Light Machinery
Senior Member
They images are very beautiful. Nice shots Jeff.
We love our manual focus Nikkor lenses! Part 2
- Thread starter cichlid
- Start date
Nikonzen
Senior Member
Thank you HLC!
D5000 is a very special camera for manual focus lens shooters. Mounts nearly all F mount manual focus lenses ever including non Ai. There is something about the 12MP sensor that is sublime color wise and no need to worry about the camera out resolving your lenses. Viewfinder sucks so it is a difficult pie to slice. If one wants to get into manual focus Nikkors I highly recommend the D5K because they are very cheap and capable of stunning images even with 50 year old lenses that can sometimes be bought for a song and a dance.
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Nikonzen
Senior Member
These are rerun images but I thought it would be good to put them here as well. These snaps were made with the Nikkor 28/3.5 K model lens on a D5000. This lens is sort of sentimental to me as it is the very first Nikkor I owned. I will not part with it. I paid the handsome sum of $35 bucks for it. For this kind of dough everyone should have one in the cabinet. LOL
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bullterrier
Member
Clothesline.
Nikon F3HP w Nikkor 50 f1.4 AIS
I have no problem using manual focusing on the Df. In fact, it is this camera that started me to do this instead of auto. I think it is a matter of constant practice. Now I find I do composition first then manual focusing the subject. As for the installation of split screen to manual focus, Ill let the technical experts here to comment as I'm not a technically inclined guy. I just enjoy taking photos.
Nikonzen
Senior Member
I do not have a Df yet but have several friends who do. I will get mine soon enough. I have been using manual focus lenses on digital bodies for a few years now. As brother Kong says it is really a matter of practice makes perfect.
The Df viewfinder is optimized for manual focus. Focusing screens are a much more difficult proposition in the digital world than the film world. With film cameras the film plane typically has a slight curvature to it whereas in a digital camera the sensor is completely flat. In order to make it work on digital cameras it requires bigger and more powerful tech and much tighter tolerances. The Df does not allow interchangeable screens for these reasons. As a F2 film shooter I liked to use a gridded E screen. The Df has a digital version of this incorporated into it. So imo they have saved me the trouble of using interchangeable focusing screens. Practice makes perfect and it is not a problem with this camera my opinion.
Light Machinery
Senior Member
I use a Df. It is very easy to use pre AI / AI / AIS lenses on the Df, manual focus is very easy to do under well lit conditions. It is very easy to see the sharp details of the subject on the focusing screen when the image is in focus. Under dim conditions it is difficult to see the subject details if it is in focus or not. Under dim conditions I will usually use the electronic range finder.
If you do intend to use the Df for manual focus with the focusing screen, it is best you check the Df focusing screen focus accuracy vs the image captured by the sensor. Some Df focusing screen image plane is a liitle off compared to the sensor image plane, the focusing screen will need shimming, if not the image on the focusing will be in sharp in focus but the image captured by the sensor is usually back focused / out of focus. This problem will be very obvious with f/1.2 or f/1.4 lenses when they are used at f/1.2 or f/1.4.
The focusing screen on the Df is removable (I have removed mine) & can be replaced with a split prism focusing screen is so desired but Nikon doesn't make any replacement focusing for the Df. "focusingscreeen.com" makes replacement focusing screen for the Df, they have range of screens to choose from, from plain matte to split prism type made from Canon & Nikon film SLR focusing screens. Visit their site for further details if you are interested to use the Df with split prism focusing screen.
If you do intend to use the Df for manual focus with the focusing screen, it is best you check the Df focusing screen focus accuracy vs the image captured by the sensor. Some Df focusing screen image plane is a liitle off compared to the sensor image plane, the focusing screen will need shimming, if not the image on the focusing will be in sharp in focus but the image captured by the sensor is usually back focused / out of focus. This problem will be very obvious with f/1.2 or f/1.4 lenses when they are used at f/1.2 or f/1.4.
The focusing screen on the Df is removable (I have removed mine) & can be replaced with a split prism focusing screen is so desired but Nikon doesn't make any replacement focusing for the Df. "focusingscreeen.com" makes replacement focusing screen for the Df, they have range of screens to choose from, from plain matte to split prism type made from Canon & Nikon film SLR focusing screens. Visit their site for further details if you are interested to use the Df with split prism focusing screen.
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Nikonzen
Senior Member
Thanks HLC...I stand corrected.
I did not realize a screen was available for the Df I was under the impression it was not possible with this camera. I wonder if Katzeye ever made one?
http://nikonrumors.com/2014/01/19/the-first-nikon-df-focusing-screens-are-now-available-online.aspx/
I did not realize a screen was available for the Df I was under the impression it was not possible with this camera. I wonder if Katzeye ever made one?
http://nikonrumors.com/2014/01/19/the-first-nikon-df-focusing-screens-are-now-available-online.aspx/
Light Machinery
Senior Member
Hi Jeff. You are welcome. Katzeye is closing down, they are in the process of shipping out the last order. If I remembered correctly the last order they processed was last September.
Can't enjoy Df in that case ? ☺
Nikonzen
Senior Member
No way...Df is the machine!
I had to exercise the blades and coils in the 105/2.5 today. Still have to do the other two segments of my 100 vs 105 comparison thread. :embrass:
I have said it before...every Nikon shooter should own a copy of the 105/2.5
Using it on a D7000 crop camera kind of sucks but it is okay for going about picking out details from long range and moving in to a meter for tiny detail...
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