I'm frustrated with Nikon

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy on October 22, 2009 at 6:38pm

Sorry but I have to ask did you research your camera purchase at all before buying? I do understand your frustration but it is no secret that the lower end Nikon bodies do not always support all lenses. If you had the opportunity again I would advise to look at the D90 or above as they support every Nikon lens made since the dawn of time. Something that can not be said for Canon who have changed their lens mount several times

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Permalink Reply by Glenn P on October 22, 2009 at 7:11pm

Like Jeremy said D90 is the lowest body that is compatible with all Nikkor lenses. If its for commercial use the lowest body I would consider is the D300 for DX format. If you have extra cash get the D700 for full frame same as 35MM.

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Permalink Reply by Luigi Clemente on October 22, 2009 at 8:15pm

Canon 50D is not full frame (crop 1.6). I had it, then stolen...
I agree with Jeremy. Do EXTENSIVE research on Google before buying any camera. Suggestions here are not enough.

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Permalink Reply by Suzanne on October 23, 2009 at 6:00am

Me too :)

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Permalink Reply by Jason Fortner on October 23, 2009 at 5:54am

This oversight by Nikon is intended for folks who are starting out. I bought my D40 with no lenses, no flashes and no accessories. All Nikon's new lenses have a silent wave motor that works with the low end bodies.Now I have a D300 and started buying primes and older specialty lenses. I understand your frustration, I had to buy the 300 to use primes, some of the older primes I bought don't even meter on the D80 I have. I don't know much about Canon as I had access to Nikon and Pentax lenses and didn't like the entry pentax even though it shared the sensor with the D40, but I think they will autofocus on every lens Canon made after the last time they changed the lens mount (1987?) If you do decide to sell your Nikon kit I can think of a few people who would be interested

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Hatcher on October 23, 2009 at 8:05am

The D90 and D5000 will work with all lenses, you just might not get aperture indexing, metering, or autofocus. I've picked up a really nice selection of older nikon lenses, including Pre-AI that work great on the D5000.... I just have to work full manual, which is not as difficult as you think.

I realize that metering and autofocus are very useful.... but there was photography before these things came along. As regards the sync, port you can pick up after market products that will give you the PC sync or wireless control. Either way, remember: The D5000 is an entry level camera aimed at first-time DSLR users who want a "point and shoot" type of experience, and sacrifices some features such as the built in autofocus motor and indexing for older lenses to keep cost of ownership low.

You are unjustified in calling the D5000 an "imitation of a camera"; it is what it is, its limitations are widely documented, and it perfectly suits it's niche in the market. It is a great introductory camera for beginner to intermediate users. If you need more than that, you have the D300 and D700.

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Permalink Reply by nathan mccreery on October 23, 2009 at 8:30am

It is frustrating. I am aware of how to use it on manual focus, however its manual focus is nowhere as certain as on any other camera I've used and even the high end digital cameras feel and look like toys rather than tools. I guess the frustration is that, in spite of the reading I did, and questions I asked, I never saw an indication that this body wouldn't work fully with my lenses, which is why I stayed with the Nikon brand name.

If I were going to be willing to spend $3,000 plus for a camera body I'd just spring for a digital back to go on my Hasselblad bodies. That is probably what I need to do anyway. I just don't see the point of a having a camera body that does movies and records sound. This body was bought with the idea that it would be a backup and that later in the year I'd sell the Fuji camera stuff and get the full frame Nikon body but this body is just a toy and I don't have much confidence that it will work or be reliable.

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Permalink Reply by Matt Needham on October 23, 2009 at 9:38am

"If I were going to be willing to spend $3,000 plus for a camera body I'd just spring for a digital back to go on my Hasselblad bodies."

And you'll end up with a whole new bunch of technology compatibility problems. 1957 camera body with 2007 digital back (which will cost you much, much more than $3000). With a 50 year gap there is a lot of room for problems.

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Permalink Reply by Sarahi on December 13, 2009 at 11:24pm

matt you always have wise answers. always i read anything from you i learn something new thank you... From your point of view and personal experience which brand offers better qulity canon or nikon. And why would you switch from canon to nikon? Thanks

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Permalink Reply by Matt Needham on October 23, 2009 at 9:28am

It seems to me that Nikon lenses tend to be a bit more expensive than Canon. For instance the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 is $300 to $400 more than a similar Canon lens.

Technology is rapidly changing. It is unrealistic to expect your old technology to work flawlessly (I think with some research you will find there are people using your older Nikon lenses with their new-fangled DSLRs, although not all features may work) with the new technology. Nikon kept the old technology in play when AF and electronic film cameras came along so their mechanical camera customers could still use their old lenses. Canon ditched their old lens tech at that time. People often advise to "buy into a system". My personal opinion is that camera technology is going to change so much in the next 10 to 20 years that you best not count on anything we use today being compatible then. Any day now engineers that have grown up in the age of digital are going to take over the camera design departments, and all the notions of what a camera needs to be that are rooted in running a strip of plastic through the body are going to go out the window. I can't believe that my DSLRs are still so film camera like. Why? We don't need to stick with the limitations of 100+ year old technology anymore.

I was a Nikon and Pentax fan when I shot film. When I started getting into digital Canon was the obvious low light leader, and now I'm invested in their system. If I were buying my first DSLR tomorrow I would choose Nikon. I'm frustrated with Canon. :) So it goes both ways....

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Permalink Reply by Sean on November 16, 2009 at 4:30pm

Canon 50D is not full frame it's a 1.6 cropped. It does have a external sync connection and works with all EF and EF-S lenses. Lenses are usually priced slightly lower than the nikon counter part, but not always. And they have several options for kit lenses or you can go ala carte.

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Permalink Reply by Brian McNea on November 17, 2009 at 12:31am

Nathan,
I was shocked as well when I found out about the auto focus not working with some of the lower end Nikon bodies. Nikon has a reputation for maintaining compatibility of their previous technologies with their newer releases. Their justification for the incompatibility is that they are saving you money by not including the mechanical auto focus servo in the lighter, less expensive consumer grade model camera bodies. If I were in your position I would be very upset as well, however, I think that you are closer to getting a Nikon body that will work with your older lenses than if you were to start over with Canon. I have had great results with my older lenses (28mm 3.5 PC Nikkor Ai) on my D70 and D700. The D700 even has a menu program for entering info for the manual non computerized lenses that makes it easier to use with the built in metering system.
You could pass on the D5000, get what you can for it and get a used D70s or D200 (discontinued) or a D90 as Jeremy suggested.
Not much help, but I have to say, depending on what lenses you currently have, you could be missing out on some great combinations of older Nikon lenses and the newer digital bodies. As you can tell I am and have been a Nikon user for years, so take that into account as well with what I have to say. Nothing against Canon, I have envied Canon users over the years from time to time, but I have so much already invested with Nikon I can't bear the thought of getting rid of my older, much beloved Nikon lenses. I think that with the correct body you could finally take advantage of that good old Nikon compatibility and have some real fun with your older stuff.
B

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