I am a novice photographer. I have a D3100 that has issues, and I want to upgrade. However, I would like to know if the lenses I have will work with better cameras. I will upgrade the lenses at a later time, but want to keep taking photos. How am I able to tell which Nikon lenses fit which Nikon body?
Lenses
- Thread starter Boltfan26
- Start date
Clovishound
Senior Member
Here is a website that goes into a lot of detail about the compatibility of Nikon cameras and lenses.
Ken Rockwell compatibility chart
Most any older Nikon lens can be fitted on almost any new Nikon camera. The issue is what features will work.
What lenses do you have, and what camera(s) are you considering? Everything is going mirrorless these days. The good news is that F mount glass will work on a Z camera, if you use an FTZ adapter. The question then becomes what features will work, and that depends on the time and category of lens you have.
Ken Rockwell compatibility chart
Most any older Nikon lens can be fitted on almost any new Nikon camera. The issue is what features will work.
What lenses do you have, and what camera(s) are you considering? Everything is going mirrorless these days. The good news is that F mount glass will work on a Z camera, if you use an FTZ adapter. The question then becomes what features will work, and that depends on the time and category of lens you have.
Thank you! This is very helpful
Melbourne_James
New member
Keep in mind that you probably have crop sensor lenses with your D3100 (they will have a "DX" on them). Whilst you can use them on Nikon full frame F mount and even mirrorless Z mount cameras (with the FTZ adapter) you will not be taking full advantage of the sensor of a full frame body. Some - perhaps all, but I am not sure - of the Z range full frame bodies can be set to crop sensor mode but as I understand it, the camera simply zooms and crops for you.
When I upgraded from a crop sensor to the Z series, I did it knowing that I would also be investing in upgraded lenses. The equipment is now excellent but I am still trying to upgrade my skill - lol!
If your budget is tight, and you have a few F mount lenses you want to keep using, you might consider upgrading to a better F-mount crop sensor camera like a D7500 or D500 or even upgrade to a full frame F-mount like a D850. You will still have the same cropping issue if you use a DX lens on a full frame body but the advantage of staying in the F-mount product line is that there are some good 2nd hand deals to be had, both for camera body and also lenses.
For a database on lens-to-body, the comment from Clovishound linking to the Ken Rockwell site is excellent.