Looking around for an older, used DSLR camera

Years ago I use to own a Nikon F2 that I purchase for $500.00 dollar and used it along with an older Lieca M series I found in a camera store.

We use to travel around shooting various subjects, such as people, nature, various types of architectures, older homes built in the 1800's,. It was common for older Victorian homes to have spiral staircases inside.

One area we use to go in the Northwest, is Port Townsend Washington, originally named 'Port Townsend' by Captain George Vancouver (for his friend the Marquis of Townsend) in 1792, Port Townsend was immediately recognized as a good, safe harbor, which it remains to this day. The official settlement of the city took place on the 24th of April, 1851

My friend who later became a professional photographer use to carry with him a mid or large format camera along with a his 35mm and a wooden box camera with wooden tri-pod and hood.

Back in the 70's I learned photography while studying various film photographers and their work. The early 1900s was an era for the advent of 35mm film. There were many well know photographers of which many over time have seemed to have become forgotten. Most of their work can be found in books and museums. I think of them as pioneers of photography that used a different type of science when compared to digital photography.

Here's one home we shot both inside and out after asking permission from the owner.



Anyway I'm still looking around for a lens, which most seem to be more expensive than the D70.

I've been looking at a few Nikon auto focus 18-55mm, 18-75mm and others.

I'm still trying to familiarize myself with lenses that will work with the Nikon D series.
https://www.nikonimgsupport.com/ni/NI_article?articleNo=000001033&lang=en_US

The D70 is rated as a consumer camera along with the D5300, D5200, D5100, D5000, D3300, D3200, D3100, D3000, D80, D70, D60, D40, and D40X
https://www.nikonimgsupport.com/ni/NI_article?articleNo=000002638&lang=en_US

I did find a Nikon D80 that comes with a 18-70mm AFS Lens for $199.00 with free shipping. Shutter count is 1280.

There are other D80's with lenses within approx the same price range.

I'm thinking if I purchased the D70 for $55.00 and spend money for a good lens such as AF 18-70mm, AF 18-135mm etc. the total cost may not be much less than a D80 that comes with a lens and a low shutter count.

albert01 said:

...

I've found some older DSLR some that have been around 10 years or so.

Such as Nikon D50, Nikon D70, Sony Alpha a100, CANON EOS 7D, 10D, Pentax K10, etc.

Any suggestions, recommendations?

...

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My familiarity is with Canon. Of the cameras you mentioned, the EOS 7D is much better than the 10D. If you can get a 7D for around $100, then I would go for it.

One of the advantages of the Canon EOS DSLRs is that they can us every EOS EF lens made since the late 1980's. If you want are looking for inexpensive used gear, then look for some EOS film SLRs. Buy those bodies and the associated lenses. Those film era lenses will work just fine on any Canon DSLR. The only issue is that the less expensive DSLRs are "crop body" sensors. That is the sensor is smaller than a traditional 35mm film frame. Going back to your darkroom days, it's as if the film carrier for your enlarger was for a smaller size frame. You only get the center portion of what you would get with a 35mm film SLR.

Canon (and others) do make full frame DSLRs, but these tend to cost a bit more, and it will be more of a challenge to find one in good condition for around $100.

I think that you will find the DSLR JPEG experience similar to shooting slide film. You want to be careful about blowing out the highlights.

If you set your camera to shoot RAW, it's closer to shooting film negatives in that you have more leeway to correct exposure issues in your "electronic darkroom".

If you had a larger budget, I would suggest buying a factory refurbished entry level DSLR from Canon USA. The technology is advancing very quickly. Today's entry level DSLRs do some things much better than the top of the line bodies from a few years ago.

The good news is that any DSLR made if the last 5 or so years should easily be able to match the quality you got from a 35mm film SLR.

