p.1 #5 · What yesteryear focal lengths do you miss seeing today?
I'd like to see some fast 55mm or 58mm prime lenses with AF, ideally high-quality f/1.4.
But what's behind the focal length is always more important to me, so factors like rendering and bokeh quality are always a priority.
Of course, the focal length range has to interest me, but to illustrate this better, my last lens purchase, a Simera 28/1.4 Asph. Z, was primarily bought for its rendering capabilities, and the fact that it's 28mm is more of a side effect.
I would also like to see a 35-70 lens again, if f/2 and of very high quality.
p.1 #6 · What yesteryear focal lengths do you miss seeing today?
Some good modern 28mm and 40mm lenses for sure. Some non macro primes between 85mm and 135mm. Some primes wider than 20mm. A mirrorless 200mm f2 that takes TC's. A fast wide to normal zoom, such as a 16-35mm f2.8. It would also be cool to see Nikon make a 58mm AF Z lens, since they always seem to work some magic at 58mm.
p.1 #10 · What yesteryear focal lengths do you miss seeing today?
OffTrail wrote:
Smaller, slower normal lenses like 28 f/3.5's and 35 f/2.8's.
I'm also absolutely over this era of 35's that are the size of coke cans.
This.
With high ISO, AI noise reduction and image stabilization, f/4 is the new f/1.4, or 1.8 or 2 or 2.8. Unless I'm looking for something seriously bokehlicious, I'd gladly trade a few stops for something sharp and compact for travel, hiking, and street photography.
p.1 #11 · What yesteryear focal lengths do you miss seeing today?
Slow character zooms, like my CY 35-70/3.4 - if people only knew what we have lost. Zeiss could remake any number of the Contarex lenses, the better CYs, N series. So l miss a lot of them.
Leica is a universe of fabulous lenses, now some are being reinvigorated by LLL. Because any 'new-old' lenses will fall foul of the EU 'ban' on lead glass, any remakes will need to be made in China. People wonder how we got by without fancy ED and asph technology. Lead oxide and its properties are how.
And I want to see them redo this one, the Elcan 66mm f2:
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Jan 30, 2026 at 08:20 PM
AmbientMike Offline • • • • • • [X]
p.1 #12 · What yesteryear focal lengths do you miss seeing today?
Outstanding wrote:
Can be zooms or primes.
Will we ever see the quiet return of the fast premium 28mm? or 28-85 zoom.
You'd think they could improve an older 28-85 or similar. As opposed to computational imaging.
I was actually thinking about this today. If Canon had done this and 18/4 not requiring computational imaging I'd probably be trying to go mirrorless or have gone already.
p.1 #17 · What yesteryear focal lengths do you miss seeing today?
EB-1 wrote:
200/4 Micro
This.
And Z 70-200/4 S, or a Z-mount version of the AF Micro-Nikkor 70-180/4.5-5.6D, a parfocal lens that maintained the effective aperture from infinity to the minimum focus distance.
p.1 #18 · What yesteryear focal lengths do you miss seeing today?
I wish someone would make a compact 135mm ƒ3.5 (or ƒ4). I loved the ancient Nikkor 135mm ƒ3.5 back in the day. I keep hoping Voigtlander will step into that territory, but so far, nothing.
p.1 #19 · What yesteryear focal lengths do you miss seeing today?
The 70-180 was disappointing, but that range could be done better now with modern technology. A higher magnification and constant f/4 at infinity would be nice.
p.1 #20 · What yesteryear focal lengths do you miss seeing today?
OffTrail wrote:
Smaller, slower normal lenses like 28 f/3.5's and 35 f/2.8's.
I'm also absolutely over this era of 35's that are the size of coke cans.
I genuinely believe that this would dramatically increase the popularity of the Zf (an already fairly popular camera). I've been on the fence about rebuying one, but if Nikon announced a 35 f/2.8 with a more premium build quality, I'd order it and a Zf tonight.
