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Archive 2009 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

bishopj100
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p.1 #1 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

hey nikon peeps

I'm considering a switch from my Canon FF over to a Nikon D700. My problem is that I have absolutely no knowledge on the Nikon lens lineup. Is there a site that lists all the different generations of Nikon lenses?

It seems that nikon shooters tend to use more zooms rather than the primes. Is there a reason for that? Poor quality primes in the Nikon lineup?

In my Canon setup, I started to lean towards the primes rather than the Canon zooms. I shoot mostly weddings and e-sessions at the moment. My favorite canon lenses are the 45 TS and the 50 mm 1.2. Wdo you guys suggest that I should start with in the Nikon lineup?

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers
Jamie

Nov 20, 2009 at 04:25 PM

dionysis
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p.1 #2 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

In my opinion Nikon has some excellent primes however they are all dated. Because of this many of their zooms can outshine them for various reasons. I would say that in some cases Nikon's zooms can outshine Canon's primes.

If you are getting a D700 I would recommend the 14-24, 24-70, 70-200mm VRII and an 85mm 1.4. It is probably all you will ever need. Every lens in the package is amazingly sharp.

Nov 20, 2009 at 04:34 PM

lou f
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p.1 #3 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/lenses.html
http://www.bythom.com/nikon.htm
http://www.luminescentphoto.com/
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/index.htm

loads of older mf primes that are a pleasure to use too as well as the all singing all dancing 2.8 pro zooms.

Nov 20, 2009 at 04:46 PM

Kyle Yu
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p.1 #4 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

nikon also has a 45 tilt shift, but it is expensive. as for the 50, there is the new 50 1.4G as well as the sigma 50 1.4, which i hear is really good. in fact my friend just replace his canon 50 1.2L with the sigma 50 1.4 bythom.com that louis listed has reviewed both the nikon and sigma 50 1.4s. there is also the 85 1.4. what else do you have in your kit that you need a nikon equivalent for?

Nov 20, 2009 at 04:51 PM

Kaj E
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p.1 #5 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

dionysis wrote:
In my opinion Nikon has some excellent primes however they are all dated. Because of this many of their zooms can outshine them for various reasons. I would say that in some cases Nikon's zooms can outshine Canon's primes.

If you are getting a D700 I would recommend the 14-24, 24-70, 70-200mm VRII and an 85mm 1.4. It is probably all you will ever need. Every lens in the package is amazingly sharp.

+1

Nov 20, 2009 at 04:52 PM

90 5.0
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p.1 #6 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

The nikon 45 ts and any of the 50 1.4 variants would be good if you have to have a 50 1.2 you can get that new from Nikon still or find a used version but is mf only.

My 50 1.4d is a great lens, it's all i need in that department.

shameless 50 1.4 plug

This image is copyrighted by the owner

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Nov 20, 2009 at 05:10 PM

Andre Labonte
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p.1 #7 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

louis fusco wrote:
http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/lenses.html
http://www.bythom.com/nikon.htm
http://www.luminescentphoto.com/
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/index.htm

loads of older mf primes that are a pleasure to use too as well as the all singing all dancing 2.8 pro zooms.

You put KR on the list!!!!

Please, give the OP a fighting chance of getting good information.

Nov 20, 2009 at 05:31 PM

Andre Labonte
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p.1 #8 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

Another good sourse of lens reviews is:

http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html

Nov 20, 2009 at 05:31 PM

Supa Lao
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p.1 #9 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

Subscribing to this thread. I'm thinking of picking up the D700 also and selling my canon 50D

Nov 20, 2009 at 05:44 PM

Avi B
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p.1 #10 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

A thread that I had made some time ago, it's fallen off the radar.

Maybe it will help?
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/704373

Nov 20, 2009 at 06:47 PM

Andre Labonte
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p.1 #11 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

Avi B wrote:
A thread that I had made some time ago, it's fallen off the radar.

Maybe it will help?
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/704373

AVI,

Why did that thread get locked? It looked to be a good thread that people wanted to have stickied to the top. I was actually hoping to bump it.