If you are moving to digital in this way (which I think is a great way to do it), you definitely will have to get used to lenses that cost more than your camera. Lenses have always held their value, even in the days of film, but in digital it seems like the cameras come and go, while good glass is more or less forever. Lenses that are contemporary to my own old Nikon (the first "old" digital camera I've had, probably 12 years old or so) are still in production and priced as new gear, not "obsolete" old stuff.

yardcoyote said:

If you are moving to digital in this way (which I think is a great way to do it), you definitely will have to get used to lenses that cost more than your camera. Lenses have always held their value, even in the days of film, but in digital it seems like the cameras come and go, while good glass is more or less forever. Lenses that are contemporary to my own old Nikon (the first "old" digital camera I've had, probably 12 years old or so) are still in production and priced as new gear, not "obsolete" old stuff.

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Two of the lenses I bought with my Nikon FE2 in 1984 are still listed as current (I'd be amazed if they were actually in production; there are just probably lots of them lying around): the 24mm f/2.8 AI-S and the 55mm f/2.8 AI-S Micro Nikkor. And I still use the Micro Nikkor quite a bit because it's a great copy lens.

There are what appears to be some good deals on eBay for (sold and up for auction) D80's with lens or lenses. however while looking around at D80's with and without lenses. I would e-mail the seller asking about the shutter count and most never heard back from them or they would e-mail with "I don't know" or they didn't know anything about a shutter count, etc.

I also found another craigslist seller with a D40 and three lenses. However when question about the shutter count he had asked me how to figure it out. I then e-mailed him back explaining about the EXIF metadata and the various EXIF metadata viewers available and what to look for from a tab labeled with "Total Number" such as Total number of Pictures Taken or Total Number of Shutter Releases for Camera.

He answered that he would get back with me about it.

His asking price is $200.00 OBO

The complete kit consists of

Nikkor AF-S 18-70 zoom 1:3.5-4.5G ED
Nikkor AF-S 55-200 zoom 1:4-5.6 G
Sigma 28-200 zoom 1:3.8-5.6

Vivitar Series 1 closeup lenses set of 4
Pro Series auto focus macro extension tube set (12, 20, 36mm)
IR remote & 2 batteries

I figured the lenses may be worth somewhere between $100 and $150.00? perhaps more depending on their condition.

He had some pics of some of his camera equipment, didn't appear to be anywhere near mint and I have no idea how well it was taken care of etc. From the pics everything appeared a bit ragged.

So I passed on it and went ahead and purchase a Nikon D80 10.2 MP Digital SLR Camera W/ 18-70mm AFS lens, Battery and Charger advertised with a shutter count of 1280 for $199.00 with free shipping.

I also looked at a few D90 but their going for quite a bit more than D80's as there were some improvements with the D90 which I believe has some technical similarities to the D300.

I'm uncertain of this D80 with lens condition other than from seller's description and his pics. It's cosmetic condition from the pics appears approx. as described, perhaps 8 out of 10?

"Camera is in fully working condition. It has not been used for long time; about 3 years at least. It has been sitting in closet. Still takes excellent pictures. Lens is very clean both front and rear elements. Please see pictures as they were taken today. Cosmetic condition is 8 out of 10. Comes with everything you see in pictures including the box and 4gb card."

I think I am correct in saying the D70, D90 and D300 were unique/advanced enough to remain in production for a long time.

(compared to several others like D200 that were more quickly replaced).

Yes, still becoming familiar with Digital Photography & DSLR. From what I've read so far the D80 is a replacement for the D70 and the D90 a replacement for the D80.

D70 Announcement Date: 2004-04-05

D80 Announcement Date: 2006-09-23

Here some key differences between the D70 and D80

(D70) 6MP - APS-C CCD Sensor
(D80) 10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor

(D70) ISO 200 - 1600
(D80) ISO 100 - 1600 ( expands to 3200)

(D70) 1.8″ Fixed Type Screen
(D80) 2.5″ Fixed Type Screen

(D70) Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
(D80) Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

* Higher-end SLR cameras include a pentaprism to transmit the image from the lens to the viewfinder, whereas lower-end SLR cameras use a pentamirror. Pentaprism Viewfinders are brighter than Pentamirror type

Max Shutter Speed

(D70) - 1/8000s
(D80) - 1/4000s

Low Light ISO
(D70) 529
(D80) 524 better High ISO performance

Sensor Pixel Area
(D70) 61.02µm2
(D80) 37.14µm2 64% larger pixel area

LCD Screen Size
(D70) 1.8"
(D80) 2.5" 0.7 inches larger display

LCD Screen Resolution
(D70) 130k dots
(D80) 230k dotS 76% higher resolution screen
Flash Coverage
(D70) 11.0m
(D80) 13.0m 2m longer range
Color Depth
(D70) 20.4
(D80) 22.1 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
(D70) 10.3
(D80) 11.2 higher dynamic range
AE Bracketing
(D70) No
(D80) Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

PhotoTeach2 said:

I think I am correct in saying the D70, D90 and D300 were unique/advanced enough to remain in production for a long time.

