Question by =)!: If i buy a film nikon slr will my digital nikon slr’s lenses work on it?
i bought a nikon d40 dslr camera a few months ago because im on a tight budget since i’m only in high school and my parents wont pay for it.
but i really want a film camera so i was thinking of buying a used one off of ebay,
but then i realized i would have to spend so much more on lenses and such
so i was wondering if i bought a nikon film camera would my digital lenses work on it?
or would the film lenses work on the digital camera?
im about to invest in a rather espensive lens soon so i hope it will work for both
Best answer:
Answer by Ben H
Unfortunately, there’s not a straight answer to your question.
As I understand it, any current production lens will mount on any Nikon all the way back to a Nikon F from 1959.
With that said, however, most current production lenses(designated by the letter “G”) don’t have an aperture ring. This means that they can only be properly used on cameras which have the ability to control the aperture. If you’re looking at a fairly recent production film camera, along the lines of an N50, N80, or F100, this won’t be an issue. If, however, you’re looking at an older mechanical camera(or even a recent production one like an FM2 or FM3a), this will definitely be an issue.
Perhaps the more important consideration, though, is that Nikon has made a number of digital only lenses in recent years. These lenses have an image circle which will cover the sensor of all but one Nikon DSLR, but isn’t large enough to cover a 35mm film frame. Using one of these, designated by the letters DX on the lens, will cause dark lines down the side of the image on 35mm film.
There’s about a 99% chance that the lens which came with your D40 is in fact a DX lens. You’ll need to look for the letters DX on the lens you’re about to buy to see whether or not it will work on a film camera.
By the way, for a great lens that will work on either a film or digital camera, look for a 50mm 1.8. It should cost you under $ 100.
Give your answer to this question below!