Nikon Digital SLR Guide, 1999-2010

High-end (Professional) - FX/Full Frame sensor
Nikon D3, August 23, 2007
Nikon D3X, December 1, 2008
Nikon D3S, October 14, 2009

High-end (Prosumer) - FX/Full Frame sensor
Nikon D700, July 1, 2008

High-end (Professional) - DX sensor, high resolution
Nikon D1, June 15, 1999
Nikon D1X, February 5, 2001
Nikon D2X, September 16, 2004
Nikon D2XS, June 1, 2006

High-end (Professional) - DX sensor, high speed
Nikon D1H, February 5, 2001
Nikon D2H, July 22, 2003
Nikon D2HS, February 16, 2005

High-end (Prosumer) - DX sensor
Nikon D100, 21 February 2002
Nikon D200, 1 November 2005
Nikon D300, 23 August 2007
Nikon D300S, 30 July 2009
Midrange - DX sensor
Nikon D7000, 15 September 2010

Midrange (Consumer) - DX sensor
Nikon D70, 28 January 2004
Nikon D70S, 20 April 2005
Nikon D80, 9 August 2006
Nikon D90, 27 August 2008
Nikon D5000, 14 April 2009

Entry-level (Consumer) - DX sensor
Nikon D50, 20 April 2005
Nikon D40, 16 November 2006
Nikon D40X, 6 March 2007
Nikon D60, 29 January 2008
Nikon D3000, 30 July 2009
Nikon D3100, 19 August 2010

Nikon Film Camera Guide, 1959-2005

Film 35 mm SLR cameras with manual focus
Nikon F series (1959–1972, known in Germany for legal reasons as the Nikkor F)
Nikon FTN Single-lens reflex camera
Nikkorex series (1960–1964)
Nikkormat FT series (1965–1977, known in Japan as the Nikomat FT)
Nikon F2 series (1971–1980)
Nikkormat EL series (1972–1977, known in Japan as the Nikomat EL)
Nikon EL2 (1977)
Nikon FM (1977)
Nikon FE (1978)
Nikon EM (1979)
Nikon F3 series (1980–1997)
Nikon FG (1982)
Nikon FM2 series (1982–2000)
Nikon FE2 (1983)
Nikon FA (1983)
Nikon FG-20 (1984)
Nikon F-301 (1985, known in North America as the N2000)
Nikon F-601M (1990, known in North America as the N6000)
Nikon FM10 (1995)
Nikon FE10 (1996)
Nikon FM3A (2001)

Film APS SLR cameras
Nikon Pronea 600i / Pronea 6i (1996)
Nikon Pronea S (1997)

Film 35 mm SLR cameras with autofocus
Nikon AC-2E Data Link System (1993)
Nikon F3AF (1983, modified F3 body with Autofocus Finder DX-1)
Nikon F-501 (1986, known in North America as the N2020)
Nikon F-401 (1987, known in the U.S. as the N4004)
Nikon F-801 (1988, known in the U.S. as the N8008)
Nikon F4 (1988)
Nikon F-401S (1989, known in the U.S. as the N4004S)
Nikon F-601 (1990, known in the U.S. as the N6006)
Nikon F-401X (1991, known in the U.S. as the N5005)
Nikon F-801S (1991, known in the U.S. as the N8008S)
Nikon F90 (1992, known in the U.S. as the N90)
Nikonos RS (1992) - for use underwater.
Nikon F50 (1994, known in the U.S. as the N50)
Nikon F70 (1994, known in the U.S. as the N70)
Nikon F90X (1994, known in the U.S. as the N90S)
Nikon F5 (1996)
Nikon F60 (1999, known in the U.S. as the N60)
Nikon F100 (1999)
Nikon F65 (2000, known in the U.S. as the N65)
Nikon F80 (2000, known in the U.S. as the N80)
Nikon F55 (2002, known in the U.S. as the N55)
Nikon F75 (2003, known in the U.S. as the N75)
Nikon F6 (2004)

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Rangefinder cameras
Nikon SP rangefinder camera
Nikon I (1948)
Nikon M (1949)
Nikon S (1951)
Nikon S2 (1954)
Nikon SP (1957)
Nikon S3 (1958)
Nikon S4 (1959)
Nikon S3M (1960)
Nikon S3 2000 (2000)
Nikon SP Limited Edition (2005)

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Underwater (Scale-Focus) Cameras
Nikonos I (1963, originally known in France as the Calypso/Nikkor)
Nikonos II (1968)
Nikonos III (1975)
Nikonos IV-A (1980)
Nikonos V (1984)

NIKKOR IX APS-C Lenses

Before the APS-C DSLR came the APS film SLR, and with it a series of 1.5x crop factor lenses known as the IX series. Even though they have angles of view and coverage circles comparable with APS-C DSLRs You cannot use them. Why? because they reach further into the lens mount, interfering with the mirror. It would be possible to use them with full-time mirror lock-up, but then you wouldn’t be able to focus, or , on all but professional cameras, set the aperture. But, just for fun, here’s a rundown of what was available between 1996 and 2000.

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Reciprocity Failure

Beyond a certain length of exposure, film no longer absorts light in a linear fashion, requiring longer and longer times to achieve the equivalent exposure. This is known as reciprocity failure, and is important when working with long exposures, such as with pinhole cameras. Here’s a brief guide to some popular films and their reciprocity characteristics.

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Flange Focal Distances

The distance between the outermost surface of the lens mount and the film/sensor plane is known as the flange focal distance. SLRs typically have longer distances to acommodate the mirror, which results in larger lenses. Rangefinders and mirrorless cameras which do not require a mirror box tend to have smaller lenses and more compact dimensions.

Read more >




Sensor Size Comparison

Confused by how sensor sizes are designated? You’re not alone.

Sensor sizes smaller than small format are expressed in a ratio that describes the diagonal measurement of the frame. For example, a 1/1.7" sensor is 1 ÷ 1.7 = .588", and a 2/3" sensor is 2 ÷ 3 = .666". This gives a rough means of comparison, but doesn’t take into consideration the aspect ratio.

It also doesn’t take into consideration pixel density (the amount of photosites per square millimeter). One sensor of a given size may have a higher pixel density than another of the same size, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it has a higher resolution. This is because the photosites in a more densely packed sensor are smaller, and have less light gathering ability. This can lead to increased noise, which ultimately degrades resolution.

Here’s a comparison of some of the many different sensor sizes used in digital cameras of all types, along with their physical dimensions, crop factors, aspect ratios, area and some of the cameras they’re used in. Each image is created actual size, although they may appear differently depending on the screen dimensions and resolution of you computer’s display.

Medium Format

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Mamiya (48mm x 36mm)
crop factor 0.66x, aspect ratio 4:3, area 1,728mm²

Used in the Mamiya RZ33 (33MP) medium format DSLR

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Kodak KAF-37500 (Leica) (45mm x 30mm)
crop factor 0.80x, aspect ratio 3:2, area 1,350mm²

Used in the Leica S2 (37.5MP) medium format DSLR.



Small Format

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35mm Full Frame (36mm x 24mm)
crop factor 1.0x, aspect ratio 3:2, area 864mm²

Used in 135 film cameras, Canon EOS 5D Mark II (21.1MP) ; Leica M9 (18MP), Nikon D3X (24.5MP), D700 (12MP), Sony a900 (24.6MP).

Also Known as Nikon FX

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APS-H (Canon) (28.7mm x 19mm)
crop factor 1.26, aspect ratio 3:2, area 513mm²

Used in older Canon DSLRs

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Kodak KAF-10500 (Leica) (27mm x 19mm)
crop factor 1.33x, aspect ratio 3:2, area mm²

Used in Leica M8.2 (10.3MP)

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APS-C (Nikon) (23.6mm x 15.7mm)
crop factor 1.5x, aspect ratio: 3:2, area 370.5mm²

Used in APS film cameras; Fujifilm Finepix X100 (12.3MP); Nikon D300S (12MP), D7000 (16.2MP), D90 (12MP), D5100 (16.2MP), D3100 (14.2); Pentax K5 (16.3MP), Kr (12.4MP); Samsung NX200 (20.3MP); Sony a580 (16.2); NEX-7 (24.3MP)

Also known as Nikon DX

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APS-C (Canon) 22.2mm x 14.8mm)
crop factor 1.6x aspect ratio 3:2, area 328.6mm²

Used in Canon DSLRs

Premium

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Four Thirds (17.3mm x 13mm)
crop factor 2.0x, aspect ratio 4:3, area 224.9mm²

Used in Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds cameras; Lumix DMC-G2, DMC-GF2, DMC-GH2, DMC-G3; Olympus E5 DSLR, PEN E-P3, E-P2, E-PL3, E-PM1

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Nikon CX (13.2mm x 8.8mm)
crop factor 2.7x, aspect ratio 3:2, area 116.2mm²

Used in Nikon 1 V1, J1

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1" (12.8mm x 9.6mm)
crop factor 2.5x, aspect ratio 4:3, area 122.9mm²

Used in commercial video surveillance cameras.

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2/3" (8.8mm x 6.6mm)
crop factor 3.6x, aspect ratio 4:3, area 58.1mm²

Used in Fujifilm Finepix X10 (12MP).

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1/1.7" (7.6mm x 5.7mm)
crop factor 4.21x, aspect ratio: 4:3, area 43.3mm²

Used in “bridge” and “premium” mid-sized cameras; Canon PowerShot G12 (10.1MP), PowerShot S95 (10.1MP); Nikon Coolpix P7100 (10.1MP), Coolpix P5100 (12.1MP).


Compact

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1/2.3" (6.16mm x 4.62)
crop factor 5.19x, aspect ratio: 4:3, area 28.5mm²

Used in compact “shirt pocket” cameras, Canon PowerShot SD780 IS (12.1MP), Nikon Coolpix S series; Pentax Q, Optio, RZ series.

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1/2.5" (5.76mm x 4.29mm)
crop factor 5.59x, aspect ratio 4:3, area 24.7mm²

Used in compact “shirt pocket” cameras.

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1/3.2" (4.5mm x 3.4mm)
crop factor 7x, aspect ratio 4:3, area 15.3mm²

Used in the iPhone 4S (8MP)

F-Mount Lens Formulae Comparison

The other day I decided to do a quick comparison between Nikon F-Mount lens formulae from Nikon and third party manufacturers. Here are the results…

20/21mm
AF NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8D   Groups: 9; Elements: 12
NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8 AI-S   Groups: 9; Elements: 12
Voigtländer Color-Skopar 20mm f/3.5 SL II   Groups: 6; Elements: 9
Voigtländer Color-Skopar 21mm f/4.0 M-Mount Pancake   Groups: 6; Elements: 8
Zeiss Distagon T* 21mm f/2.8 ZF.2   Groups: 13; Elements: 16

24/25mm
AF NIKKOR 24mm f/2.8D   Groups: 9; Elements: 9
NIKKOR 24mm f/2.8 AI-S   Groups: 9; Elements: 9
Voigtländer Color-Skopar 25mm f/4.0 M Pancake   Groups: 6; Elements: 8
Zeiss Distagon T* 25mm f/2.8 ZF.2   Groups: 8; Elements: 10

28mm
AF NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8D   Groups: 6; Elements: 6
NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8 AI-S   Groups: 8; Elements: 8
Nikon 28mm f/2.8 Series E   Groups: 5; Elements: 5
Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2.0 M-Mount  Groups: 8; Elements: 10
Zeiss Distagon T* 28mm f/2.0 ZF.2   Groups: 8; Elements: 10

35mm
AF NIKKOR 35mm f/2.0D   Groups: 5; Elements: 6
NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4 AI-S   Groups: 7; Elements: 9
AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G   Groups: 6; Elements: 8
Nikon 35mm f/2.5 Series E   Groups: 5; Elements: 5
Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 M-Mount   Groups: 6; Elements: 8
Voigtländer Color-Skopar Pan 35mm f/2.5 M-Mount Pancake   Groups: 5; Elements: 7
Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2.0 ZF.2   Groups: 7; Elements: 9
Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4 ZF.2   Groups: 9; Elements: 11

40/45mm
Nikon 45mm f/2.8 P   Groups: 3; Elements: 4
GN Auto-Nikkor 45mm f/2.8 Pancake   Groups: 3; Elements: 4
Voigtländer Nokton Classic 40mm f/1.4   Groups: 6; Elements: 7
Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2.0 SL II   Groups: 5; Elements: 5

50mm
NIKKOR 50mm f/1.2 AI-S   Groups: 6; Elements: 7
AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G   Groups: 7; Elements: 8
AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G   Groups: 6; Elements: 7
NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4 AI-S   Groups: 6; Elements: 7
AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D   Groups: 5; Elements: 6
NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 AI-S   Groups: 5; Elements: 6
NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 Series E   Groups: 5; Elements: 6
Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 ZF.2   Groups: 6; Elements: 7
Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 50mm f/2.0 ZF.2   Groups: 6; Elements: 8

Exposure Table

Exposure times, in seconds or minutes (m), for various exposure values and f-numbers

EV	f-number
	1.0	1.4	2.0	2.8	4.0	5.6	8.0	11	16	22	32	45	64
−6	60	2 m	4 m	8 m	16 m	32 m	64 m	128 m	256 m	512 m	1024 m	2048 m	4096 m
−5	30	60	2 m	4 m	8 m	16 m	32 m	64 m	128 m	256 m	512 m	1024 m	2048 m
−4	15	30	60	2 m	4 m	8 m	16 m	32 m	64 m	128 m	256 m	512 m	1024 m
−3	8	15	30	60	2 m	4 m	8 m	16 m	32 m	64 m	128 m	256 m	512 m
−2	4	8	15	30	60	2 m	4 m	8 m	16 m	32 m	64 m	128 m	256 m
−1	2	4	8	15	30	60	2 m	4 m	8 m	16 m	32 m	64 m	128 m
0	1	2	4	8	15	30	60	2 m	4 m	8 m	16 m	32 m	64 m
1	1/2	1	2	4	8	15	30	60	2 m	4 m	8 m	16 m	32 m
2	1/4	1/2	1	2	4	8	15	30	60	2 m	4 m	8 m	16 m
3	1/8	1/4	1/2	1	2	4	8	15	30	60	2 m	4 m	8 m
4	1/15	1/8	1/4	1/2	1	2	4	8	15	30	60	2 m	4 m
5	1/30	1/15	1/8	1/4	1/2	1	2	4	8	15	30	60	2 m
6	1/60	1/30	1/15	1/8	1/4	1/2	1	2	4	8	15	30	60
7	1/125	1/60	1/30	1/15	1/8	1/4	1/2	1	2	4	8	15	30
8	1/250	1/125	1/60	1/30	1/15	1/8	1/4	1/2	1	2	4	8	15
9	1/500	1/250	1/125	1/60	1/30	1/15	1/8	1/4	1/2	1	2	4	8
10	1/1000	1/500	1/250	1/125	1/60	1/30	1/15	1/8	1/4	1/2	1	2	4
11	1/2000	1/1000	1/500	1/250	1/125	1/60	1/30	1/15	1/8	1/4	1/2	1	2
12	1/4000	1/2000	1/1000	1/500	1/250	1/125	1/60	1/30	1/15	1/8	1/4	1/2	1
13	1/8000	1/4000	1/2000	1/1000	1/500	1/250	1/125	1/60	1/30	1/15	1/8	1/4	1/2
14		1/8000	1/4000	1/2000	1/1000	1/500	1/250	1/125	1/60	1/30	1/15	1/8	1/4
15			1/8000	1/4000	1/2000	1/1000	1/500	1/250	1/125	1/60	1/30	1/15	1/8
16				1/8000	1/4000	1/2000	1/1000	1/500	1/250	1/125	1/60	1/30	1/15
17					1/8000	1/4000	1/2000	1/1000	1/500	1/250	1/125	1/60	1/30
18						1/8000	1/4000	1/2000	1/1000	1/500	1/250	1/125	1/60
19							1/8000	1/4000	1/2000	1/1000	1/500	1/250	1/125
20								1/8000	1/4000	1/2000	1/1000	1/500	1/250
21									1/8000	1/4000	1/2000	1/1000	1/500
EV	1.0	1.4	2.0	2.8	4.0	5.6	8.0	11	16	22	32	45	64
	f-number

Flange Focal Distances

Mount	Flange focal distance
Pentax Q mount	9.20 mm
C-mount (Bolex, Eclair and Bell & Howell)	17.52 mm
Sony E-mount	18.00 mm
Micro Four Thirds System	20.00 mm
Samsung NX mount	25.50 mm
RED ONE interchangeable mount	27.30 mm
Leica M mount	27.80 mm
M39 (Leica) Screwmount	28.80 mm
Contax G	29.00 mm
Olympus Four Thirds System	38.67 mm
Konica AR	40.70 mm
Canon FL	42.00 mm
Canon FD mount	42.00 mm
Start (Soviet SLR)	42.00 mm
Minolta SR mount	43.50 mm
Fujica X bayonet	43.50 mm
Canon EF mount	44.00 mm
Canon EF-S mount	44.00 mm
Praktica B mount	44.00 mm
Sigma's SA mount	44.00 mm
Minolta/Sony A mount	44.50 mm
Pentax K mount	45.46 mm
M42	45.46 mm
Contax C/Y Mount	45.50 mm
Olympus OM mount	46.00 mm
Nikon F-mount	46.50 mm
Leica R mount	47.00 mm
Arri PL	52.00 mm
T mount	55.00 mm
OCT-19	61.00 mm
Mamiya 654	63.30 mm

Sensor Sizes

			Sensor (mm)
Type	Aspect Ratio	Dia. (mm)	Diagonal	Width	Height
1/3.6"	4:3	7.056	5.000	4.000	3.000
1/3.2"	4:3	7.938	5.680	4.536	3.416
1/3"	4:3	8.467	6.000	4.800	3.600
1/2.7"	4:3	9.407	6.721	5.371	4.035
1/2.5"	4:3	10.160	7.182	5.760	4.290
1/2.3"	4:3	11.044	7.70	6.16	4.62
1/2"	4:3	12.700	8.000	6.400	4.800
1/1.8"	4:3	14.111	8.933	7.176	5.319
1/1.7"	4:3	14.941	9.500	7.600	5.700
2/3"	4:3	16.933	11.000	8.800	6.600
1"	4:3	25.400	16.000	12.800	9.600
4/3"	4:3	33.867	22.500	18.000	13.500
1.8" (*)	3:2	45.720	28.400	23.700	15.700
35 mm film	3:2	n/a	43.300	36.000	24.000

Aperture Guide

A quick guide to apertures available on the Nikon D90, in 1/3 stop and 1/2 stop increments:

f/0.95 f/1.0 f/1.1 f/1.1 f/1.2 f/1.4 f/1.6 f/1.6 f/1.8 f/2.0 f/2.3 f/2.3 f/2.5 f/2.8 f/3.2 f3.3 f/3.5 f/4.0 f/4.5 f/4.8 f/5 f/5.6 f/6.3 f/6.7 f/7.1 f/8.0 f/9 f/9.5 f/10 f/11 f/13 f/13 f/14 f/16 f/18 f/19 f/20 f/22 f/25 f/28 f/29 f/32 f/36 f/39 f/42 f/44 f/52 f/58 f/61 f/64

These values, for the most part, have been taken directly from the camera. Some of the 1/2 stop values, when rounded by the camera, are the same as the 1/3 stop values. Using this chart, we can see for example, that an f/1.2 lens is a full stop faster than an f/1.8 lens, but an f/1.8 lens is only 1/3 stop faster than f/2.0. However an f/1.8 lens is a significant 1-1/3 stops faster than an f/2.8 lens, a common aperture value. The holy grail of speed, the f/0.95 lens, is just slightly over a full stop faster than an f/1.4. Using Nikon’s claim of a 4-stop advantage using VR, the 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 would behave similarly to an f/0.95-2.0 lens in cases where it was not used to stop action. In reality however, it would be closer to f/1.2, a three-stop advantage. Not too shabby. On the other hand, the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 would be the equivalent of f/1.6-2.0. Still not shabby. So, unless you are shooting sports or other action, purchasing a fast f/2.8 telephoto may not be entirely necessary. It will however cut down significantly on flash recycle times, which may be a consideration.

Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-4.5G: Six Primes in One

The AF-S DX Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR has six ideal focal length designations on the barrel, which are my go-to numbers. Although DSLR zoom lenses are continuously variable, I find myself going straight to these numbers first, depending on the subject matter. Generally, I set the lens to 24mm, which gets me closest to the classic 35mm focal length. For portraits, I tend to work around 50mm. Starting from the short end:

Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6	35mm equivalent	f-stop range
16mm	24mm	f3.5-f22
24mm	36mm	f/4.0-f/25
35mm	52.5mm	f/4.5-f/29
50mm	75mm	f/5.0-f/32
70mm	105mm	f/5.6-f/36
85mm	127mm	f5.6-f/36

Like the Canon SD780 IS and Nikon P5100, the maximum and minimum apertures are variable depending on the focal length of the lens. At 85mm, it goes all the way up to f/36! This is not as great an advantage as it seems though, since diffraction begins to soften images above f/11. To get the best combination of depth of field vs. sharpness, work between f/8 and f/11.

Remember the old photojournalists’ saying, “f/8 and don’t be late”.

On the other hand, f/5.6 is a memorable number, as it’s available across the board, and gives good all-around results regardless of which focal length you use. Happily, as long as you don’t manually change the aperture, the D90 returns to the maximum aperture for any given focal length automatically as you zoom back out. But if you change it, it sticks, which is one reason I like to work with a single focal length whenever I can.

Prime lenses such as the Nikkor 20mm f/2.8D, 35mm f/1.8G, 50mm f/1.4G, and 85mm f/1.4G all have distinct advantages in both size and speed over the Nikkor 16-85mm, but VR narrows that gap somewhat. In theory, at 35mm, VR makes the 16-85mm behave similar to f/1.8, (except for the ability to freeze action), but it can't compete with the compactness of the 35mm f/1.8.

Canon Powershot SD780 IS: Seven Primes in One

The Canon has seven steps as opposed to the Nikon P5100’s nine, and they’re pretty similar. Starting from the short end:

Canon Powershot SD780 IS	35mm equivalent	f-stop
5.9mm	33mm	f/3.2
7.2mm	40mm	f/3.5
8.7mm	49mm	f/4.0
10.6mm	60mm	f/4.5
12.5mm	70mm	f/4.5
14.8mm	83mm	f/4.8
17.9mm	100mm	f/5.8

Unlike the Nikon, The Canon doesn’t report the 35mm equivalent focal length in the EXIF data, so I had to calculate it. Camera manufacturers have always varied features between brands, but with digital you can expect even more differences. There are no standards other than industrial design common sense, and camera companies have egos just like any other. Happily, the multi-selector on the Canon controls the exposure compensation, flash mode, self-timer and AF focus range just as it does on the Nikon except that it’s rotated 90° counter-clockwise. I’m actually surprised the icons have been as consistent as they have.

The Menu button on the Canon behaves like the Setup mode on the Nikon, and the Func. Set button on the Canon like the Menu button on the Nikon. It works out OK, because you can get to both quickly with just your thumb. The Nikon requires your left hand and a trip to the Mode Dial on top of the camera. It’s a very different kind of camera, just as a rangefinder is from an SLR. There’s no one perfect camera and I like working with the different designs.

Thank goodness these functions are not touch-screen controlled. If they were, I wouldn’t have bought this camera. If I want touch control, I’ll use my iPhone, thank you very much.

Here are some test shots:

The Morning After:
Looking east from 7th Avenue, Manhattan

Fall Foliage

Times Square at Night

I’m fairly happy with existing light results. Even at low ISO the images are somewhat grainy, so the results at ISO 1600 don’t seem as bad. They’re still much sharper than they would ever be with the closest sized film camera, which would probably use 110 film.