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leighton w
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p.2039 #1 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

The early morning light was very appealing yesterday. Another with the 28-50mm f3.5.

A note on this lens. Although I think it has nice color and contrast output, I'm not crazy about the working distance. It doesn't lock focus anywhere near as close as my 24mm f2.8, and I would assume the 28mm f2.8, both of which has the CRC attribute. It does have a gimmicky micro setting, but that's only good in a short range.

Phillip said "I'm playing the "28 f/2.8 + 50 f/1.2 vs 35 f/1.4" game" to Matt and I think I'm doing the same thing, only with the 28-50mm.

One other thing, It doesn't offer that much difference in FL range so if you have either the 28 or the 50 you can adjust by a step in either direction just as easy. I think I'm going to sell mine and pick up either the 28mm f2 or 2.8, or perhaps the 35mm f1.4.

Just my 2 cents worth.

NIKON D600 28 mm f/5.6 1/500 sec 400 ISO 0.0 EV

Oct 11, 2012 at 10:07 AM

georgms
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p.2039 #2 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

leighton w wrote:
The early morning light was very appealing yesterday. Another with the 28-50mm f3.5.

A note on this lens. Although I think it has nice color and contrast output, I'm not crazy about the working distance. It doesn't lock focus anywhere near as close as my 24mm f2.8, and I would assume the 28mm f2.8, both of which has the CRC attribute. It does have a gimmicky micro setting, but that's only good in a short range.

Phillip said "I'm playing the "28 f/2.8 + 50 f/1.2 vs 35 f/1.4" game" to Matt and I think I'm doing the same thing, only with the 28-50mm.

One other thing, It doesn't offer that much difference in FL range so if you have either the 28 or the 50 you can adjust by a step in either direction just as easy. I think I'm going to sell mine and pick up either the 28mm f2 or 2.8, or perhaps the 35mm f1.4.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Leighton, that's a really fantastic photograph! Marvelous composition and very nice colors!

I'm not too fond of Nikon's old focusing-mechanism on some of the zooms - my 35-135/3.5-4.5 has a really nice Micro/Macro-setting too, but I can't focus closer than 1.5 meters (5ft) in the standard mode. This rules out this lens for daily use.

I really like my 28/2's and the 35/1.4 and from what I've seen so far the 28/2.8 Ais is even better. Any of the 28's might be a better walkaround-companion for the 50-135 than the fast 35.

Oct 11, 2012 at 10:24 AM

Oosty
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p.2039 #3 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

Matt and others - Lens ID

This article by Ken Rockwell goes into the differences between the pre Ai, Ai and Ai-S lenses http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/nikortek.htm

Oct 11, 2012 at 10:38 AM

leighton w
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p.2039 #4 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

georgms wrote:
Leighton, that's a really fantastic photograph! Marvelous composition and very nice colors!

I'm not too fond of Nikon's old focusing-mechanism on some of the zooms - my 35-135/3.5-4.5 has a really nice Micro/Macro-setting too, but I can't focus closer than 1.5 meters (5ft) in the standard mode. This rules out this lens for daily use.

I really like my 28/2's and the 35/1.4 and from what I've seen so far the 28/2.8 Ais is even better. Any of the 28's might be a better walkaround-companion for the 50-135 than the fast 35.

Thank you Georg, that means a lot coming from you.

Yea, I think I'm gonna let this zoom go, but NEVER my beloved 50-135mm!

But now I'm stuck on which FL would suit my style the best. Didn't someone on here say "kit building is forever"!

Oct 11, 2012 at 10:40 AM

montym
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p.2039 #5 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

saph wrote:
Welcome Gustavo and hope to see sample from your AIS lens one day soon here.

Good advice. Monty it may be better to change it and then PM whoever needs the access.

Samy
It really isn't my site. It is a trial site. Temporary, just for anyone to see if Sqrarespace would work for us.

Oct 11, 2012 at 11:19 AM

montym
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p.2039 #6 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

georgms wrote:
leighton w wrote:
The early morning light was very appealing yesterday. Another with the 28-50mm f3.5.

A note on this lens. Although I think it has nice color and contrast output, I'm not crazy about the working distance. It doesn't lock focus anywhere near as close as my 24mm f2.8, and I would assume the 28mm f2.8, both of which has the CRC attribute. It does have a gimmicky micro setting, but that's only good in a short range.

Phillip said "I'm playing the "28 f/2.8 + 50 f/1.2 vs 35 f/1.4" game" to Matt and I think I'm doing the same thing, only with the 28-50mm.

