a stupid newb question about manual lenses

[Goonerman]

planning to get some lenses specifically for d90 video mode.

don't want to spend an arm and a leg

looking into pre-ai/ai/ais lenses (all manual i presume)


Question: When in liveview, can I use these lenses wide open in any situation? And when doing so, will the shutter and ISO automatically compute for me?

I ask, because its impossible to control ISO/Shutter in liveview mode with the AF lenses I have. And if I am forced to use a higher f number (smaller aperture) just to expose video correctly, then that would defeat the purpose of having fast primes.





Hope somebody could clarify this, before I go on a spending spree to get these old manual lenses for d90 video. Thanks in advance!

[damonb]

Don't buy pre AI.

[Goonerman]

Don't buy pre AI.


Sorry, I meant AI'd. But I assume you would advise to stay clear of those too?

But I'm still concerned with how these lenses will work in practice. If I shoot video wide open with these lenses, will the shutter and ISO automatically compute? Or will I only get correct exposure by toggling aperture? If I would have to toggle aperture for correct exposure, then that would defeat the purpose of sharp, fast, wide open lenses.

Again, sorry for what is probably a stupid question.

[squig]

Ai-d are fine they are just pre-ai with a factory ai mod. pre-ai just won't fit on the D90 body without a modification.

There is a trick to locking exposure with the D90 and manual lenses. This is discussed extensively here- http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=146661

Old primes are a good investment, I'm using my nikon primes on the 5D MKII.

[jonE5]

nifty 50 (50mm 1.8) and 28mm 2.8 are a really good starting point.

I have done several projects now with just those two.

Both can he had for under $100 each.

[jeracravo]

Actually you can get any nikons that has a exposure ring, just keep it unlocked (the lens with the body) not all the contacts are made and it works like a manual lens. that's how I use my 50 1.4, 35 2.0 and 17-35 Tamron.

[Michael Carter]

The lenses (Nikon & aftermarket) that have the locking (usually at f22) function will work, but they have to be stopped down all the way to enter live view mode. I've only seen AF lenses with the lock.

After entering LV, adjust the aperture til you're happy and hit AE lock.

Lenses without the locking function are more convenient (and generally speaking, cheaper) though; I say "convenient" because you can go in & out of LV mode without touching the lens. Also, older non-AF lenses - every one I've owned - has way better focus damping than an AF lens (I assume AF lenses are looser to make it easier on the focus motor.)

Also, you don't need to limit yourself to Nikon lenses; older Vivitars are really common, and there are often Sigmas, Tokinas, etc. Remember that (A) that JPEG compression negates needing a super-sharp lens to some extent, (b) many of those older aftermarket brands were quite good, (c) you're only using the center of an older lens on a D90, and (e) sticking with primes should give you better performance.

I've got a Vivitar manual wide that's really pretty luscious for D-movie shooting.

[jeracravo]

Excelent points Carter!!!!


The lenses (Nikon & aftermarket) that have the locking (usually at f22) function will work, but they have to be stopped down all the way to enter live view mode. I've only seen AF lenses with the lock.

After entering LV, adjust the aperture til you're happy and hit AE lock.

Lenses without the locking function are more convenient (and generally speaking, cheaper) though; I say "convenient" because you can go in & out of LV mode without touching the lens. Also, older non-AF lenses - every one I've owned - has way better focus damping than an AF lens (I assume AF lenses are looser to make it easier on the focus motor.)

Also, you don't need to limit yourself to Nikon lenses; older Vivitars are really common, and there are often Sigmas, Tokinas, etc. Remember that (A) that JPEG compression negates needing a super-sharp lens to some extent, (b) many of those older aftermarket brands were quite good, (c) you're only using the center of an older lens on a D90, and (e) sticking with primes should give you better performance.

I've got a Vivitar manual wide that's really pretty luscious for D-movie shooting.

[damonb]

...older non-AF lenses - every one I've owned - has way better focus damping than an AF lens (I assume AF lenses are looser to make it easier on the focus motor.)

Also, you don't need to limit yourself to Nikon lenses... .


I agree completely with these two points. The first generation AF lenses I have do not really have workable manual focus movement for video without a follow focus (although my 24mm f2.8 AF is probably doable).

And third party lenses are a good investment for video, since they are usually cheaper. Even if case-by-case their optical quality is not quite what the Nikkor equivalent is, you will never notice with video, since video compared to still is such low resolution. But try to get the fastest lenses you can. Anything around 2.8-3.5 or lower is good. 1.8, 1.4 is ace. The D90 in video mode has an aperture minimum automatically set at f8, so the faster the lens the more stops you have to play with. You will almost always get a better deal on a fast fixed lens than a fast zoom, which is fine, cos zooming in movies is mostly to be avoided anyhow, and you'll need to be turning two rings at the same time to keep focus. Good luck!

Edit: There was nothing stupid about your question goonerman.

[Michael Carter]

There is one zoom that should be in everyone's video or 35 adpater kit - look for an older Nikkor 80-200 2.8 AF - you can find beaters of the old AF ED version for under $500. That lens just has soul, and if you want to do those 70's American gritty-cinema fast zoom shots, it's yum. It's a big-ass heavy lens, but for shooting stills it's just as awesome. Again, I'll say that lens design has some kind of "soul"... amazingly great. I shot a bunch of this D90 vid with it:

http://zounds-sounds.com

That's 85% or so D90 shots (the rest are DVX) Also, I used an eBay Vivitar 28mm 2.5 for the wider hand held shots - think I paid $50 for it, and it kills. Nice semi-wide focal length for the D90 sensor. Other lens on that shoot was a Nikon series E 100mm - the series E glass is PERFECT FOR DMOVIE, and there's a LOT of it out there.