# Old lenses, new camera



## MVPernula (Aug 3, 2017)

Heya!

I recently got my D7100 and I love it.
Combined with my 50mm lens it does the trick to say the least.

However, I feel like I lack variation, more lenses would be great.
My grandfather was also into photography, before he passed away he gave me his old camera; A 'Chinon CM-3' to be precise, and three lenses of the same brand. All in mint condition, except the house that has been through alot since he bought it back in -79.

The lenses are:

55mm
135mm
28mm

I would LOVE to be able to use these. I am however lacking knowledge about lens converters or if there even exist converters for such old models translated to my new D7100, or well, more recent at least.
Am I pushing my luck believing I can use these lenses on the D7100?
Do you need any other specs other then the old camera and the new to figure this out?

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!


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## 480sparky (Aug 3, 2017)

Being a Pentax K-mount type system, you'd be better off forgoing the expense of adapters and buying E-series lenses.


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## MVPernula (Aug 3, 2017)

480sparky said:


> Being a Pentax K-mount type system, you'd be better off forgoing the expense of adapters and buying E-series lenses.


What are the drawbacks of the adapters?


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## 480sparky (Aug 3, 2017)

MVPernula said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> > Being a Pentax K-mount type system, you'd be better off forgoing the expense of adapters and buying E-series lenses.
> ...



1. They'll contain glass, which is necessary to maintain infinity focus.
2. That glass will degrade image quality.
3. It will cost more.


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## MVPernula (Aug 3, 2017)

480sparky said:


> MVPernula said:
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> > 480sparky said:
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Oh thank you!


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## 480sparky (Aug 3, 2017)

28/2.8 Series E
50/1.8 Series E
75-150/3.5 Series E


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## MVPernula (Aug 3, 2017)

480sparky said:


> Being a Pentax K-mount type system, you'd be better off forgoing the expense of adapters and buying E-series lenses.


'
Would I be able to use the E-series lenses to their full extent?


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## 480sparky (Aug 3, 2017)

MVPernula said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> > Being a Pentax K-mount type system, you'd be better off forgoing the expense of adapters and buying E-series lenses.
> ...



Absotively posilutely!

And if you ever wanted to get a legacy Nikon film camera, you'd be golden!


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## MVPernula (Aug 3, 2017)

480sparky said:


> MVPernula said:
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Awesome, thanks again!


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## fmw (Aug 3, 2017)

What you want is AI or automatic indexing lenses.  There can be problems with some pre-AI lenses so, to be safe, avoid those.  Also you can use any of the AF lenses.   But manual lenses should be AI.


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## Braineack (Aug 3, 2017)

MVPernula said:


> Heya!
> 
> I recently got my D7100 and I love it.
> Combined with my 50mm lens it does the trick to say the least.
> ...



They would work on another system, but not well at all with your 7100.

you would also quickly come to terms that manual focus and aperture control on a modern camera is not fun.


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## Frank F. (Aug 3, 2017)

MVPernula said:


> Heya!
> 
> I recently got my D7100 and I love it.
> Combined with my 50mm lens it does the trick to say the least.
> ...


Because Registration is 37.5 mm on Nikon and over 45 mm on M42 it should be easy to find mechanical adapters for your grandpa lenses. 

However. The viewfinder of the D7100 is not made for manual focussing. You probably need a replacement focussing screen at least.


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## Frank F. (Aug 3, 2017)

Amazon.com: m42 nikon f adapter


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## Designer (Aug 3, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> However. The viewfinder of the D7100 is not made for manual focussing. You probably need a replacement focussing screen at least.


The D7100 has a "rangefinder" function in the focus module.  Not difficult to use.


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## Frank F. (Aug 3, 2017)

No-one can of course guarantee that the old lenses will perform very well on your camera 

One thing is the focussing screen.

Another thing is the automatic functions of your camera. They will only work in total if you put a chip into them. How?

Ask here: What the Nerds Do

But you can always go for the real thing and get a used D500 for cheap.

She has a great focussing screen and her automatics are much more forgiving.

It is a good idea to buy the D500 anyway. She is a great UPGRADE from most FX bodies even. The used ones on eBay.com are dirt cheap. If you are on a budget, get a used D600 for half the price. FX, more character, but a lot more training in the manual focus area.

