Replaced the "kit lens"...

[DrEntropy]

The one that came with Mitsy's D7500. It's an 18~55mm with a "lock" button that must be depressed and the barrel turned about a quarter turn before the camera will activate. Real PITA. Found her an 18~135mm DX Nikkor. Fixed the extra step and she's chuffed.

 

[GregW]

I just looked at my 18-55 and I don't see that. This is an old VR model that came with my D3200. Wonder if there were changes over the years?

 

[DrEntropy]

Likely a change. I've seen a couple 18~55's without the lock button, on Ebay for sale. Figured if I was going to replace the lens it may as well be with one that adds a bit more focal length overlap. It's a larger barrel diameter and length but that doesn't seem to bother her. No VR with it but it is AF-S, so likely an older, 'transition' version. Got it used, from Ebay. Her long zoom is a 55~200 AF-S. Must say I've not been disappointed with the used optics I've found on there (yet). Even one from Japan: 70~300 AF-S with VR. That one looks and functions like new. Well packaged and even came wrapped in a Japanese newspaper's sports page!

I'm fairly well set with lenses now; 18~140 AF-S VR, the two primes; 50 1.4 and 35 1.8 both AF-S. Only other one I'm likely to go after would be a "nice-to-have" 40mm Micro. But I can use the Vivitar Ai-S 90mm 2.5 or my 24mm Micro Ai-S in manual for any macro stuff for now.

The only pulse motor one is a 10~20mm, but it hardly matters with a wide-angle like that and we're not doing any MoPic stuff anyway.

 

[GregW]

Looks like you have enough coverage for just about any occasion except birds half a mile away. I'm staying away from the S series lenses for the foreseeable future. Nikon's technology is not heading in a direction I like. The new lenses have removed the ability to hyperfocus. Now you need to use an app on your phone, not really a smooth way to focus. Meanwhile, you can retouch photos on a 3" screen. I'd like to see Nikon dump that crap and put a DOF calculator onboard.

 

[DrEntropy]

Nikon's technology is not heading in a direction I like. The new lenses have removed the ability to hyperfocus. Now you need to use an app on your phone, not really a smooth way to focus. Meanwhile, you can retouch photos on a 3" screen. I'd like to see Nikon dump that crap and put a DOF calculator onboard.

Must agree.

Disappointed the DoF preview capability and the scale on lenses are gone the way of the dinosaur. No app can replace 'em for me. No smart phone, rather an 'old' Motorola Razr flip-phone. Don't want or need a comm device that will do about everything but wipe my... and keep me aware of what the refrigerator thinks of my eating habits. Likely I'll be forced into one but will resist as long as possible.

You would think there would be a way to "assign" one of the function buttons to stop down the aperture, even if it would have to be only in manual mode.

 

[GregW]

My 610s have the preview button. We need to get in on the focus groups where they make these decisions.

 

[DrEntropy]

Wondering if their Z series includes a way to do it. I've not found info on that function with 'em.

Likely the crop-sensor bodies were considered an amateur to advanced amateur user audience and decided they would usually be in auto mode most of their life. Less software overhead? It just seems silly to me. And that they thought an app for a smart phone to do the task is kinda insulting. Every film camera SLR they ever made had the capability, even their cheezy plastic low end "E Series" F-mount ones.

Now you need to use an app on your phone, not really a smooth way to focus. Meanwhile, you can retouch photos on a 3" screen. I'd like to see Nikon dump that crap and put a DOF calculator onboard.

I saw near the end of the film era how the changes had begun. NPS became a play-for-pay scheme, the "loaner" program had a severe price increase, they began monetizing product support for those making a living with their already high end gear. By that time I was shooting with an F-3HP, an FE and FM, all with motors. The replacement battery pack for an MD-4 was $300... the 2/3 AA NiCad cells were $2.00 each. I made my own replacements. Those days are gone.

 

[GregW]

the end of the film era how the changes had begun. NPS became a play-for-pay scheme, the "loaner" program had a severe price increase, they began monetizing product support for those making a living with their already high end gear. By that time I was shooting with an F-3HP, an FE and FM, all with motors. The replacement battery pack for an MD-4 was $300... the 2/3 AA NiCad cells were $2.00 each. I made my own replacements. Those days are gone.

I saw near the end of the film era how the changes had begun. NPS became a play-for-pay scheme, the "loaner" program had a severe price increase, they began monetizing product support for those making a living with their already high end gear. By that time I was shooting with an F-3HP, an FE and FM, all with motors. The replacement battery pack for an MD-4 was $300... the 2/3 AA NiCad cells were $2.00 each. I made my own replacements. Those days are gone.

My Ex girlfriend mentioned that. It was what drove her from Nikon to Canon. Even though I own no Canon gear, I've had really nice talks with their tech department. Nikon has been hot and cold. Nikon's phone line is downright rude. They told me if I brought my camera in for service they would replace my IR hotmirror with their stock one, against my wishes. They don't like anything in the camera that didn't originate from them, including split focus screens.

 

[DrEntropy]

On my first FE with an MD-11, I made up a thin piece of aluminum to act as a DoF lever hold-down. It developed some metering malfunction so off to NPS. They explained they would fix it but politely informed me the "added" aluminum sheet would not be returned with the camera. At the time I thought it a bit arrogant but made another after getting the thing back. That was in '77 or '78 IIRC.

 

[DrEntropy]

Just recalled more about that early FE... it seemed fragile. Had shutter problems with it too. After its second trip to NPS (without the aluminum add-on that time!) it got sold and I got a second FM. Those bodies served me well as second body cameras. Much more tolerant of heavy use. The DoF lever lock gizmo worked on them as well. Another brane phart; the Ftn's, & F2's seemed capable of working regardless of conditions, I've joked that one F2 looked like it'd been used as a pull-toy when I went to trade it for the first F3.

 

[GregW]

I had to look it up. Maybe the fragility of the FE was an electronic shutter where the FM was mechanical?

 

[DrEntropy]

I had to look it up. Maybe the fragility of the FE was an electronic shutter where the FM was mechanical?

That's what convinced me the FM and FM2 made more sense for some of the jobs I was doing. Mechanical vertical shutter. They seemed much more abuse tolerant. If I were asked which of the film Nikons I would most trust in severe climate or rugged conditions, it'd be the F2 as primary and FM.

 

[GregW]

Little bit of an update. Zeiss' Batis lenses have a display on them that show focus point as well as hyperfocus distances.
> ZEISS Batis Lenses <

 

[DrEntropy]

$weet!! Zeiss has always been doing things to make me say "Wow, I'd like to have that."

Leica cameras with Zeiss optics... and bread 'n water as a diet forever.