If i buy a film nikon slr will my digital nikon slr's lenses work on it?

Question

i bought a nikon d40 dslr camera a few months ago because im on a tight budget since i'm only in high school and my parents wont pay for it.

but i really want a film camera so i was thinking of buying a used one off of ebay,

but then i realized i would have to spend so much more on lenses and such

so i was wondering if i bought a nikon film camera would my digital lenses work on it?

or would the film lenses work on the digital camera?

im about to invest in a rather espensive lens soon so i hope it will work for both

Answer 1

No you will get black corners. The only Nikon avaible that can shoot FX and DX formats is the D3.

Answer 2

The short answer is that your digital SLR lenses will mount and will meter.  However, at some zoom settings, primarily the wider ones, you will get darker corners, which is known as vignetting.

This is true for the digital lenses known as DX lenses.  However, some lenses will work on both your D40 and a film camera.  Example:  the  70-200mm f/2.8 VR AF-S lens works on both the D40 and a film SLR.  The 24-120mm VR lens works on both a D40 and a film SLR.  So, if you're about to invest in an expensive lens, it might be one that will work on both without any vignetting on your film SLR.

A film SLR is pretty inexpensive; it's easy to get a working used one for under $50 on eBay that will allow your Nikon lenses to mount and meter.  If you can live with the risk of darker corners, a "DX" lens will work, in addition to the lenses designed for film.

EDIT:  Your 18-55mm will mount on a film camera but from 18mm to about 24mm, you'll get dark corners.  From 24mm to 55mm, you should be okay--very little darkening in corners and probably only at the wider apertures.