long-time Nikon F2AS user -- which SRL digital is best?

On Feb 6, 4:39 pm, J. Clarke wrote:
On Wed, 7 Feb 2007 11:56:11 +1300, "Apteryx"
wrote:





"maya" wrote in message
.com...
Apteryx wrote:
"maya" wrote in message
re.com...
tomm42 wrote:
Look at the D200, has the best feature set of non pro Nikon DSLRs. It
has a build quality like your F2. Can use manual focus lenses too,
but they have to be Ai or AiS, they have "feet" on the aperture ring.
An older non Ai Nikkor can damage the camera's aperture connection to
the lens. Older lenses can be converted.
Focusing with a WA is a bit of a pain with these cameras, I use a 24
f2 with a D200, with a 105 micro I'm fine. The other problem you will
run into is that the sensor is smaller, so your lenses act similar to
lenses 1.5 their focal length. A 24 becomes a 36mm, a 17mm = 25mm.
Takes a little getting used to, all Nikons DSLRs have this. I have 4
lenses 3 primes, a 17mm Tokina, a nice lens, the 24 f2 Nikon, a 55
micro, and a 70-210 f4 zoom, the set isn't perfect but works for me
and cost less than a grand. If you want to use zooms, somehow they go
with digital, the 18-70 Nikkor kit lens is good, but may not be wide
enough for you, the 17-55, and the 17-35, the latter could be used on
your F2, are excellent lenses with fairly high price tags. For wide
angle lenses there are 12-24 Nikon and Tokina, and 10-20 Sigma, a 17mm
Tokina is also a good choice .

Tom

oh my gosh, two people say I should look @ D200 instead... ok, what
are main differences, please, between D200 and D80 that will make it
worth it (i.e., justifiable) for me to purchase the D200..

thank you very much..

I've also had aF2ASfor nearly 30 years, although I've only shot 2 rolls
of film on it since getting my D70 3 years ago, and don't think I've used
it all since upgrading to a D200 just under a year ago.

I'm assuming you have a collection of AI manual focus lenses to go with
yourF2AS. If so, then the chief advantage of the D200 is that is will
meter with them. You could still mount them on the D80, but would need to
carry a hand-held meter if you planned on using them extensively. If on
the other hand you plan to replace all your AI MF lenses with modern AF
lenses, then the price advantage of the D80 will help you do that.

You will probably need to buy at least one new lens (18-70, 18-200, or
12-24mm) because one any Nikon DSLR, your 24mm will only have the angle
of view that a 36mm would have on yourF2AS(though as such it is still
pretty useful, and my MF 24mm is possibly the MF lens I use most often on
my D200).

ok, when you guys say "will meter" you mean autom. metering? you mean w/o
AF lenses you can't use **automatic** light-meter? I've always metered
manually, so I don't care about that..

More than that. The D80 won't give you a meter reading at all with a MF lens
for you to manually set the exposure - because it doesn't know what aperture
you have set on the lens, or indeed the lenses maximum aperture.

It doesn't neet to know what aperture is set to function in stop-down
mode, only how much light is striking the meter.




Hi.. so am in India, where last Sunday shot about 100 photos w/my new
D80...

have so many questions.. such as what img size/quality to choose
what is diff betw. diff "qualities" (fine, normal, basic)
as far as dimensions... lots of choices.. 3872x2592, for ex (54" x
36") but: haven't downloaded any imgs yet, don't know @ what
resolutions they come out (I mean dpi, my imgs have to be of a quality
I can print, say 11x14..)

focusing issue a bit unsettling, AF doesn't always work right (not
used to it.) when try to focus manually it's weird.. ring doesn't
stop at "infinite" or when you reaach min. distance, like w/other
cameras...

I usu. choose shutter-speed priority, but can't always change speed
when I want to.. (have to turn camera off then on then select "S" in
left wheel.. then can change it.)

ok, meter runing, have just a few seconds..

thank you..





You need
mechanical links between lens and camera to transmit that info from a MF
lens to the camera, and the D80 and lesser Nikon DSLRs doesn't have them
(they use electronic links to get that info from AF lenses). You would need
to carry a seperate meter, or use trial and error to get the correct
exposure.

The D200 (and more expensive Nikons) has both mechanical links for older
lenses and electronic links for modern ones.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

maya wrote:

Hi.. so am in India, where last Sunday shot about 100 photos w/my new
D80...

Fun.

have so many questions.. such as what img size/quality to choose
what is diff betw. diff "qualities" (fine, normal, basic)
as far as dimensions... lots of choices.. 3872x2592, for ex (54" x
36") but: haven't downloaded any imgs yet, don't know @ what
resolutions they come out (I mean dpi, my imgs have to be of a quality
I can print, say 11x14..)

