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Legacy Nikon glass, please advise!


hoakin1981
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Hi to all. While searching for legacy Nikon glass I have managed to find someone who has the below pieces in very good to excellent condition and in good prices as well. I might end up buying 3 of them (he offers a discount for more than one) but i am no expert when it comes to legacy glass, their IQ, any pitfalls involved etc.

  • 24mm f2.8
  • 35mm f2
  • 35mm f2.5
  • 35mm f2.8
  • 105mm f2.5 Non AI

I will use them adapted obviously on a A7 and on an A6000.

 

So, would they be a good match? Are they sharp enough for todays sensors? and lastly which one of the three 35mm would you choose?

 

Thanks in advance!

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Hi to all. While searching for legacy Nikon glass I have managed to find someone

who has the below pieces in very good to excellent condition and in good prices

as well. I might end up buying 3 of them (he offers a discount for more than one)

but i am no expert when it comes to legacy glass, their IQ, any pitfalls involved etc.

  • 24mm f2.8
  • 35mm f2
  • 35mm f2.5
  • 35mm f2.8
  • 105mm f2.5 Non AI

I will use them adapted obviously on a A7 and on an A6000.

 

So, would they be a good match? Are they sharp enough for todays sensors?

and lastly which one of the three 35mm would you choose?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

  

24/2.8 .... typical very good lens. Very useful FL.

You should get this one.

   

35/2.0 .... outstanding lens. For all I know its lab test

score may be rather ordinary, but real-world it's stellar.

This is the 35 you want, hands down.  

  

105/2.5 pre-Ai .... if it's new enuf to have the textured

rubberized focus ring, it's a fine lens that should be at

a nice price cuz it's pre-Ai. If it's got the metal knurled

focusing ring, I'd pass. That's the earlier formula and

also with rather primitive coating. It's not bad lens. It's

actually good enuf that you'll be thinking, "if this is the

primitive version, the later one must be worth getting",

and you will be right, and it's affordable and available

enuf that you will do exactly that. But, why not just go

directly to step two [if this one is the early version] ?  

 

  

35/2.8 .... Just pass, or buy it sooper cheap. Until you

get to around f/8.0 it has a dose of "character", which

you may enjoy, but should pay maybe $35 for. 

 

35/2.5 .... IIRC, the f/2.5 speed indicates this is one of

the E-series lenses. It's similar to the 35/2.8, but more

compact and of very light weight, partially plastic build.

When introduced, the build raised eyebrows and noses

but compared to some of today's mid and upper range

lenses, it's build like a vault, or at least a Vaulvo [sic].

For $25 it's a cool lite-weight schlepp-about lens. One

approach would be assign this one as the normal lens

FL for the a6000 and the 35/2.0 is the ultra lens for the

FF body.

  

Or .... if the seller is just an uninformed peddler who's  

flipping merch he knows little about, it could also be the

normal lens from a Nikonos .... useless, non-adaptable.

  

========================================  

  

"Are they sharp enough for todays sensors?" 

 

This is an absolutely sooper stoopid question. Take no

offense, I don't accuse you of inventing it. Do be just at  

least a tiny bit embarrassed to have allowed it to seep

into your skull. Take comfort in rejecting this fairy tale.  

  

How REAL WORLD SHARP are they ? Well they are

sharp enuf that, handheld below about 1/250, YOU, as

the camera's physical support, are the reason for less

than very good to excellent IQ. Therefore, what you call

an "a7" is hopefully actually an a7-MkII so you have the

benefit of IBIS, which gives these lenses a much better

opportunity to show what they can do. 

  

========================================= 

  

I own most of the versions I mentioned, and previously  

owned those not currently on hand. None of them are

bad lenses, but where there are better versions, since

the price difference is not much, most buyers hold out

for the better version. All the lenses are very available,

so none are actually expensive or rare opportunities.  

  

Of the lenses listed, the most outstanding imagery will

come from the 35/2.0 Ai [iMNSHO]. If you are more of

a "pictorialist", you may prefer the 105/2.5 [if it's the

rubber focus version] as most outstanding. Let's not

forget the 24/2.8. Do get that regardless what else.

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"Are they sharp enough for todays sensors?" 

 

This is an absolutely sooper stoopid question. Take no

offense, I don't accuse you of inventing it. Do be just at  

least a tiny bit embarrassed to have allowed it to seep

into your skull. Take comfort in rejecting this fairy tale.  

  

  

========================================= 

  

 

 

Haha, I don't think I was ever accused of being stupid and enjoy it so far! Anyway, I get your point and many thanks for a -once again- thorough reply.

 

The 35mm f2 does seem nice and most probably I will get that. As far as the 105mm I still haven't seen any photos of it so I am not sure which version really is but I will keep what you say in mind.

 

The 24mm f2.8 is probably a good choice too but I also have a 28mm f2.5 Tamron adaptall 2 so I am not so sure about buying another one on such a close FL.

 

And now the really interesting part IMO, I forgot to mention that this seller also has a Nikkor 18mm f4 AI. I had originally removed it from the "possible" list since it is much more expensive but I do need an UWA now especially since on the A6000 the 28 or 24mm are not wide enough for me.

 

hmmmm...

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DO NOT buy the 18/4.0. Set ME up to get it :-) 

 

Seriously, I don't want the f/4.0. I'd mean what

I wrote above if it were the f/3.5. It's not about

the speed it's about the insane filter size of the

f/4.0 ... series IX, vs 72mm on the f/3.5. And I

actually HAVE the filters for the series IX but

would hold out for the 72mm model. And that

would be true only if the dog at my 20/4.0 so

that 18mm would not be nearly redundant ;-) 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello! Well, personally, I prefer using a little bit different lens, namely 58 mm. I found an old Helios - http://helios44-2.com 58 mm f/2, it draws pictures perfectly. I connected it with the M42 coupler, and I have no problems with it at all. It is a great lens for this money, it perfectly blurs the background of the picture and has a manual focus. If you are interested, just try it. I think it will fit you!

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  • 2 weeks later...

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