How can I tell the difference between Nikon FX Lenses and Nikon DX lenses?

Posted by admin in August 5th 2009    under: Nikon D700 Lenses    
  
4 Comments

Yesterday I upgraded from the Nikon D300 to the Nikon D700, body only. The guy at the camera store told me that my D300 lenses wouldn’t work on the D700 at full resolution. Therefore, I need lenses. I read that Nikon has been making FX lenses for years but the camera store is telling me that I need to buy 2 and 3 thousand dollar lenses.

I already have a 50mm 1.4, but I want a good wide angle zoom lens. I was cruising Craig’s List, but just want to know before I buy what writing am I looking for on the lens to know it will give me full resolution.

The guy at the store really put it in a negative way.

What the D700 (and D3(x)) does is crop the sensor and shows that crop in the screen allowing you to use all your DX lenses on your full frame Nikon DSLR. Canon EF-S lenses cannot be used at all on full frame Canon cameras … period … they will cause damage to the cameras mirror.

The guy at the store is just trying to make money.

Any Nikon AF lens will perform well on your camera,

Have you actually tested your D700 using a DX lens .. I think you will find that the guy at the camera store is probably not a Nikon supporter and is very quick to point out what he thinks is a failure of the Nikon system … in reality, it is a strength … at least with a Nikon, you can use the DX lenses. Not so with Canon.

Here is a list of all the Nikon lenses and their compatibilities with Nikon cameras.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm

Some sale people like to point out that entry level Nikon’s only use AF-S lenses … AF-S lenses are what Nikon is currently making and as time goes on, they will all be AF-S lenses but for the specialty lenses like manual focus and PC lenses.

I have five current Nikon Zoom lenses … two are DX, the 18-200 mm VR and 12-24 mm. They work just fine on my D3. My four prime lenses all cover my full frame cameras, 35 mm and D3

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4 Comments

zitless Said,
August 6th, 2009 @2:57 am  

As far as I know, FX lenses are for cameras with full frame sensors, which the D700 has ( an excellent choice).
Dx lenses will be Ok with the APS-C size sensors, but there may be cut-off in the extreme outer areas of the full-frame sensor.
If your finances won’t stretch to the Nikon lenses, you could check out Sigma lenses, and ignore any lenses that are for the APS-C size sensors.
References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_D700

http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/lenses/dclenses/dclenses.htm

fhotoace Said,
August 6th, 2009 @3:09 am  

The guy at the store really put it in a negative way.

What the D700 (and D3(x)) does is crop the sensor and shows that crop in the screen allowing you to use all your DX lenses on your full frame Nikon DSLR. Canon EF-S lenses cannot be used at all on full frame Canon cameras … period … they will cause damage to the cameras mirror.

The guy at the store is just trying to make money.

Any Nikon AF lens will perform well on your camera,

Have you actually tested your D700 using a DX lens .. I think you will find that the guy at the camera store is probably not a Nikon supporter and is very quick to point out what he thinks is a failure of the Nikon system … in reality, it is a strength … at least with a Nikon, you can use the DX lenses. Not so with Canon.

Here is a list of all the Nikon lenses and their compatibilities with Nikon cameras.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm

Some sale people like to point out that entry level Nikon’s only use AF-S lenses … AF-S lenses are what Nikon is currently making and as time goes on, they will all be AF-S lenses but for the specialty lenses like manual focus and PC lenses.

I have five current Nikon Zoom lenses … two are DX, the 18-200 mm VR and 12-24 mm. They work just fine on my D3. My four prime lenses all cover my full frame cameras, 35 mm and D3
References :
proFotog

Mr A Said,
August 6th, 2009 @3:35 am  

U need to look on the lens body itself, it will have a big DX written right on the lens barrel, in black lettering inside a gold box; avoid those lenses.

Or if U need a list of lenses:
http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Camera-Lenses/index.page

Just look for the lenses that have a DX by their name, like AF-S DX 18-55mm or AF-S DX 18-200mm and avoid getting those.

For a wide angle lens for a D700, look for anything 28mm or below.

U will LOVE the D700, particularly in low light. Great camera and a great choice. The 50mm f/1.4 lens will work fine for normal shooting too.

If U need a cheap lens to go from wide to telephoto, consider a Tamron superzoom like a 28-200mm or 28-300mm lens. While not the sharpest lens in the world, it is very inexpensive and covers a wide range of focal lengths, making it good for travel as one lens solution. Use it at f/8 or smaller and it would work fine for 99% of shooting.

One other possibility is buying used lenses. For example, a used Nikon 18-35mm wide angle zoom lens would work fine on your D700 and can be found used very inexpensively on eBay.

I really don’t care what lenses ace has.
References :

TMC Said,
August 6th, 2009 @3:46 am  

The Nikon D700 is a full frame sensor – it has the FX format CMOS sensor. The DX series of lenses were designed specifically for the cropped frame DSLR’s, often referred to as APS size. This is a reference to that funky film size of yesteryear which never really caught on before the digital revolution took over. Essentially, a full frame sensor is about 36mm wide , whereas the APS size (or cropped frame) is only 24mm wide. This means that most every Nikon lens other than the DX series has an image circle that is far bigger than what is necessary for an APS sized sensor. So, they designed the DX lenses to be more efficient with the smaller sensors. They were eliminating waste. In order to take advantage of the full sized sensor on your D700, you would want to avoid the DX lenses, since they were designed specifically for the smaller APS size sensors. It would be defeating the purpose of the DX format. Sure, you could use them, but you would be going backwards in a sense. They cannot cover the full width of the 35mm frame that your D700 sports.
References :

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