Advice looking to buy Nikon D3100 or get D90

[Markw]

Research and make sure some Nikon lenses will mount without harming the body. I know some of them will break the mount on the camera.

Mark

 

[XSpiratone]

Markw, thanks for the heads up. That sounds like the kind of info a board like this or a good blog would accumulate as a list of go lenses or XX no gos. Is there such data posted as a general database? if so where? could we start a sticky for such info?

 

[orb9220]

With the D90 will mount anything that is designated Ai or Ais manual lenses. It won't take pre-Ai which could damage the camera.

AI,AI-S,E series
- mounts,no meter use as Full manual set aperture on lens and shutter on camera. And guessimate the exposure as no metering.

AI-P | AF AF-D | AF-G
- mounts and meters and AF

Lenses designated Nikon AF-S, Sigma HSM or Tamron Di2 with built in motor.

So as long as the lens was made after 1975 or so should be Ai or Ais. But verify as there are sites that shows you how to identify pre-Ai,Ai or Ais lenses.
.

 

[XSpiratone]

I would like any sites that have info on how to identify older lenses. From what you say I should pass on getting adapters that would take my old Spiratone and Accura lenses with their T mount and convert them to the old Nikon F mount bayonet mount.

 

[Barefoot Intactivist]

Two more points worth mentioning:

** D90 has a much brighter pentaprism viewfinder vs a pentamirror viewfinder on the D3100. Much easier to manual focus on D90 -- somewhat ironic since D90's autofocus functions with AF-D lenses and D3100's does not

** D90 back LCD screen is much higher resolution, great for reviewing. Over time I got used to the D3100 screen and it's fine.

I had my D90 of two years stolen and replaced it with a D3100 (couldn't bare to re-purchase the same camera). I actually love the D3100 but definitely miss many of the D90's features.

 

[djacobox372]

If the TS plans on using manual focus all the time, I'd suggest a camera that will meter with the old AIS manual focus glass. This would be a D200, D300, or D7000.

AIS manual focus lenses are just as good optically as their autofocus cousins, yet cost about half as much and have a FAR superior feel to their manual focus mechanism. Many auto focus lenses have really tiny and loose/sensitive focus rings that make manual focus a pain.

Keep in mind that crop-sensor cameras have smaller viewfinders and are a bit harder to manual focus then full-frame film bodies.

 

[flea77]

I am wondering what kind of Powershot was not working for taking shots of pens?

Allan