OK, I have spent (wasted? no, never wasted!) a couple of hours on this one for my D600! I found it at last, a small paragraph re: F5 Customise Command Dials (page 245). You can change the sub-command dial to Aperture Ring, and it works fine for D type lenses, including of course all the non-Nikons eg my lovely little lightweight Sigma f2.8 macro. When you mount a G type lens, it auto picks it up, and uses the dial instead. So you could leave it set to Aperture Ring if you wanted.

Having tried it out round the garden for a bit, I have decided to unset it, and leave all the lenses D and G behaving the same. That is, first finger on the shutter button and second on the sub-command dial to change aperture when required. I have no idea why Ken Rockwell makes such a fuss about losing the aperture ring, calling G lenses "gelded". It seems a great way to handle the camera to me.

So in conclusion, interesting knowledge, but I am not going to use the feature!

Incidentally putting an AI or AI-s lens (ie non-CPU lens in recent Nikon language) onto the D600 it just picks it up automatically, and lets you use the aperture ring. In aperture priority mode it meters OK, but does not display the correct aperture in the viewfinder. I have one such lens I would like to use (a 500mm f5.6 mirror) is it worth putting the data into the user setting U1 or U2? Does it just display the aperture, or does it actually meter better? Has anyone tried this?

Apologies for a long post, I have tried to stay on subject!

[quote=GHK]

Quite right GHK. And the key to this is your earlier point, that we talk about focal length but think in terms of the picture angle. Your 18-55mm DX lens really does have that physical range of focal lengths. But mounted on a DX camera, it is giving you the same angle of view as a zoom lens of 27-78mm would on a full frame camera. Hence this lens has an equivalent focal length of 27-78mm.
If you look at the diagonal angles quoted in the manual, you will find that this is right.

That's interesting. Is this feature on other Nikons (I have a D70 and a D600)?

Apologies Goofy, I did not read your post fully, you already say there is not secondary scale!

If you do find the conversion kit, it is also worthwhile getting the proper screwdriver. The screws can be tight, and you will most likely damage them worth an ordinary watchmakers jobbie. If you find one, please let me know where!

Goofy, sounds like you have a home made AI conversion. They work, but not as well as a proper conversion which uses the correct Nikon aperture ring. Another sure fire sign is a stick on strip with the tiny aperture settings hand written on (or no tiny numbers at all). They may be good lenses but are not worth much home converted (as I have found out myself on Ebay).

P.S. If it is about roast meat, I like large ones not weenie sized ones. So does my owner. On the other hand, forget the roast and just give me the raw meat....

O googled "weenie", and just got a whole list of "weenie roasts". being a Brit I am still none the wiser!

Really? That is bizarre, I would be really interested to see one, have you got an example?

I am afraid I am going to go against the trend. I have the 24-85 and it is much better than your average kit lens, in my view because Nikon realised than people who buy a D600 are after something better than a cheapie. You have got lots of lovely glass to cover all eventualities, so why buy it? Because the 24-85 is a great versatile well built sharp carry around lens and it is lightweight, something you are missing (apart from the 50mm f1.4 of course). So I recommend go for it, and enjoy.

If you are not going to punch pennies, well just get them all. Then spend weeks putting them on and off camera bodies and drooling over them. To heck with taking photographs, love the equipment.

Actually, there is a great lens in your list which no-one will admit to liking because it is a kit lens! It is the AF-S 24-85mm for FF. Sharp, not too much distortion, lightweight-ish, well made, not outrageous price, just a really well balanced carry around lens for FF. Anyone else admit to liking it?

Please will you drag me away too, and find me a girlfreind to play with?
:D

This is a good quote. I read a statement from a record label producing classical music a while ago, which said as far as remember; "we never use (post) processing to create a performance, but we will use it to change minor problems in a great performance".

That seems to me be to be a fair shot at what should happen in a competition.

On the subject of the question, I have just bought a 1982 Nikon 50mm f1.8 series E lens on Ebay. Really cheap, tiny, lightweight, simple, and guess what; sharp too! It works fine on my D600, I think it is hilarious. My wife thinks have gone nuts. Ken Rockwell does have the odd gem of wisdom!

So my advice is, pick a lens that you fancy, buy it, and work with it. See what you like and dislike, see where you want to go with your photography, and that will tell you where to go next with equipment, not the other way round!