(compared to several others like D200 that were more quickly replaced).

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I don't know about the others but ptoduction of the D90 was extended quite considerably beyond its intended close and well after its successor, the D7000 was released.

Having never been taken in by the megapixel marketing ploy, I've got one of each snd the D90 is still my first choice.


"It's good to be . . . . . . . . . Me!"

albert01 said:

I have been looking at a few Nikon D series on eBay, many are body only. Such as D40, D50, D60, D70, D80, D90 & D100. Some have included lens or lenses.

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Many forum members still use the D90, and I've seen some good results from a relative who used a D90 until recently.

albert01 said:

Is it important to inquire about the shutter count?

Click to expand...

You could ask.

albert01 said:

I'm first looking for a package with battery charger and at least one lens. It's been quite a while since I've looked at SLR lenses.

Click to expand...

A battery charger (and battery) will be important. If the battery is original, you may need to think about a replacement (third party are OK). Lenses are mostly autofocus, and some have vibration reduction (VR). You'll need to bone up on the nomenclature.

albert01 said:

I'm still more accustomed to SLR photography, using light meters and manual settings. My previous photography I rarely if ever used a camera with auto settings. We used mainly a lens, aperture, shutter, film and lighting to create photographs, with a certain amount of control over the film from a dark room.

Click to expand...

Most shooters rarely shoot manual these days. Note that digital images have an extensive range of embedded shooting parameters so you don't have to record the settings as you shoot. See example below.

albert01 said:

I do miss the connection with the past as modern photography has a past that dates back to the 1800s and 35mm film to the early 1900's. In the Digital world this connection with the past as well as film photographers of past has seem to found both a mental and spiritual separation. I suppose this is in part due because the sciences are different.

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I know where you are coming from. I recently came into possession of a very nice film SLR (OM2) and enjoyed using it for a day or two. Emphasis on the "day or two".

Is your budget really limited to $100? For a little more, you'll get a much better camera, and don't forget the lenses.

Best wishes.

[ATTACH alt="Note the abbreviated "EXIF" data displayed lower left when you mouse over this image."]1872357[/ATTACH]
Note the abbreviated "EXIF" data displayed lower left when you mouse over this image.

albert01 said:

Low Light ISO
(D70) 529
(D80) 524 better High ISO performance

Click to expand...

Actually it's the reverse, but the difference is so small it's completely insignificant. This value is a measure for the highest ISO setting that gives a relatively clean output.

Rather than look at numbers, just test for yourself what you find good enough.

albert01 said:

Dynamic Range
(D70) 10.3
(D80) 11.2 higher dynamic range

Click to expand...

The difference comes from the fact that the D70 starts at ISO 200, and the D80 at ISO 100. You'll have more DR with the D80 if you shoot at base ISO; at higher values they are virtually the same - which is already an achievement given that the megapixel count went from 6 to 10.

The technological breakthrough came with the D90 which has vastly improved DR.

Here's a graph comparing the three:

One resource I don't think anyone's mentioned are the Wikipedia camera templates. These are basically tables of all the models in a system laid out by chronology and tier. So you can map which models are successors of others, and which are entry-level and which are prosumer; which are APS-C and which are full-frame. It can help you suss through the welter of models you're running into.

Nikon:


Canon:


Just me, but I'd say go for a prosumer mid-tier model, like a Canon XXD body, vs. a dRebel XXXD body. And a Nikon D70/D80/D90/D7x00 vs. a D40/D3x00 or D50/D5x00 body.

