Considering jumping into film... A couple of Q's.

[BTilson]

I currently shoot with a Nikon D40. You can see my equipment in my sig. I currently have two main questions.

1) Since my lenses are DX, will they work with a Nikon film SLR?

and

2) How big of a print can I expect to get out of a good shot on 35mm film? I know ISO will vary that somewhat, but let's say a nice low ISO of 100-125.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Steph]

1) Since my lenses are DX, will they work with a Nikon film SLR?

No.

2) How big of a print can I expect to get out of a good shot on 35mm film? I know ISO will vary that somewhat, but let's say a nice low ISO of 100-125.

That will depend on many factors such as the film you used, quality of the slide/negative, viewing distance of the final image, what you expect in terms of acceptable quality...

 

[BTilson]

1) Dang it. Oh well. I still love my D40.
2) I can give you SOME information. Viewing distance would generally be a few feet, thinking about hanging on the wall. Acceptable quality would be photo quality at that distance, but up extremely close some loss of detail would be acceptable.

Thanks!

 

[bhop]

Actually, the no, on the DX part is only partially true. They will work, but you'll get a huge halo/vignette.

Nikon F100 with 18-70mm DX (d70 kit lens)


Assuming your exposure is good etc., quality should be pretty good for enlarging. I'm not sure how big you're thinking, but I have a few 8x10 size prints from scans/inkjets from 400 and 800iso film on my walls and they are sharp and clear, even up close. If you enlarge with traditional darkroom prints, it might be even sharper.

 

[djacobox372]

1) DX lenses work on film cameras but you may get vignetting, loss of sharpness at the edges or both. How much depends on the lens.

2) 35mm resolution at 100-125iso is about equal to 12 megapixels, some would argue more. This is a lot higher then the d40. However A LOT depends on the quality of the developing. Also film tends to be grainer then digital at the same iso; however film grain is significantly more pleasant to look at then digital noise.

 

[BTilson]

Probably the biggest enlargements I'd ever need/want to do would be 8x10's, and if I get something STUNNING, then maybe up to 16x20 for framing.

I'm sure this has been asked a hundred times, but I haven't been able to find much. Any recommendations for good beginner 35mm SLR's? I'm fine (and even prefer) totally manual, including focus, as long as it can meter effectively and has a good range of shutter speeds.

Thanks!

 

[bhop]

How much do you want to pay? I paid $210 shipped for my F100. Not a beginner camera, but since you've got a d40 already, it should be easy to jump into. (although the pro level features and feel might make you hate the d40. heh, heh..) If you want to go cheaper, the Nikon N90 is the next step down. If you want fully manual, a Nikon FE or FE2 is cheap and a great camera. I am just mentioning Nikon because the lenses will be interchangeable with your d40, but if you don't care about brand, Pentax K1000 is a good student camera. Canon makes good film cameras too, but then you'd have two brands of lenses. There are many good film cameras out there to be bought cheaply, just waiting for someone to use them. You can risk ebay, or take a look at www.keh.com for something that you know will be quality usable stuff. I've bought a couple things from them. They are a quality shop.

 

[BTilson]

Probably looking to spend $250'ish tops, but if I can get a good camera for cheaper, I will. I'm specifically wanting to avoid "high end" features. I want a nice manual platform to play with. I'll take a look at the cams you mentioned. Thanks much!

 

[henkelphoto]

Something that hasn't been mentioned is that your lenses are "G", without an aperture ring. On the F100 they might work (not sure, I've never tried my one "G" lens--12-24--on it), but you will not be able to adjust your f-stops on a fully manual camera.

My suggestion would be to get an FE or FG that is being sold with a 50 1.8 lens on it and go from there.

Jerry

 

[ksmattfish]

2) How big of a print can I expect to get out of a good shot on 35mm film? I know ISO will vary that somewhat, but let's say a nice low ISO of 100-125.

It's mostly opinion. How do you feel about grain? My opinion was that I could go to 16"x20" if I had to, but if I wanted fine grain prints larger than 8"x12" I was going to be a lot happier with medium format or 4x5. At higher ISOs medium format was a must for large prints.

Fuji regularly displays massive prints (larger than 8x12 feet! ) at the big camera shows that are from their 35mm slide films. I could never get results like that.

 

[compur]

Probably the biggest enlargements I'd ever need/want to do would be 8x10's, and if I get something STUNNING, then maybe up to 16x20 for framing.

I'm sure this has been asked a hundred times, but I haven't been able to find much. Any recommendations for good beginner 35mm SLR's? I'm fine (and even prefer) totally manual, including focus, as long as it can meter effectively and has a good range of shutter speeds.

Thanks!

Nikon FM2 or FM2N. Totally manual, very good meter, shutter speeds to 1/4000.

 

[Early]

2) How big of a print can I expect to get out of a good shot on 35mm film? I know ISO will vary that somewhat, but let's say a nice low ISO of 100-125.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

It depends on the lens and how particular you are, but I once saw a 20x24 print done in a home darkroom that I thought was very acceptable. You'd probably have to go to medium format for anything bigger.

 

[djacobox372]

Probably looking to spend $250'ish tops, but if I can get a good camera for cheaper, I will. I'm specifically wanting to avoid "high end" features. I want a nice manual platform to play with. I'll take a look at the cams you mentioned. Thanks much!

Well, for $250 you can buy any nikon film slr except a F5 or F6 and a gold plated FA. Like someone else suggested the F100 is the obvious choice, but it isn't "low tech."

If you're looking to avoid high-end features then you should take a look at manual focus cameras... an F3 would be my suggestion for your budget; it was nikons last professional manual focus camera; and probably the best selling nikon slr of all time. They can be had in mint condition for $200.

If you want to save some $$ then a nikon FE would be a good choice, they sell on ebay for about $100 for a near-mint version.