Try asking in the "Nikon SLR Lens Talk" forum.

I'm not familiar with Nikon glass, but would assume that if one is comparing say top of the line glass NOW versus top of the line glass THEN, that the current glass would do slightly better as it has been made for use with digital cameras..

Would the improvement be enough to see under most circumstances??? Or enough to justify the higher cost for NEW glass versus OLDER glass???.

Good Day,Roonal.

'Money doesn't buy happiness, but it makes for an extravagant depression' by golf tournament sportscaster..

Nikon lens forum would be the place to ask..

Not a Nikon user, but from waht I know:.

DX simply refers to a lens that will not fit a full-frame 35mm sensor. It doesn't imply anything about superior or inferior image quality (However most of them are cheaper and lighter than their full-frame counterparts, and better suited for your camera).

The D80 will not meter with center lenses (the AI-S lenses, I believe). The D200 will, however...

I think it depends on the specific lens..

Last year I needed a 300mm f2.8 to shoot football. I rented 3 versions for different games (depending on availability): The new VR version, the slightly older AF-S version, and the old 'D' version (or maybe IF?). I actually liked the older version best. Sure it wasn't a silent focus lens. But it still was super quick and I felt sharper than the others. Worse case, it was at least as usable as the newer ones, and a LOT cheaper..

I was going to buy one, but ended up getting the 200 f2.0 instead. Doooooh! So much for saving money...

It depends a bit on the DSLR you are using. Some old combinations will are perfect for digital others better with analog. If you check Bjrn's homepage you will find many answers to your one question..

Http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html.

Erik..

It's worth remebering that in many cases there are no new versions of some of the older Nikkors and many of these are still fine lenses..

Of course the wierd stuff was rare and expensive back then and is often even rarer and more expensive now - the 58mm f1.2 Noct-Nikkor is a classic example but if you need a particular result, the older lens may be the only way to go..

As others have said, old versions of current lenses are worth looking at. In many cases performance will be similar (although focusing speeds were usually slower) and you can often pick them up for a good price. Many of the manual focus lenses offer build quality that is unmatched, even if they are more fiddly to work with, particularly on a D80 where they won't meter...

It is not easy to dissect that issue. My experience is some old lenses are very sharp, some may have CA issues with digital, and some may pair well with a body but not with another. For example, the Nikon 24mm f2.8 is king with film but not that good with digital. One lens may give you good IQ with the D70 but not that good with the D200, I think because of the MP of each body. I guess, the proof of the pudding is in the eating..

BoZzanma wrote:.

Hi, got me a few question, answer to which I will appreciate..

In theory and in practice, with the Nikon D-80 camera would an olderNikor lens such as the 35-70mm 2.8 D work as well, when compared tothe newer generation Nikor glass ED etc.?.

How much difference, if any, is there in terms of the quality ofphotographs when taken with a D lens and the ED++ lens (having samespecs.)?.

What about an even older Nikor lens (not a D)?.

And lastly are the DX lens, those dedicated for DSLRs, less, as goodor better than full format older lens (for a D 80 naturally)..

(Is there a web site to be found which categorizes Nikon lens underthe heading like Pro -Main Stream - Low End?).

Many thanks for the advise..

B...

It really does depend on the lens. Some lenses are replaced with new models that aren't as good, others are replaced with better versions, and other are replaced with units with slightly different focal lengths (which may be better or worse)..

The 'D' vs. 'ED' is a seperate issue: 'ED' is used by Nikon to describe lenses that have special glass elements that help reduce chromatic aberation. Chromatic aberation may be unnoticable in lenses even if they don't have ED glass. CA is also something that can usually be fixed easily via software..

For some older lenses, the D80 may not meter correctly with them, forcing you to rely on manually setting the camera without the assistance of the built-in light meter..

Generally speaking, the full-frame lenses (non-DX) will perform a bit better on a digital camera. The center of a lens is typically where the image is the sharpest, and less-prone to vignetting, and this is where a full-frame lens falls on the APS sensor..

Personally, I purchased a D50 because I had a collection of lenses ( Nikon 50mm 1.4, Tokina 70-200 2.8, Sigma 16mm 2.8, Tokina 100 Macro, Sigma 35mm 2.8, Sigma 28-70 and 70-200) from my much-loved FM2. What I found was that the lenses either required manual exposures, behaved poorly (had to mount and unmount the Tokina 70-200 after each shot), or didn't give me the quality I wanted..

Note that with film, it was rare for me to print above 5x7, and 8x10s where nearly unheard of. But looking at the 100% crops of digital images I saw flaws I never noticed before..

I decided it wasn't worth it to keep the set of lenses so I sold them all and started from scratch. I think it was a good choice..

Everything I write is a personal opinion. Even when I quote facts, they are the facts I personally choose to accept.http://www.pbase.com/mariog..