Questions about digital SLRs (cameras)

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

Well, since Tom convinced me to buy a digital, I’ve come to love these and have set aside my $2,000 Canon film camera equipment, dating back to the 70s when I was a USMC photojournalist.

But those SLRs (A-1, AE-1) could do some neat stuff in the manual settings and with a plethora of wide-angle, fisheye, mirror (500mm) zoom, and macro lenses. I sometimes miss that (since I have the lower end Nikon coolpix).

The A-1 was a great “field” camera, surviving many drops, rainshows, dust from helos, etc. It took a beating and kept on filming; even with a dead battery!

I called Canon yesterday and they told me NOT to try that with their Rebel and to hold onto that old camera stuff for challenging situations like that.

So, even with all the newfangled digital technology, the old is sometimes better.

What I’d really like to do, is to retrofit my old lenses to a new Rebel.

However, the same Canon lady told me that my lenses were too old for that (bayonett mount & twist) and that I’d need the newer EF lenses.

I didn’t ask if there are special mounts for the older lenses but I have a feeling they will be incompatible.

(Isn’t it nice how most companies make new versions of stuff that aren’t compatible with the old).

Well, I’m pretty sure I’ll get a Rebel, possibly next month.

Any comments, opinions are welcome.

2

I’m in the same boat Dave. I have an old Minolta film setup with all the lenses. I’ve shelved it for a little Kodak 3.1 megapixil with zoom. Maybe the answer is to hold out a while longer. Prices are still coming down and technology is going up.

If you are in a particularly artistic mood, just shoot a roll of film and get a disc when you get it processed.

3

You have two options for putting FD lenses on your EOS camera.

They really present a special problem because the film mount registration distances are different. FD mount cameras were designed for a 42mm mount distance, and EOS cameras for a 44mm mount distance.

What this means for you is that you can’t adapt an FD lens to an EOS body using a simple flangemount convertor and retain infinity focus. The adaptor will act as a short extension tube, which will reduce your minimum focusing distance but cause you to lose infinity. For layout photography, this is to your advantage, as you would almost never need infinity, and any little extra bit on the macro end helps.

If you wi***o retain infinity focus, there are two options. There are glass adaptors out of China, but I wouldn’t reccomend them as they will kill the excellent optics of your Canon lenses. The other option is the extremely rare Canon-made glass adaptor made to the same high quality standards as the lenses. These show up occasionally on Ebay, and usually sell for around $500. Both adaptors act as short(1.26x) teleconvertors. They were sold only to professional photographers with a big investment in long FD glass to help ease their transition to EOS. Add this to the 1.6 multiplier factor on all Canon digital SLRs but the $8000 1Ds MKII, and your 500mm mirror lens becomes 1008mm lens. Oh, and you lose a stop of light from the adaptor, so your 500mm f8 mirror lens becomes a 1008mm f11 lens.

Oh, and I almost forgot that due to the design of the Canon-made glass convertor, it can only be used with lenses that have a recessed rear lens element. I believe the shortest it will work with is the 200mm 2.8 IF(internal focusing).

Canon also made a flange mount convertor of much higher quality than the ones that come out of China today. Expect to pay about $50 for it on Ebay. Many people will also buy the Chinese made glass convertor and puch out the glass. These range in price from $20-50.

4

Oh, by the way, the old FD equipment was great. I have an A-1 and T70, along with 6 lenses, and usually use it in preference to digital(except, of course, for web posting). The only weakness to the A-1 is that it has to have a battery to operate, and the battery can sometimes be difficult to find. For this reason, I’m seriously considering buying a cheap FTb or F-1(probably the FTb since they’re a whole lot less expensive). I’m also in the process of buying a T90 currently. The T90s are amazing cameras, and if you look at the current top-of-the-line models, you can clearly see that their design evolved from that of the T90.

If anyone has any FD equipment(bodies or lenses) that they would like to part with, I’d be glad to pay a good price for them. E-mail me.

5

Thanks guys.

Actually, I have an A-1 and and F-1. The AE-1 I destroyed on a whitewater canoe trip a number of years ago. The F-1 operates w/out batteries, should they fail. Experience gives you the shutter, apperature, along w/bracketing.

Ben,

Sounds to me like I might just resign myself to getting new equipment. I don’t know why but I can’t seem to part with my old stuff. Memories, I suppose.

6

Dave, you want another AE-1? Big Girl has one she’d be willing to part with.