All the best.

See you soon.

Frank


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## 480sparky (Aug 3, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> No-one can of course guarantee that the old lenses will perform very well on your camera
> 
> One thing is the focussing screen.
> 
> ...



What is 'work in total'?

No chip needed.  Just dial in the lenses used into the non-CPU bank.


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## Braineack (Aug 3, 2017)

Frank's a troll.


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## MVPernula (Aug 4, 2017)

fmw said:


> What you want is AI or automatic indexing lenses.  There can be problems with some pre-AI lenses so, to be safe, avoid those.  Also you can use any of the AF lenses.   But manual lenses should be AI.


I'm not quite sure I follow.. My knowledge about cameras and lenses isn't very impressive I'm afriad.
Think of me as a novice. I studied a bit of photography before but that was years ago.



Braineack said:


> MVPernula said:
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> > Heya!
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Alright I see, and I can kind of imagine that's a hassle.
Which system would they work on?



Frank F. said:


> MVPernula said:
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> > Heya!
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Replacement focusing screen? Like what?


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

Braineack said:


> Frank's a troll.



I just do my research and know what I am talking about. No guesswork


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

MVPernula said:


> fmw said:
> 
> 
> > What you want is AI or automatic indexing lenses.  There can be problems with some pre-AI lenses so, to be safe, avoid those.  Also you can use any of the AF lenses.   But manual lenses should be AI.
> ...





NIKON D7000/D7100 Focusing Screen Installation Instruction

I had replacement screens on both of my D70ies to be able to use Manual Focus glass.

At the time a company called "Katzeye" made the best, but they are out of business.

I wish there was a focussing screen as good as the D500/F6 screen for every Nikon and I sure hope the F6 screen will also be installed on the D850.

The lenses from your grandpa seem worth the fuzz esp the 55mm


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/chinon/cm-3/chinon_cm-3.pdf

This is the manual of the grandpa camera


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

480sparky said:


> Being a Pentax K-mount type system, you'd be better off forgoing the expense of adapters and buying E-series lenses.




As you can read in the manual the camera is a M42 screw mount. How did you get the idea it could be K Mount. RTFM!!!


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

480sparky said:


> Frank F. said:
> 
> 
> > No-one can of course guarantee that the old lenses will perform very well on your camera
> ...




Yes you can dial in the parameters.

Yes you can choose lenses from the menu every time you change the manual focus lenses.

Much more comfortable is to put a chip into them to turn Ai and Ai-S into Ai-P, meaning the lens is fully recognized and the EXIF data are correctly written.

But in the case of M42 I am not even sure that the camera is able to set the aperture right.

General remark: of course every lens can be used on every camera that allows full manual settings, even if you do not attach the lens to the camera at all.

You can always go to full manual mode and choose time and aperture and ISO to your liking.

The only parameter that is really important is that the optical system projects an image onto your picture recording area.


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

I had a closer look at the adapters.

There are two kinds. One is purely mechanical attaching the M42 screw mount to the Nikon F Mount. These are very cheap but do not allow for infinity focus on most lenses.

The others are a tad more expensive but feature an optical element that allows for most lenses to focus to infinity.

On the adapters I found so far there is no way to set the aperture from the camera side so the camera can never know which aperture is set and so it makes no sense to dial the lens into the manual lens database in your camera. Also a chip would only make sense to help with the EXIF data in your files.

Best way to start seems to buy this adapter: 
Amazon

And then see how you cope with the existing focussing screen and "green dot" method


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## Braineack (Aug 4, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> Braineack said:
> 
> 
> > Frank's a troll.
> ...



you suggested someone asking about some old lenses they acquired, purchase a d500. you also suggested they were dirt cheap on ebay, and that they are an upgrade to an FX body. and that you could add a chip to these lenses to get "automatic functions"*.  1. that's bad advice. 2. wrong and wrong and wrong.

 troll status achieved.


you are correct about the adapters, those cheap ones will not allow for infinity focus, so best the OP could use these lenses are really crummy macro lenses with a narrow focus window.  The infinity focus adapter you linked on ebay is going to have the optics of fine piece of plastic soda bottle.

again, I will restate this: trying to adapt these lenses on a Nikon is a futile exercise.  They will work well, however, on a different body like a Canon or Pentax.

my advice: Keep the lenses are decoration and a reminder of your Grandfather, Buy a cheap Canon or Pentax body w/cheap adapter to mount them, or sell them for a few dollars.