Andre

Nov 20, 2009 at 07:46 PM

Chris Dees
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p.1 #12 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

My wedding setup is D3, D700 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8VR (version II in a week

), SB900 and SB800
This covers 95% of my shots.
Other 5% of the shots are with17-35/2.8, 15FE, 50/1.4G and 105/2.8VR Micro
I tried the 85/1.4, 105/2.0DC and 135/2.0DC but sold them. They are amazing lenses but with weddings flexibility is more important for me.
The 14-24 is the best WA solution on the market, but it's too much a speciality lens for me so I sold than one as well (I still have regrets).
I have no experience with TS lenses.

Nov 20, 2009 at 09:29 PM

ilikeglass
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p.1 #13 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

Here's the updated Fall 2009 Radiant Lite comparison of Canon vs. Nikon lenses. Very useful!

http://www.radiantlite.com/2009/09/canon-lenses-vs-nikon-lenses-2009.html

Nov 20, 2009 at 09:40 PM

lou f
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p.1 #14 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

Andre Labonte wrote:
louis fusco wrote:
http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/lenses.html
http://www.bythom.com/nikon.htm
http://www.luminescentphoto.com/
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/index.htm

loads of older mf primes that are a pleasure to use too as well as the all singing all dancing 2.8 pro zooms.

You put KR on the list!!!!

Please, give the OP a fighting chance of getting good information.

maby because his ais lens recomdations are very similer to bjorns and he's still updating his site.

Nov 20, 2009 at 09:51 PM

Makten
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p.1 #15 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

dionysis wrote:
If you are getting a D700 I would recommend the 14-24, 24-70, 70-200mm VRII and an 85mm 1.4.

And I'd recommend you NOT to get those lenses, if you're not keen on carrying more than what you need. Let's listen to the OP:

bishopj100 wrote:
In my Canon setup, I started to lean towards the primes rather than the Canon zooms.

There are many nice primes for Nikon too, but some of the shorter AF ones are "outdated". If you're not afraid of manual focus, there's numerous primes that are stellar, for very little money.
If AF is required, get a Sigma 50/1.4 to start with. Or the 50/1.4 AF-S, if you like the traditional behaviour from a 50 mm lens.

Nov 20, 2009 at 11:21 PM

RCicala
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p.1 #16 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

I wouldn't forget the Zeiss ZF primes too. Very nice lenses.

Nov 21, 2009 at 01:02 PM

AdrianGB
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p.1 #17 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

I did the same switch some time back.

For the 50, I went for the f1.4G and I love it. But check out the reviews as several people have expressed disappointment. Personally I think it is superb.

If you prefer primes with Canon, I would imagine you'll prefer the same with Nikon. I think this is an area of frustration (for me anyway) as Canon has a bigger primes line-up in the 28-150 range of focal lengths, and a lot of the existing nikon line-up are reportedly no better than the f2.8 zoom range. But the 85 f1.4 is a gem, and the 60 and the 105 macro lenses are great too.

Check you'll be happy with our wideangle options. The 14-24 f2.8 is excellent - if you don't mind the big heavyweight zoom. But prime gems are trickier to come by unless you are happy to MF. I wish Nikon did a 35L equivalent, but they only do one in MF, or the 35/2.

Nov 21, 2009 at 02:14 PM

Avi B
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p.1 #18 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

Andre Labonte wrote:
Avi B wrote:
A thread that I had made some time ago, it's fallen off the radar.

Maybe it will help?
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/704373

AVI,

Why did that thread get locked? It looked to be a good thread that people wanted to have stickied to the top. I was actually hoping to bump it.

Andre

Andre, I have no idea. But since this forum is so biased towards Canon in general, I figured they would just rather lock that thread and hope it disappears into the archives. I don't know how you make a thread into a sticky, as you can see, the mod clearly did not listen to requests from various people. Oh well, I got the direct link saved so I can send it on to people when I feel its appropriate.

I think I'll think hard next time before I waste my time like that though.

Nov 21, 2009 at 07:43 PM

Andre Labonte
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p.1 #19 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

Avi B wrote:
Andre Labonte wrote:
Avi B wrote:
A thread that I had made some time ago, it's fallen off the radar.

Maybe it will help?
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/704373

AVI,

Why did that thread get locked? It looked to be a good thread that people wanted to have stickied to the top. I was actually hoping to bump it.

