Advice on Film SLR Cameras and a query on Nikon Lenses - Compatible with DSLR?

[Danudin]

A friend recently lost her husband and has asked me to have a look at his box of "OLD Cameras" Amongst them were a Minolta I460TX pocket camera, a Canon T50 camera with a 1:1.8 50mm lens and case, plus two Nikon EM SLR Cameras each with a 1:1.8 Series E 50mm lens plus a spare 1:1.8 Series E 50mm lens. I have three questions one for her benefit two for mine;

1. The cameras all seem in fair condition but I imagine need a good clean/service but never having been into film photography beyond a Box Brownie (Now Long Gone) I have to ask do cameras of this type have value for people these days.

2. Would it be worth my while trying to learn "REAL" photography by purchasing one of these to learn off. There are other (Not many) lenses for both cameras and these give a small though interesting variety to the 50mm lenses on the cameras.

3. I took a chance and added the spare 1:1.8 Series E 50mm lens to my Nikon D70s and although there was no auto focus and the f/stops didn't register on the display/viewfinder, the shutters worked and I got some usable photos out of the lens although with a lot of failures (Staged progression on the usage) before success (limited). I did notice a lot better result percentage outside in direct sunlight but a lot of care had to be taken with the manual f/stop range on the lens. Is it a good idea to add this lens to my collection or is its age going to make it an ill-advised choice.

Thanks Ron

[Whiplash-GT]

careful using the older lenses...some can actually do damage to your D70
i'm not sure where the info is but there are a few compatibility listings out there...perhaps even at Nikon?

imo, throw your dslr into manual and you're learning everything an old film camera can teach you...except how to load film that is :)
and unless you want to drop another few hundred on processing equipment to really learn something old school......

some cameras hold their value...like the old rangefinders for instance still have a strong following
the value of the ones you list tho, i'm unsure of
a little google research tho should lead you to better answers than this one :)

[Danudin]

Thanks for the input Whiplash-GT, rest assured I was extremely careful and although it was an E series Lens I read somewhere that all Nikon lenses should fit on my camera as long as the bayonet fittings match, searched for that reference a long time before attaching the lens- never found it but trusted that my memory wouldn't let me down.

I am using the D70 in manual (almost exclusively now) and am learning heaps, don't need to go into photo processing at all, I think the wife would draw the line at a "Darkroom" as "There is enough photography junk around the place as it is" is a daily litany that regales my ears ad infinausium so will give it a miss.

Wasn't looking for prices or anything I am not quite that lazy yet (Working on it though) I just needed to know if there were purists who live by film is all. Thanks again for your input I value it.

Here is a shot taken just outside my front door using the 50mm lens in question



Ron

[Edmund]

Ron, here is a link for Nikon lens compatability with new and old lenses and film and digital camera. http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html
Also here is another link that can be used to find out how much a older lens or camera is worth. I usually check out KEH to find out what is a reasonable price for a used item and their grading system is very useful.
http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/home.aspx . As you will see a old used Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 is not very valuable. Any where from $75 to a $125 depending on age and condition.

In answer to your questions: Yes there is some collectors out there who love older film cameras, I myself only switched from my Nikon Film camera in 2007 to now a D-90. You then asked if you should use this older gear to learn "REAL PHOTOGRAPHY" . IMHO take your camera off of auto and use it in manual and you have a very good platform to learn from. I still find that the best glass is the prime lens meaning fixed focal length (not zoom) so if you had a brand new AF Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8 D lens (New around $105 ) on that D-70s you would have the same combo + AF + newer/better metering system. Or take one of your zooms and lock it in a focal length Say 35mm and force your self to move in closer or back to take your image.
Hope this helps you out.
Eddie:)

[Danudin]

Thanks Eddie, at least I now know that as an E lens it is an AI-S equivalent that won't damage the camera but has, as you have pointed out, crippled usability.

My query on using film had more to do with the exactitude I would have to practice due to the cost factor of film because as I said earlier I DO USE primarily manual (Including manual focus lately, by turning off the aff either on the lenses I have or on the camera). Hence quite a number of Faux Pas which need to be ditched after study).

A lot of people have advised joining a camera club but between This Village and Photo Camel I reckon I have membership to a whole bigger club than I could get locally. This could be a problem as this disability (Photography) is so addictive as to be frightening, I showed a friend the results of Wendy's Orb Tut and we adapted it to the extent his wife won't talk to me now.

Thanks for your interest and information
Ron