*one does not simply just put a dandelion chip into a lens willy-nilly.


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## fmw (Aug 4, 2017)

> Not quite sure I follow.. My knowledge about cameras and lenses isn't very impressive I'm afriad.
> Think of me as a novice. I studied a bit of photography before but that was years ago.



Not general photographic information.  It relates to Nikon lenses.  Don't use lenses that do not have the AI feature.  If you don't understand which they are, ask the seller.[/QUOTE]


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## Derrel (Aug 4, 2017)

Braineack7 said:
			
		

> SNIP.... The infinity focus adapter you linked on ebay is going to have the optics of fine piece of plastic soda bottle.
> 
> again, I will restate this: trying to adapt these lenses on a Nikon is a futile exercise.  They will work well, however, on a different body like a Canon or Pentax.
> 
> my advice: Keep the lenses are decoration and a reminder of your Grandfather, Buy a cheap Canon or Pentax body w/cheap adapter to mount them, or sell them for a few dollars.



EXACTLY right....these eBay adapters with glass elements to achieve infinity focus are terrible. I bought a couple...ugh! The 28,55,and 135 lenses are totgether probably worth $100 total at pawnship prices, but priceless reminders of Grandpa. Trying to adapt these to a modern, digital Nikon is a bad idea.


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

46.50 mm is the flange focal distance of the Nikon F bayonet. I am in fact in error here. How did I come across the idea it was 37.50 mm? I was plain wrong.

My bad.

Throw dirt at me.

45.46 mm is the ffd of M42 as well as Pentax K. So there is more than one millimeter missing. The ffd of Nikon being too long again. To mount these lenses some mayor nerdy adaptation is needed to shorten the back end of the lenses, replacing the bayonet and I do not know if this is worth the fuzz.

Frank


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

Braineack said:


> Frank F. said:
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> > Braineack said:
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D600 is dirt cheap on eBay. D500 is still double the price of a D600. 

D600 can be had for 650 to 750 Euros and these are a real bargain.

Used D500 are still 1400 plus Euros.


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

M42 Lens Aperture Control on Modern DSLRs: 3 Steps


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

ZENITH Helios 44m (M42) to Nikon F Mount Conversion.: 15 Steps


It can be done I you love mechanical work


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## 480sparky (Aug 4, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> ...... How did I come across the idea it was 37.50 mm?..........



Same way I thought it was a K-mount camera.


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## MVPernula (Aug 4, 2017)

fmw said:


> > Not quite sure I follow.. My knowledge about cameras and lenses isn't very impressive I'm afriad.
> > Think of me as a novice. I studied a bit of photography before but that was years ago.
> 
> 
> ...


Gotcha, thanks.



Derrel said:


> Braineack7 said:
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Yeah they have a very sentimental value to me.



Frank F. said:


> 46.50 mm is the flange focal distance of the Nikon F bayonet. I am in fact in error here. How did I come across the idea it was 37.50 mm? I was plain wrong.
> 
> My bad.
> 
> ...


Lol no worries, we all make mistakes!
If anything you gave me an interesting read. 



480sparky said:


> Frank F. said:
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> 
> > ...... How did I come across the idea it was 37.50 mm?..........
> ...


^Pretty much sums up my knowledge about anything camera related


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## MVPernula (Aug 4, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> Braineack said:
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> > Frank F. said:
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You say "Dirt cheap"
I say "My budget x2"


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## Designer (Aug 4, 2017)




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## 480sparky (Aug 4, 2017)

Can I install dandelion chips *N*illy-*W*illy?


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## Braineack (Aug 4, 2017)

well played, @Designer !


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## Braineack (Aug 4, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> D600 is dirt cheap on eBay. D500 is still double the price of a D600.
> 
> D600 can be had for 650 to 750 Euros and these are a real bargain.
> 
> Used D500 are still 1400 plus Euros.



it still makes no sense to suggest buying a D600 to replace a D7100, when we are discussing utilizing old lenses on a D7100.


