For manual focus you have some third party great options... The Voigtlanders made by Cosina are very nice, especially the 58mm/f1.4. It's my favourite manual lens, I like it better even than Zeiss 35mm/f2 that I have too. From Nikon a truly gem is 50mm/f1.2 especially if you love to shoot low light. Stopped down at f2 is unbelievable.
PS - don't believe the 105/2.5 is better than the 105/1.8. It's just harder to focus than the 2.5, and most people aren't as good at it as they think. The 105/1.8 is in fact sharper, and has better bokeh. The 2.5 IS a fine lens though, and you could not go wrong either way.
The AF DC-Nikkor 105mm f/2D, and the 135DC are definitely in a class by themselves.
Go that route if you can swing it.
Hey, one other question for you MF guys and gals...
So I slap my incoming 105mm AIS to my incoming D700, put her in AF-C and hi or low speed continuous drive and I set release priority to "Focus" in the menus.
From what I've read, you get a focus confirmation dot (with distance/scale correction?) with AIS and D700, is this correct?
So, my thinking, I could hold down the shutter and trip it as soon as I hit the focal point?
Thanks for the info - Friday can't come soon enough !
I still have my AIS lenses from my F4. I use them with my D3s when I want to go light.
15mm f3.5 AIs I've been having a blast with this lens for years. After I went digital it got a lot less use until I got a D3s a few months ago. Now the superwide is back. This one gets buried with me.
16mm f3.5 AI'd Another fun lens, fisheye. Will never sell.
28 2.8 with 8 elements and the 0.2m min focus distance (not the 0.3m) You can also get an adapter that screws on the front and you can mount this lens bachwards for super sharp closeups. You have to see to believe. Still owned will never sell.
28 f2 AIs is another Gem but I sold it.
still use
35 1.4 don't waste your money I liked the f2 better sold both.
105 f2.5 AIs is a keeper Still own it won't sell it and still use it monthly.
180 f2.8 AIs Great lens but I did sell it.
I noted all that I've kept. I've also owned most of the 50mm and the 55mm f3.5 I'd not waste money there buy AFd and AFS.
cputeq wrote:
Hey, one other question for you MF guys and gals...
So I slap my incoming 105mm AIS to my incoming D700, put her in AF-C and hi or low speed continuous drive and I set release priority to "Focus" in the menus.
From what I've read, you get a focus confirmation dot (with distance/scale correction?) with AIS and D700, is this correct?
So, my thinking, I could hold down the shutter and trip it as soon as I hit the focal point?
Thanks for the info - Friday can't come soon enough !
Hey,
I thought that sounded like a pretty interesting idea so I tested it.
Used a D700 and a 55mm 3.5 ai, I had release set to focus, but it didn't work
I tried it with a couple other AF lenses set to MF too, it didn't work either.
Let me know if you get different results
I thought it would work, assuming the AIS lenses gave focus confirmation.
I know the Pentax cameras will do this, they call it "trap on focus", and I was really hoping the D700 could emulate it. I'll give it more testing, though - maybe it's possible yet! Thanks for your information.
ExtendedPuppet wrote:
Hey,
I thought that sounded like a pretty interesting idea so I tested it.
Used a D700 and a 55mm 3.5 ai, I had release set to focus, but it didn't work
I tried it with a couple other AF lenses set to MF too, it didn't work either.
Let me know if you get different results
I think the problem with the method of holding the shutter down and turn the focus ring is that the focus confirmation is not 100% reliable for fast glass (2.8 or lower)
I don't know. It's pretty reliable for me assuming that I pick the correct targets for it. The idea of tripping the shutter automatically is interesting, but doesn't seem to work as cputeq is interested in it doing.
I sort of agree, but it depends on how you use it. It is one of very few MF Nikkors that I really couldn't get what I wanted from, because of its rendering. It's extremely hard to focus manually, it has a bokeh from hell (unless you shoot very close or stop it down), very pronounced curvature of field and veiling glare at f/1.4. But it's also one of the sharpest Nikkors at f/4-5.6.
Do NOT pay the extensive prices for this lens if you intend to use it wide open. It's definitely not worth it, in my opinion.
Has anyone used the 85/1.4AIS? I know its not on the cheap side but about the same prices as the 35/1.4 Just wondering if its worth looking for or if its at all comparable to the AF 85/1.4D
That's the beauty of Nikon IMO. The old lenses that are very competent, available somewhat inexpensively, and fun to use (manual focusing and DOF markings)
I own and use
20 f3.5 AI <-- my go anywhere wide when I don't feel like carrying the 17-35.
75-150 f3.5 Series E <-- almost an f2.8 zoom in speed, smaller and lighter by far! Single ring zoom and focus is nice!! Not as sharp as the modern zooms, but plenty good.
200 f4.0 Micro AI <-- a steal for a long working distance macro.
The 100 f2.8 Series E is not that sharp, but is a great cheap, lightweight 2.8 protrait lens and serves portraiture well.
Also had and sold....
135 Series E - did not see much use
55 f3.5 micro - did not see much use, excellent IQ on film, never got to try it with digital
28 f2.0 AIS - regret selling mine - excellent IQ on film, never got to try it with digital
85 f2.0 AI - not the greatest, but the f2.0 was nice. Still have not picked up the 1.4 AFD yet
Got my 105mm in today, didn't think it would come this early (for once, USPS was like...ultra fast). Slapped it on my D90, though I plan to use it on the D700, I just wanted to get a feel for MF and some crop IQ.
Wow. That's all I gotta say.
ISO400, somewhere around 1/200s exposure, f/5.6
RAW SOOC into NX2 with just a nudge in shadow protection, "Standard" profile kept, and minor crop, 7/100 chroma NR. That's it, no color correction or sharpening.
Focusing at f/2.5 is freaking tricky, at least for the D90 and me. Sometimes the focus dot seems inaccurate, so I dunno if my shake is picking up other focal points or what (no tripod tried yet). Or, it might just be a little soft at f/2.5 (perfect for skin, though)
There: with one photo you've answered your own question.
Next: the 55/3.5 or 28/2.8 ais.
You can cover 24/28 - 200mm with some of the best lenses Nikon ever made for < $800.
kinconorb wrote:
Has anyone used the 85/1.4AIS? I know its not on the cheap side but about the same prices as the 35/1.4 Just wondering if its worth looking for or if its at all comparable to the AF 85/1.4D
I've used the 85mm f/1.4 AIS and loved it. Of the 3 Nikon 85mm lenses I've owned, I'd probably rank it #1 overall. It was sharper than both the f/1.4D and f/1.8D, and had a superior build to both of the aformentioned lenses. The f/1.4D is clearly superior in portraiture, with its characteristically smooth bokeh at wider apertures. The f/1.8D is really only better if you're looking for a smaller lens for travelling. It's closer to the f/1.4 AIS in its rendition though. The 85mm f/1.4 AIS is more of an "all around lens," as it's great for low-light, landscape, and a little bit of portraiture. It's the heaviest of the 85's I've used though, so keep that in mind. Here's a couple shots I took with it last summer:
That being said, I recently sold it to try out a couple other lenses (most notably the 105mm f/2.5 AIS, which is very comparable to the 85mm f/1.4 AIS at nearly a third of the price).
