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07-04-2009, 05:44 AM   #136
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I'm using some older glass with K20D also

I like being able to use older glass in general. The two most used lenses used with K20D are 50mm SMC-A Macro and a 105mm 2.5 Vivitar Series 1 Macro. I find the shake reduction body is very nice feature to have for hand held macro flower shots.

When I added the D700 I also got a modern nikon lens, 14-24mm 2.8 and one vibration reduction lens to see what VR was about, 70-300 4.5-5.6 VRII.

I suppose things could be simplier had I remained one brand loyal. But the lure of old style full size viewfinders found on full frame cameras and the ability to use alot of various old glass I was aware of was too great a temptation. Plus some of the savings were substantial. My like new 85mm 1.4 Nikon ran me $628 earlier this year. Compare that with Pentax and it would appear I saved $500.

Pentax is the most adaptable system. Nikon second most adaptable as 32 years of usable lenses offers many opportunities due to sheer volume they made. And as Canon launched Eos in 1987, theres a 22 year catalogue of glass available from them.

Life is more complicated for me, in owning and using 3 brands: Pentax , Nikon, Canon. Atleast with Nikon I get calls locally from my favorite used shop to consider, handle, & shoot exotic nikon glass when they get it in for resale. Nikon made alot of really cool pro glass so its around and remains affordable. I got my Ex++300mm 2.8 AiS from them. Complete in trunk, key, manual for under $1,000 with tax. Both its dedicated teleconverters I bought brand new, 1.4x $135, 2x $220.

I don't know where my system will be in 5 years. I'd like to not further complicate things by adding a 4th brand, but then again Pansonic GH1 has some appealing aspects to me...

Congrats on being the first forum member who bought the first Pentax Dslr. That one dslr really turned things around for Pentax, & helped clear their old glass inventory. By the time I bought my first Dslr, a K Mount Samsung GX-1S which is identical clone of Pentax DS2 in 2006 their back catalogue of glass disappeared, my local dealers couldn't tell how things were with Pentax as supply disruptions were common and I couldn't order items like 200mm 2.8 FA even though the catalogue said I could. The production lines were outsourced from Japan to VietNam creating more problems in placing orders. So there was some craziness for me in trying to persue Pentax as my only brand, seeing insane prices for older lenses, seeing items roadmapped, then removed from roadmap later. I held in there till Spring of 2008 when I added Canon 5D and glass, then 2009 with D700 and some glass. I added K20D when it got down to about 1/2 of its issue price. No regrets doing so, its an exceptional camera. But I know how the game works. Wait 8 months pay about 1/2 of issue. That savings is well worth delaying any new pentax dslr purchase. Having Gear inhand insulates me for having to buy the next neat thing upon issue, at issue, priced at a premium compared to where I know they are willing to sell them at a few months down the road.

I'm pretty certain I won't buy any camera from the three the rest of 2009. I'm intrigued by HD Dslrs, but then again I could easily wait till 2010, or 2011 before I buy a Dslr camera specifically for HD. Then again there are aspects the Panasonic GH1 has I find very appealing. So its best for me to wait and watch all the cool videos people are shooting with their K-7, 5D MarkII, & GH1 to decide which mount would best serve my needs using a feature I've never owned.









QuoteOriginally posted by Wheatfield Quote
You make an excellent point. I was a pretty early adopter to Pentax DSLR. I bought an *istD 20 minutes after it became available to me at my local pusher, and have only shot a few rolls of film since.
Prior to my DSLR, I shot 35mm film with a fleet of 3 LXen. I owned two AF lenses, a 28-70 f/4 that came with an MZ-5 camera when my father passed and an FA77/1.8 that I actually didn't like very much.
Since aquiring my first DSLR, I have pretty much replaced every focal length that I used on 35mm with an equivalent angle of view AF lens for my DLSRs, and I have come to love my 77.

I guess my point, if I have one, is that it is all well and good to be able to shoot older glass, but at some point there is a tendency to buy glass that takes full advantage of the abilities of the camera body.



Last edited by Samsungian; 07-04-2009 at 05:51 AM.
07-04-2009, 01:21 PM   #137
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"inability to use older lenses"

Samsungian,

You're absolutely very right and correct in your point. I should have said older glass other than Nikon F-mount for D700.

My familiarity with older lenses is limited to pre-EOS Canon & my old Pentax lenses. That said, could you post some pictures taken with the D700 and some of these older Nikon lenses? Do you ever find yourself wanting for a Super-Tak or Zeiss lens on the D700? This is a big point for me, do I want for M42/P-K on the new dSLR? I'm contemplating a used 5D for that reason + FF.