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

480sparky said:


> Frank F. said:
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> 
> > ...... How did I come across the idea it was 37.50 mm?..........
> ...




Sorry. Need to double check on things that seem to be so clear to me. Ashes on my head. Sorry


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

MVPernula said:


> Frank F. said:
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> > Braineack said:
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A new D7100 goes for 500 to 550 US$ on eBay,  a used D600 can be had for 100 Dollars more.

The D7100 has the better AF system but the 24*36 recording chip of the D600 is still one of the best money can buy.

I paid €4000 for my D3 in 2008, and the D600 runs circles around her when it comes to Image Quality. It is a phantastic camera and if you should have trouble with the shutter some day, Nikon will replace it free of charge. They did so for mine after 25.000 clicks.

I only wish for a better focussing screen. But this can be replaced


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## Braineack (Aug 4, 2017)

what does that have to do with old manual focus lenses?


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

Braineack said:


> what does that have to do with old manual focus lenses?




Focussing manually is much easier if the focussing screen in the camera is designed for manual focus.

The focussing screen in the D500 is derived from the Film F6 and it is very easy to achieve reliable focus even with lenses that are difficult to focus like the 1.2/55mm or 1.4/35mm Nikkors.

It is much more difficult to focus these in the D600 and D3. I use all three bodies in parallel until my D850 arrives.

Then the D600 and D3 have to go.

I am still contemplating to replace the screen in my D600 and keep is as a pure MF or modify it for IR shots.


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## Braineack (Aug 4, 2017)

you're just saying words at this point.

so now youre back to the OP needing to buy a "cheap" D500 to use $20 lenses?


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## cgw (Aug 4, 2017)

The electronic rangefinder/focus confirmation system in recent Nikon DSLRs does the trick with manual lenses--and takes focus screen acuity off the table.

Older Sony cameras(e.g., A6000 and earlier) are great with adapted lenses. Definitely not worth the bother trying to cozy old K-mount glass up to a Nikon DSLR.


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

I hope this forum features an "ignore" list...


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## Frank F. (Aug 4, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> cgw said:
> 
> 
> > The electronic rangefinder/focus confirmation system in recent Nikon DSLRs does the trick with manual lenses--and takes focus screen acuity off the table.
> ...




A Leitax seems more useful...

Why not build a replacement bayonet for M42 optics? 

The monetary value of a lens is not interesting as long as the lenses draw and are fun to use: I love lenses with character, but possibly they are only for people with character?


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## Designer (Aug 4, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> I hope this forum features an "ignore" list...


Yes, of course it does.

I have placed one member on my ignore list.  It's easy! 

Click on my username then click on "ignore".


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## Braineack (Aug 4, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> I hope this forum features an "ignore" list...



It's not my fault you can't keep your story straight or stay on point.

You wrote this:



> But you can always go for the real thing and get a used D500 for cheap.
> 
> She has a great focussing screen and her automatics are much more forgiving.
> 
> It is a good idea to buy the D500 anyway. She is a great UPGRADE from most FX bodies even.



in post #15


when I called you out on suggesting the D500 was "cheap", you changed you tune to suggest the D600 instead:



> you suggested someone asking about some old lenses they acquired, purchase a d500. you also suggested they were dirt cheap on ebay, and that they are an upgrade to an FX body.





> D600 is dirt cheap on eBay. D500 is still double the price of a D600.
> 
> D600 can be had for 650 to 750 Euros and these are a real bargain.
> 
> Used D500 are still 1400 plus Euros.



in post #29


in mean, come on...



you're not helping anyone by googling random things--trying to come across as an expert--when all you are doing is giving straight-up POOR and inaccurate advice.


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## Designer (Aug 4, 2017)

Getting back to the original post:



MVPernula said:


> Am I pushing my luck believing I can use these lenses on the D7100?



Some of the issues are:

1. Finding and purchasing adapters. 

2. Lenses designed for film cameras may not work as well as you had hoped when mounted on a digital camera. 

If it were me, I would create a shadow box display for that old gear and include at least one photograph of your grandfather, and some photos he took with the gear.  You'll get much more enjoyment from doing that then you will from using those old lenses.


