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best camera for manual M42 lenses?
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:30 pm    Post subject: best camera for manual M42 lenses? Reply with quote
I have a choice of several bodies and would like to have an opinion on them. My choices are:

Nikon D40
Nikon D70
Nikon D200

Canon 20D

Olympus E510

Epson R-D1

I do mainly macro, so infinity focus (problematic with Nikon) is not an issue.

Other than that Pro/Cons??


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I think some Nikon bodies won't provide metering- somebody else in the forum should know better than me. I assume you rule out non-digital bodies, yes?


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 5:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Metering is not an issue for me, and yes, it is only about digital bodies.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 5:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you're going Nikon the D200 has a far better viewfinder than the other two and will give you metering if you ever need it, but it's substantially dearer... Of the listed cameras it also has the highest image quality.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
my VERY biased opinon: Pentax *istDS

OK, this is and a very humble and unlikely contestant, the camera I use..Wink

but I just overread a thread where somebody at leasts puts it way over the Nikon D50, Canon D350 and the even slightly over the very similar Pentax K20D, see:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=28923978

I love mine, had chosen it specially for MF, and with the Pentax x1.18 eyepiece on top I find MF very easy indeed.

cheers,
andreas

Last edited by kuuan on Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:43 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you really don't care about the meter, I'd consider looking for a used D50/70. I prefer a D50 (d70 has reliability issues and I own both).

D50 VS D200 for macro:
D50 has an electronic shutter! Very little mirror slap or shutter recoil.
Shutter/mirror vibration is a serious issue for macro with the d200/300.
D200/300 shutter/mirror has been redesigned in the D700 to help solve this problem. Nikon knows it's an issue or they wouldn't have redesigned them in the D700. A D200 with the D50's electronic shutter would be perfect..

D200 flash sync is 1/250, D50 is 1/500 (onboard flash) or smart flashes.
IF you have a $350 Nikon SB-800 flash the D200 will sync at any shutter speed in "FP" mode. FP drastically cuts the power of the flash to about 3ft max. The SB-800 definately helps the D200 for macro but it's flash power is VERY weak in FP mode.

D50 will sync ANY cheap manual flash you can find up to 1/2000 sec. or more. My sunpak 383 will sync perfectly at 1/4000s and at FULL POWER. This can be huge a benefit if you want to eliminate ambient light from contributing to the shot (freezing motion, etc). My D50 macro images are always sharper than the D200.

I still use the D200 a lot because it meters more of my old lenses and it also registers the lens info (if you set it in the menus) correctly in the EXIF data. I also have the sb-800 and "custom snoot" which helps a lot. Be careful with some old lenses as the D50 will be damaged if you try to mount an unmodified pre AI lens.

Look through my bug gallery, select the best images then check the exif to see what it was shot with.. Lot of examples in here from both D50 and D200.

Another consideration is the huge amount of used MACRO accessories available for the Nikons. Way more than for canon or pentax. If money is no concern, then get a canon and their 60mm 5x lens and be done with it.

I like using the bellows, reversed lenses, diopters, extension tubes, various lenses, ring flash, etc.... that are available cheap on the used market.
http://www.pbase.com/arlon/bugs


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
PENTAX ! Any current DSLR version.

Focus confirm, exposure, AV mode, and the really, really valuable IS for all manual lenses.

The only big downside of Pentax is mount limitations, but M42 is no problem at all. Get the Pentax adapter and you're set.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
phantastic shots Andreas and Arlon!

Maybe a bit of a misunderstanding here, I have asked which cams out of the mentioned ones (which I own) would be the preferred ones, but I'm happy to also learn that there are other, maybe bettter ones.

And thanks for the tips on macrolenses, I only have about 600 of them in my collection www.macrolenses.de (showing about 50% of them), so I'm not so eager to get more of those....without risking a divorce Wink


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
kds315* wrote:
...600 of them in my collection www.macrolenses.de Wink


now I know what awestruck means!
that list there...man..speechless here..
how many times to read 'Leitz, Wetzlar, Rodenstock and Zeiss and Bausch & Lomb and...

OK, for now Klaus I simply choose to forget about it, the only way out to stay happy with mine;)

DAMN..can't believe that


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hello Klaus
I think if you only want to use for M42 the Pentax k10d or k20d would be super. Having seen so many nice shots from Pentax owners here on the forum. I have the canons for mounting Contax and Full Frame. Otherwise I think I would like the Pentax with in body AF confirm and IS. Plus the reds look so nice with Pentax compared to Canon and Nikon. Shocked


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have Nikon D50 I have great experience with that I really love it even if I sold. I switched to Olympus because I can use almost any lenses on it. This time Olympus E-1 a dirt cheap camera and with split screen can work beautifully. I see only too options to try many lenses Canon and Olympus.If you won't try many mount I really amazed by Pentax and Nikon.Look just Luis pictures isn't amazing ?


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Klaus, I am also shell-shocked, awestruck, thunderstruck, etc....

What a FANTASTIC collection....simply amazing....beautiful.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:00 pm    Post subject: Re: best camera for manual M42 lenses? Reply with quote
kds315* wrote:
I do mainly macro, so infinity focus (problematic with Nikon) is not an issue.

I can tell you what I think about the E510.
You get all the advantages that you would get on the Pentax, even though focus confirmation is only possible via a chipped adapter (like the Dandelion) plus you get LIVE VIEW which blows any viewfinder out of the water for CRITICAL FOCUS on STATIONARY SUBJECTS!


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I tried E-330 Liveview in shop before I purchased E-1 I didn't find to useful tool.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 2:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
I tried E-330 Liveview in shop before I purchased E-1 I didn't find to useful tool.

I don't know about the E330 but the E510 can show magnified Live View by 7X or 10X. For macro work on tripod, no other focusing method comes even close.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
For critical shots, the E510 with 7x/10x live preview currently is my most used DSLR, 10Mpix gives fine resolution too.

The 2x crop factor on 4/3 cameras sometimes helps, sometimes gets in the way (wide angle)

Example (resized):


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Klaus, this is a fantastic example of the need for critical macro focusing! The shot itself is a beautiful treatise for composition.

And those COLORS! Whoa! Very Happy

Larry


PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks Larry!

This is UV induced visible fluorescence btw. the visual version of it looks like that:

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