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[Rowbearp]

Hello to all, Have used an Nikon F3 since 1986. Have just purchased the following:
Nikon D80 with 18-135mm
Nikon Speedlight SB800
Have had the following Nikon AI lenses:
Nikon 35mm 1:1.4 AI
Nikon 50mm 1:1.2 AI
Zoom-Nikon 35-200mm 1:3.5 ~4.5

Would welcome any advise or good source material for utilizing my
old lenses with the D80

[deckcadet]

Unfortunately your old AI lenses while they will mount will not meter with the D80... if you want metering you would need a D200, D1/1H/1X or D2H/X series camera (or the new D3/D300).

However you can still use them in manual mode without metering. I shot several AI lenses on the D70 with a much worse LCD and viewfinder than the D80 offers, and after some practice I could usually get exposure where I wanted it after one or two shots. The beauty of digital is that you can guess check and correct on the fly. Use your histogram display to check exposure, don't always trust the way the LCD looks. For more accurate viewing on the LCD be sure to adjust LCD brightness for your shooting location's ambient lighting. Other than that, use the green dot in the lower left of the viewfinder (AF rangefinder) to confirm focus with the active focus point.

[freygr]

I've have mounted my AI lenses on my D70, the only problem is the focusing screen in the digital cameras do not have the micro prisms or the split prism focusing aids. I just pulled out my old GE light meter and got the exposure right on the first time, but I was shooting still life.

[deckcadet]

Incidentally, there are split image focusing screens available for many Nikons from third parties.

[Frog]

I didn't know you could buy split image focusing screens for a d80.
Any suggestions for brand or what to look for?

[another view]

Incidentally, there are split image focusing screens available for many Nikons from third parties.

I did have a Beattie Intenscreen in my old N8008s but really didn't care for it. Its main claim to fame was that it is brighter than a stock screen because its a Fresnel lens and not just ground glass. It didn't seem much brighter to me, and wasn't as clear because it wasn't flat. I also got this one as a grid screen but the grid lines were very heavy compared to the Nikon screens. Anybody else make them?

[Frog]

I've been reading about KatzEye and Haodi.
The main problem seems to be with spot metering.