Andre

Andre, I have no idea. But since this forum is so biased towards Canon in general, I figured they would just rather lock that thread and hope it disappears into the archives. I don't know how you make a thread into a sticky, as you can see, the mod clearly did not listen to requests from various people. Oh well, I got the direct link saved so I can send it on to people when I feel its appropriate.

I think I'll think hard next time before I waste my time like that though.

I think that would be a mistake. It's people who post like yours that make this forum worth coming to.

Nov 21, 2009 at 10:15 PM

ShadowWalker
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p.1 #20 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

ilikeglass wrote:
Here's the updated Fall 2009 Radiant Lite comparison of Canon vs. Nikon lenses. Very useful!

http://www.radiantlite.com/2009/09/canon-lenses-vs-nikon-lenses-2009.html

Thanks for the link. I am surprised though that he didn't rate the Nikon 70-300 VR higher. My experience with it, along w/ many other FM'ers, is that it is a well built stellar lens.

jeff

Nov 21, 2009 at 10:51 PM

TheObiJuan
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p.1 #21 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

I just recently switched from Canon to Nikon's D700.
I'm let down by the 17-35's corners even at f/5.6.
The 16 fisheye is great.
The 80-200 does everything I need and vignetting is not a problem.
Thank god for Sigma making a usable 50mm.

I wish a sharper 85mm with better bokeh were available. The 50mm doesn't have the reach I need anymore since I'm not on a APS-C body anymore.

Despite the lens lineup, the bodies are stellar and options endless.
I swapped 4 months ago and never looked back.

Nov 22, 2009 at 01:32 AM

Aaron Tengbom
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p.1 #22 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

Andre Labonte wrote:
louis fusco wrote:
http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/lenses.html
http://www.bythom.com/nikon.htm
http://www.luminescentphoto.com/
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/index.htm

loads of older mf primes that are a pleasure to use too as well as the all singing all dancing 2.8 pro zooms.

You put KR on the list!!!!

Please, give the OP a fighting chance of getting good information.

Well the OP did ask for an idiots guide...

Perhaps the OP should list what he currently has that gets used so the replies could be more tailored to his usage.

Nov 22, 2009 at 01:50 AM

bishopj100
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p.1 #23 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

Thanks to everyone for all the posts

My current lineup is a 1DS2 and a 5D1 as a backup

My main (favorite) lenses that I use for the majority of my wedding work are

50 1.2L
45 mm TS
85 1.8
28-70 2.8 L

I also have a 28 1.8 and a 70-200 2.8L which aren't used all that much.

The wide aperture lenses are used for low light inside churches and receptions. I can't get away with using the Canon zooms and my current bodies for low light shooting, thus I have to use the primes. I'm just wondering if the high ISO capabilities of the D700 will allow me to use the Nikon 24-70 2.8 inside church and reception venues.

My biz partner has a full lineup of L WA lenses (24L, 35L) and a 5D2 but is extremely frustrated by the low light focusing of the camera. The D700 seems to be the perfect wedding camera IMHO. Why can't Canon make that exact camera? At the moment I could care less about video and fusion. Sorry wrong forum....

Thanks for all the suggestions. I love FM members!

Nov 22, 2009 at 02:10 AM

Kit Laughlin
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p.1 #24 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

bishop, you wrote:

I shoot mostly weddings and e-sessions at the moment.

I am curious: how does the 45 TS-E fit into that? Excellent lens, but (as an event shooter as well as shooting architecture myself) I can't see how that slowish lens fits into the wedding scenario (especially as you mention that Canon zooms are too slow).

In my experience, the D700 can be 'set and forget' to auto ISO 6400; as well you can set minimum shutter speed before the camera ups the ISO. I would use the Nikon 50/1.4, or the Sigma version, or the Zeiss ZF 50/1.2, if MF is OK. The 24–70/2.8 is a very very good lens, too, BTW. I have not owned the Canon equivalent, but I am sure others here have. cheers, kl

Nov 22, 2009 at 02:42 AM

williamkazak
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p.1 #25 · Idiots guide to Nikon lenses?

You should be able to use the Nikon 24-70 because I use the 12-24mm F4 Nikon zoom at the weddings on a D300. AF works fine with that lens. Why would you want to switch and lose out on all of your nice Canon lenses?

Nov 22, 2009 at 02:45 AM


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