bernardl wrote:
- Weather sealing
- The desire to come up with streamlined designs
- The fact that most people hold their lenses farther away from the body
Cheers,
Bernard
Other manufacturers do make lenses both primes and zooms with click/de-click aperture rings. They are not suffering the problems you list.
It is a design esthetic that Nikon chooses not to incorporate in their lenses. It is likely that cost played at least some role in that decision.
For many including this feature on a small set of primes would complete the Zf concept. Good thing that third parties will likely fill this void.
bernardl wrote:
- Weather sealing
- The desire to come up with streamlined designs
- The fact that most people hold their lenses farther away from the body
Cheers,
Bernard
Other manufacturers do make lenses both primes and zooms with click/de-click aperture rings. They are not suffering the problems you list.
It is a design esthetic that Nikon chooses not to incorporate in their lenses. It is likely that cost played at least some role in that decision.
For many including this feature on a small set of primes would complete the Zf concept. Good thing that third parties will likely fill this void.
I do admit that the lens aperture ring is my prefered way of setting aperture. So my preferences influence my view on this.
I think Nikon should have retained aperture rings on at least its micro-Nikkor lenses. Some of use these on manual bellows for greater magnification than is possible from the lens' helicoid alone (which usually tops out at 1:1). And at magnifications above 1:1, we often reverse the lens for better quality. Both situations are most easily handled using a lens with a manual aperture ring.
This said, there are tons of excellent, older macro lenses with manual aperture rings that can be used for this very close work. And macro lenses (not made by Nikon, but will fit on a Nikon body) now exist that go up to 5:1 magnification.
But the fact remains that a macro lens is gelded without an aperture ring.
--Chris S.
Dec 22, 2023 at 01:17 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
For me when I shoot in manual mode I like to have easy control of the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. I also prefer controlling the aperture on the lens, the shutter speed with the front dial, and the ISO with the rear dial. Front to back that matches how I think about control of the parameters in my mind. I first set the aperture, then I set the shutter speed, then I set the ISO to get the exposure I want.
I just find it easiest if I can do this by first setting the aperture on the lens, then setting the shutter speed with the front dial, then set the ISO with the back dial. Although, modern Nikon lenses do not have an aperture ring I can set the control ring on most (or is it all) Z lenses to control aperture, then I can control shutter speed and ISO with the front and back dials respectively. That for me anyway, works fine.
So yes I like an aperture ring on my lenses, but I am totally fine with the way Nikon has set things up too. As long the control ring can be set to aperture control, I am fine.
bernardl wrote:
- Weather sealing
- The desire to come up with streamlined designs
- The fact that most people hold their lenses farther away from the body
Cheers,
Bernard
I've survived 60+ years in photography as a pro too without wearhersealing. Its not a vital item
Who needs a streamloned lens
I dont understand the third point
The aperture ring issue goes back further than the G series lenses. The "automatic diaphragm" lenses were a thing since the early 1960's. If you wanted to preview the depth of field, you had to press a button near the lens mount.
When AF lenses were introduced, they came with a locking switch to prevent the aperture ring from inadertantly moving while in some automatic mode like aperture priority,
shutter priority or program mode. The function of the aperture ring was eventually replaced with electronics in the lens; I'm guessing that the aperture ring was considered unnecessary by Nikon thanks to its advanced lens to body communication.
I don't see Nikon bringing back the aperture ring any time soon.
snegron7 wrote:
The aperture ring issue goes back further than the G series lenses. The "automatic diaphragm" lenses were a thing since the early 1960's. If you wanted to preview the depth of field, you had to press a button near the lens mount.
When AF lenses were introduced, they came with a locking switch to prevent the aperture ring from inadertantly moving while in some automatic mode like aperture priority,
shutter priority or program mode. The function of the aperture ring was eventually replaced with electronics in the lens; I'm guessing that the aperture ring was considered unnecessary by Nikon thanks to its advanced lens to body communication.
I don't see Nikon bringing back the aperture ring any time soon. ...Show more →
Just a minor correction, the aperture lock on AF lenses is used for P and S modes so the camera has complete control over the aperture. You needed to unlock for A and M and use the aperture ring as the early cameras (I still have my F801 and F90 bodies) had no front wheel, no way for the photographer to set the aperture on the camera body. Later I had an F80 which had the front wheel, from memory the F6 and F100 could too.
I don't mind setting the aperture from a wheel, but I do mind not having focus or DoF scales.
