Nikon manual lenses on D80 or D90 back?

[peter k.]

Boy this is strange being on DPUG.. I'm a hybrid, old Classic Manual camera guy.. who shoots film, develops and then scans.
Alas, I'm going to do some volunteer work out of state.. and I going to need to shoot quite a few images for some show and tell, on the progress of some construction work. I don't really want to go digital as I really enjoy film, but for all the images that will have to be made, the best route will be to go digital.
I have a good assortment of manual lenses for the old film Nikon f2, and I've have been investigating, that there are only really to Nikon digital backs that will work. The Nikon d80 or d90.
So I have a few questions for those who have gone here before.

A) How do the old manual lenses do on these.. I have a 28mm 2.8, 50mm 1.? and an 80-180 4.5.
B) The d90 has a live viewer, is this a better advantage over the d80's which has only a view finder for the type of shooting I will be doing?

Add anything else that may help me make the decision on which to buy...
thanks p.

 

[L Gebhardt]

I've never used either of these cameras. But from experience with other Nikon DX cameras you can expect difficulty obtaining correct focusing when using your lenses wide open with the ground glass/viewfinder. The focus confirmation dot is somewhat useful, but even with that I haven't had a high success rate with some lenses. Live view will be slow and difficult for action, but is great for static shots with a tripod.

From the sounds of it your best bet might just be to rent a more modern DSLR and AF lens. If you only need it for a few days it may come out the same and will certainly be less frustrating, though you won't own it in the end.

 

[peter k.]

Well thanks for the reply, my brother in law today lent me a digital camera with lens.. were now in good shape.