Will digital slr lenses work on film cameras if you use Manual focus?
Help! I signed up for a Photography class and my Professor wants us to only use film cameras. I bought a Nikon N8008 body on ebay because I thought I could still use all of my nikor lenses for my digital slr and just use manual focus. However my viewfinder will not focus. I don't know if it's because my lenses are only compatible with a digital camera or if there's something wrong with the film camera. To get an idea how blurry it is, I can't get it to focus enough to read numbers on a wall clock 10 feet away. Do I need a spacer possibly?
If you're using a "G" lens which has no aperture ring, then there's no convenient way to adjust the aperture. It will stay stopped down to the smallest opening. See link. But it "should" be able to focus. Try the trick and see if that helps. Good luck!
http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/13263/is-there-any-way-to-rig-hack-the-aperture-wide-open-on-a-nikon-g-lens-so-i-can-u
Some lernses for DSLRs will work on film-based cameras, some will even work with autofocus, depending on model of lens and of camera. But you should understand that some lenses designed for "crop-frame" DSLRs will not fully cover the "full-frame" of film-based SLRs, thus will show dark corners, especially on wide-angle settings.
All in all, do not rely on any "new" lens working fully on the "old-tech" of a film camera.
But why is your prof insisting on using film, when you will probably never actually use film after the course is finished? Change your course, and drag yourself into the modern world! (Note that I'm 69 years old, made the change to digital a bit later than some people, in 2003.)
Too bad you did not do a little research on the camera before buying it.
Things you need to know:
* you need to use FX lenses with any Nikon 35 mm SLR camera. If you have any DX lenses, they can't be used
* Have you actually shot a roll of film and confirmed that the camera is NOT auto-focusing properly. Just because the viewfinder shows out of focus images, my only mean that you have the wrong diopter attached to the viewfinder.
* There's NO reason why a lens made after digital cameras were introduced that are FX can't be used on a 35 mm Nikon SLR
If the camera is damaged, return it and look for a good used Nikon 35 mm SLR on KEH.com. Those cameras come with some kind of warranty depending upon their condition.
User manuals for all the Nikon 35 mm cameras are available.
I have posted a link to the user manual for the N8008.
A better choice of camera would have been a Nikon N65 or N70. Those cameras can control the iris on the newer AF-S lenses which do not have manually controlled apertures. The command dial on these cameras can set the lens aperture on any of the Nikkor AF and AF-S lenses
The older N8008 does not have a command dial, so controlling the lens aperture is not possible on the "G" lenses you may have.
I have included the user manuals to those in the links below as well.
Congrats on getting an N8008. It was one of Nikon's most popular models back in the 1990s, used by advanced amateurs and professionals too.
Your N8008 might have a diopter attached to the viewfinder that is used to correct vision so that those who need glasses can look through the viewfinder without wearing them. Remove the eye cup and see if you have anything screwed onto the circular opening. If so, remove it and you should now see things clearly.
Lenses from film cameras will work on digital cameras
(with altered effective focal lengths),
but, as you have already discovered,
not the other way around.