One other thing, It doesn't offer that much difference in FL range so if you have either the 28 or the 50 you can adjust by a step in either direction just as easy. I think I'm going to sell mine and pick up either the 28mm f2 or 2.8, or perhaps the 35mm f1.4.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Oct 11, 2012 at 11:21 AM

borismilan
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p.2039 #7 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

Hello. I'm kind of new here, coming from Canon and just got a D600, I was directed to this thread and now I am fascinated by these gorgeous images. Particularly the ones with the 105 f2.5, incredible beautiful portraits with butter bokeh and shallow dof ,
so I went to keh.com and ebay and found a bazillion different models of 105mm , ai aid non ai , I'd like to ask you, which is the "right" 105 f2.5 to look for?
And what is a average price to pay for such a lens?
Thank you for your help

Oct 11, 2012 at 12:01 PM

montym
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p.2039 #8 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

borismilan wrote:
Hello. I'm kind of new here, coming from Canon and just got a D600, I was directed to this thread and now I am fascinated by these gorgeous images. Particularly the ones with the 105 f2.5, incredible beautiful portraits with butter bokeh and shallow dof ,
so I went to keh.com and ebay and found a bazillion different models of 105mm , ai aid non ai , I'd like to ask you, which is the "right" 105 f2.5 to look for?
And what is a average price to pay for such a lens?
Thank you for your help

Welcome to the thread and even better, welcome to Nikon. I just purchased a D600. I hope you like yours as much as I like mine!

I have a 105mm f/2.5 AI-s It was my favorite lens until I got an 85mm,

keh.com has an EX+ 105mm AI-s for $310 I think you will want the AI-s
http://www.keh.com/camera/Nikon-Manual-Focus-Fixed-Focal-Length-Lenses/1/sku-NK06010200589N?r=FE

I don't know if that is too much, but the EX+ condition is very appealing.
Others with more knowledge will tell you if the AI-s is the one you want....

Monty

Oct 11, 2012 at 12:10 PM

borismilan
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p.2039 #9 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

Thank you! I am debating between the 85 1.8D and the 105, after buying the D600 and a couple of lens my bank account is pretty dry.
If I where to pick for the same price I'd go for the 85 1.8 D
I am loving the new camera but is going to take a while to get used to the buttons and interface. Canon bodies where second nature for me, however I don't anticipate to be a problem, in a couple of weeks I should be comfortable with the camera.
Now the names of these lens are proving to be a challenge to keep up with

Oct 11, 2012 at 12:19 PM

georgms
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p.2039 #10 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

borismilan wrote:
Hello. I'm kind of new here, coming from Canon and just got a D600, I was directed to this thread and now I am fascinated by these gorgeous images. Particularly the ones with the 105 f2.5, incredible beautiful portraits with butter bokeh and shallow dof ,
so I went to keh.com and ebay and found a bazillion different models of 105mm , ai aid non ai , I'd like to ask you, which is the "right" 105 f2.5 to look for?
And what is a average price to pay for such a lens?
Thank you for your help

Hi Boris, welcome from my side of the pond too!
There's no "bad" 105mm Nikkor - I for my part really like the older ones. Make sure the lens is "Ai", "Ai-S" or "Ai'd". Non-Ai-lenses can damage your camera, but can be converted to "Ai". Here is an excellent overview about Nikon's 105mm manual focus line up - I have an Ai'd K 105/2.5 and an Ai'd PC Auto 105/2.5 and both are very good performers. I've paid less than 100 Euros for each lens (in "user-condition").
Georg

Oct 11, 2012 at 12:20 PM

asiostygius
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p.2039 #11 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

leighton w wrote:
The early morning light was very appealing yesterday. Another with the 28-50mm f3.5.

...

Leighton, this is fantastic, great morning light/colours and shadow

Edited on Oct 11, 2012 at 01:35 PM · View previous versions

Oct 11, 2012 at 12:35 PM

vpik01
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p.2039 #12 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

Boris - welcome! The 105/2.5 is a favorite in my collection as well. I stared out with a 105/2.5 K that was factory Ai'd and it was excellent but I prefer the handling of the smaller and (IMO) more refined AI-S version I picked up from KEH.com. I got a 'BGN' condition one that I've yet to find a blemish on...sometimes you luck out but I think KEH in particular is conservative in their lens condition assessment.

It is a classic lens design going all the way back to the first Nikon rangefinder system and you are right to notice that it has a dedicated following on this thread!

Oct 11, 2012 at 12:41 PM

borismilan
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p.2039 #13 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

Hi Boris, welcome from my side of the pond too!
There's no "bad" 105mm Nikkor - I for my part really like the older ones. Make sure the lens is "Ai", "Ai-S" or "Ai'd". Non-Ai-lenses can damage your camera, but can be converted to "Ai". Here is an excellent overview about Nikon's 105mm manual focus line up - I have an Ai'd K 105/2.5 and an Ai'd PC Auto 105/2.5 and both are very good performers. I've paid less than 100 Euros for each lens (in "user-condition").

