# Film lens on DX for portraits



## thephotobud (Aug 20, 2016)

I just got a 50mm AIS. I love it - built well, nice focus ring, super sharp.

It seems, however, many think portraits are too hard with manual focus.
I used to do that on my Nikon APS-C body(ies) with a 50 1.8 D lens.  Sometimes I missed focus I guess - but it didn't seem to slow me down that much.

It seems like a good decision to get the Nikon 50 1.8 G. But I just bought this AIS lens...

*What do you guys think? *Should I spring for the other lens? Should I buy something else like an old 105 2.5 pre-AI?

Thanks!


----------



## astroNikon (Aug 20, 2016)

be careful of the Pre-AI lenses as most of them won't mount on current dslrs
see this chart for more information ==> Nikon Lens Compatibility


----------



## fmw (Aug 20, 2016)

thephotobud said:


> I just got a 50mm AIS. I love it - built well, nice focus ring, super sharp.
> 
> It seems, however, many think portraits are too hard with manual focus.
> I used to do that on my Nikon APS-C body(ies) with a 50 1.8 D lens.  Sometimes I missed focus I guess - but it didn't seem to slow me down that much.
> ...



The problem with AF is that photographers have forgotten how to focus manually.  Everything is focused on the nearest element in the frame.  Photographers never take advantage of the depth of field that exists in front of the subject.  AF lenses sometimes hunt focus and the photographer loses the opportunity.  I'm not against AF.  I use it often.  I'm against photographers no longer being able focus manually and creatively.

Your lens is made better than current Nikkors.  Learn to focus manually.  You could end up with better images in some cases.

A pre AI lens won't index to the metering system so you will have to give up the metering in the camera.


----------



## thephotobud (Aug 20, 2016)

Yeah I have a D3300 so any lens like a pre-ai AIS etc mounts and doesn't have metering.
Which honestly, for portraits, would probably speed things up the same way as autofocus does (autofocus with certain focus points selected, not just "let's hope this focuses on the eyes!") haha


----------



## 480sparky (Aug 20, 2016)

Photographers have focused manually for the past 170-odd years.


----------



## robbins.photo (Aug 20, 2016)

thephotobud said:


> Yeah I have a D3300 so any lens like a pre-ai AIS etc mounts and doesn't have metering.
> Which honestly, for portraits, would probably speed things up the same way as autofocus does (autofocus with certain focus points selected, not just "let's hope this focuses on the eyes!") haha


Or you could reduce the number of focus points your using to one and put that on the subjects eye.  Autofocus works fantastic if you take the time to learn how to control it and adjust for the situation.

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk


----------



## thephotobud (Aug 20, 2016)

Yeah they definitely have. It's just the last times I used a MF lens on my DSLR it was super tough to nail focus.  Hard to see I guess.
Can understand why people like magnifying screens and focus peaking.


----------



## robbins.photo (Aug 20, 2016)

thephotobud said:


> Yeah they definitely have. It's just the last times I used a MF lens on my DSLR it was super tough to nail focus.  Hard to see I guess.
> Can understand why people like magnifying screens and focus peaking.


For most of what I shoot manual focus really isn't a great choice.  I use it on rare occasions but for the vast majority of my shooting I use the cameras AF system.  It's a whole lot faster and more accurate than I could ever be even with a magnifying screen, focus peaking, etc.  Trick is to understand how the cameras AF system works and set it properly for the situation.  Once you learn to do that missed focus shots become the rare exception instead of the rule.

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk


----------



## 480sparky (Aug 20, 2016)

thephotobud said:


> ......Hard to see I guess...........



That's because not all the light coming in through the lens is reflected up into the viewfinder in a DSLR.  The mirror actually is not totally reflective, and allows a lot of it to pass through, where it is reflected down into the AF module that sets in front of and below the sensor.

Back in the SLR film days, the mirrors reflected everything up into the viewfinder.