The prosumers have dual-wheel control and that alone makes them better for an M-mode SLR shooter: you use one wheel for aperture, and the other for shutter speed. With the entry-level models, it's a wheel and a mode button that you either hold down or don't. It's a bit of a PITA with M mode; they're basically expecting the entry-level user to always be in an automated mode, so the one wheel you have is for exposure compensation settings.

Jestertheclown said:

PhotoTeach2 said:

I think I am correct in saying the D70, D90 and D300 were unique/advanced enough to remain in production for a long time.

(compared to several others like D200 that were more quickly replaced).

Click to expand...

I don't know about the others but ptoduction of the D90 was extended quite considerably beyond its intended close and well after its successor, the D7000 was released.

Having never been taken in by the megapixel marketing ploy, I've got one of each snd the D90 is still my first choice.

"It's good to be . . . . . . . . . Me!"

Click to expand...

agree with this, I had the D80, and moved to D90 was as significant to me as going to the D700.

the D90 and a 50mm prime ...would be the bomb and when I look at where mine got me, I recommend the the D90 as well. If you get your photos then well done, if you dont, well the D90 is still plenty enough.

Win-Win.

isme said:

Actually it's the reverse, but the difference is so small it's completely insignificant. This value is a measure for the highest ISO setting that gives a relatively clean output.

Click to expand...

You're correct, It was late while copying the specification data from a website, formatted in a way that one could not copy and past the specification differences.

should read

Low Light ISO

(D70) 524

(D80) 529 better High ISO performance

----------------------------------------

My past digital cameras I've used for a number of years are a HP point and shoot and a Canon Powershot S40 I picked for $5.00 at a garage sale.

For myself a DSLR is a significant step up for a digital camera.

I was at first thinking of upgrading to better resolution water and shock proof digital point and shoot camera. Some are rated to be dropped from certain heights and most have different depths for water submersion. from few feet to several meters. Also rated as dust proof, for when shooting in dusty and dirty conditions.

D70 and D80 is noted as having an "Environmental Sealing" as "not suitable for tough conditions". Which I suspect is common for many of the DSLR's.

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I'm currently looking around for a camera case and possibly some sort of zoom lens to do some nature photography.

I live next to the Pacific Ocean where there are mostly small farms and older homes. There are a few newer homes but no apartment and housing developments.

Other than some tourism, jobs in the area are mainly linked to commercial fishing, commercial shell fishing, commercial crabbing and small commercial farms, most of which are cranberry farms.

There is some wildlife in the area such as wild Seagulls, Ospreys, Bald Eagles, Brown Eagles, hawks, falcons, etc.

There are also small birds that nest in the sand dunes such as the Snowy Plover which is protected species along the West Coast.

Also in the area are larger animals such as a few bear, elk, deer and coyotes. However the surrounding hills have been mostly logged off in the past, so there isn't much of a habitat left for the animals as all of the old growth has disappeared, some has been replaced by Douglas fir but the old growth is mostly gone. So much of the wildlife has also disappeared or is struggling for some sort of an existence.

I'm not certain of the age of what forest remains, much is around 20 - 40 years while other is perhaps between 40, 80 and 100 years.

I guess what some people may not realize is just around 100 years ago the average age of the forests here along the coast and farther inland was 750 years. So in less than 100 years significant changes have occurred both environmentally and climatically. Besides a lack of habitat. There is no more naturally buffering and protection from diseases that an old growth forests once offered. Which has actually hurt the logging industry as now they need to spray vast forested areas with chemicals. Many of the newer (mainly Douglas Fir) forests the trees are dying and turning brown as they no longer have any natural defenses against diseases and insects. One little beetle can potentially kill off an entire forest. It becomes impossible or nearly impossible to control a little beetle (that may have originated in a foreign country) . Douglas Fir at one time wasn't the dominant species of tree at least here along the West Coast where it exists today. There at one time were eight dominant species of trees. Man changed the forest by replanting most all of the trees with Douglas Fir which is mainly has become a hybrid designed for logging and logging mills. However doing so created a modern mono-culture forest that is vulnerable and become much hotter than forests of the past. Which has lead to a problem with forest fires along the west coast where the climate is dryer without enough precipitation. This is not normal, these areas in past may have become dry in the past but usually were able to recover. One problem is Logging forest in one area can effect forests, weather and climates from hundreds to thousands of miles away.

