Can I use a DX lens on a film camera?

[Austin O'Hara]

Has anyone tried using a DX format (sensor size 24x16mm) on an film camera (sensor size 36x24mm)?
I have a 18-200mm DX Nikon zoom and I am wondering whether I could
use it on the Nikon FE body ( it fits). Ken Rockwell says " It won't work on a film camera: the corners will come out black." Why could I not use PS to crop the black corners?
Thanks in advance.

 

[David Mitchell]

I guess it would be the same as attaching a 35mm lens to a crop factor DSLR, it will work but in reverse of what would happen when you fit a film lens to a crop DSLR, I guess the image would be slightly affected as the DX lens would be focusing on a slightly different point vs a film camera lens at the same distance.

Here is some info I found on it:

Nikkon DX lenses on film bodies? - Photo.net Nikon Forum

Seems that its perfectly possible, however not recomended.

 

[Hamish Gill]

You can crop the black corners ... But on an FE you would have no control over the aperture so you would only be able to shoot wide open...
its just not worth the trouble!

Why would you want to? For the telephoto capability?

There are so many wonderful old lenses designed to work on the fe ... Bodging a modern lens then having to faff in photoshop just isn't worth it!

Even things like the short throw of the focusing ring will add extra unnessasary complication to shooting ...

So yeah, in short, it will fit but it's not worth it!

Have a look for a 135mm 2.8 ais - wonderful lens
Or even a 80-200 ais would give you the range - I might even have mine for sale in my clear out

 

[Austin O'Hara]

Nikkon DX lenses on film bodies? - Photo.net Nikon Forum

Thanks for the link David - I missed that one!

You can crop the black corners ... But on an FE you would have no control over the aperture so you would only be able to shoot wide open...
its just not worth the trouble!
So yeah, in short, it will fit but it's not worth it!
Have a look for a 135mm 2.8 ais - wonderful lens

You are correct Hamish - and thanks for pointing this out.
Yesterday, I checked out a 180mm 2.8 at my local used camera store in Camden and he wanted £474 for it.!
I will revisit the 135 mm 2.8 Ais again.
My preference is to go for good primes which could be also used on my digital.
Your 18-200 sounds promising.

 

[Hamish Gill]

£474 for a 180mm Nikon?
Must be a new one?

that is a good preference to have when looking at older glass imo

 

[Larry Bolch]

Has anyone tried using a DX format (sensor size 24x16mm) on an film camera (sensor size 36x24mm)?

In effect, I have. At one point I had both the DX D300 and FX D700 which is the same size as a film camera and tried my DX lenses on it.

I have a 18-200mm DX Nikon zoom and I am wondering whether I could use it on the Nikon FE body ( it fits). Ken Rockwell says " It won't work on a film camera: the corners will come out black." Why could I not use PS to crop the black corners?

From 1959 to today, almost all Nikon lenses will fit on all Nikon bodies with very few exceptions—early lenses generally referred to as pre-AI. However, even they can mostly be adapted by a camera repair shop to work. Even with the new little Nikon 1 with its new CX mount, has an adapter for vintage Nikon F-mount lenses. While most can be made to fit, not every body/lens combination offers the full range of features.

Every lens has an image circle it projects. If the circle is smaller than the film or sensor, you will get terminal vignetting outside that circle. The 18-200mm I found, could not cover the whole sensor in the D700 at any focal length or aperture. On the other hand, the 12-24mm had enough coverage to let you do a panoramic composition at 14mm and get pretty much full frame coverage at 16mm to 24mm. The edges at 14-16mm were noticeably soft, but stopped down, it was usable.

The FX cameras have DX mode, which can be set to kick in automatically. In DX mode, they only use the middle of the sensor, so DX lenses work fine. It produces around a 5MP image, and you get the 1.5× crop. As you ask, you most certainly can use full frame and crop in processing, which will give you considerably more flexibility. With the 18-200mm lens for example, you could crop out a square image if you so desired.

With the newest Nikon lenses however—including most, if not all, DX lenses—aperture is controlled by the camera body, making them far less useful on old film bodies. These lenses would have a G or AF-S in their names. The names of Nikon lenses carry a lot of information, and there is a guide to the abbreviations at

Nikon F-mount - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Austin O'Hara]

Thanks for the Wiki link Larry.
I use Wikipedia a great deal but for some reason it never showed up in my initial searches.
Since I have lot of film to use I will do some experimentation with the FE.