Lens suggestions for Nikon FM2n?

D

Dyan

Member
I just picked up a used FM2n for cheap and I was wondering what lens' people would recommend I pick up.

I had purchased a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AIS off of EBay about a month ago, but I think I the seller screwed me and never shipped the item (haven't received any contact back and I'm about to go to Paypal :( ). Today I'm going to browse some Copenhagen photo stores and see what kind of prices they have, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

I know you can use an auto focus lens on a manual focus body, but is it better to pick up a manual focus lens? I want something that I can use if I decide to upgrade to a digital SLR (I’ll probably stick with Nikon) in the future but will also give me decent results on my new body... I’m looking for a fixed focal length, zoom isn’t a big priority.

I do a lot of travel photography here in Europe, and generally I have just used the point and shoot Canon PowerShot A85 on manual settings up till now.

I'm going to a Fugees concert on Monday here and I would like to be able to take some good low light photos, so any help before then would be great! Thanks!
 
Dyan said:
I just picked up a used FM2n for cheap and I was wondering what lens' people would recommend I pick up.

I had purchased a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AIS off of EBay about a month ago, but I think I the seller screwed me and never shipped the item (haven't received any contact back and I'm about to go to Paypal :( ). Today I'm going to browse some Copenhagen photo stores and see what kind of prices they have, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

I know you can use an auto focus lens on a manual focus body, but is it better to pick up a manual focus lens? I want something that I can use if I decide to upgrade to a digital SLR (I’ll probably stick with Nikon) in the future but will also give me decent results on my new body... I’m looking for a fixed focal length, zoom isn’t a big priority.

I do a lot of travel photography here in Europe, and generally I have just used the point and shoot Canon PowerShot A85 on manual settings up till now.

I'm going to a Fugees concert on Monday here and I would like to be able to take some good low light photos, so any help before then would be great! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Try the 50mm/1.8,85mm/1.8,28mm/2.8.These work and give pro quality photos.
 
Thanks for the info Don!

I saw quite a few Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 lenses yesterday while I was browsing, so that might end up being one of the lenses I pick up.
 
Dyan,

To answer your question about manual versus auto focus lenses for your FM2n:

Either one will work fine, with minor caveats. The series G AF Nikkor lenses don't have aperture rings, which obviously presents problems on a manual camera like yours. However, there are plenty of autofocus lenses out there which will work just fine. There's no particular advantage to going with a manual focus lens - in fact, if you're comparing the same lens, the autofocus version will probably have better coatings anyway.

Keep in mind that you can use a manual focus lens on any digital SLR that Nikon makes. You will lose much of the metering capability of the camera, and of course auto exposure and focus. However, depending on the kind of photography you do it can be a viable option. The higher end cameras do retain basic metering fuctionality with a manual lens attached, and the lower end cameras...hell, just snap a shot and look at the histogram!

Hope this helps...
 
Thanks Asa, that explaination makes a lot more sense than what I had previously assumed. I was worried that by purchasing a AF lens now, I wouldn't be able to take full advantage of my MF body in the future. Now I will probably stick with AF lenses as I do want full digital compatibility in the future.

On a good note, I finally recieved my 50mm f/1.4 AIS today. I'm looking forward to experimenting with that while I look at some AF lenses for the future.
 
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