I guess I became off topic but thought somethings may be worth noting as I'm planning on using the D80 for nature and natural world photography of which addresses certain aspects of our modern world.

I think you are way over thinking this by going into the more or less negligible differences in the Nikon specification comparisons that you've posted recently.

Go down that route for much longer and you'll soon realise that something like a D7200 has pushed quite a long way - if you pay attention to the market chasing spec war - from a D70, D70s, D80, D90. (D200 and D300 don't really belong in that progression, the 3 digit number indicates "Professional quality body"). That's why there are Nikon DX and Nikon Pro DX forums on DPR.

You don't want to pay top dollar for a modern camera, and you don't need to, because for the sort of photography you say you want to do,in the light I expect you'll be taking them in, the results really won't be significantly different. In other words, it's a bit too late to get involved in a decade old Megapixel race?

You said earlier "I did find a Nikon D80 that comes with a 18-70mm AFS Lens for $199.00 with free shipping. Shutter count is 1280."

Go for it, especially if that's the one with all the pictures that you just posted. The DPR contemporary review of the D80 is worth a read, and it will do everything that you've mentioned, including being fully compatible with AF-D lenses. The star of that particular duet, though, is the 18-70. It's a bit long in the tooth, of course, but I don't think there's much doubt that it was the best Nikon mid-range zoom lens available up to that point, if you didn't want to sell an arm or a leg to get something better.

I take it you've decided that you want to go retro DSLR (and by the sound of things, Nikon retro) despite what I said above about it being a very loose approximation to shooting with a really good retro film camera, handling and control-wise? That's absolutely fine with me, as I also said above I have a lot of old Nikon DSLRs and I'm very fond of all of them.

Nevertheless, I'm still going to say something that if I'd been a bit quicker witted I would have included in my first post. My excuse is that although you mentioned old DSLRs in your title, in the text itself you also mentioned Leica rangefinders?

If you also enjoyed that shooting experience, then there is another modern 'almost equivalent experience', in the Fuji XPro series cameras. There are two at the moment, the XPro-1 (discontinued, but readily available in good used condition and not too far above your original $100 budget, if you shop carefully) and the XPro-2 . The latter has some quite significant upgrades, but it's way beyond your budget.

Both cameras avoid the "EVF only" issue with the XT cameras that I mentioned above, as they have a very modern take on the legacy rangefinder viewfinder - it's marketed as a "hybrid OVF/EVF" system. They have the very clever option of switching between an optical finder (but enhanced with helpful info in an electronic overlay) and a 'pure' modern EVF.

And I think that's about it from me in this thread - I hope it works out for you, and I'm sure it will as long as you buy carefully.

I enjoy all types of shooting experiences. So I'm not stuck on any one type of device except for those devices I currently own.

I don't really want to become stuck as some people are in thinking how I can continually improve experiences by improving my equipment. Rather, how I can better utilize the equipment I already own?. Trying methods to innovate rather then to continually upgrade or change to different equipment. Which is ok, but currently not really into it.

I do respect other opinions and often will check out things based on other recommendations and suggestions. I'm still learning more each day about digital photography and have a long ways to go. So for myself it's often the learning experience that becomes most important.

____________________

If you re-read my post about the D80 camera with posted pics. I stated I went ahead and purchased the D80 for $199.00 that came with a lens.

I'm currently looking for a camera bag and think I'll get a small one that's selling for under $10.00 that large enough for the D80, lens and memory cards.

In the future I'll look around for a larger bag when I'm able to find a zoom lens for subject matter such as nature photography, etc.

I've been on the Internet more than 35 years and buying and selling different types of equipment since the early 80s.

I've been on eBay since the 90's and have looked at auctions for many years and can usually tell which sellers are being honest, of which many of them are, but not all of the time. I've had a few sellers try to scam me but eBay has fairly good protection against bad sellers.

Now if it's just a question of the level of quality and condition of an item, you can usually tell by how an auction is described and implemented along with it's pics.