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## cgw (Aug 4, 2017)

Either enshrine the Chinon gear as holy relics or sell it.


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## cgw (Aug 4, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> I hope this forum features an "ignore" list...



_Writing comments I take my time to help and inspire with my experience, never intend to hurt or offend._

 You left out "misinform."


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## Frank F. (Aug 5, 2017)

Ok.

... Never intend to hurt or misinform


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## Destin (Aug 5, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> I hope this forum features an "ignore" list...



It does, and I'm sure many have added you to it following this thread!

I own a D500 and a D7100. The BOTH suck for trying to manual focus. The D500 is absolutely no better at it than the D7100.


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## Frank F. (Aug 5, 2017)

Destin said:


> Frank F. said:
> 
> 
> > I hope this forum features an "ignore" list...
> ...




I really hope so. Moron density outside of the coffee house is such that I generally avoid the discussion.

If you really want to know about focussing manually on Nikon DSLR you might look here:

Alternative focusing screens for DSLRs - focusing on the matte area


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## Frank F. (Aug 5, 2017)

Understanding AF and MF: focusing aids tested

Another quality source on the same topic


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## Frank F. (Aug 5, 2017)

Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark II screen 

Is the screen installed on the D500

Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark II screen 

Is the screen installed on the D7100

 B-type BriteView Clear Matte Screen II

Is the screen installed on the F6

So naturally if you consider the F6 fit for manual focus the other two cameras should show no difference.

Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VIII screen

Is the screen installed on the D600, imo clearly inferior to the above.

I could not find which focussing screen is installed on the D3 yet but I found that it can be easily replaced with the F6 type and the MF snap seems to be much better.


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## Peeb (Aug 5, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> Destin said:
> 
> 
> > Frank F. said:
> ...


I have not agreed with a lot of the advice you have dispensed in this thread, but I GOTTA give you credit for the phrase "moron density".  I found that particularly funny!  Well played.


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## 480sparky (Aug 5, 2017)

OP: Don't let all the banter about needing special focus screens and whatnot deter you.

Manual focus lenses CAN and WILL work just fine on a stock DSLR.  Nikons have electronic focus aids built into them.  But even lacking that, simply getting out there and _practicing_ and _learning_ how to focus manually will make you a better photographer.

True, DSLR mirrors aren't the same as the mirrors in film cameras, as some of the light coming in from the lens is diverted down into the auto-focus module.  But that doesn't mean you MUST get some different screen in order to focus manually. 

Mount the lens, go out and shoot, rate your performance, decide what you need to change, and go out and shoot again. Keep at it and you'll eventually make manual focus second nature.


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## Braineack (Aug 5, 2017)

480sparky said:


> Mount the lens, go out and shoot, rate your performance, decide what you need to change, and go out and shoot again. Keep at it and you'll eventually make manual focus second nature.



Everything else besides the point: Unless he buys a cheap piece of plastic to allow those lenses to focus to infinity on a Nikon, he won't be even able to use them with a simple adapter.


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## Derrel (Aug 5, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> M42 Lens Aperture Control on Modern DSLRs: 3 Steps



Pretty good article as far as giving an overview of the three common types of m42 thread-mount lens aperture control systems.

IF on the chance the OP is still around...I would say that if he wishes to use grandpa's old lenses, a mirrorless camera, or a Canon digital SLR would be much better choices than a Nikon d-slr, due to the flange-to-focal-plane registration distance issues involved. Canon d-slr's, inexpensive used models, would enable *glass-free adapter* use. Still...28,55,135 lenses from that era are typically not all that handy to use for the beginner or intermediate shooter...the convenience of AF, the convenience of automatic aperture control, those things are very worthwhile for most people.