7

Thanks but no thanks, Elliot. You’ll need it for taking photos of your giant layout. [:D]

8

Elliot,
E-mail me. I’d probably be interested in buying it.

9

Dave, over on the other forum there is/was a discussion on digital SLR’s and the majority of those who seem to know what they’re talking about lean to the Nikon D70s, or for the amature, D50, Though no pro I’ve been looking to go digital but also want to use my current set of lens that I have for my N60 and from what I’ve read Nikon has back compatibility for the majority of lens, thus I’m leaning toward the D70s. The best price I’ve come across for a body only is $818, probably be sometime next year before I can put that much aside.

10

Nah Dave, that’s the whole point of my little digital. [8D][;)]Quick and easy, I can post photos to the forum in less than 5 minutes. It would be even quicker if I didn’t have to resize and upload them.

Ben, got your email and will send you a shot of the camera. Ironic, that I will be taking a digital photo of a film camera.[:p][;)]

11

Thanks, Elliot.

Dave,
If you do end up buying a Digital Rebel, you really have nothing to lose by spending another $20 on a cheap glassless convertor. It sounds like you have some pretty decent FD glass, and it would be a shame to not put it to use. In particular, if you have an FD macro lens, you can get just as good of performance out of it as you can a new $400+ EOS version. The extension tube effect would not be a great disadvantage with a macro lens when using it for layout shots. In fact, it would probably be to your advangtage.

12

David–

I also miss the flexibility of my 35mm Pentax Spotmatic from 1967, still the best camera and lenses in the closet, I worked and saved a long time to buy that camera. I look back at the work I used to produce with that camera and I wonder why I even mess with my digital. If I had built the darkroom that I had always wanted this would be a non issue, there is no comparison unless you really have deep pockets for a high end digital SLR. The camera I really wanted was a Hassleblad 2 1/4 but being married and having kids took care of that dream. I think given time, the high end digital SLR’s will come down, just like computers. The tough part is waiting…
Jon

13

" I think given time, the high end digital SLR’s will come down,"

And, in the mean time, those of us still willing to work with film can get bargain prices on film equipment. Like how you can now get a used Hasselblad 500 starter kit for under $500 from KEH. Yes, that’s under $500 for the 500CM body, 80mm 2.8 lens, waist level finder, and film back. http://www.keh.com/shop/product.cfm?bid=HH&cid=01&sid=newused&crid=12982830

Not too long ago, I had the oppourtunity to purchase a fairly nice medium format kit. It included two Kowa 66 SLR bodies, a 50mm, 85mm, and 150mm lens. Also waist level finders for both bodies and a metered waist-level laterally corrected prism. The price was around $250, which I would have gladly paid if I’d had that much. Both bodies would have required some repair to be useable, but they were repairable.

14

Jon,

I’ve spent many a day/night in the darkroom. Even made poster-sized prints. During one of my moves, the movers lost/broke my equipment and I’ve never toyed with it since.

Overseas, I used to go to Torii Station, Okinawa and do color slides there.

Kodak has layed off a bunch of people and I wonder how long they’ll continue making paper and if film processing will one day disappear?

15

Dave–

My part time job in college was doing most of the photography for the yearbook, athletic dept, and the promotions magazine that came out twice a year. All of my work in the darkroom was black/white and I still love that medium, it allows you to go into areas that color only dreams about.

I think when our first grand child arrives in May that my SLR will be in my hands and the digital camera will be for my wife! I have to agree with Ben, there are some tremendous buy’s out there that should not be passed up.

Jon

16

Dave,
I started with Nikon as that is the first SLR camera that was given to me. As it turned out, that was a very fortunate thing in that the older lenses from my first camera and the bigger, better lenses that I have aquired have since will fit the Nikon digitals. I also got a N80 a few years ago and I love it. I want to get into the DSLR bodies, but I am waiting for Nikon to come out with a body with image stabilizing. Konica/Minolta has come out with one and I am sure Nikon and Cannon can’t be far behind. I do not want to go out and spend the extra money to get stabilized lenses, especially when I have lenses out to 1100 mm/F5.6. So, if you can wait, i would suggest it as you already have good equipment and i am sure that they will have aftermarket adapters for your old lenses too.
In the time being, i have a Kodak Easyshare with 5.0mp and 10X zoom, it takes great pictures, is easy to upload and is not that much money. I am sure you will want to get something for the upcoming honeymoon. What ever you buy, go and get a 1GB card and a high capacity battery as it will serve you well. I took well over 800 pictures in China and never needed a backup card or to recharge the battery.
Dennis