What's your favorite Nikon wide for adapter?

[benhuddleston]

I'm putting together a nice Nikon lens kit, and have been getting many differing opinions regarding wide angle lenses. So, I'm looking for the consensus: what Nikon wide do you like the best, and why? My default will probably be the 20mm 2.8 AI-s, but if you have any other suggestions....

Thanks!

[Richard J. Johnson]

28mm 2.8 is my go to wide. Don't know if it is the best but It was cheap and gets the job done.

[hoarp001]

Zeiss 16mm F2 is very nice, sharp and no vignetting on SG blade.

[Ted Spencer]

I've got a 17-35 2.8 Nikon ED zoom I like a lot:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/186250-USA/Nikon_1960_AF_S_Zoom_Nikkor_17_35mm.html

It's expensive ($1770 new, and about $1000-1200 used on ebay), and like most AF zooms has the short throw issue that compromises follow focus use somewhat (I find it manageable), but it makes spectacular images and having the flexibility of focal ranges is very powerful.

It's not likely to be a micro-budget filmmaker's choice though...

[Ken Steadman]

I have the Nikon 28mm f2.8, Nikon 35mm f2.0
I prefer the 35mm even though it's not as wide because it doesn't vignette like the 28mm does for me.

[AwakenedFilms]

I use a 24mm f2.8. 28mm is nice too.


Jason

[scenedirector]

I don't have my adapter yet, but I'm DYING to get my f/1.4 28mm and my f/2.0 24mm on it.

[PhantomVideo]

What 28mm 1.4 have you got ?, I discovered the Tokinia 11-16mm 2.8 DX Covers full frame http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=166981

[scenedirector]

I've got the Nikon f/1.4 28mm. Cost me an arm and a leg! But I'm happy to have it.

[el presidente]

28mm f1.4 is pure lens porn.:)

[Andrea189]

I have a Nikon 28mm f2 and it performs really well on the G35, I also have the Nikon 20mm and it does vignette a bit, although the resulting image is very pleasing.

[Cools]

Right now I'm using the 28-70mm f/2.8. I also have the 24mm f/2.8, but don't use it much due to the heavy vignetting.

[PhantomVideo]

Wow yeah that lens (28mm 1.4) is like the holy grail

[DEPTH OF PHIL]

I have a 24mm f2 ai on a G35 EX1/EX3 it is brilliant, it has just the right amount of "Kubrick" to it and still looks not so much fisheye. God bless Ebay!

[Ted Spencer]

Right now I'm using the 28-70mm f/2.8.

I have one of these as well. Fantastic lens...

[nesse]

Zeiss 16mm F2 is very nice, sharp and no vignetting on SG blade.

Never heard of a Zeiss 16mm f2 in Nikon mount... URL?

[DEPTH OF PHIL]

[QUOTE=TI have one of these as well. Fantastic lens...
__________________
"The sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses" - Joni Mitchell, "Chelsea Morning"

<----That guy over there isn't me by the way...it's actor John Loder, who played a character by my name in Alfred Hitchcock's "Sabotage" in 1936.[/QUOTE]

Oh and i was gonna say, wow, what a fantastic looking dude too! lol
Any slight softness on the extreme edgeS, probably in the tv safe area?

[Ted Spencer]

Any slight softness on the extreme edgeS, probably in the tv safe area?

[re: Nikon 28-70 ED]

Not really, which is pretty amazing I think. Same thing with the 80-200 ED I have. On the other hand, the 17-35 is a bit soft in the edges, largely outside the safe area, and mainly at f 2.8. By f5.6 it's tack sharp all across. Even at f4 it's pretty darn sharp.

[robmneilson]

I've been using the Nikkor 24mm 4 2.8 and 28mm F-2 on my Brevis
The 24mm seems to vignette a little less than the 28mm for whatever reason, but the real annoyance is I need to microcollimate differently for each of these lenses, so I've been sticking to the 50mm as my widest whenever possible.

That said I wouldnt mind investing in a nice 35mm lens.

