Ask Matthew...
Our resident Nikon expert Matthew Richards answers your
questions and solves your problems. If you have a Nikon-related
question, email it to [email protected]
Q
I use a Sigma
12-24mm with my
D750. How much viewing
angle would I lose if I swap
to a Z 6 and 14-30mm lens?
Hank StevensA
As reviewed last issue, the new
Nikon Z 14-30mm certainly doesn’t
come up short in quality, although
its minimum focal length isn’t as short as
your Sigma. Technically, the maximum
viewing angles are 114 degrees for the Nikon
and 122 degrees for the Sigma. This is
measured on the diagonal of the image
frame, but the figures aren’t a great help
when trying to visualize the difference.
For landscape and outdoor shooting,
you usually won’t find the Nikon lens’s
maximum viewing angle more restrictive.
It can be more of an issue when shooting
indoors, or any other time when you’ve got
your back up against a wall and can’t move
any further away from the subject. Case in
point, below are two interior shots, taken
at 12mm and 14mm focal lengths.Q
Can I use Nikon’s
recent E-type
lenses with my D5600
camera body?
Simon BartonA
The short answer is yes. Nikon
introduced E-type lenses back in
2016, with electromagnetic control
over the aperture. In D-type and G-type
F-mount lenses for DSLRs and film
cameras, the aperture is controlled by
a mechanical lever. The advantage of
electromagnetic control is that the aperture
can be set more precisely, especially when
shooting a sequence of shots in high-speed
continuous drive mode.
Many recent lenses made by Sigma and
Tamron, as well as a number of own-brand
Nikon lenses, feature electromagnetic
aperture control. In all cases, they’re
compatible with most cameras, but not
the D2-series, D1-series, D200, D100, D90,
D80, D70-series, D60, D50, D40-series,
D3000, and film SLR cameras. When used
with these cameras, you’d only be able to
shoot at the lens’s widest aperture.Another restriction is that some of
Nikon’s recent lenses use AF-P (Pulse)
stepping motors to drive autofocus. This
typically offers fast and virtually silent
autofocus for stills, and smooth autofocus
transitions when shooting video. Again,
though, there are compatibility issues
with older cameras. For example, neither
autofocus nor manual focus is available with
cameras including the D1-D4 series, D700,
D100-D300 series, D40-D90 series,
D7000, D5000-D5100 and D3000-D3200.YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
The Sigma lens’s wider maximum viewing angle enables you to shoehorn a little extra into the frame.Nikon lenses with electromagnetic aperture
control, like the AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E
ED VR, are designated with an ‘E’ after the
aperture rating, rather than a D or a G.12mm 14mm