Considering new Nikon D7000 - would appreciate comments/alternatives

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On nearly all higher end Nikon bodies you can still adjust the aperture electronically (via command dial) even on MF lenses. There is no need to physically move the aperture ring.


Rainer, it is not like me to contradict people, but I have read my D7000, D300s, and D800 manual, all say that while the display will show the aperture value (if the lens is properly indexed in the NON-CPU section of your menu) you still have to rotate the aperture ring to change its value.

>>From the Nikon D800 instruction manual, page 374
Compatible Non-CPU Lenses
When using non-CPU lenses and accessories, select exposure mode A or M and set aperture using the lens aperture ring. In other modes, the shutter-release is disabled. Non-CPU lens data can be used to enable many of the features available with CPU lenses, including color matrix metering; if no data are provided, center-weighted metering will be used in place of color matrix metering, while if the maximum aperture is not provided, the camera aperture display will show the number of stops from maximum aperture and the actual aperture value must be read off the lens aperture ring.<<

Just in case I missed something (believe me it happens :wink:) , yesterday, I went digging in my trunk of old stuff and pulled out a few of the early Nikkor Ai lenses That I bought back when I started in the early 70’s, in all case I could get the aperture to show in viewfinder and top LCD display, but in all instance I did have to rotate the aperture ring of the lens to do so, it confirmed what Nikon said. (Note, I have a mid 60's 50mm f/1.2 lens that I bought second hand and it did not have the "notches" on the aperture ting, it had only the old style fork, that one I could not get to work at all).

Unless the lens has a lockable aperture ring (an orange colored small f/stop being the visual cue) and electronic contacts on its mount, the camera will not be able to inform the lens of what aperture it should take, it becomes the responsibility of the user to rotate the aperture ring to the desired F/stop.

If you have found a special trick to get an Ai manual lens to work using the sub-command control of a Nikon DSLR, please share it with us. I have swapped and juggled Nikon Ai Manual Focus and AF lens on camera bodies from Nikon F to D4 for forty two years now and I am still learning stuff, but after carefully and meticulously going through the manual and the cameras menus, putting on four different Ai lens of radically different focal length (15mm f/5.6, 35mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8 and 200mm f/4) none could be adjusted by the sub-command dial of the cameras and all showed the aperture on the LCD and viewfinder as claimed by Nikon.
 
The D7000 has some nice features like pretty good high ISO performance. It also has enough mega pixels at 16 to make an increase here not really that useful because of diffraction limitations. Its autofocus is quite functional. So what more do you really need? Well a marked improvement in dynamic range would be a big deal but otherwise, I think the camera will be quite functional for some time.

I don't suspect we'll see much of an improvement in DR until they go to 16-bit A2D. The Sony exmor sensors that Nikon uses in the 3100/7000/600/800/maybe others has such a low read noise that it's near the theoretical maximum DR for 14 bits (i.e. 14 stops).

The Sony partnership has really turned the tables and given Nikon an advantage over canon (as opposed to ten years ago when canon was the standard bearer of IQ of digital cameras when everyone else was still using CCDs).

The D7000 is really a unique market entry. The only reason I'd opt for a canon 7D in its place is if I strictly needed stills frame rate (and the fact that I don't like the form factor, but that's irrelevant underwater).
 
Just chip your old MF lenses (I believe modern MF lenses are all chipped). :)

If you are referring to a "Legacy 2 Digital" type of chip implantation, then for top side you might have a nostalgic argument, but for underwater use... C'mon, big waste of time and money if you ask me, you need to modify an old lens, have custom focus gears made (If possible at all), live with manual focus and after spending all that money for getting the lens to work in a housing, you'll end up, in most case, with a sub par optical performance compared to a modern version of the same lens.

Most film days wide angle really sucks on recent digital camera, including my fairly recent 14mm f/2.8 Nikkor, that leaves macro lenses as candidate and it is likely to cost more getting an old 55mm Micro lens in a housing than buying the modern equivalent 60mm used. so yes it can be done but highly impractical.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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