[Gabriel Berube]

I've got a KIRON AI 28mm f/2 that performs surprisingly very well after stopping down to 2.8. I found it on eBay and it was quite a bargain, I recommend it for any starter-to-moderate kit. Its performances are similar to its Nikon counterpart.

[DEPTH OF PHIL]

I've been using the Nikkor 24mm 4 2.8 and 28mm F-2 on my Brevis
The 24mm seems to vignette a little less than the 28mm for whatever reason, but the real annoyance is I need to microcollimate differently for each of these lenses, so I've been sticking to the 50mm as my widest whenever possible.

That said I wouldnt mind investing in a nice 35mm lens.

I'm not a fan of 28mm, 24mm is so much wider and slightly warped, i mean that in a "KUBRICK" way, we do a lot of horror /thriller content so that is important . Now i don't know what adapter you are using, but honestly you are not supposed to adjust for every lens, how on earth are you going to bang through an indie shoot, music video etc?

I might try and re-flange on your widest lens and the others should be fine, but again that is how it is working for me. I have a 35mm f2 ai as well. It is a gem and it is unbelievably crisp and beautiful, i would suggest you get one, you will be so happy mate.

I also have a 50mm 1.4 ais and honestly, it bores me. It is a great lens but it seems flat but i think that is why it is considered a good all around lens . I prefer my 85mm 1.4 because of it's bokeh. Anybody else get bored with their 50mm ?

[Ted Spencer]

Anybody else get bored with their 50mm ?

I recall Faith Granger saying much the same in her "Deuce Of Spades" thread in the User Films forum. Great read btw if you haven't checked it out yet...

[cheezweezl]

Anybody else get bored with their 50mm ?

Totally!!!

There's a reason a 50mm is called a "normal" lens. It is basically the same FOV as the human eye. So it looks "normal" and can be boring. Something I didn't get at first when I got into this is that different focal length lenses have different looks or feels. Moving the camera close to your talent with a 50mm is nothing like getting away from your talent with a 100mm. DOF and FOV characteristics aside, it just looks different. It looks like something the human eye is not capable of seeing on it's own.

Before I really learned to use different focal lengths to enhance the mood of a given shot, I would basically treat my set of primes like a zoom. Just picking the one I needed to get my frame without having to move the camera too much. Of course sometimes space and other limitations force me to use a lens I might not have otherwise chosen but when the flexibilty is there I choose only based on the look I want.

Phil, I agree about using a 24mm. If I want to use a wide lens, I usually want that kind of feel in a big way. A 28mm is ok but kind of rides the line between reality and heightened reality. The 24mm screams "wide lens". Now if I could only get my hands on one at a decent price...

[PhantomVideo]

It's wierd the phomenum with the 50mm Even when shooting POV, I'd still rather shoot 35mm or 85mm just to add a touch of distortion or shallower DOF it makes the shot different,

[DEPTH OF PHIL]

I'm looking at the Nikon 35mm F2.5 series E Wide Angle lenses for EM FM FG. Will this lense work with my Redrock gear? Thanks
Yes it will, NIKON ai , ais, and non ai and E series all work on REDROCK and most of all the lense adapters. If possible try and get a 35 f2 it's much brighter and if you can get an ai instead of the E series even better. E series work fine they are not as heavy, a good thing, but not as well built and sharp as the AI-AIS models. Make sure there is no internal dust or haze or marks/chips on the lens glass itself. Cheers

[TellLiesVisually]

24mm is so much wider and slightly warped, i mean that in a "KUBRICK" way

Hey Phil, This sort of Kubrick style lens interests me very much for the strange style of shooting i prefer..

Right now i am using a 135 f3.5 and the 50mm f1.8 and i am really looking into getting a wide angle lens.. for a while now i have been aiming towards getting a 20mm but what you are saying about the beautifulness of this 24 is really changing my mind..

Have you tried out a 20? if so, which do you prefer (20/24)?
I am looking for a lens to give me a surrealist sort of perspective much like horror or fantasy genre-ish..

Thanks, dan