It's Happypagehk off Ebay...as posted elsewhere, NOT ALL NIKKORS will fit the 10D...the 10D's interior box is too small for those Nikkors with the 1/8 extended protective rim (my 58 and 24 had it). The aperture effect on the meter LEDs in the VF is a bit finiky...but @ < $100 for most Nikkors vs. >$200 the cheap Canon primes it's a very reasonable way to go...and I'd bet the Nikkors are more like Canon L in quality.
look for a series E 50mm 1.8, can be had for $20-$30, A SERIES E 100MM F2.8 also... and even a nikkor AI 20mm f4, yes F4. It is übersharp, and nice color, and small (52mm filter size) can be had for $150-$200. You'd have to mod off the lens shroud on the back of the lens, a dremmel will come in handy.
bellyface wrote:
look for a series E 50mm 1.8, can be had for $20-$30, A SERIES E 100MM F2.8 also... and even a nikkor AI 20mm f4, yes F4. It is übersharp, and nice color, and small (52mm filter size) can be had for $150-$200. You'd have to mod off the lens shroud on the back of the lens, a dremmel will come in handy.
Thanx for the reply...
Series E lenses are Nikon's "consumer" line. The 135mm Nikkor above is from the pro-line tho only careful inspection can differentiate it from the E series which has actually sold for MORE than this one with the pre-AI mount but is the same lens as the AI-S mount.
The Canon 35/2 and 50 MKI seem fine tho if I found a cheap 50/1.4 Nikkor I'd like to try it .
I'll be looking at the 20 and other UWA too, thanx.
As for the lens shroud/baffle, you don't need to cut it. You can just remove it from the mount (there are 3 set screws beneath it holding it in place, much like those holding ceiling light globes, BUT YOU MUST KEEP THE ONE DIRECTLY UNDER THE BAFFLE IN ITS PLACE.
I don't know why, but Nikon lenses on a Canon Digital body actually look better than Canon lenses. Suppose I'm old fashoned, but I do like to see a proper focus ring and to actually have a F-stop ring on the lens where it belongs.
Just received a Mint condition Nikkor 50-300mm F:4.5 zoom, can't wait to try it out on my 5D this weekend!
If you are looking for an UWA, try the 18mm F:3.5 Nikkor, I have one and it is my favorite lens in that focal length range.
Series E nikon lenses were the first nikon lenses to not carry the "nikkor" baggage. They were indeed sharp, and multicoated. They were intro'd with th EM and FG bodies, and with the FA, and they were the first of the AIs designation. the AIs lenses had an extra indentation on the actual mount, this is how you can tell the nikkor lens you have is an AIs. Additionally, most of the nikkor AF primes of today, and zooms, were based on yesterdays' series E lenses, the 50 1.8, although physically different than the newer AF 50 has an identical optical layout as the series E. They are great little lenses.
My other faves:
105 F2.5 AI
105 F1.8 AI
28 F2.8 AI
100 F2.8 series E
55 F3.5 AI
there are some great nikon lenses... just look around to find an absolute bargain
IMPORTANT RESOLUTION TO THE PLAGUED FRONT FOCUSING BODIES...
I discovered that the 135 at least, (not having checked the other Nikkors), front focuses and figured out how to solve it...
By focusing to the LED and then rotating the barrel away A BIT to when the LED goes out, THEN the focus is right on...another advantage with MF over AF...
Here's a full width shot taken with the Q-C version I replaced with the newer lighter version...shot at F:4 if I recall... http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/9523/peps33usmnwk4.jpg
Here's a sample of front focus (at LED lit setting) and adapted (shot after focusing to INFINITY and shot at the point when the LED went out)...makes perfect sense when using MF...It is a manual focus approach, so obviously not an AF solution with moving subjects, but still it's consistant and predictable...and the farther away the subject the less critical is the PoF. http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/2746/nissfoxla3.jpg
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