----------



## Dave442 (Aug 20, 2016)

The funny thing is that you can mount a pre-Ai lens on a D3300, but not on a D800. 

My old SLR cameras had great focusing screens. The only time I always manual focus with the DSLR is when doing macro or focus stacking.  I do use back button focus so that I can quickly test focusing at different distances to see what I prefer for the image.


----------



## thephotobud (Aug 20, 2016)

Yeah it's almost too bad AF is more accurate than my eye, considering how cheap MF lenses are. I like MF for walk around though, as long as I have time to compose. 

So if they reflected everything to the viewfinder, would that make it easier to see? And also they probably had that split screen (split prism? I forget what it's called).


----------



## 480sparky (Aug 20, 2016)

thephotobud said:


> Yeah it's almost too bad AF is more accurate than my eye, considering how cheap MF lenses are. I like MF for walk around though, as long as I have time to compose.
> 
> So if they reflected everything to the viewfinder, would that make it easier to see?



Oh, absolutely!  But to do so requires you to replace the mirror in your DSLR.  And doing that will totally disable AF.  



thephotobud said:


> And also they probably had that split screen (split prism? I forget what it's called).



Split prisms and microprism collars were the standard of the day.


----------



## thephotobud (Aug 20, 2016)

I didn't even know if you could replace it haha. Still want that AF.
For now I'm saving for a 50 1.8G. I just bought the 50 AIS, which I'll use for video because of that delicious focus ring.

I only did a little bit of film photography, so I don't even think I encountered that kind of viewfinder.


----------



## 480sparky (Aug 20, 2016)

thephotobud said:


> I didn't even know if you could replace it haha. Still want that AF.
> For now I'm saving for a 50 1.8G. I just bought the 50 AIS, which I'll use for video because of that delicious focus ring.
> 
> I only did a little bit of film photography, so I don't even think I encountered that kind of viewfinder.



You didn't encounter them because they didn't exist back then.


----------



## astroNikon (Aug 20, 2016)

The consumer models like the d3x00 and d5x00 use a small and dimmer pentamirror system.   If you looked into a d7x00 viewfinder the image would be larger and brighter as they use a pentamirror.   The same if you looked into a pro model, even better than the prosumer models.

The consumer models are more for the point and shoot crowd in a way.  As you move up everything gets better.


----------



## fmw (Aug 21, 2016)

thephotobud said:


> Yeah I have a D3300 so any lens like a pre-ai AIS etc mounts and doesn't have metering.
> Which honestly, for portraits, would probably speed things up the same way as autofocus does (autofocus with certain focus points selected, not just "let's hope this focuses on the eyes!") haha



Not so.  Any Nikkor AF lens will provide full metering.  Any AI lens will provide both manual and aperture priority metering.   The pre AI lenses can't index to the meter.  All of the later ones can.  What you will lose with a non AF-S lens is autofocus.


----------



## thephotobud (Aug 21, 2016)

fmw said:


> thephotobud said:
> 
> 
> > Yeah I have a D3300 so any lens like a pre-ai AIS etc mounts and doesn't have metering.
> ...



I think I may be misunderstsanding something. So on my 28 2.8 Vivitar lens and 50 1.8 AIS, when I use them, aperture is not available, signified with --. When I try and use aperture priority it says "lens not attached" which makes sense all things considered. With my old 50 1.8 AF D it did meter. And when you'r esaying both manual and aperture priority metering, you must mean I have no readout of the aperture right?

I know on the D7000 and higher you can manuall input the lens settings, which apparently allows you to meter. My D3300 does not have that.


----------



## fmw (Aug 21, 2016)

thephotobud said:


> fmw said:
> 
> 
> > thephotobud said:
> ...



Yes.  There are no electronics in the lens so you must read the aperture from the aperture ring on the lens.  The shutter is still controlled electronically by the camera.


----------



## jcdeboever (Aug 23, 2016)

The green dot is hit or miss on the d3300 from what I have experienced. Plus the viewfinder kind of sucks on it as well.


----------

