Advice on usage of "old" Nikkor lenses on D700 body needed please

[Stephen27]

Greetings to one and all,

Appreciate if anyone can kindly advise me whether my "old" Nikkor lenses
i.e. 50mm, f/1.2 and 80 - 200, f/4 are compatible with my Nikon D700 body ?

I have tried taking some shots using both lenses but the end results are not sharp. (both lenses are in excellent condition).

Is it due to my poor focusing or the lenses are not compatible to the D700 body ?

I usually use Aperture mode for all my shots.

Thank you in advance.

 

[one eye jack]

Greetings to one and all,

Appreciate if anyone can kindly advise me whether my "old" Nikkor lenses
i.e. 50mm, f/1.2 and 80 - 200, f/4 are compatible with my Nikon D700 body ?

I have tried taking some shots using both lenses but the end results are not sharp. (both lenses are in excellent condition).

Is it due to my poor focusing or the lenses are not compatible to the D700 body ?

I usually use Aperture mode for all my shots.

Thank you in advance.

What lenses can I use with the D700/ D300S/ D300/ D200 ?

The link above should answer your question.Read item no:9 about focussing. may not apply to your particular lens.

 

[Stephen27]

Hi One Eye Jack,

Thanks a million for your advice. I appreciate it.

I have visited the link provided by your goodself but I find the table on the lenses a bit "chim"
for a beginner like me.

I think I will have to establish whether my old lenses fall under the AI category I guess.

Once I have that done then I can understand better.

Thank you once again One Eye Jack.

Your one eye is very much better than my two eyes.

Cheers.

 

[Rashkae]

Worry less, shoot more. Also remember that the D700 is designed as a budget high-iso camera, not as a "super high resolution" camera.

 

[Stephen27]

Worry less, shoot more. Also remember that the D700 is designed as a budget high-iso camera, not as a "super high resolution" camera.

Hello Rashkae, appreciate your comment. Since you are a Senior Member, I guess you are in a better position to advise me please i.e.
can you kindly recommend me a focus screen suitable for my old Nikkor lenses which doesn't come out sharp.

 

[daredevil123]

Hello Rashkae, appreciate your comment. Since you are a Senior Member, I guess you are in a better position to advise me please i.e.
can you kindly recommend me a focus screen suitable for my old Nikkor lenses which doesn't come out sharp.

You can try this taiwan company...
Focusing Screen

Or you can try this US company
Nikon D700 Focusing Screen - KatzEye Optics

 

[one eye jack]

Hi One Eye Jack,

Thanks a million for your advice. I appreciate it.

I have visited the link provided by your goodself but I find the table on the lenses a bit "chim"
for a beginner like me.

I think I will have to establish whether my old lenses fall under the AI category I guess.

Once I have that done then I can understand better.

Thank you once again One Eye Jack.

Your one eye is very much better than my two eyes.

Cheers.

Nikkor Lens Mounts

The above link will help determine if your lenses are AI,non-AI or AIS.

As for the spilt focussing screen,it is effective in bright light situations and I think at F4 indoors it's not very good.
You can either use a viewfinder magnifier or a LCD magnifier.Google for examples. Good luck.

 

[Rashkae]

Hello Rashkae, appreciate your comment. Since you are a Senior Member, I guess you are in a better position to advise me please i.e.
can you kindly recommend me a focus screen suitable for my old Nikkor lenses which doesn't come out sharp.

Why not post a sample image of what you consider to be "not sharp"? Maybe you're making a basic error, like shooting at f/22 etc

 

[ovaltinemilo]

use live view, tripod, magnify LCD view, flash indoor on a target and see if it's in focus or not? sharp is subjective most of the time....

 

[Stephen27]

Thank God for ClubSnap photography community!

With so many experienced members who willingly share their experiences and provide advices,
I am really glad I accidentally discovered "ClubSnap" because the advices and help I received todate
are really helpful to a Photography Newbie like me.

God Bless All OF YOU !

 

[Stephen27]

Hello Rashkae,
I am confused now! I thought using f/16 or f/22 would provide the best "story-telling" composition which provides everything sharp from front to back according to Bryan Peterson's book "Understanding Photography - Field Guide".

I never thought that it could be a basic error for using these two apertures.

Guess I better go back to my books again!

 

[Rashkae]

Hello Rashkae,
I am confused now! I thought using f/16 or f/22 would provide the best "story-telling" composition which provides everything sharp from front to back according to Bryan Peterson's book "Understanding Photography - Field Guide".

I never thought that it could be a basic error for using these two apertures.

Guess I better go back to my books again!

You may get the deepest depth of field, but you also suffer from diffraction.

 

[TWmilkteaTW]

Best you post 1 or few pics with EXIF so we would know if its sharp or whats wrong..

If you said F16 or F22 is good for you.. and picture is not sharp to you. Im guessing maybe your shutter speed too slow? low light? Thus there is camera shake. Thats why your picture is not sharp..or rather blur-ish. Quite pointless if everyone of us start to guess.. We always say. a pic speak a thousand words.

 

[Rashkae]

Do also consider the combination of factors...

1. If you are shooting above f/16, you will suffer from diffraction. Most lenses are at their sharpest from f/4-f/11

2. You are on "only" 12MP. As such, you have limited resolution compared even to a 20MP compact camera, or the 4-year old D3X/A900 or the new D800. Your camera is not designed as a high-resolution landscape tool.

 

[Stephen27]

Hi Rashkae,

I have noted your advice and comments with thanks.

Will have to check at Wikipedia what diffraction mean.

And what is 12MP please? Is it megapixel?

 

[Rashkae]

Hi Rashkae,

I have noted your advice and comments with thanks.

Will have to check at Wikipedia what diffraction mean.

And what is 12MP please? Is it megapixel?

Yes. 12 megapixels, so you may just be expecting more than your camera can deliver. You'll kick butt at high ISO, but for ultra-detailed landscapes it's not quite the right tool.

 

[catchlights]

12MP is good enough for most people, how big you intend to print?

some of my stock photos from D700 are printed on mural print at construction site of condo developments, advertisement on double decker bus,

you want something bigger, than go for D800/D800E.

 

[one eye jack]

Hi Rashkae,

I have noted your advice and comments with thanks.

Will have to check at Wikipedia what diffraction mean.

And what is 12MP please? Is it megapixel?

Diffraction Limited Photography: Pixel Size, Aperture and Airy Disks
Digital Camera Diffraction – Resolution, Color & Micro-Contrast
Guide to Image Sharpening
Local Contrast Enhancement
Sharpening Using an Unsharp Mask
Tutorials – Sharpness
http://www.zeiss.com/C12567A8003B8B6F/EmbedTitelIntern/CLN_30_MTF_en/$File/CLN_MTF_Kurven_EN.pdf

For better understanding of diffraction please read the above links.You can improve the picture with post processing.
Don't forget Carl Zeiss explanation of what MTF curves are (pros and cons) and the objective determination of lens quality.

Ultimately knowlege of lens quality and camera sensors limits and diffraction will lead you to understand because of the
circle of confusion inherently due to difraction, a much bigger sensor or format is needed,medium format like 645 or large view cameras (film) like 4X5 or 8X10. Happy reading.