Canon Verses Nikon for R Glass

[roguewave]

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Ben,

 

To me it looks like you are out of luck for the 3 lenses on a Nikon D3,

unless you would consider shaving the mirror. I wouldn't.

Please, read some of the references. I don't want to mislead you.

 

Best, K-H.

 

Agreed! What about using older manual lenses on the D3, (Nikon or other Leica lenses) ? Since I never use autofocus, and I can always spot meter with a handheld or just check the exposures with a test shot. The light doesn't really change much in this environment. I'd love to use older, fast primes. Any ideas?

[k-hawinkler]

Agreed! What about using older manual lenses on the D3, (Nikon or other Leica lenses) ? Since I never use autofocus, and I can always spot meter with a handheld or just check the exposures with a test shot. The light doesn't really change much in this environment. I'd love to use older, fast primes. Any ideas?

 

 

Ben,

 

If you want to get an idea what to expect with mostly manual focus only older Nikon/Nikkor lenses on a D3 / D3s in available light situations,

please look at Flickr: Donald G. Jean (away for a while)'s Photostream.

Donald G. Jean, a retired US Army officer living near Venice, has established quite a reputation.

All the images are labeled with the Nikon camera and lens used.

 

Here is a partial list of the lenses Don uses:

 

Nikkor 20mm FX f/2.8D

Nikkor 28mm FX f/1.4D <===

Nikkor 35mm FX f/1.4 Ai-S

Nikkor 35mm FX f/2D

Nikkor 45mm FX f/2.8P Ai-S

Nikkor 50mm FX f/1.2 Ai-S

Nikkor 50mm FX f/1.4D

Nikkor 50mm FX f/1.8 Ai-S

Nikkor 50mm FX f/2 Ai

Nikkor 55mm FX f/1.2 Ai

Nikkor 58mm FX f/1.2 Ai-S Noct-Nikkor <===

Nikkor 85mm FX f/1.4D

Nikkor 105mm FX f/1.8 Ai-S

Nikkor 105mm FX f/2.5 Ai

Nikkor 180mm FX f/2.8D

Nikkor 200mm FX f/4 Ai-S Micro

Nikkor 300mm FX f/4D

Nikkor Reflex-Nikkor 500mm FX f/8N Ai-S

 

I have a number of these lenses and marked my 2 favorite ones.

These two lenses would fit your project perfectly.

 

In terms of Leitz M- and V-lenses, I use on my Nikon D3, the lens heads and Telyts from 65mm to 560mm.

These can focus to infinity on the D3 with an appropriate focus mount and adapter.

The fastest lens in this group is a Summicron 90/2.

 

I don't have any experience with R-lenses that would fit your project.

 

Best, K-H.

[k-hawinkler]

Here is what Ken Rockwell has to say about Nikkor G lenses

 

Nikkor Lens Technology

 

K-H.

[mmradman]

Ben,

 

If you want to get an idea what to expect with mostly manual focus only older Nikon/Nikkor lenses on a D3 / D3s in available light situations,

please look at Flickr: Donald G. Jean (away for a while)'s Photostream.

Donald G. Jean, a retired US Army officer living near Venice, has established quite a reputation.

All the images are labeled with the Nikon camera and lens used.

 

Here is a partial list of the lenses Don uses:

 

Nikkor 20mm FX f/2.8D

Nikkor 28mm FX f/1.4D <===

Nikkor 35mm FX f/1.4 Ai-S

Nikkor 35mm FX f/2D

Nikkor 45mm FX f/2.8P Ai-S

Nikkor 50mm FX f/1.2 Ai-S

Nikkor 50mm FX f/1.4D

Nikkor 50mm FX f/1.8 Ai-S

Nikkor 50mm FX f/2 Ai

Nikkor 55mm FX f/1.2 Ai

Nikkor 58mm FX f/1.2 Ai-S Noct-Nikkor <===

Nikkor 85mm FX f/1.4D

Nikkor 105mm FX f/1.8 Ai-S

Nikkor 105mm FX f/2.5 Ai

Nikkor 180mm FX f/2.8D

Nikkor 200mm FX f/4 Ai-S Micro

Nikkor 300mm FX f/4D

Nikkor Reflex-Nikkor 500mm FX f/8N Ai-S

 

I have a number of these lenses and marked my 2 favorite ones.

These two lenses would fit your project perfectly.

 

In terms of Leitz M- and V-lenses, I use on my Nikon D3, the lens heads and Telyts from 65mm to 560mm.

These can focus to infinity on the D3 with an appropriate focus mount and adapter.

The fastest lens in this group is a Summicron 90/2.

 

I don't have any experience with R-lenses that would fit your project.

 

Best, K-H.

 

Late to this thread but there are few points that need summing up for clarity i think.

 

Note Nikon 28mm f1,4 is AF while 58mm f1.2 is manual focus lens. Both are ASPH lenses (old school hand polished asph). Both lens are out of production, were made in small quantities and command prices ins econd hand market similar to M lenses.

