@heartyfisher - Have you used Provia? It gets much truer color than velvia, and has better DR. The DR won't be so good as the negative you're used to shooting, but the grain should be much finer.

@quadra, assuming you scan the MF film, what do you use to scan?

Just got my self a hardly used N65 for $40 bucks last week! I also regularly use a Mamiya 654e with 120 film. I hope to soon convert my D50 DSLR to infrared only. I usually use my D300.

@ willis : I dont think you need the "aperture trick" just use programed mode.

@ adamz : My Fujifilm S5pro has a Velvia mode :-) -- But I dont use it... 8-) Maybe I should lol.

@ nikonusersince1982 : the FM2 was my Dream Camera ! you have reminded me why! I will have to look out for one...

Thanks guys for your postings ....

I dont use velvia film.. My reasoning ...( have read ken rockwells articles too ) Well, because of the way I shoot and process. Ken shoots a lot and process very little(good for him). I on the other hand dont get out much ( haha ) and I like to play with processing a little bit, not much but probably more than Ken. So I have chosen to use the Fujifilm NPS films which provide me with
1) a high latitude +/- 3 (ie high DR)
2) and very fine grain ( the finest )
3) Great Skin tones
I think that that film will provide me a very nice base for Post Processing very similar to my S5Pro High DR mode.

NSXType-R - the new G lenses are not so new, as they can be used even on F100, which is on the market for the last 10 years. The really big problem is only when You want to use the G lenses with full manual mode.

willis - I don't know what Ken Rockwell writes about film (simply I'm not a fan of him), but Velvia really rocks - I'm still waiting for a Nikon body that will deliver colors and quality of a Velvia film (withouth post processing).

Wow, I can see why the newest lenses without the aperture rings really make some people angry. Thanks.

All AF lenses are AIS by nature, so if it has an aperture ring, it'll act just like any other AIS lens on your FM2, that is to say perfectly.

Yup, I am aware of that, thanks. Can the newer non AF-S lenses work well on the older film SLRs? Like the ones with the autofocus pin and an aperture ring? For one thing, I know it'll certainly mount. :D

@nsx, that's certainly true if you have a DSLR and lens and aren't planning to buy anything new for it in the near term. But prices are such that you can get a lot of film equipment and shooting done for the price of a single new lens.

No, the camera's not the issue. I have my dad's FM2 and he has the 50mm 1.2. So I can photograph with that as is, but even if it's $4 per roll, it's still $4 per roll + development fees. It's just the electric bill for the camera and the computer for about 2200 or so photographs I can take on an 8 gig card.

@nsx, you can buy a good MF camera for under $50, and film is a few dollars a roll. An old 50mm f/1.4 can be gotten or under $50 easily, and will give you great quality. If you get AI/AIS lenses, all you lose on the higher end digital cameras is autofocus, and the image quality of many of the old lenses is superb. Perhaps it's not for everyone, but it's something to keep in mind.

I was contemplating about that. But I (really my parents :D) don't have the money to invest in both film and digital. While old film lenses may be cheap, digital is still the future. I might want to dabble a little in film however, when I do have a steady income, which I don't now. Digital doesn't cost me anything if I make mistakes.

I shoot velvia all the time. I buy mine from B&H, it's about $6 or $7/roll I use the fuji mailers they sell for processing which are $5 a piece. Velvia really does give some wonderful color.

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll try the aperture trick. Also, anyone know the best place to puchase Fuji velvia film (Yes, everything I know about shooting film I learned from Ken Rockwell LOL).

imho if you shoot film, you'd much better off shooting all manual nikon bodies. because you can service your own manual camera yourself. I still use FM2 that i purchased back in 1982 for b&w photography that I develop myself, and it still rocks like the day that I got it almost 27 years ago although it received tons of abuses from me using it in some extreme temperature/humidity/dust environment.

@willis : I have the F601 too.. (AKA N6006). I have good news for yuy! You can use it with your the G lenses. But you need to use Programed mode. and ignore the blinking "Fee". Just try a few frames to test !

heartyfisher - go for F100, as it's really great camera - very durable and very power efficient (around 100 rolls of film on one set of batteries)

btw, willis, if you're going to be in a situation where you'd be shooting wide open anyway, you can just fold up some paper and prop open the aperture coupling pin with it before you put a g-lens on an old film body. It's not always useful, but it's more useful than shooting at max aperture.

I am adding to my film kit, but I use all my lenses on both film and digital. My current lineup of non-g lenses includes:

24mm f/2 AIS
35mm f/2 AIS
50mm f/1.4 pre-ai Nikkor-S (I used to have an AI'D version of this, but gave it to someone who couldn't use the pre-ai)
105mm f/4 AIS Micro-nikkor
135mm f/2.8 pre-ai Nikkor-Q C
300mm f/4.5 AIS EDIF
500mm f/8 Reflex-Nikkor

In addition I have a set of K1-K5 extension rings, a PN-11 extension tube, and a TC200 teleconverter.

As I've mentioned before I use a nikon FE which is a complete joy to shoot! I buy mostly from KEH, and will be happy to give opinions on any of these lenses if anyone's curious

Edit: Edited for clarity

I picked up a Nikon film body off eBay for about $20. Its a N6006 (or something like that). It works well enough, but I think I'd rather have something a little more up to date. The only lens I own that I can use on it is my 50mm F1.4 (the non-AFS version). All of my G lenses are worthless on it because they close down to Max Aperture.

I have just started shooting with film again after 8 years of using Digital SLR. I think I like it!

I will not throw away my DSLR in fact I am hoping to get the D400 when it is announced and available. I am curious to know if you current Film shooters are adding to your Kit or Phasing them out? or you are happy with what you already have?

As for my self I find that all the old Film gear is getting real cheap and I can now afford stuff that was Way Over my budget 8 years ago. I recently got a 50mmF1.4 AIS for USD65. and a 35-70 F2.8 AFD for USD140 from camera shops that had them gathering dust in the corner of the shop. I am hoping to find a Nikon F100 some where soon. Other wise I may get a Nikon N75/F57 off EBay so that I can use my AFS and VR lenses with film.

I have always liked to shoot with 2 cameras.. So now I will be carrying a Film Camera as well ! LOL! Luckily Film Cameras are light!

Just Curious....