I'm thinking of getting the new Nikon FM-3. My question is about the choice of lenses.

Is it reasonable to assume that the stable of manual focus lenses is getting a little aged? Does anyone know if the optics of the manual focus lenses have been updated? I would assume they are putting all their efforts into the new auto-focus stuff. (I believe you can use the auto-focus stuff on the FM-3 but, of course, you have to focus it yourself.)

-- Don Karon (kc6d@arrl.net), August 25, 2001

Answers

Aside from the the new MF lens announced along with the FM3 (a 45mm I think), Nikon has not come out with any new or redesigned MF lenses in quite a while. That shouldn't really matter, because even the old MF lenses have designs so good that many of their AF versions use the same or similar designs.

-- AC Gordon (cliffdeb@ciris.net), August 25, 2001.

Hi Don,

The new lens launched alongside the FM3A is indeed a 45mm. It's an ultra-light-weight f/2.8 Tessar design. The only other recent Nikkor manual-focus lens is the 85mm Micro Tilt-and-Shift.

You're right to think that you can use auto-focus lenses on the FM3A. All AF, AF-D and AF-S lenses made since 1986 will fit perfectly on the FM3A, with full-aperture metering and manual focusing. The only recent lenses that *won't* work are the G Series -- a couple of recent consumer lenses without aperture rings.

The thing to watch out for with Nikkor AF lenses is that the focusing ring can be very light -- so that it can be driven by a small motor -- particularly with the early AF lenses and the consumer AF lenses. For manual focusing, you want a reasonable amount of resistance so that the ring isn't moved by accident and it stays where you put it.

You're also right to think that Nikon's development efforts have largely been spent on autofocus kit, 'cos that's where the money is. Prime lenses which have been designed or redesigned optically in the autofocus era -- all of which are top-grade lenses and so will have reasonable manual-focusing feel -- include 14mm f/2.8, 28mm f/2.8 (AF-D only), 28mm f/1.4, 60mm f/2.8 Micro, 105mm f/2.8 Micro, 105mm f/2 DC, 135mm f/2 DC, 180mm f/2.8, 200mm f/4 Micro, and 300mm f/4. (There are probably others that I cannot remember off the top of my head.)

Even more development effort has been spent on autofocus zooms. Now, variable-aperture zooms don't go well with manual-exposure cameras: every time you zoom to recompose the picture you have to remeter to correct the exposure. And if you use an incident light meter (which I often do) or manual-exposure flash (which I rarely do), variable-aperture zooms are a right nuisance.

Fixed-maximum-aperture zooms, however, can be fine. Nikon's current top-of-range zooms are the three f/2.8 AF-S zooms (17-35mm, 280-70mm, 80-200mm): but, with an FM3A, you will neither need fast AF-S auto-focus, nor want its price and weight. The preceding range of AF f/2.8 zooms (20-35mm, 35-70mm and 80-200mm) are readily available second-hand and, unless you're a Prime Lens Purist, are worth considering.

Later,

Dr Owl

-- John Owlett (owl@postmaster.co.uk), August 25, 2001.

There are some really excellent AI and AIS lenses available. Just because they are a few years old does not diminish their quality. Some examples are the 20/2.8, 24/2.8 28/2.0 50/1.8, 55/2.8, 85/1.4, 105/2.5 180/2.8 ED, 300/2.8 ED-IF.

Some AF lenses have such a short throw on the focus ring as to be useless on a MF body, The 28~105/3.5~4.5D is such a lens. Some AF lenses are quite easy to use on an MF body such as the 35~70/2.8D and the 80~200/2.8D.

If you use aperture preferred and TTL flash the variable aperture zooms will not be a problem. If you use hand held meters they will drive you nuts.

You may wish to check out Nærfoto Bjørn Rørslett’s Website at ...

http://www.foto.no/nikon/index2_nPC.html

Click "Lenses," the fifith item on the upper right.

-- David Hartman (mr_speedlight@yahoo.com), September 01, 2001.

There has been lttle improvement in the formulas of prime lenses in the past 20 years. Nearly all the advances have been in the area of zooms, especially the "all in one" type of lenses. Just about every prime AF lens made by Nikon now has a MF version as good optically and much more solid mechanically.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), September 01, 2001.