I've found that shooting older, adapted m42 lenses (Pentax Super Takumar models mostly) on my Canon 5D was an okay, and fun experience, but rather slow and also hit-and-miss as far as focusing was concerned; not nearly the same hit rate on focus with an older, adapted lens as with say, a modern, AF lens. The utility of adapted lenses depends on what one expects to achieve, photographically, with the lenses. DO you want to take the 135, mount it on an APS-C body, and have a 135mm x 1.6x effective angle of view? Well--you can GET THAT with a used Canon Rebel d-slr. But, do you want to get shots of kids playing soccer, IN-focus, on shot after shot after shot, all game long? You'll probably NOT be able to achieve anything better than say, a 50% focus hit rate. But, if you want to walk around, and shoot shots of zoo exhibits, or landscape shots, then the slowness of focusing by hand-and-eye will be acceptable, and the success rate ought to be 90% or so, with the standard focusing screen in the camera.


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## 480sparky (Aug 5, 2017)

Braineack said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> > Mount the lens, go out and shoot, rate your performance, decide what you need to change, and go out and shoot again. Keep at it and you'll eventually make manual focus second nature.
> ...



I'm referring to purchasing F-mount lenses, such as some legacy AI or Series E glass.  I think (at least _hope_) we've convinced the OP to forget adapting screw-mount lenses to a D7100.

And truthfully, it would be far better to just find some used G glass. Even the 18-55 and 55-200 would probably be a gazillion times better than the old Chinon lenses.


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## Braineack (Aug 5, 2017)

Gotcha.


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## Derrel (Aug 5, 2017)

Nikon SUCKS as far as adding* other-mount lenses* to modern Nikon d-slr cameras! The registration distance makes adding off-mount lenses a fool's errand. ANyhooooo..there's no need to use glass-bearing, quality-destroying adapters on a new,modern, high-MP Nikon d-slr...just makes no practical sense.

There are literally, well over 150 million legacy F-mount lenses out there. Nikon itself has made what is it? 100 million F-mount lenses? And other makers or brands, like Asanuma, Quantaray, Komura, Chinon, Kiron, Vivitar, Soligor, Sigma, Tamron,Tokina, etc. have made tens of millions of lenses *in F-mount*. The D7100 can accept almost all F-mount lenses made since 1977 in their as-sold state.

I saw a nice Series E lens set today on Craigslist...70-210 F-4, 50/1,8, 28, and 135/2.8, all E-Series, for $150. WITH A NIKON FM camera. Sooooo affordable!


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## Frank F. (Aug 5, 2017)

As to the legacy of grandpa, why not take the easy way and shoot a few rolls of film with the Chinon? You might like the character of the old glass and even get a used Canon film format DSLR to adapt them to?

Or take to a metal workshop with a friend and some beer to replace the M42 mount with a Nikon F-Mount? Just for fun? It is only 1,04 Millimeters...


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## Frank F. (Aug 5, 2017)

As an encouragement, a few shots taken with the (manual focus) Nikon Ai-S 1.4/35mm on a D500 last week (all at f/1.4):


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## VidThreeNorth (Aug 5, 2017)

Actually, you can buy good working early Canon DSLRs for as low as $50 US.  With M42 adapter and a card, probably still under $100 US.  This much would be fun to play with the screw mount lenses and would barely dent the budget assigned to the Nikon system.  A used Sony E-Mount should be able to use screw mount adapters too.  But I doubt that they would be down quite as low as the early Canons.  I have not kept track of them.  Used Pentax DSLRs likewise, I have not kept track of.


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## fmw (Aug 6, 2017)

It may be of interest, OP, to know that you can adapt SLR and DSLR lenses easily to mirrorless cameras, because they have a short lens-mount-to-sensor distance, leaving room for an adapter.  You can find inexpensive adapters for virtually any SLR/DSLR lens to any brand of mirrorless.


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## VidThreeNorth (Oct 13, 2017)

I ran across this article today and I remembered this old discussion.  This photographer picked up a whole "old Canon DLSR" for around $80.00 US.  For this discussion you might even do better if you skip the Canon lens.  You buy a screw mount adapter instead (and a screw mount body cap) and use the old Chinon lenses.  The setup is good for "fun" pictures.  As a practice camera, it might help sharpen your technique a bit because it is a bit more demanding.

"Shooting with a used DSLR kit that cost me just $80"

To emphasis my point, the reason I am specifically recommending the Canon brand here is because the early models are available "silly cheap" now.