Purchasing items on eBay since the 90s I'm usually correct about the sellers and the quality of their items, however many of the auctions don't have enough information, poor pics, poor descriptions, etc. If I email a seller and they either don't respond or aren't friendly enough and without enough information then I just pass on the item.

I'm uncertain where actually you can draw a line with digital photography as there's always going to be equipment you aren't going to be able to afford and out of your price range. Unless perhaps you're a wealthy billionaire.

It's been a while since I've looked at SLR lenses and filters.

I'm looking for a macro lens mainly for closeup photography and not particularly for wide angle photography.

I've come across aftermarket ~$15.00 to ~$30.00 wide angle macro lenses such as e.g.

52MM UHD FISHEYE LENS+ MACRO Nikon D80 D90 D40 D60 D3200 D5200 D4X F4

67mm Wide Angle Macro Lens for Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX NI

New 67mm 43x HD4 Wide Angle Macro Lens for Nikon Nikkor 18-70mm 18-135mm AF-S DX

However the first one is titled as 52mm listing Nikon D series cameras while others are 67MM for particular lens sizes.

I've also come across some close up macro lenses such as e.g.

Close Up Macro Filter Set for Nikon D70 D70s D80 D90 D200 with 18-70mm Lens

Close up macro set consisting of the +1, +2 and +4 diopters and the +10 MACRO.

With description "These will screw directly to your Nikon D70s or D200 while using the Nikon 18-70mm lens without any adapter"

I think I prefer a macro lens set rather than a wide angle (fish eye) with macro.

There should be no differences adding the same macro lenses to a D80 as long as the D80 is using the same 18-70mm Nikon lens?

I'm not certain of the exact lens that comes with the D80 recently purchased as the description only shows Nikon AFS 18-70mm AFS lens.

From what I've read the D80 was commonly packaged with a Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G AF-S DX lens, with a 67 millimeter filter thread size.

Whereas the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II uses a 52mm filter thread.

So I "should" be ok using any 67mm filter or closeup lens with the 18-70mm lens?

Perhaps I'm missing something here. Why are sellers are advertising compatibility with a particular cameras where AFAIK the compatibility should be with particular lenses?

albert01 said:

It's been a while since I've looked at SLR lenses and filters.

I'm looking for a macro lens mainly for closeup photography and not particularly for wide angle photography.

I've come across aftermarket ~$15.00 to ~$30.00 wide angle macro lenses such as e.g.

52MM UHD FISHEYE LENS+ MACRO Nikon D80 D90 D40 D60 D3200 D5200 D4X F4

67mm Wide Angle Macro Lens for Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX NI

New 67mm 43x HD4 Wide Angle Macro Lens for Nikon Nikkor 18-70mm 18-135mm AF-S DX

However the first one is titled as 52mm listing Nikon D series cameras while others are 67MM for particular lens sizes.

I've also come across some close up macro lenses such as e.g.

Close Up Macro Filter Set for Nikon D70 D70s D80 D90 D200 with 18-70mm Lens

Close up macro set consisting of the +1, +2 and +4 diopters and the +10 MACRO.

With description "These will screw directly to your Nikon D70s or D200 while using the Nikon 18-70mm lens without any adapter"

I think I prefer a macro lens set rather than a wide angle (fish eye) with macro.

There should be no differences adding the same macro lenses to a D80 as long as the D80 is using the same 18-70mm Nikon lens?

I'm not certain of the exact lens that comes with the D80 recently purchased as the description only shows Nikon AFS 18-70mm AFS lens.

From what I've read the D80 was commonly packaged with a Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G AF-S DX lens, with a 67 millimeter filter thread size.

Whereas the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II uses a 52mm filter thread.

So I "should" be ok using any 67mm filter or closeup lens with the 18-70mm lens?

Perhaps I'm missing something here. Why are sellers are advertising compatibility with a particular cameras where AFAIK the compatibility should be with particular lenses?

Click to expand...

Those screw-on (diopter) close-up filters are possibly the WORSE (albeit the CHEAPEST) way to get macro.

They have extremely narrow DOF and poor quality.

