my studio and camera equipment I kept only three fixed focal length lenses for 35mm cameras simply because they are truly outstanding optically and outperform zooms quite noticeably. They are a 17mm f2.8 wide angle Nikkor, the 180mm Nikkor f2.8 telephoto and the 50mm f1.4 normal lens. I use them from time to time but I use the digital zooms a lot more since I abandoned film last year.

My own digital setup is three zoom lenses - one for the wide angle shots, one for the normal range and one for telephoto photography. They do an outstanding job and a good enough job for nearly any photographic requirement. Don't worry about the fixed lenses unless you are doing something very critical. The zooms will do a great job and provide more flexibility.