[BEAST]

hey guys very new to forum, have been searching everywere for sosme info, ok bassicly my finace has an old hoby of picture taking m shes only 19 so i fought id buy here an old nikon, got it for a batrgin howveer i cannot seem to find any info as to what lens i need, i do know however that a nikkor AF35mm lens will fit, but what i was wondering is what lens do what, witch other lenses i can use, what the fixture type is i am looking for, and jkust general info,, and what lens mm i need for differsnt picture, all the basic info and im sure i willbe uploading pictures soon

very much appreciate any info possible

[stepheno]

Hi...and welcome to Pixalo. The f401 is a 35mm film slr camera which was introduced in the 80's. Personally I am not able to offer any advice but we have one or two members who have shot 35mm film Nikon and they may be able to help.

[-Oy-]

Hi

You're looking for Nikon F mount lenses but not the moders "G" type that have no aperture ring. Something like the Nikon 50mm F/1.8 AF-D would give great results. It'll also take the older manual focus lenses that can give great results on a budget.

No idea where you are but if you're in the UK I'd recommend Ffordes for used stuff. Something like this would be a good starter...

35-70mm F3.3-4.5 AF by Nikon - Ffordes Photographic

[dabhand16]

Welcome to Pixalo Beast

-Oy- has summed it up

[BEAST]

ok so a f mount, means any lens with say

....Nikon Nikkor AF-D 35-80mm f4 - 5.6 <<< does the f4.5.6 refer to the mount i need, and what lens are used for what sort of shooting, i manged to get a tripod for like a fiva the camera for a tenna , i ordered some old film, and what else do i need for say special effects and stuff like that, and say wwhat are the mm for i did photogorapyh in school but ill be honest i just used a dslr and half held the button to focous and pressed it, so yea lol

[BEAST]

so thge f4.675 thingy the letter stands for the mount and the mm is the focus?

[dabhand16]

No - The f number that you refer to is the aperture of the lens. The lower the f number here is the bigger the aperture. All lenses will have one number like f1.8, or if it is a zoom lens there will be two numbers like ff4 - 5.6 as the maximum aperture varieds with the focal length (the 35-70mm).

The f mount you need is the fitting. You will be able to buy lenses with the Nikon f mount made by Nikon, Sigma, Tamron, and others. Provided they have the f mount they will fit. Be aware that autofocus lenses will not autofocus with this camera, and as said, do not buy a lens that does not have an aperture ring on it.

[BEAST]

ok firstly wow,. confusing, ok what is apreture and how do i know if its an f mount?

[BEAST]

and i have been told the f401 is rubbish do you tihnk i should get something else if so could you recoomend and dslr or slr for around 100-150 quid that would be more worth it? pleas help expecting a child on 11 aug and would really enjoy to take our own semi pro pics @

[dabhand16]

To be honest I'd go for a digital camera as it will so much easier in the long run.

You should be able to get something in your price range. Look at Nikon D70/D70s or maybe the D80. The standard lens was the 18-55, but if you can get one with the 18-70 it will be worth paying the extra money. I'm not so well up on Canons, but the 400D would be worth looking at. Again the standard lens is 18-55.

Other cameras in your budget are made by Pentax, Olympus and others.

You might also want to check out the 'bridge' cameras made by Fuji and Panasonic (and others). These are halfway between a compact point and shoot and a dSLR. The lenses are not interchangeable but are better than the compacts. They will definitely be in your budget.

[-Oy-]

I'd also recommend a bridge camera - you can't go far wrong with either Fuji or Panasonic. CEX do some good used cameras and all their stuff comes with 12 months warranty. For example...

CeX (UK) Electronics, Photo & Video, Compact Cameras, Fuji Finepix S9000/S9500 9M, A

Forget "semi-pro" pics. The words "semi-pro" and "pro" refer to making money not the quality of the photography. Some of the best photographers I know don't make money from it and some of the worst do LOL!

[BEAST]

ok its defo out of the nikon d80 or the cannon 400d, they both around same spec, i want best bang for my wonga, so what would you guys suggest, she wants something with the most lens oppertunity, but something that with a nice lens will take a picture to be reckoned with ?

[dabhand16]

and would really enjoy to take our own semi pro pics @

I have to warn you that it is not the camera that will make a good picture - it is the person holding the camera. Do not think that just buying an expensive camera will mean that your pictures will be better. I know people who have spent a fortune on kit but don't as good pictures as others with cheap point and shoot compacts.

If the dSLR's ore out of your budget, the next best thing will be a bridge camera. The Fuji S9600/9700 are within your budget (although these models are quite old now) and you can buy refurbished later models with a warranty from Fuji.

Refurbished cameras | The Fuji Shop

This one looks good

Refurbished FinePix S4500, Long Zoom, High Speed, Advanced Bridge Digital Camera from Fujifilm UK | The Fuji Shop

Panasonic also make good bridge cameras. I can't recall the model numbers right now, but if you look around the used camera market you will soon see what is available.

[BEAST]

i have 200 quid to buy a second hand dlsr, i went on that fflordes website and i can afford either the d70/d80 or the cannon 400d, she doesnt want a bridge, as i9 have seen her take amazing pictures with a cheap ass digi, so witch one out of the d70/d80 or cannon 400d

[BEAST]

she says she doesnt want a bridge as, she wants all the options to change everything for effects ie lens, uv filters, focous, and stuff, im starting to like the look of the nikon d80, is that a good camera to start with?

[dabhand16]

Originally Posted by BEAST

so witch one out of the d70/d80 or cannon 400d

Of these the Nikons have the better spec. IIRC they have more focus points and spot metering for instance. The D70s is worth looking at more so than the earlier D70 and it was replaced with the D80.

Nikon also made entry level dSLRs, the D40/D40x and D60. However, these cameras are entry level where the D70/80 have better specs and are more advanced cameras.

As I said before, if you can get one with the 18-70mm lens it will be worth it over the 18-55mm.

[BEAST]

ok im propbarly going with the d80, with the lends you reckomened and the 30mm-80mm AF lens iv ordered for her 401, would you like me to upload some of her pictures?

[dabhand16]

Originally Posted by BEAST

would you like me to upload some of her pictures?

Provided she has given permission

Note that there are size limits for image display on Pixalo. No longer that 1024 pixels on the longest side and under 300kb file size.

[BEAST]

done, and of course i asked for premission

[-Oy-]

Can't she have her own account and upload her own photos?

The D80 is a fine camera!

[BEAST]

well she asked me to do it so i have done lol, and mainly because she is pregnantand if the laptop doesnt load quick enought she most liley turn into the hulk and take a bite out of my screen!!!!