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## Dave442 (Oct 13, 2017)

I would just use the kit as the grandfather left it. That was the basic three lens kit for the time. A few rolls of film with manual focus (on the camera made for manual focus) while setting the aperture and shutter speed sound a lot more fun to me than just tossing one of those lenses on a DSLR.  Another 20 years and that Chinon and those three lenses will still be working away while the D7100 will be the paperweight.


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## MVPernula (Oct 14, 2017)

Whooo-wow, this thread escalated!


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## davidharmier60 (Oct 14, 2017)

$80 DSLR hits me where I live.
I plan someday to get a Canon 40D. I have two decent AF zooms and one not so great. But I also have some nice old FD glass! But I have a part time job. 
So cheap rules!

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## petrochemist (Oct 15, 2017)

davidharmier60 said:


> $80 DSLR hits me where I live.
> I plan someday to get a Canon 40D. I have two decent AF zooms and one not so great. But I also have some nice old FD glass! But I have a part time job.
> So cheap rules!
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk



Unfortunately FD glass won't work with Canon DSLRs (or any other brand IIRC, as the registration is unusually short - having the same issues M42 lenses on F mount have) 
They can however be used with pretty much all mirrorless bodies (usually with registration under 20mm), the oldest of which are now also pretty affordable. 
Yes their performance won't be anywhere near today's bodies, but even the Panasonic G1 - the first ever mirrorless camera - can still produce good shots (My daughter now uses my old one).

If you can manage to put a little more in slightly newer bodies should give significant improvements at little extra cost, especially if you are patient. Body only options around $100 should be relatively common.


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## davidharmier60 (Oct 15, 2017)

I simply must be patient. I haven't EVEN officially put $20 towards getting a lens changing digital camera. 
If I knew where to get processing like I used to get at Eckerd I would probably just be better off shooting film.
Since at any given MP Nikon beats Canon my thinking runs to finding an auto focus Nikon with some lenses on EBay and then getting an older Nikon DSLR. 
But of course there must be money first.

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## petrochemist (Oct 16, 2017)

davidharmier60 said:


> If I knew where to get processing like I used to get at Eckerd I would probably just be better off shooting film.
> Since at any given MP Nikon beats Canon my thinking runs to finding an auto focus Nikon with some lenses on EBay and then getting an older Nikon DSLR.
> But of course there must be money first.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk



It won't take many films to cover the cost of an early digital camera. Around here I suspect it works out ~£10 for a film & processing - even if it's only half that 20 films worth is an old digital SLR.

I think there are millions of people who will refute the Nikon vs Canon claim - I don't shoot either, so don't much care. However Nikon pretty much ties you to Nikon lenses, while Canon or mirrorless are very flexible on what you can use manually. Even Pentax (my own SLR system) is much more flexible than Nikon & is also highly regarded as a value for money choice.


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## davidharmier60 (Oct 16, 2017)

The problem is that money is a finite thing.
One of my issues is that I have 80+ rolls shot from 1996to 1999 that have never been processed. It's going to be at least 85% aircraft. If I go Canon it will most likely be a 20D.

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## jcdeboever (Oct 16, 2017)

Frank F. said:


> As an encouragement, a few shots taken with the (manual focus) Nikon Ai-S 1.4/35mm on a D500 last week (all at f/1.4):
> 
> View attachment 144682 View attachment 144683 View attachment 144684 View attachment 144685 View attachment 144686


What a unique lens draw, something special there. How do you keep it off the camera?


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## ac12 (Dec 5, 2017)

Nikkor 500mm f/8 mirror on my D7200.
Gives me the reach I need at a small fraction of the cost of a new AF lens.


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## Braineack (Dec 5, 2017)

a fraction of the quality, and 0% of the Auto Focus ability too!


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## davidharmier60 (Dec 5, 2017)

The old lenses worked fine on the old film cameras. Depending on what you wish to accomplish they should work ok.

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## ac12 (Dec 5, 2017)

Braineack said:


> a fraction of the quality, and 0% of the Auto Focus ability too!



Since I cannot afford the $10,000 for a Nikon AF 500mm, that I use less than 1%of the time, I would gladly accept a donation of said lens.



NikonAF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens!


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## Braineack (Dec 5, 2017)

alright everyone, pitch in your $500 -- and once we get to 20 people, we have a new "lens across America lens"


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