Some question regarding lenses

[unrelated]

Hi all, first time here, but have some questions that I am dying to get answers for.

I have a Nikon F-501, known as N2020 in the states I guess. My dad gave me the camera, along with standard 35~75mm zoom and a 20mm wide angle lens. I purchased the 70~300mm ED AF lens not long ago and am having fun with it.

So the first question:

Nikon released their D70 digital SLR with a 18~70mm lens. To my knowledge 18mm is definitely in the wide angle lens zone. So my question is what's the difference, at the same 18mm, between a zoom lens and a non-zoom lens?

Second question:

I was fantasizing about getting a D70 but know that I can't afford it anyway. I was looking at the lenses it will take, and they talked about D series or G or something. How can I tell what mine is? I want to know what mine is so that perhaps when I win a lottery I want to get a digital SLR that will take the lens I already got.

BTW, anyone knows how much D70 will cost?

Thanx!

[bobtrips]

Non-zooms are usually called 'primes'. In the olden days (back when I got my first SLR) zooms were poor quality and if you wanted a high quality photo you were pretty much limited to a prime. Now zooms are much better.

In your example a 18-70 mm zoom works as an 18 mm lens when fully retracted and as a 70 mm lens when fully extended. Any focal length in between can be selected as well. The other option would be to carry a number of primes (18, 28, 35, 50, and 70. for example) and switch lenses as needed.

If you don't need a zoom, a prime can often give you a focal length that you want for a lot less money than a zoom. I used to carry a 50 mm, 1.4 prime for low light conditions.

Can't help you with your individual lenses. A quick Google on Nikon D/whatever should give you that info.

---

The new Nikon D70 is listing at $1,000US. After a few months it will probably sell for a bit less. An 18 mm lens on the D70 will function about like a 27 mm lens on a full-frame digital or film camera.

$1,000 sounds like a lot of money. But price the camera not in dollars, but rolls. It would cost me about $10 to buy and process a roll of 36 exp. film. So a D70 body would cost me about 100 rolls of film. That's less than two years of shooting for me.

I just saw a post from someone in Northern Europe (Sweden?) who has to pay about $30 per roll. Sounds very high, but makes the D70 pay for itself as soon as you shoot about 1,200 pictures.

[unrelated]

An 18 mm lens on the D70 will function about like a 27 mm lens on a full-frame digital or film camera.

Thanx for your reply!
I don't really know much about digital SLR camera but I have heard about this. Can you further explain how this happens and how to "convert" the reading?

It's true that $1000 may not be that expensive, but that means I have to go without developing any photo for 2 years to afford that thing:(

About the zoom lens vs prime lens. So at 18mm on both zoom and prime lens, they will produce similar quality as of today's technology?

[bobtrips]

Each dSLR has its own "multiplying factor" (except for the full frame Kodak 14n and Canon 1Ds). Once you look up the number for a particular camera, say 1.3 or 1.5 you just multiply.

With a '1.3' camera your 18 mm lens would work like a 23 mm, with a '1.5' camera it would work like a 27 mm lens. That's bad news for wide angles but excellent news for telephotos. With a 1.5 camera a 20 mm lens acts like a 300 mm which means that you can carry a smaller, lighter, less expensive lens and get the job done.

It happens because the dSLR sensor is smaller, you're cropping the center portion of the capture of the lens and enlarging it. It's just a geometry thing. Think of taking a negative, cutting away the edges and enlarging.

As yes, the fly in the ointment. You do need the $1k up front to save the $1k by not having to pay for film. Time for a few odd jobs and frugality.

[unrelated]

I see, so that's just like the "digital zoom" in a digital camera vs the "optical zoom". Well, to me, that sucks!

Hmmm..... I guess I will just stick to my old cosy SLR for the time being

[bobtrips]

Nope, nothing like 'digital zoom'.

Digital zoom is enlargement of the capture. Same thing you do when you stick your negative in an enlarger and print out something larger than a contact print.