 

I have done number of R lens conversions and used them on D700, conversion is easy to do (except Elmarit 60mm) and focusing is easy.

 

Leitax is best resource on lens conversion!

 

As per Leitax website there are number of R lensed don't fit FF Nikon without some rear surgery. Things are even worse with Canon full frame bodies, people suggest shaving mirror to overcome the problem but this could lead to unbalanced operation and increased wear.

 

I din't try it but according to Leitax 19V2 / 24 / 35Lux could fit on Sony Alpha 900. It could be worthwhile contacting David Llado of Leitax, he is very helpful and real Experten on R conversions. Rumour has it that R3 was based on Minolta designs hence good compatibility between R lenses and current Sonly DSLRs - somebody with better knowledge of R system than me would be able to confirm or refute this.

 

Finally OP said he was disappointed with ISO 6400 files from D3, not same as DMR at ISO 100-200. No surprise there perhaps DMR can do better job at 6400

 

Canon & Nikon don't produce DNG files, both companies prefer own RAW formats but perhaps there are 3rd party software convertors.

 

D3 & D700 are same senor and are top FF high ISO cameras, D3s is even better - all 12Mp

[fWord]

For a number of years I used Leica R glass on a Canon 1Ds MKI. The camera isn't a high-ISO, low-noise machine, however the experience was a positive one. I would have continued to use the camera with various manual focus lenses for the next few years. Unfortunately it broke down and was so old that Canon couldn't find the parts to repair it.

 

Canon uses its own RAW file format which can either be converted with Canon's own free software, Digital Photo Professional, or alternatively, Adobe Lightroom does the job pretty well also. A 1Ds body is a very nice platform on which to use a vast amount of manual focus glass. The 100% viewfinder is large and clear, and you can even change focusing screens to suit your purposes.

[wildlightphoto]

... Rumour has it that R3 was based on Minolta designs

 

It's not a rumor. The R3 was based on the Minolta XE-7 and many parts are interchangeable. Likewise the R4 was co-developed by Leitz and Minolta (the Minolta version was the XD-11). So no surprise the compatability of R lenses with Sony mirror boxes is quite good.

[Jamie Roberts]

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Ben,

 

I think the only all-round solution is the Sony, unless you want to start shaving mirrors and such. I loved the 80R lux on the 5d and 1ds2... it was a revelation about 1) how good Leica glass is and 2) how good those cameras really were... no... not as good as the DMR, but a lot better than a lot of the Canon glass available at the time.

 

But if you want to use Canon, forget the 35 Lux--a deal breaker for me, or the 19 Elmarit unless you shave the mirror. I know it's not that hard, but still, I'll find a way to mess it up.

If you want a Nikon body, then the you need the Leitax solution, which means your DMR coverage will suffer.

 

The Nikon D3 is very good in low levels of light; the D3s better, but you need to get used to the mushiness of *all* the high-ISO stuff out there. Really. You're totally spoiled with a DMR. That's not to say, btw, you can't make great prints from an ISO 6400 shot with a D3s.. but it's a totally different process.

 

The Sony is very good with mirror coverage and will accept the 35 Lux and the 19 Elmarit. Zooms are still a problem. Higher ISO is the same as the Nikon.

 

Nothing will give you the colour of the DMR, but the Canon (probably the 5d2 is the sweet spot right now) will come closest.

 

So, to sum up:

 

Canon +s = best colour of the options, not bad ISO, uses inexpensive focus confirming adapters, higher resolution

Canon -s = shaving mirrors, no 35 Lux compatibilty, high ISO isn't as good as the Nikons

 

NIkon +s = high ISO capability, fixed mount adapter (better tolerance than the Canon), focus confirmation if you chip the mount, D3/ D3s probably has best optical finder all-round

NIkon -s = mirror issues with 35 Lux and 19 Elmarit, fixed mount adapter (can't use it on the Rs quickly)

 

Sony +s = same sensor as the Nikons, no mirror issues with 35 Lux and 19 Elmarit, fixed mount adapter, focus confirmation if you chip the mount

Sony -s = fixed mount adapter (can't use it on the Rs quickly)

 

The price for full-frame-ness is all about the same, so that's a wash.

 

Hope this helps!

[roguewave]

Jamie, thanks. I've just finished processing a few frames from the D3 with a $200 Manual Nikon NIKKOR 24 AI-S f/2.8. Unbelievable! Anyway, I'm trolling for a reasonably priced R28 Elmarit to convert for use with the D3. I'm going to enjoy comparing the results from the D3 - R glass with the Nikon Ais lenses. I'd say the frames from the Nikon 24 Ais are really excellent. It is an "older" & more "classic look & feel" than that with my 24 Elmarit, which may just be the finest 24 focal length 35 mm lens I have ever used. The renderings at a high iso like 64000 should be telling. Stay tuned.