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Reviews (5)
24 June 2020
Sharp, Solid, Sensible
It's an old lens now, but the Nikon ED AF Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8D (twist to zoom, not push-pull to zoom) is still a relevant and highly capable optical tool.
Built tough with a solid metal body, wide rubber zoom and focus rings, and screw-driven autofocus. Images from this lens are sharp with good colour and contrast.
There is no image stabilisation with this lens, so for those that wish to shoot handheld in low light conditions... You may want to spend another $1500 on the VR version or so, or use a tripod.
Note that AF won't work on some Nikon cameras (D40 for example, or any others without the AF screw drive), however if you're happy with manual focus this lens pairs well optically to mirrorless cameras like the Sony A7 series, although the weight difference may put you off.
17 October 2011
Good value for money, easy to use
9 of 9 found this helpful Although the Canon 5D is ancient in technology terms, it's still a very relevant and highly capable photographic tool. The 35mm 12 megapixel digital sensor delivers high quality images and takes full advantage of all your EF lenses.
With an ISO sensitivity range of 50-3200, the camera is quite versatile across many situations. ISO performance is good, even at ISO 3200, however if low noise is an absolute necessity and you are shooting in low light, the D700 (at twice the price or more) is the way to go.
My main gripes with this camera is the viewfinder is tiny and dim and feels cramped, the LCD monitor is not bright enough for some outdoor situations and feels too small, and there is no built-in sensor cleaning - but this is almost irrelevant for an older camera as most newer cameras have improved on or added all of these features by now.
The things I like most: good ISO performance across the range, good sized and well spaced buttons, a mostly simple menu that general doesn't feel cluttered, and generally very easy to use.
If you're just getting into studio work or are making your first step to a "full-frame" digital body, the 5D is a great choice; the average used price is somewhere between $900-$1000 and the interface is very simple. If you need higher resolution and faster frame rates, but can go without a 35mm sensor, the 50D would be a better choice.
27 August 2012
Excellent value for money with good build quality.
4 of 4 found this helpful I bought this for a number of reasons. I wanted a good camera that was smaller and lighter than my DSLR without compromising on the basic features of my DSLR, I wanted a camera that was just a camera and didn't have all the extra bells and whistles (I find many of the extra features of modern cameras to be too distracting from getting a great image right the first time in camera) and being a bit of a newbie to film I wanted to try out a smaller format (35mm instead of the 120 stuff that my clunky 645 uses).
This is a fantastic camera. I'd like to think that most people who have an idea about basic photography could work out how to use this an start taking photos within minutes.
It's fairly well contstructed - the durable plastic outer case feels solid to me, and I suspect it is built on a sturdy metal frame. The weight of the camera is much less than my DSLR. I can carry this around all day if I wanted to and instead of deciding my wrist or hand is getting tired and that I should take a rest, it's more like I decide it's pretty late and I should have had something to eat hours ago.
The film advance lever feels solid and winds the film with intent. It doesn't feel like a toy. You can easily wind the film with one action or multiple smaller cranks.
The light meter displays in f/stops on the right hand side of the viewfinder in bright red LED numbers. A little distracting, but it beats the hell out of the needle variants of some earlier cameras.
The shutter does seem a bit loud - I don't know if this is characteristic of this model or if this particular example needs a service (likely!). The button on the top left from the photographer's point of view doubles as a battery tester with an audible signal instead of visual and a self-timer cancel function. The battery tester is a really handy feature.
You can use most FL lenses on this camera if you're comfortable with stopped-down metering as well as all FD and "FDn" lenses.
My only gripe about the design of the camera is the grip feels a bit small, but I have noticed over time that I've been getting used to it. Using the neck strap as a wrist strap certainly helps.
I also have an AV-1. Compared to the AV-1 the AE-1P is a little heaver and has more options (like depth of field preview, exposure lock, shutter-priority mode, flash sync cable, ASA speed up to 3200 instead of 1600, red-lit meter instead of needle) but they both feel like decent cameras to me.
You should be able to pick up an AE-1 Program and a 50mm f/1.4 lens for under $200, or with a 35mm for under $150 (AUD as of Aug 2012).