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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