I have been able to use older Nikkor G and D lens with the D90. I have two 70-300 D lens (non-VR) and an assortment of other Nikkor older lens and I have had good results with every one I tried.

F65 can use G lenses with VR. Your lens should be fine. Just keep in mind the differences between full frame FX (F65) and 1.5 crop DX (D90).

Virtually all Nikon AF lenses work with the D90 including any lenses that would have come with the f65 (28-100mm?)...

AF = G2G with no exceptions I can think of. Pre-AF lens compatibility should be discussed in your manual, on Ken Rockwell's lens compatibility page, and about 10,000 places on the 'net.

i have an older F65 with two decent nikor AF lenses.
am i correct in assuming that the D90 will drive the AF lenses, making them completely compatible with the D90 and thus giving me two cameras, one film, one digital to choose from?
thx for any help.

NSXType : And when you tryout the new 24mm F1.4 you will wish it was longer sometimes !! :-) Yup looks like another 40mm FOV convert in the making !!!.. LOL

I dunno about the Sigma 20mm 1.8. I got to use the Canon mount model and I was not too happy with it. It was a bit soft as compared to the 35mm 1.8. Maybe my cousin got a dud, as with Sigma it's always a lottery!

I also want a wider prime with Nikon, as I really like the 35mm 1.8 but just wish it were wider.

@ jbl : Kiddo .. Sorry but I will have to pull rank on you !! LOL. The 40mm FOV is a classic focal length that a few photographers "discovered" in the film days. "the Water Lens" it has a bit of a cult following. The 28mm F1.4 had already been discontinued by the time the DX format came out. The price of the 28mm F1.4 went through the roof when the DX format came out. on ebay it was being sold for $6000-$7000 USD for a while. recently its come down to about 4000 USD. How do I know this ? I am fan of the 40mm, I used to use it on my old olympus film

From the latest rumor news item it looks like Nikon is not going to be making 28mm lenses F1.4 or F1.8 .. oh well.. lucky for me there is the sigma 30mm F1.4.. Looks like I will be getting that soon...

Oh and for Paul I was not saying that 28 mm is wide. I am saying that 28mm may be wide enough for him for now. You don't know till you try it. If you are definitely needing wider after some use.. then get the nikkor 10-24 or 12-24 or the sigma 10-20.

No, He won't find 42mm to be wide enough if he's used to 28mm. 42 is normal, not wide at all.

heartyfisher: If the 28 ƒ/1.4 is expensive, it's not because 28mm is a great focal length of DX (because it obviously is not) it's because the lens is not made anymore. It was around 1200 usd when it was produced new, so if they still made it, it would probably sell for 700-800 usd used. (or whatever) The lens is good, but buying a 28 ƒ/1.4 for a DX sensor would be silly. It's a FX lens, obviously.

To get your 28mm back, you would something like 18mm. That magic 18mm is on all the kit lenses, however, since you have your 28-80, you don't want to over ride that with another kit lens. so here's my suggestion:

If you really want a prime, go for a 20mm prime, nikkor has a nice ƒ/2.8 one and sigma has a ƒ/1.8 one that is a bit soft wide open but when stopped down even a little, performs at least as good as the nikon's I own one of these I really like the 30mm equivalent focal length and the ultra large aperture gives you short DOF even with wide angle. This is awesome.

However, for its price (around 400 usd I think) it could be wise to pay a bit more to get a ultra wide angle zoom, as they are much more versatile.

The new Nikkor 10-24 ƒ/3.5 - 4.5 seems (aka never used this lens) to be amazing but of course, the aperture is much slower. Sigma also have something similar.

There is a 3rd choice, the Tokina 11-16 ƒ/2.8, The range is much smaller but it's the sharpest of all ultra wide angle zooms for DX, the price is also interesting for what you get, it's cheaper than nikkor's 10-24. The wide aperture is also very nice. This is my primary lens.

Now if you go with the 11-16, 16mm is actually wider than your 28mm. (it's 24mm) so you might want a 20mm prime to finish your set. (that's what I have.)

In the end you get two choices for ultra wide angle:

Tokina 11-16 ƒ/2.8 + Sigma 20mm ƒ/1.8

vs

Nikkor 10-24 ƒ/3.5 - 4.5 OR Sigma's similar 10-20.

The two lens solution will cost you a bit more and will be bigger/heavier, but you get crazy huge aperture for low light. If you shoot in low light, it might be a good solution.

I hope what I just wrote helped you.

Hello Paul,

Your 28-80 nikkor is a nice performer. I say just try using it on the D90 for a while and get a feel for it. 28 mm(=42) on the DX format is a very nice focal length. You may find that its may be wide enough for your needs for now. If you really want a wide angle then look into the 10-20 sigma or the 12-24 / 10-24 nikkors or tokina 12-24.

28mm on DX is a great focal lenght, just check out the price of the second hand 28mm f1.4 lens. ($3000 - $6000 !!!) Its only come down in price because there is a rumor that nikon may be coming out with a F1.8 version soon..

Hi Paul.
A lens in the 18-50 range will give you what you had with your 28-80 on a film camera. Nikon has the 18-55 VR II which isn't too expensive. Then there is the excellent Nikkor 18-70 f3.5-4.5 which fits perfect if you get the 70-300. Sigmas got more than one lens at 18-50. An f2.8 and an f3.5-5.6. Though I'd only recommend the 18-50 f2.8 Macro II. Tokina (16-50) and Tamron (17-50) also make lenses in this group but I say get the Nikkor 18-70.

A good wide angle prime would be the Nikon 24 or 28 f2.8 but you really should just get the new 35 f1.8. Any prime wider than that and it's going to cost you.

My apologies for the confusion (prime zoom). What I intended was a good prime wideangle lens. As if I use my old 28-80mm on the D90 it would effectively by 42-120mm hence I would have to sacrifice on the wide angle. As for zoom I am planning for a Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro (as against Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S VR because of limited budget).

On a DX camera Paul your lens would become a 42-120mm lens. You shouldn't have any problems not even with auto focus since the D90 has an internal motor to drive the lens.

If your asking about a good prime-zoom lens there isn't one. A prime lens is one that does not have any additional focal lengths. Such as a 50mm or a 105mm lens. Sometimes people think a prime is a fast lens like a 24-70mm f2.8.

If, however, your asking for the best of each (one prime and one zoom) then my apologies. The Nikkor 35mm f1.8 is a good prime and the zoom would depend on what type of photography your interested in. Telephoto? Wide-angle? etc....

Yes. The D90 has an AF screw to focus older lenses.

Will my Nikon AF Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G work with Nikon D90. Will I have to use the multiple of 1.5 to convert the focal point (42-105mm DX DSLR equiv)? What would be a good Nikkor zoom (prime) lens.

Thanx in advance.