leighton w wrote:
A couple of reasons this thread is 13 years old.
1) The folks on here are really nice and care for each other. One way we do that is we never talk politics or religion. We also don't bash other camera gear.
2) We all have a deep appreciation of these old Nikkors, the way they're built and the characteristics of the image quality.
3) They are relatively cheap for such a quality lens.
4) And last but not least, they're fun to use. Having to manual focus slows you down a bit and makes the whole process of capturing that image more pleasing.
I'm sure I'm leaving something out. Chime in if I have....Show more →
That's a great summary of the attraction of MF Nikkors. I'd add only that for me personally the classic Nikkors have an almost jewelry-like beauty, a combination of solid engineering and quality materials along with an aesthetic or design-language that is fully characteristic of Nikon as a company. Just mounting something like my recently acquired 105mm/1.8 on my DF brings a smile to my face, which gets even wider when I use the buttery focusing mechanism to bring a lovely image into view. None of my AF lenses, even the very nice 28mm/1.4D, equals the experience of using my MF Nikkors.
grantgoodes wrote:
That's a great summary of the attraction of MF Nikkors. I'd add only that for me personally the classic Nikkors have an almost jewelry-like beauty, a combination of solid engineering and quality materials along with an aesthetic or design-language that is fully characteristic of Nikon as a company. Just mounting something like my recently acquired 105mm/1.8 on my DF brings a smile to my face, which gets even wider when I use the buttery focusing mechanism to bring a lovely image into view. None of my AF lenses, even the very nice 28mm/1.4D, equals the experience of using my MF Nikkors. ...Show more →
Inexpensive jewels in jewel cases with interesting renditions. the ~50mm Nikkors are better at closer distances.
pbraymond wrote:
Lots of greyish skies around here, so there's a lot of focus on details that omit the sky. All shot with the 180mm f2.8 AIS.
Same grayness here after the last few days of almost summer temperatures and sun. I was just about to get out to do a camera walk and the rain started.
The first two bring out the pleasant bokeh of the 180.
Picture's worth a thousand words about the 55 1.2 Nikkors. Rafael, all those pics are good but the mirror portrait is fantastic and so is the silhouette!!!
rafaelcasd wrote:
Inexpensive jewels in jewel cases with interesting renditions.
leighton w wrote:
Be careful Mike, once you buy one, it's hard to stop. It is essential that you have extreme willpower. rolubich wrote:
Really?
Well, technically, it's not absolutely necessary to have extreme willpower (as your profile nicely demonstrates, Roberto!). But in the absence of such willpower, it is necessary to have sufficient shelf space for the growing collection, along with either a tolerant spouse or bachelor status!
kwoodard wrote:
At one point I had 37 lenses in the 50-58mm range. 😬
You must have had a big shelf and the right marital situation, Kevin . I'm up to a grand total of 40 MF Nikon lenses, of which 13 fall within the 45-58mm range (including four zooms). I have a tolerant wife and a large, dedicated gear cupboard, so this is probably not the end of the growth process.
Califmike33 wrote:
You know I've looked around FM and I'm in the Sony for him mostly cuz I have a Sony camera and there are some lens threads over there but none like this none this long this many pages. Why is this so long like 8,000 pages they must be some good old lenses to keep this thing going and have this many pages even the voightlander and some of the other lenses don't have anything near this length pretty amazing that this thread is this long and still going.
I think the 55 1.2 is probably the one to get to break into the Nikon glass and like you said if I shop smart I can always resell them if I don't like them.
What I'm finding from starting to get into these lenses is none of them are really sharp wide open not just Nikon but in general all these old lenses really don't perform good wide open I mean some of them do some crazy dreamy painterly bokeh wide open but the image is soft.
Been watching a lot of YouTube videos on the m42 mount screw Mount lenses and I'm sure there are comparable Nikon lenses so I got to start looking into the Nikon lenses but I saw some that have such an amazing bokeh,
Seems like such a more fun ride to adapt old lenses onto a mirrorless camera other than just buying a 24 to 70 in the 70 to 200 and you're done end of story now you just live with those lenses although it covers a lot of range it's a hobby and an experience in itself I imagine just trying different vintage lenses. ...Show more →
Well look at that: you're getting the bug already! Come join our little therapy group. We'll help you through the good times!
