The NIKON Thread (Talk About Nikon Stuff here)

[perplex]

I think there's been a strong belief that Nikon won't announce a pro-body at PMA for a few days now. The consensus is that Nikon will announce a pro-body in H2. But who knows for sure?

[fureshi]

For those of you that have used both cameras, do you know if the view finder area is the same between the D50 and D70s? I was considering doing a sideways move from a D50 to a D70s. The D50 feels closed in and was wondering if the D70s is any better.

[Contrastique]

Originally Posted by fureshi

For those of you that have used both cameras, do you know if the view finder area is the same between the D50 and D70s? I was considering doing a sideways move from a D50 to a D70s. The D50 feels closed in and was wondering if the D70s is any better.

If I remember well the d70s has a larger viewfinder.
What definately will improve is the lensqual. Delivered with the d50 is a 18-55 and with the d70s comes a 18-70 wich is a lot better!

[john_jcb]

I was reading an article in the USA Today paper about the prices of digital cameras. They stated that there is going to be a huge price reduction this year even in the top of the line Nikon's and Canon's. They were also discussing how quickly models seem to change with technology advances compared to the film days when Nikon went years between models and a good body was a lifetime investment.

Are there new advances coming out that would drive the prices down as they predict or are there other factors at play?

[mbriant]

They were also discussing how quickly models seem to change with technology advances compared to the film days when Nikon went years between models and a good body was a lifetime investment.

I've commented on this "computer era" phenomena in the past. Like many, I have film camera bodies that are decades old and still work like new. It seems an incredible waste to have to dispose of your entire camera, especially an expensive pro body, in order to keep up to date with the rapidly changing pixel count increases and other incremental sensor improvements. With the size of the Nikon pro bodies, surely they could come up with a flexible and workable modular portion that could be replaced with future upgrades. I think if either Canon or Nikon ( the two leading recognized pro manufacturers) would do this, and keep to their word by making future modular upgrades ( for at least 10 years or so) available at less cost than purchasing a completely new camera, it would be embraced by a lot of people.

Computers, have desensitized people into accepting expensive, perfectly good machinery as being "disposable", but even computers allow the consumer an extended usable life and monitary savings by being upgradeable for a while at least.

[kin0kin]

Hi guys, I'm contemplating picking up a telephoto and is looking at Nikon 80-200mm AF macro and Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG Macro HSM. The nikon is actually a tad more expensive after adding the hood and it is slower. As far as optics, I think they are both very decent but I know alot of people prefer to stick to 1st party lenses. Does anybody have experience with both of these lenses? I was pretty sure to pull the trigger on Sigma until I read a bunch of horror story about them. I would like to pick up the nikon AF-S version made in 1998 but apparetly it has been totally replaced by the VR version...the VR version cost too much and I can't justify purchasing it...gonna stick to either one of these + monopod.

PS: I've also got my tamron 17-50mm, very good build quality for a "plastic" lens, much better than the nikon 18-70mm, the zoom and focus ring is liquid smooth. But the lens suffer from pretty severe vignetting when wide open in certain situation.

[F107plus5]

I bought a Tokina 28-85 back in '85 as a knock-about lens for just a two week jaunt.

I still use the darned thing on my F2A, what a workhorse it's turned out to be!!

Yeah; and the camera too!

....can't comment though on more modern stuff.

[Eagle_Driver]

Speaking of Nikon equipment, I have a lot of old MF Nikon bodies and a couple of lenses laying around (most of which collected by my brother):

Nikon FTN
Nikon F2S
Nikon F2AS
Nikkormat (Nikomat) FT3
Nikon FE2
Nikon FA
DP-1 Photomic finder for Nikon F2
MD-15 motor drive for Nikon FA
PC-Nikkor 35/2.8 (post-1977 revision, compatible with pre-AI and AI bodies)
Nikkor-S 50/1.4 (pre-AI)
Nikkor 50/1.4 (AI-S)

As you can see, because of this collection, I am hesitant to buy a DSLR, especially since none of the lenses in this collection will be fully compatible with any of the new (current-production) DSLR bodies; the D100 and lower will not meter at all through any of these lenses, while the D200 and higher will work with the AI-S lens only in aperture-priority or manual modes with centerweighted or spot metering (the PC-Nikkor will also work on the D200 up in manual exposure mode with stop-down metering measurement).

Also, among all those bodies, for all practical purposes I have use for only the F2AS and the FE2 bodies, plus the PC-Nikkor lens and the 50/1.4 AI-S lens. (I have ruled out the older bodies and the Nikkormat for their less-sensitive, memory-prone CdS metering cells and their increasingly-hard-to-find parts, and the FA for its complicated, trouble-prone electronic features.)

Thus the question becomes:

Should I stick to film, and rely on a point-and-shoot camera for digital? Or should I go buy a lower-end DSLR (such as the D40, D40x or D80), knowing that I would have to spend more than double the amount I previously spent on any single camera?

By the way, beginning sometime this spring or summer, the 18-55 will not be the only kit lens offered to the low-end Nikon DSLR bodies. The 18-135, introduced with the D80, will be offered as an alternative kit-lens choice on the D40(x) series as well; the D80 kit is currently available with a choice between the 18-55 or the 18-135. (In other words, the D40(x) kits will offer a choice between the 18-55 or the 18-135 in the near future.)

[F107plus5]

Ah the memories. I bought my F2A in the mid 70s to replace my F Photomic T that I sold to help fund college.

Big mistake, I knew I shouldn't have sold it when I did. I still miss it.

[dj_mocok]

Kino,

Do you have sample pictures of the distortion at 17mm?