Wide lens for Nikon dslr

J

jpa66

Jan as in "Jan and Dean"
Local time
2:29 PM
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
804
I have a Nikon D70 which I gotten a little tired of. I like it well enough, but am tired of the weight and digital in general ( As stated in another post here ). My long-term plan is to get rid of the 18 - 200mm zoom I have ( it's too big and heavy ) along with a Mamiya 645 ( which is also too big - I know, a pattern is forming ) and get a nice interchangeable lens rangefinder. But that's probably a few months or so away. But I digress slightly.

To cut to the chase...

Can anyone recommend a wide angle MANUAL only lens for the D70? I'd like at least a 28, preferably a 24, and would consider something around 20. I only want manual focusing, and the camera must be able to meter with it. If this is possible, what would be some good glass?

Thanks,
JP
 
28mm isn't wide at all on a D70, it gives an angle of view similar to a 50. The 24 is similar to a 35mm lens. You really need the 20mm to get wide angle view.
 
Look at the 18-50 f2.8 Sigma. Small, sharp and fast. Inexpensive too. There may be a newer wider version but its been a few years since I used one.
 
Your best bet is the CV 20mm lens. Manual focusing and works in all the exposure modes. See Cameraquest for info.
 
Also, look at the 45mm Nikon pancake or the 40mm VC pancake. Manual focus, auto meter and small - but not wide angle
 
Duh! I forgot about the angle of view on dslr's ( yet another reason to like slr's better ).

Thanks for the comments, gentlemen.

Is there any good Nikon glass I could use?
 
jpa66 said:
Can anyone recommend a wide angle MANUAL only lens for the D70? I'd like at least a 28, preferably a 24, and would consider something around 20. I only want manual focusing, and the camera must be able to meter with it. If this is possible, what would be some good glass?

Thanks,
JP
Click to expand...

A D70 does NOT meter manual focus lenses unless the lens is "chipped," so that rules out the great majority of them. Exceptions are the 45mm AIP and the 500mm AIP. Of course, an AI/AIS lens can be chipped if you have the knowhow, or if you send it to someone who does.

Manual focusing with the D70 isn't exactly the easiest, but I suppose with WA lenses you have enough DOF to hide any manual focusing errors. Do yourself a favor -- if you want WA, get one of the 10/11/12 - NN AF zooms. Or, if you insist on manually focusing with your D70, you'll have to "sunny f16' it or get an external meter.
 
As others have said the Nikon D70 does not meter with manual lenses but if you can live with this you can use MF lenses. I use the AIS 34mm f2.8 which is one of Nikons best rated MF lens (on my D200) Although its angle of view equates to something like a 35mm lens in film world this is quite adequate for most of what I do. You can go wider - the Nikon 20mm f2.8 is highly rated but I think its a good deal more expensive too.
 
kxl said:
A D70 does NOT meter manual focus lenses unless the lens is "chipped," so that rules out the great majority of them. Exceptions are the 45mm AIP and the 500mm AIP. Of course, an AI/AIS lens can be chipped if you have the knowhow, or if you send it to someone who does.

Manual focusing with the D70 isn't exactly the easiest, but I suppose with WA lenses you have enough DOF to hide any manual focusing errors. Do yourself a favor -- if you want WA, get one of the 10/11/12 - NN AF zooms. Or, if you insist on manually focusing with your D70, you'll have to "sunny f16' it or get an external meter.
Click to expand...

I do have an external meter, but it definitely slows picture-taking down and I don't like to use/carry it with an slr. It seems that everything that I want in an slr is pointing towards a film slr ( which I already have ) or a rangefinder with interchangeable lenses ( which I do not have, but want :) ).

Digital is just so damned convenient ( although still inferior to film, IMHO... ).
 
I have and love the Nikon 20mm f/2.8. I used it a lot on my D90 when I was still using it. Here is a shot using it on my D90:

 
The thing that I don't like about the APS-sized sensor on digital cameras is that when using legacy wide angles, you get all of the disadvantages of a wide angle lens (ugly distortion and chromatic abberation) and very few of the benefits (a wide angle of view).
 
If you want a prime, what about the nikon 14mm f2.8? It has the advantage of being a full frame lens, although it has the disadvantage of being expensive. There is also the 14-35 2.8 and the 17-35 2.8. If you want a DX lens, there is the 12-24 f4.
 
ZeissFan said:
The thing that I don't like about the APS-sized sensor on digital cameras is that when using legacy wide angles, you get all of the disadvantages of a wide angle lens (ugly distortion and chromatic abberation) and very few of the benefits (a wide angle of view).
Click to expand...

Chromatic abberation possibly, but wide angle distortion? Better read up on photographic optics.
 
AF-S 18-200mm VR is too big? Ever try one of the AF F2.8 teles? Now they are big! The D70's viewfinder is just not designed for manual focus, reguardless of lens attached. Pick up an old Nikon F3HP sometime, and compare it to any DSLR in the store, and you will see what I mean. Auto-focus is not really auto focus. There is a learning curve.

May I suggest the Nikkor AF-S 35mm F1.8 DX as a small, lightweight solution.
 
JP,

There is tons of great Nikon glass, but the question is how much automation do you want/need. If you can forget about metering, 28/2.8 AIS, 24/2.8 about any version are both great. I did a not of research looking for a great 20 Nikkor and came up with nothing I could afford. So I went with a CV 20. It is a fine lens and is chipped so it works with all metering options. Good build quality, small and takes 52mm filters.

B2 (;->
 
BillBingham2 said:
JP,

There is tons of great Nikon glass, but the question is how much automation do you want/need. If you can forget about metering, 28/2.8 AIS, 24/2.8 about any version are both great. I did a not of research looking for a great 20 Nikkor and came up with nothing I could afford. So I went with a CV 20. It is a fine lens and is chipped so it works with all metering options. Good build quality, small and takes 52mm filters.

B2 (;->
Click to expand...

The CV 20 may be the way to go. I was also giving thought to the Tokina 12 - 24mm lens. I actually wanted to go with an older manual lens, but have discovered ( thanks to this post ) that they won't work the way I want them to on the D70 ( I definitely want metering ).
 
You can use pure manual lenses on your D70, but you have to use the camera in manual mode. Set the iso, choose an f-stop, and set the shutter speed--then chimp. Look at the histogram, and go from there. It is sort of liberating.

I also changed the screen inside the finder for better manual focusing. It does help.

--michael
 
mwooten said:
You can use pure manual lenses on your D70, but you have to use the camera in manual mode. Set the iso, choose an f-stop, and set the shutter speed--then chimp. Look at the histogram, and go from there. It is sort of liberating.

I also changed the screen inside the finder for better manual focusing. It does help.

--michael
Click to expand...

But the meter only works if the lens is chipped, correct?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom