I have a lot of Nikon lenses both new and old. If I buy a digital camera, can I use them? AND....how do I consider the focal length? As stated, all Nikon dSLR cameras have a focal length multiplier of 1.5.
You can use almost any old Nikon F-mont lens on any Nikon dSLR. Only a few exotics will give you real problems (like lenses that require mirror lock up). Furthermore, AI(S) lenses will not meter on the D50, D70(s) and D80, but they will on the D200 and D2X(s). yes you can use F mount lenses on nikon SLR digital cameras.
the only problem you will have is manual lenses will not activate any exposure control on the camera. auto lenses will work with no problems. if you have non nikon lenses, they might encounter some problems.
as for focal length. D50, D70, and D80 have a smaller sensor (it's 1.5x smaller than a full frame 35mm sensor), so a 50mm lens will actually be (50*1.5) = 75 mm focal length.
on the top end, the D2, and the D200 are full frame cameras with no cropping factor. Yes. You will need to flick that little switch that locks the aperture at the minimum size (such as f/22 on many lenses) in order to preserve the auto functions.
There is a factor of about 1.5 for lenses used on digital cameras, so your 50mm becomes a 75mm; 105mm becomes 157.5mm; etc. This 1.5 factor INCLUDES the D200, which I own. I do not know about the D2 line from personal experience, but http://www.nikonusa.com says that the D2's have a 1.5 lens factor, also.
Once you buy the digital camera, look near the end of the manual for specific information about lens compatibility. I think all previous lenses will fit, but not all will access all features. As stated above, and just to reconfirm
Nikon does NOT have a full frame DLSR. all their bodies ever produced have had and APS-C 1.5x Sony sensor. It is the same sensor that Pentax and Sony/Konica-Minolta use.
Nikon/Pentax/Sony/KM has kept with this sensor to keep some consistancy in their lineup
Canon is the only one to use diffrent size sensors in cameras (XT/XTi/20d/30d all use 1.6x)
5D/1dsMkII use full frame
1d/1dMkii use 1.3x crop
every lense they use can be diffrent on each body | 