Cheapest digital Nikon to take Nikon film lenses?

[chip j]

Both manual & AF?? Thanks

 

[shutterfinger]

Use the charts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Nikon_DSLR_cameras to select the features you want then shop for that model. Dead or heavily used bodies will be cheap while low usage and well cared for bodies will command more money. Likely candidates are D70,80,90,100,200,300,300S.
You might find a good buy on a D1, D1X or D2.

 

[locutus]

Not the absolute cheapest but a second hand D700 is a good sweet spot. Full frame, meters with AI lenses, decent image quality all be it low res. Can be had for 400$ often enough

 

[Bud Hamblen]

What do you mean by "work"? With manual focus only and manual exposure only nearly all lenses made after about 1977 will take a picture with nearly all Nikon digital bodies. If you want auto focus and auto exposure the choice is more restricted.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I would find which old full frame camera is available at acceptable price.
Film lenses on cameras with cropped sensor sucks. 50 is way too narrow. Wides aren't wide enough.

 

[jim10219]

What do you mean by "work"? With manual focus only and manual exposure only nearly all lenses made after about 1977 will take a picture with nearly all Nikon digital bodies. If you want auto focus and auto exposure the choice is more restricted.

Except the newest AF-P lenses. These lenses won't work with the older Nikon digital camera bodies because they have a new type of autofocus that the older cameras can't use and manual focus modes must be switched on in camera, and on the older bodies (which aren't even that old yet) they don't have the menu option to allow you to switch them, so you can't focus in either manual or autofocus modes.

https://nikonrumors.com/2018/02/07/...mpatilble-with-older-nikon-dslr-cameras.aspx/

But all of the film SLR lenses should work with any body, though things like autofocus and metering may not. Nikon has three autofocus systems, AF, AF-S, and AF-P. The AF are screw drive and require a body with a screw drive to operate them. This is usually found on the higher end Nikons. AF-S is their first in the lens autofocus system and will work on most, if not all, of their DSLR's. AF-P is their newest, and won't work on most of Nikon's digital cameras (except the newest ones).

Nikon also has three metering systems with their lenses. The old manual lenses don't meter, so you'll have to set the camera to full manual to use them. Nikon D lenses have an aperture ring, but can also be set to meter automatically. Nikon G lenses don't have an aperture ring, so the aperture has to be set in camera. On old film cameras without software controls, they will only work at their smallest aperture, and on many older film cameras, the aperture on these lenses can only be operated in auto, program, or exposure priority modes. Of course, the G and D lenses won't meter on older Nikon film bodies because they don't have the linkage arm to communicate aperture with the camera.

Up until the AF-P, Nikon did a good job of keeping their lenses up to date, and at least somewhat functional with all of their camera, both past and future. There are more technicalities that I didn't go into, such as non-Ai, Ai, AiS, etc.

 

[benveniste]

The cheapest ones which will allow metering with AI-s lenses is probably something like a D1h. I've seen them sell in the $50 range. You might be able to find an old Kodak DCS for even less. But personally? I'd opt for a D200 at a litte more than double that.

 

[mshchem]

I bought a beautiful D3 for 750 bucks. I sold my nearly unused, 1100 clicks, for around 200 bucks, I paid 1600. I would not buy a consumer piece of junk when older pro and prosumer stuff is dirt cheap.

 

[Austintatious]

A Nikon D50 will work with screw drive glass. They are six megapixels but can be had for about $50.00. I still have one and it works quite well with AF-D lenses.