Nikon 35mm AF SLRs

I shot mostly Minolta from about 1973 through roughly 1997. By the end of that era, I was finding my pictures were consistently a bit out of focus, especially in low light. It was time for an autofocus (AF) SLR.

I did my homework. Knowing the only fixed lens I really wanted was an 85mm f/1.8 or so, I compared Canon, Nikon, Minolta, and the rest. Everyone made nice expensive 85/1.4 lenses, but only Nikon had an 85/1.8 in their repertoire. That clinched it for me.

After further research, I chose the Nikon N6006 and the original Tamron 28-200 zoom as my starting point, acquiring both through usenet (this was before eBay). I added a Sunpak flash and 50mm f/1.8 normal lens in fairly short order, chose the Vivitar Series I 19-35 zoom when it first shipped, and finally found the finances for the long-sought 85/1.8 in early 2001.

I recently picked up a used N4004 on the cheap, a camera I knew practically nothing about. Learning about the oft maligned N4004 led to my creating this part of Digigraphica.

More recently I acquired an F90x, the international version of the N90s, at a price too good to pass by.

Camera Profiles

• N4004/F401 (1987)
• N6006/F601 (1990)
• N65 (2001)
• N90s/F90x

Printed Resources

• The Nikon Field Guide: A Photographer's Portable Reference, Thom Hogan, Silver Pixel Press, 288 pages. 2nd edition released May 2000. "The true Nikon user's bible." Available from Amazon.com.
• Nikon System Handbook, B. Moose Peterson, Silver Pixel Press, 184 pages. 6th edition released March 2000. "Packed with information on just about every item of Nikon equipment." Available from Amazon.com.
• Complete Nikon System: An Illustrated Equipment Guide, Peter Braczko, Silver Pixel Press, 448 pages. March 2001. Available from Amazon.com.

Online Resources

• Nikonlinks, AF bodies
• Nikon FAQ, Bo-Ming Tong
• Nikon SLR Guide, Cameraquest. Billed as a "not so objective guide" to Nikon SLRs.
• Subjective Lens Evaluation, David Ruether. An excellent resource for separating the wheat from the chaff.
• Nikon Body/Lens Compatibility, Nikonlinks. Some lenses and cameras don't work well together.
• Nikkor Lens Mounts explains the variants on the Nikon lens mount from 1959 to the present.
• Nikon History (PDF format), Nikon

Go to Digigraphica's 35mm home page.

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