N50 or N70

[Dismom+two]

Question for anyone out there with a Nikon. I have a Nikon 35mm and I am interrested in buying a Nikon digital. My big question is....can I use my lenses from my 35mm on the digital????

 

[Charade]

I think you mean D50 or D70(s).

All nikon F mount lenses will work with a D50 or D70. But some will only work in manual mode because they have no CPU (they can't communicate with the body). I have lenses from my Nikon 6006 that I use on my D70 and they work fine. The latest version of some lenses are made exclusively for digital SLRs.

 

[Dismom+two]

Oh yes...of course your right...I meant D50 and D70.
The mind is just not working tonight.
So if my lenses are AF will they work? They have a switch on them to either work manual focus or Auto focus.
Do you like your D70? Is there much difference between the 50 and 70? Worth the extra money??

Thanks so much for your help!!!

 

[Kelly Grannell]

I don't use either Nikon but I've tried them, the D50 has better (lower) high-ISO noise than the D70. If that's your shooting style (lots of low-light picture taking), then my choice would be the D50.

 

[Charade]

If they are AF, they will work just fine. I have the D70 (not the "S") model.

Which lenses do you have?

If you get the D70s, I would recommend getting the 18-70 "kit" lens. Because 35mm lenses on digital SLRs don't give you the same coverage. A 50mm lens on a 35mm film camera will be like and 80mm lens when used on most digital SLRs.

If you decide to get the D50, skip that kit lens and get the 18-70 separately.

Oh yes...of course your right...I meant D50 and D70.
The mind is just not working tonight.
So if my lenses are AF will they work? They have a switch on them to either work manual focus or Auto focus.
Do you like your D70? Is there much difference between the 50 and 70? Worth the extra money??

Thanks so much for your help!!!

 

[handicap18]

I have the D50. My lenses I bought for my N70 almost 10 years ago work perfectly fine with both focusing and aperture. The D50 is almost an upgrade of the D70. No depth of field preview and a few other things too. The metering system is better than the D70 and the higher ISO is better. The D70s basically has the metering of the D50 but with all of the other features the D70 had (DOF Preview, 2 dials instead of 1 and other things). If you've never had the DOF preview you wont miss it. Same with just the 1 dial. The D70 & the D70s both come with a better lens in the kit, but that same lens will work with the D50. I actually got one on ebay for $230 for my D50. Its regular retail price is $400.

A lot of it depends on what your picture taking habits are. As much as I would have loved to have the D70s, the D50 works just as good (same megapixels) and is more affordable. If you just a plain ol' amature photographer who is looking to take pics of family and nature and some sports stuff that is part of every day life then the D50 is perfect. If you someone who wants a backup for your D2X or other professional camera, then you may want to go the D70s route.

If it is between the D70 (not the D70s) and the D50, then go with the D50.

 

[Dismom+two]

thanks so much for everyones replys!!! You have been a great help!!

 

[ducklite]

If they are AF, they will work just fine. I have the D70 (not the "S") model.

Which lenses do you have?

If you get the D70s, I would recommend getting the 18-70 "kit" lens. Because 35mm lenses on digital SLRs don't give you the same coverage. A 50mm lens on a 35mm film camera will be like and 80mm lens when used on most digital SLRs.

If you decide to get the D50, skip that kit lens and get the 18-70 separately.

I TOTALLY disagree. I have that kit lens and it's useless except for outdoors in well lit areas. Instead buy the body and get a good f/2.8 lens.

Anne

 

[Kelly Grannell]

I have to agree with Ducklite. Other than my 18-125 walkaround lens, I wouldn't touch any lens 'slower' than f/2.8 (okay, okay. I'll hang on to an f/5.6 but it HAS to come with 2nd gen IS)

 

[DebºoºS]

I'm enjoying this discussion very much. I'm thinking about these 2 cameras only because I have Nikkor lenses that I just love and am ready to go digital using them. Anybody have experience using Nikkor AI lenses with these bodies?

 

[Charade]

I TOTALLY disagree. I have that kit lens and it's useless except for outdoors in well lit areas. Instead buy the body and get a good f/2.8 lens.

Anne

It's possible the OP doesn't have a big budget. A fixed 2.8 lens zoom lens is going to cost a lot more , weigh a lot more and be a lot bigger.

If I wasn't concerned about size, weight or $$$, I'd get a faster lens. But since I am, the kit lens is a great lens. For the money. The only drawback IMO (and we are really talking about opinions) is it's a little short on the long end for my preferences. I'm looking at the new Nikon 18-200 with VR. I know it won't be as good as some more epensive lenses but that's a compromise I'm willing to make.

 

[ducklite]

If you someone who wants a backup for your D2X or other professional camera, then you may want to go the D70s route.

I've got a D-70 and am getting ready to purchase a D2X. The D70 will be used for backup, as well as taken out for some of the festivals that I cover that I simply don't want to haul a $4000 camera to. Shows like "Taste of Chaos Tour" and expensive cameras don't really work well together...

Anne

 

[ducklite]

It's possible the OP doesn't have a big budget. A fixed 2.8 lens zoom lens is going to cost a lot more , weigh a lot more and be a lot bigger.

If I wasn't concerned about size, weight or $$$, I'd get a faster lens. But since I am, the kit lens is a great lens. For the money. The only drawback IMO (and we are really talking about opinions) is it's a little short on the long end for my preferences. I'm looking at the new Nikon 18-200 with VR. I know it won't be as good as some more epensive lenses but that's a compromise I'm willing to make.

Lately I've been using a straight 50mm f/1.8 for most everything! At $103 it's one of the best bargains I've ever run into!

Anne

 

[handicap18]

Lately I've been using a straight 50mm f/1.8 for most everything! At $103 it's one of the best bargains I've ever run into!

Anne

On the Nikon dSLR's that translates to a 75mm. Nikon has a crop factor due to sensor size of 1.5 times.

 

[handicap18]

I'm looking at the new Nikon 18-200 with VR. I know it won't be as good as some more epensive lenses but that's a compromise I'm willing to make.

If I'm not mistaken that is one of the more expensive lenses. That Nikkor (18-200mm F/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF DX VR) is on at Ritz Camera for $749 with free shipping. Though it does go for upwards of $900 on ebay. Its also gotten excellent reviews on the Nikon boards and other digital camera reviews.

Sigma makes an 18-200 3.5/6.3 that goes for around $300-400 and also Tamron has an 18-200 3.5/6.3 for about the same.

Quantary has an 18-125 3.5/5.6 for about $250.

Looking quickly at Ritz the only Nikon zoom lenses that are bigger than 3.5 are priced over $1500.

So looking at everything the 18-70 is a very good lens, though now that Quantary has that 18-125 for about the price I paid for my Nikkor 18-70 I think I would go with the Quantary for a walk around lens. But I also don't mind carrying 2 lenses (the other being a Quantary 70-300) around with me on my fanny pack.

If you did want to go with a 2.8 or so starting zoom then Sigma has a few, but their either wide angle (17-55) or telephoto (70-200).

 

[Charade]

The 18-200 VR is more expensive because it has image stablization. I had it on my old Olympus C2100 ultra zoom. I miss it!

 

[Charade]

Lately I've been using a straight 50mm f/1.8 for most everything! At $103 it's one of the best bargains I've ever run into!

Anne

I agree. I have the one that came with my 6006. It's not a "D" lens but it words great. I also have a 24mm f/2.8 that I use for indoor shots. It's wide enough but not a lot of distortion as long as you stay level. Both work well with the SB800 that I have.