For 11x14", use Fine to be safe. (Fine, Normal, Basic) only has to do
with compression, file size and degree of jpeg artifacts (ugly squarish
patterns used to simplify the image. Look in plain skies to see this
effect. I print at 13x19" borderless which is 200 dpi and it should
really be 300dpi for most printers (9x13") but you quote 54x36" at 72dpi
which is a coarse computer screen resolution; not a suitable print
resolution.

focusing issue a bit unsettling, AF doesn't always work right (not
used to it.) when try to focus manually it's weird.. ring doesn't
stop at "infinite" or when you reaach min. distance, like w/other
cameras...

I usu. choose shutter-speed priority, but can't always change speed
when I want to.. (have to turn camera off then on then select "S" in
left wheel.. then can change it.)

ok, meter runing, have just a few seconds..

thank you..

so this is my question, let's say I choose 3872x2592, when I open img
in Photoshop, at what resolution will it be (I meant ppi, not dpi..)
this is what always confuses me about these choices in digital
photogr., that if you will print imgs the important thing is
resolution, i.e., how many pixels per inch.. I don't know at what
resolution these imgs will be.. I mean you can have an img, say,
that's 1000x1000 pixels at 72 ppi, and you can have a 1000x1000 img
that's 300 pixels per inch.. for printing obviously 72 ppi is no
good... has to be, I assume, at least 300 ppi.... and I don't see
choice of resolution, only of dimensions.....

thank you...



On Feb 13, 12:51 pm, Paul Furman wrote:
maya wrote:
Hi.. so am in India, where last Sunday shot about 100 photos w/my new
D80...

Fun.

have so many questions.. such as what img size/quality to choose
what is diff betw. diff "qualities" (fine, normal, basic)
as far as dimensions... lots of choices.. 3872x2592, for ex (54" x
36") but: haven't downloaded any imgs yet, don't know @ what
resolutions they come out (I mean dpi, my imgs have to be of a quality
I can print, say 11x14..)

For 11x14", use Fine to be safe. (Fine, Normal, Basic) only has to do
with compression, file size and degree of jpeg artifacts (ugly squarish
patterns used to simplify the image. Look in plain skies to see this
effect. I print at 13x19" borderless which is 200 dpi and it should
really be 300dpi for most printers (9x13") but you quote 54x36" at 72dpi
which is a coarse computer screen resolution; not a suitable print
resolution.



focusing issue a bit unsettling, AF doesn't always work right (not
used to it.) when try to focus manually it's weird.. ring doesn't
stop at "infinite" or when you reaach min. distance, like w/other
cameras...

I usu. choose shutter-speed priority, but can't always change speed
when I want to.. (have to turn camera off then on then select "S" in
left wheel.. then can change it.)

ok, meter runing, have just a few seconds..

thank you..- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

maya wrote:
so this is my question, let's say I choose 3872x2592, when I open img
in Photoshop, at what resolution will it be

It really doesn't matter: the dpi ppi (pixels/inch) setting in the file
is used to calculate inches but on the computer screen it's all the same
and I normally print scaled to fit so it ends up some odd number. But if
you want a number I'd set it to 300 pixels/inch (without resampling).
Then you can see inches & resample if you want but printers do a fine
job of resampling sized to fit.

(I meant ppi, not dpi..)
this is what always confuses me about these choices in digital
photogr., that if you will print imgs the important thing is
resolution, i.e., how many pixels per inch.. I don't know at what
resolution these imgs will be.. I mean you can have an img, say,
that's 1000x1000 pixels at 72 ppi, and you can have a 1000x1000 img
that's 300 pixels per inch.. for printing obviously 72 ppi is no
good... has to be, I assume, at least 300 ppi....

No you can print with less detail depending on the image and the use or
expected viewing distance. Anything more than 300dpi is unlikely to be
of any use to the printer.

and I don't see
choice of resolution, only of dimensions.....

Image menu Image size
-uncheck 'Resample Image'
-set to 300 pixels/inch
-re-check 'Resample Image'
-resize if you want & see inches change

On Feb 13, 12:51 pm, Paul Furman wrote:

maya wrote:

Hi.. so am in India, where last Sunday shot about 100 photos w/my new
D80...

Fun.

have so many questions.. such as what img size/quality to choose
what is diff betw. diff "qualities" (fine, normal, basic)
as far as dimensions... lots of choices.. 3872x2592, for ex (54" x
36") but: haven't downloaded any imgs yet, don't know @ what
resolutions they come out (I mean dpi, my imgs have to be of a quality
I can print, say 11x14..)

For 11x14", use Fine to be safe. (Fine, Normal, Basic) only has to do
with compression, file size and degree of jpeg artifacts (ugly squarish
patterns used to simplify the image. Look in plain skies to see this
effect. I print at 13x19" borderless which is 200 dpi and it should
really be 300dpi for most printers (9x13") but you quote 54x36" at 72dpi
which is a coarse computer screen resolution; not a suitable print
resolution.