NOTE that there are some higher-quality MULTI-ELEMENT close-up adapters but they are more expensive and still not as good as a true "macro" lens.

But they are cheaper so maybe ok for you to get started with.

You're correct many of the filters are cheap and inexpensive, using poor quality materials and manufacturing methods.

For an inexpensive set I was looking at e.g.

Digital Concepts Close Up Lens 67mm Set +1 +2 +4 & 10X Macro w/ Soft Case

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Co...642061?hash=item4d6434784d:g:hBoAAOSwEIFZzA~T

Over an inexpensive Super Wide angle fisheye + macro lens

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Wide...085886?hash=item234cc8d67e:g:2K4AAOxyUgtTOcEo

Any recommendations for better quality macro lens or macro lens set?

Do you have any examples for a " true "macro" lens"?

I'm always open to suggestions and paying for better quality and performance.

albert01 said:

It's been a while since I've looked at SLR lenses and filters.

I'm looking for a macro lens mainly for closeup photography and not particularly for wide angle photography.

I've come across aftermarket ~$15.00 to ~$30.00 wide angle macro lenses such as e.g.

52MM UHD FISHEYE LENS+ MACRO Nikon D80 D90 D40 D60 D3200 D5200 D4X F4

67mm Wide Angle Macro Lens for Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX NI

New 67mm 43x HD4 Wide Angle Macro Lens for Nikon Nikkor 18-70mm 18-135mm AF-S DX

However the first one is titled as 52mm listing Nikon D series cameras while others are 67MM for particular lens sizes.

I've also come across some close up macro lenses such as e.g.

Close Up Macro Filter Set for Nikon D70 D70s D80 D90 D200 with 18-70mm Lens

Close up macro set consisting of the +1, +2 and +4 diopters and the +10 MACRO.

With description "These will screw directly to your Nikon D70s or D200 while using the Nikon 18-70mm lens without any adapter"

I think I prefer a macro lens set rather than a wide angle (fish eye) with macro.

There should be no differences adding the same macro lenses to a D80 as long as the D80 is using the same 18-70mm Nikon lens?

I'm not certain of the exact lens that comes with the D80 recently purchased as the description only shows Nikon AFS 18-70mm AFS lens.

From what I've read the D80 was commonly packaged with a Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G AF-S DX lens, with a 67 millimeter filter thread size.

Whereas the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II uses a 52mm filter thread.

So I "should" be ok using any 67mm filter or closeup lens with the 18-70mm lens?

Perhaps I'm missing something here. Why are sellers are advertising compatibility with a particular cameras where AFAIK the compatibility should be with particular lenses?

Click to expand...

There's quite a jumble of terms here.

Fisheye isn't the same as standard wide angle which is usually rectilinear. Fisheye is an acquired taste that I've never acquired, and I stopped reading National Geographic decades ago when they became obsessed with fisheye.

Macro lenses aren't usually wide angle; more typically 85-105mm to give adequate subject distance. Some zoom lenses come with the ability to focus quite close, and can be advertised as offering "macro", but it's not the same as a true macro lens which can achieve 1:1 image size. Note that although you can use macro lenses for ordinary photography, they often have quite slow AF (precision rather than speed).

Screw-on macro adapters and other adapters (wide angle etc.) can work for some people, but macro extension tubes (and other manoeuvres) are often preferred for macro in the absence of special macro lenses.

As you surmise, adapters are designed for lenses and camera type is not important. If you can only get 67mm versions, there are special down-sizing adapter rings for other sizes.

I'm just going on how some of the online sellers are advertising. There aren't any photography shops and stores within 50 miles of where I reside. Shops and store selling photo equipment with people knowledgeable of photography can be found perhaps ~125 to ~150+ miles from my location.

The term fisheye was coined in 1906 by American physicist and inventor Robert W. Wood based on how a fish would see an ultrawide hemispherical view from beneath the water (a phenomenon known as Snell's window).[2][3] Their first practical use was in the 1920s for use in meteorology[4][5] to study cloud formation giving them the name "whole-sky lenses". The angle of view of a fisheye lens is usually between 100 and 180 degrees[1] while the focal lengths depend on the film format they are designed for.