Using older lens with D70s

Gatorbait

Senior Member
Hi all,
Just found this site and am hoping I can get an answer for my problem. My older photo gear includes a Nikon FA with a wide anble and a Vivitar 70-210 mm Series 1 lens. A few years ago I decided to take the plunge into digital photography and purchased a Nikon D70s. I am hoping someone can tell me if I can use the lens I have for the FA on the D70s . When I have tried, all I get is a dark frame, no image. I would be ecstatic if anyone could tell me how to use these lens on my D70s!!!
Thanks,
Sue
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
What settings were you using? Did you try manual and play with different shutter speeds and apertures? It might work, but maybe it does not meter. I'm not too sure about this one. Maybe someone else could chime in.
 

Gatorbait

Senior Member
Hi Marcel,

Thank you so much for the quick response. I tried several apertures and tried it on manual and auto and could not get an image. Sometimes it would fire like it was taking a shot, other times nothing at all. On the display next to on/off switch, it would not read out an f stop # or other data. I'm guessing the lens does not communicate with the camera - there are no pins on the area where it hooks up to the camera body whereas the lens that came with the camera does have pins. It could just be outdated for digital cameras?
 

Gatorbait

Senior Member
KW - I think the internal camera meter is the key - since there is no way for the lens to "communicate" with the meter (i.e.no prongs) this is probably the answer. I guess that answers that question. My next question, after reading thread after thread, the best way to go for wildlife photography. I am very close to a 33,000 acre wildlife refuge and am anxious to try my hand at photographing some of the many types of birds out there. Open to suggestions!!
 
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Gatorbait

Senior Member
LOL, thanks Ken - 1. No, unless I'm sneaking up on one of the dogs trying to get into the garbage can
2. Blind - I'm not good at building things - would a giant cardboard box work?
3. Did I mention I'm pretty new at this? Pricing new lenses have exposed me to a bad case of sticker shock!
 

AC016

Senior Member
You should be able to use the lens if it is AI, AI-S, E, AI-P. All these formats will be manual focus on your camera. Meter will not operate on any except AI-P. Going to the auto focus lenses, AF, AF-I, AF-S, G, VR and DX will work. For the AF lenses, distance info will not be there for TTL. Therefore, any PRE AI lens will not work and nor will F3AF. If your vivitar is pre AI, which it may well be, it will not work on your D70. I know that no one really likes KR, but i think this is a good write-up on the Vivitar lens: Vivitar 70-210mm Series 1. I have used a Vivitar AI lens on my D80 and it did just fine. Hope you can work it out. Remember to put your camera in M mode.
 

Gatorbait

Senior Member
Thank you AC. I looked at the base of the lens where it mounts to the camera body and I saw N/AI, so hopefully this would mean it might work on my camera. How do you get yours to work on your D80?
 

Gatorbait

Senior Member
Well, making some progress. Tried out the 50 mm lens on the D70s and it actually works! And, I played around a little more with the Vivitar and actually got a picture on the macro side. It seems maybe the telephoto side is not working or needs more light. I might try it out when we get another sunny day (the only sunny day this whole next week looks to be tomorrow, Monday, of course). I have the ISO set at 1600 and that's as high as it goes.
 

AC016

Senior Member
Thank you AC. I looked at the base of the lens where it mounts to the camera body and I saw N/AI, so hopefully this would mean it might work on my camera. How do you get yours to work on your D80?

Okay, so it should work on your D70s. Set your camera to manual, that is the only way it will work properly. Set it to the smallest F number - you want the lens as wide open as can be. If you are indoors, set ISO to around 400. Set your metering to spot or center wieghted. From there, if you keep getting dark pics, boost up the ISO a bit, play around with the shutter speed. You should be able to use this lens no problems. At the end of it's focal length, expect blur. Therefore, shoot in bursts.
 

Eye-level

Banned
Hi Jeff, I checked out the small lens and it is actually a Nikkor 50 mm 1:1.4, serial # 5547781
So it is late 90's or early 00's...the 50/1.4 was the standard kit lens of the film era...it ought to make a great half portrait lens on your camera...in excellent condition it is worth about $175!
 

stmv

Senior Member
these old manual lens have been climbing in value in the last 3 years, as more and more cameras can meter them. Used to pick these type of lens for dirt cheap, like under 100 dollars, but now, I have seen many old manual lens sell for hundreds of dollars. And the real classics like the 15mm, close to a thousand.
 

Gatorbait

Senior Member
Now for a totally different lens - would the 28-300mmG AF ED etc. etc. work with this DX format camera? I understand it will work with a D7000 and my plan, if this would work, is to get this lens now and wait for the D7100/7200 comes along, if it ever does. Anyone have any inside information on when the D7000 is supposed to be released?
 
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