Georg

Wow, thanks Georg. Critical info here, so Non Ai can damage the camera, good info, I was casually eyeing a non Ai. I guess I won't be getting that.
300$ is on the high side for me on a manual focus lens, your number of 100 euro makes more sense to me.
Again thank you so much. In short, get any 105 f2.5 Ai or Ais

Oct 11, 2012 at 12:44 PM

DTOB
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p.2039 #14 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

Hi Boris, welcome!

I found my 105 AI at a local flea market for $130. Such a great lens for that price.

The main differences to my knowledge between the AI and the AIS is that the AI has a much longer focus throw, it has rounded aperture blades and no built in hood.

The AIS by contrast lacks the rounded aperture blades, has a much shorter throw, and has a built in hood. I'm not sure that I would trade my AI for an AIS, typically I do like the shorter throw, but for this focal length, I am rarely racking focus from one end to the other, like I would with say, my 28mm f2 AIS.

Hope this helps.

Dylan

Oct 11, 2012 at 12:56 PM

DTOB
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p.2039 #15 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

And Leighton, that is a fantastic image. Love the shadow. Nicely seen.

Oct 11, 2012 at 12:56 PM

tonyc90
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p.2039 #16 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

rankamateur wrote:
So where are all the website builders when you need one?
www.nikonmanualfocus.com now belongs to yours truly! Should be interesting what can be done with it.
Any ideas appreciated!

A plug for Fatcow.com hosting and services. Have used them for 10 years. Very good customer service and uptime. Their control panel makes it super easy to setup your initial Wordpress blog and from there apply any theme or forum plugins you desire.

Oct 11, 2012 at 01:18 PM

huddy
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p.2039 #17 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

Boris, any 105/2.5 is great, although any non-AI lens would need to be AI'd (AI converted). You can check the serial numbers on the website linked below to see what you are getting as sometimes sellers don't know what they are listing or might try to be deceptive.

http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html

Philip, I also played the 28+50 or 35 game. The 35 lost unfortunately and I sold my minty copy to fund other ventures. The 28/2 and 50/1.2 are such a phenomenal pairing for people shooting. If I need a single general purpose lens, I want the 35/1.4 though, so I'll buy one again as finances permit... probably a 35/2 and 28/2.8 as they are all such fine lenses with certain strengths. I'm still a fool for letting go of the copy of the 35/2 I got from Curtis. Fortunately, my 25-50 covers all of these focal lengths, but it isn't quite as bitingly sharp as any of the primes, although it still did just fine on a 20x30 print from my D90.

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Oct 11, 2012 at 01:31 PM

MarkdV
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p.2039 #18 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

huddy wrote:
Boris, any 105/2.5 is great, although any non-AI lens would need to be AI'd (AI converted). You can check the serial numbers on the website linked below to see what you are getting as sometimes sellers don't know what they are listing or might try to be deceptive.

http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html

Philip, I also played the 28+50 or 35 game. The 35 lost unfortunately and I sold my minty copy to fund other ventures. The 28/2 and 50/1.2 are such a phenomenal pairing for people shooting. If I need a single general purpose lens, I want the 35/1.4 though, so I'll buy one again as finances permit... probably a 35/2 and 28/2.8 as they are all such fine lenses with certain strengths. I'm still a fool for letting go of the copy of the 35/2 I got from Curtis. Fortunately, my 25-50 covers all of these focal lengths, but it isn't quite as bitingly sharp as any of the primes, although it still did just fine on a 20x30 print from my D90.

I'd say it did more than fine there, that a gorgeous pic Alan.

Oct 11, 2012 at 02:52 PM

leighton w
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p.2039 #19 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

Thank you Monty, Jose and Dylan!

Oct 11, 2012 at 03:23 PM

leighton w
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p.2039 #20 · Manual Focus Nikon Glass

MarkdV wrote:
huddy wrote:
Boris, any 105/2.5 is great, although any non-AI lens would need to be AI'd (AI converted). You can check the serial numbers on the website linked below to see what you are getting as sometimes sellers don't know what they are listing or might try to be deceptive.

http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html

Philip, I also played the 28+50 or 35 game. The 35 lost unfortunately and I sold my minty copy to fund other ventures. The 28/2 and 50/1.2 are such a phenomenal pairing for people shooting. If I need a single general purpose lens, I want the 35/1.4 though, so I'll buy one again as finances permit... probably a 35/2 and 28/2.8 as they are all such fine lenses with certain strengths. I'm still a fool for letting go of the copy of the 35/2 I got from Curtis. Fortunately, my 25-50 covers all of these focal lengths, but it isn't quite as bitingly sharp as any of the primes, although it still did just fine on a 20x30 print from my D90.

I'd say it did more than fine there, that a gorgeous pic Alan.

+1

Oct 11, 2012 at 03:24 PM

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