What do you think of the controls & layout on the Nikon vs. Canon vs. Pentax? I found the K20D controls and Canon 40D controls pretty intuitive. K20D controls seem a little bit Nikon-like. My last Nikon was a few years ago and I found the controls non-intuitive. I can't decide if the lack of a mode dial on the D700 ---> button + wheel rotation is a pro or a con or neither.

- slrl0ver

QuoteOriginally posted by Samsungian Quote
D700 uses Nikon Ai glass, made from 1977, AiS glass from 1981, along with all AF versions to present day. Theres a 32 year range of usable glass with D700.

1976 back to 1959 Nikon Non Ai glass you cannot use on D700. Is this 33 year old to 50 year old unusable glass a real setback when considering a D700? I've got 5 Nikon AiS that I use with my D700. They are entered into the camera so I capture full metadata. Idiot focus light works and as a bonus it has left and right arrows to tell you which direction to turn the focus ring to achieve focus. You can only load 9 older lenses into it. I've got my 300mm 2.8, 420mm f4, 600mm 5.6, 8mm f2.8 and 85mm 1.4 are programed into the first 5 slots. I close down the aperture on any and that modified aperture info is automatically captured in metadata too. Pretty Sweet & Quite handy. I have zero regrets adding D700 this year, my first nikon camera purchase.

Last edited by slrl0ver; 07-04-2009 at 01:26 PM.
07-05-2009, 08:51 PM   #138
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QuoteOriginally posted by Wheatfield Quote
Is your photographer using high ISO? This is where the D700 and it's ilk will make a difference over a cropped frame camera of similar pixel count. If your photographer is shooting at any ISO below ~800, it's not surprising that you aren't seeing any real improvements due to the larger sensor, since you aren't pushing the limits of the smaller one.
Not sure whether he uses a default ISO setting or whether he adjusts according to the situation (I could rummage through the metadata, 'spose). If he's sticking to old ways, he's probably only heading up to ~800 in low light situations.

But this brings up another issue in my (admittedly ignorant) mind: Is the advantage of full-frame only evident in shots capturing low-light compositions? In other words, if the scene is sufficiently lit that a lower ISO can be used, does this negate any visible advantage to such shots being captured with full-frame?
07-05-2009, 11:11 PM   #139
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I've got no interest in adding Zeiss to the Nikon Kit

Nothing against Zeiss, I am happy with my small lens array for D700. If I got something else for D700 it would likely be autofocus. But you never know, as sometimes I come across good deals & buy. Thats how I came across the 300mm 2.8 AiS for under $1,000 complete sitting in a display at my favorite local used camera shop. A fun place to visit, never know what I'll find especially since I own 3 brands of gear. More opportunities for me to locate desirable stuff & sometimes at very appealing prices.

My Pics with D700? None I'd care to share. Proof I own D700 and lenses I mentioned? Heres a couple I shot with K20D at 1600 ISO:




Right > Left: 8mm f2.8 Circular Fisheye , 14-24mm 2.8






Left > Right: 8mm f2.8 Circular Fisheye , 14-24mm 2.8 , D700 , 85mm 1.4 , 70-300 4.5-5.6 VRII, 1.4x TC, 300mm 2.8 , 2x TC


For years I use to shoot pre eos canon via F-1. Never shot pre K Mount m42 glass with Canon FD or with any Spotmatic type cameras. I do own a couple canon made m42 to FD "P"adapters but I never acquired any of that glass. I prefer the immediacy of bayonet mount. I own some screw mount assessories and they do take time to mount and dismount.

The different camera layouts don't bug me. I never owned a aps-c canon, never owned any nikon camera before D700, film or digital.





QuoteOriginally posted by slrl0ver Quote
Samsungian,

You're absolutely very right and correct in your point. I should have said older glass other than Nikon F-mount for D700.

My familiarity with older lenses is limited to pre-EOS Canon & my old Pentax lenses. That said, could you post some pictures taken with the D700 and some of these older Nikon lenses? Do you ever find yourself wanting for a Super-Tak or Zeiss lens on the D700? This is a big point for me, do I want for M42/P-K on the new dSLR? I'm contemplating a used 5D for that reason + FF.

What do you think of the controls & layout on the Nikon vs. Canon vs. Pentax? I found the K20D controls and Canon 40D controls pretty intuitive. K20D controls seem a little bit Nikon-like. My last Nikon was a few years ago and I found the controls non-intuitive. I can't decide if the lack of a mode dial on the D700 ---> button + wheel rotation is a pro or a con or neither.

- slrl0ver



Last edited by Samsungian; 07-07-2009 at 09:02 AM.
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