Here are a couple of water reflection abstracts from Big Qualicum River for your mesmerizing pleasure, courtesy of the D800E and, respectively, the 105 f/1.8 Ai-s and the 50 f/1.4 SC.
NIKON D800E0.0 mm f/0.0 lens105mmf/4.01/320s800 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON D800E0.0 mm f/0.0 lens50mmf/5.61/320s400 ISO0.0 EV
I have quite a few in the 50-58mm range... not a Noct though.
Califmike33 wrote:
Thanks, guys for the tips on lenses. I was looking at the Rokkor 50mm f1.2 or the Nikon Noct 1.2 and just watched a great comparison video and the Noct wins that duel. I think what im seeing is i may end up with several 50,55 mm lenses before its all done.
grantgoodes wrote:
That's a great summary of the attraction of MF Nikkors. I'd add only that for me personally the classic Nikkors have an almost jewelry-like beauty, a combination of solid engineering and quality materials along with an aesthetic or design-language that is fully characteristic of Nikon as a company. Just mounting something like my recently acquired 105mm/1.8 on my DF brings a smile to my face, which gets even wider when I use the buttery focusing mechanism to bring a lovely image into view. None of my AF lenses, even the very nice 28mm/1.4D, equals the experience of using my MF Nikkors. ...Show more →
If you go to the first page of this thread, and look between post #1 and post #2, you'll see a link from Fred where you can go back and read the archived pages. They aren't gone completely, just archived. He had to do that as there were a few threads here that were causing the whole site to crash...
Califmike33 wrote:
WOW really ??
58mm 1.2 Nocturnal $3000 on eBay?? well, i won't be buying that lens.
GroWeb wrote:
Well, technically, it's not absolutely necessary to have extreme willpower (as your profile nicely demonstrates, Roberto!). But in the absence of such willpower, it is necessary to have sufficient shelf space for the growing collection, along with either a tolerant spouse or bachelor status!
You must have had a big shelf and the right marital situation, Kevin . I'm up to a grand total of 40 MF Nikon lenses, of which 13 fall within the 45-58mm range (including four zooms). I have a tolerant wife and a large, dedicated gear cupboard, so this is probably not the end of the growth process.
Well look at that: you're getting the bug already! Come join our little therapy group. We'll help you through the good times!
Here are a couple of water reflection abstracts from Big Qualicum River for your mesmerizing pleasure, courtesy of the D800E and, respectively, the 105 f/1.8 Ai-s and the 50 f/1.4 SC....Show more →
leighton w wrote:
A couple of reasons this thread is 13 years old.
1) The folks on here are really nice and care for each other. One way we do that is we never talk politics or religion. We also don't bash other camera gear.
2) We all have a deep appreciation of these old Nikkors, the way they're built and the characteristics of the image quality.
3) They are relatively cheap for such a quality lens.
4) And last but not least, they're fun to use. Having to manual focus slows you down a bit and makes the whole process of capturing that image more pleasing.
I'm sure I'm leaving something out. Chime in if I have....Show more →
Besides the glass, it is definitely the camaraderie. I don't post as much as before, but read the discussions and how the experiences with the MF lenses have brought people together on here to share more than just photography, but life. This group is so fantastic in welcoming everyone. I use that like button often because I've not only enjoyed the photograph but have come to know the genuineness of the person behind the lens.
One of the great things about these lenses is they can be adapted to almost any mirrorless camera out there. So versatile.
And some of the fast primes over 50mm will cover the 44x33 medium format sensors too.
Nothing fancy today, just enjoying a good cup of coffee on the deck and watching the leaves fall.
First one with the 75mm/2.8 Nikkor for Bronica on the GFX
Second one, melting away the background and foreground with the Noct on the GFX. Sufficient image circle to cover the larger sensor. Shot at f/1.2 of course
Both shot using the in camera ACROS film simulation.
?? well, i won't be buying that lens.
