cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

The lens IS compatible. Since it does NOT contain it's own focus motor, to autofocus, it requires a body that incorporates a focusing motor. Many lenses are comaptible, but do not provide all features.

Crombie

I think it's becoming evident all digital cameras are disposable be it 5 to 15 years because of obsolesce and design, i.e. plastics and cost of repairs. Camera's of 1970's and 60's will remain functional for another 50 years as will the lenses. A good condition of say a Nikon FM will appreciate in value and if you have been monitoring online offerings this is already evident. And it's for this reason the Leica lenses will continue to rise in value. The key is value and certainly pride of ownership which fosters photographers to seek excellence and forsaking machine gun photoshop shooting.

Any thoughts?

jaimeblackwell Loc: Lewiston, Maine

As long as the lens is made from 1977 to present, it will fit. If it is pre 1977 then the mount will need to be modified so it does not damage the camera mount or the auto focus pin on the camera. There’s are called Non- so lenses. I have modified two my self to fit on my Nikon D7200 they work great but are full manual. Focus and all. It didn’t bother me as this is what it was way back when when I shot film. The lenses work great are warm and detailed. The colors are vibrant. Your 80-300 Nikon should fit on without a problem. Look on the outer edge of the lens mount. If it is a solid ring all the way around then it is a non-so lens. If it has a knot he in that outer ring then it is. N Ai and should fit on. There is plenty of info on this if you google it. Good luck.

splatbass Loc: Honolulu

Thanks. Although I have never done a test using film vs. digital on the same subject, same lighting, etc., my experience is the same when comparing my old slides to new digital pics.

Photo_Buff Loc: San Francisco Bay Area

Manual mode is probably okay. But aperture and shutter priority were non functional. No way for automatic bracketing either. The 80-200 mm is not the same in cpu capability as the newer 70-200 mm. Quality of glass and speed of autofocus are other issues.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

It sounds to me that Nikon users overstate the compatibility.

I put a Super Takumar lens from 1970 on my Pentax K-30, and it works in manual and aperture-priority modes.

I put the Pentax-A lens that was kitted with the Pentax Super Program I purchased in 1984 on my Pentax K-30, and it works in all four modes - manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, and program - and gives me better images than I ever got with it using Kodachrome in the original camera.

r.grossner Loc: Rockford IL & Sarasota FL

Yes! Kodachrome 25 didn't give much wiggle room and taught me a lot. Now I can use ISO's up to 6400 on my D750 without much noise. It opens up a whole new bag of worms. One of my favorites is still my old 105mm f/4 Micro Nikkor AI. I really don't mind manual focus for macro shots.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Yes I do, but that includes all the fine detail it has, that digital just lacks!

barefootdesigns Loc: Storrs Mansfield, Connecticut

I keep reading how Nikon and Canon users have to jump through hoops to use some of the best older glass. If you buy a Pentax DSLR, you should have no problem with old glass. My two Pentax cameras have in-camera sensor-shift image stabilization, so ALL lenses benefit. They have focus peaking and HDR. One adaptor--M42 to K mount--and every Pentax SLR lens will fit every modern Pentax DSLR.

If I'm worried about that rare lens that hits the mirror, I simply mount it on my K-01 mirrorless "brick"--no lens surgery or fiddling required! My "old" K-50 has a Prime M sensor, 100% frame coverage and 0.92x magnification, VERY bright pentaprism viewfinder, interchangeable screen, astrotracer mode, mirror lockup, high ISO, multiple exposure, auto bracketing, in-camera RAW processing, and a lot of other features not found on "entry level" DSLRs--plus weather proofing! The body presently goes for @ $300 at Amazon, not thousands! It's very user friendly for old glass. I fail to understand why Pentax doesn't get more praise from camera buffs, especially for the lower-end models like the K-50; to me it's a no-brainer.

So many of my old lenses have that special "painterly" quality that none of the modern lenses (that I've found) have. With a Pentax, they work wonderfully!

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I'm finding more fine detail in digital than I ever got by taking Kodachrome slides and then projecting them.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Nikon users who care to educate themselves do not “jump through hoops,” they buy the camera that serves their purpose. The Df, for example, will accept every F lens made since 1959 except 4 fisheyes and and a 2.1cm wide angle, which are not retrofocus design and require mirror lock up. These are mostly in the hands of collectors. The other fisheyes from 6mm and wide angles from 13mm are retrofocus lenses. Nikon also made adapters for most rangefinder lenses on F cameras.
The Df works in aperture priority and manual modes, center weighted or spot metering, and an electronic rangefinder with any lens that fits, all with no need for any electrical or mechanical communication with the lens. It also has a focusing motor.
The user’s manuals have a Compatible Lens table, which also lists which feature is or is not available with the various lenses.
I’m certainly not a fan-boy - there is no other Nikon camera, or any Nikon lens, I wish to buy. The Df just happens to be ideal for the way I prefer to work with my Kilfitt, Leica, Novoflex, Schneider and Zeiss lenses, most of which I already had. I would hope that everyone is as satisfied with their choice of gear as I am with mine.

barefootdesigns Loc: Storrs Mansfield, Connecticut

RWR. That's wonderful! I wish I heard more people who love their cameras with the old glass. That's as it should be! c:

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

This is because with focus peaking, there is a rather broad focus range that the focus peaking lights up. I make sure I am using the lowest peaking setting I can use, and still, I have to rock the focus back and forth just a tiny amount to try to find the center point of that broader focus range. And I also find that AF does a better job, most of the time. Focus peaking is good when you want to quickly manual focus.

Focus magnification is another story. When I crank up the magnification and carefully focus, I can usually match what I can do with AF.

And commenting on the older lenses, I have perhaps 12 or 13 Minolta AF lenses. Some are incredibly sharp, and some don't quite match the good ones when used wide open. Minolta did build certain lenses to higher standards than others.

And I have a collection of older m42 manual lenses also. Many are Asahi Pentax Takumar lenses. And some of these can produce really great results, although I do find them more susceptible to CA.

And I find the Minolta Rokkur lenses to be exceptional too, but these can only be adapted to the e-mount bodies.

The one thing I really like about the all manual lenses is the smooth feel of the focus. Newer lenses just don't have that feel. And newer lenses that are Focus-By-Wire are the very worst at manual focusing. I have plenty of these lenses, and manual focus is just not fun with those types of lenses. I have been through this argument before. There are some users that have only used Focus-By-Wire, and they argue that there is nothing wrong with it. They haven't tried a manual lens. If they did, they would change their tune.