The best lens for least scratch ($)....

evinsky

evinsky

Well-known member
So I've been doing a little digging and since so many here are wanting to get a Red and for so many the price, as revolutionary as it is, is still about the entire equipment budget for the year (if not more) I thought...

What lens could be versitile, sharp enough for full 4k and cost under $160.00?

The answer is the incredible 28mm F2.8 AIS Nikkor. (Not AI, it was reformulated)
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Test results from multiple sources have confirmed its quality.
Essentially distortion free, its focal length in super 35mm conversion is 43mm, exactly normal. It's not the fastest lens in the bag but you won't find anything sharper for the money.

Here are some reviews...
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/28f28ais.htm
http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/28mm_3.html

And a completed e-bay auction
http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-Nikkor-28...8QQihZ004QQcategoryZ48556QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
Evin-
Nice research! Who would make focus gears to deal with the pitch on this lens? Red Rock...? Also, do you know what the focus draw is?

thanks,
Chris Taylor
 
In general terms...What's the differences between an AI lens and an AI S lens? And either one work with red? Thank you
 
I believe the focus draw is 120º and yes Redrock would be a good Co. to get gears from.
 
JTmoney said:
In general terms...What's the differences between an AI lens and an AI S lens? And either one work with red? Thank you
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AI, which stands for "Auto Indexing" lenses were introduced in 1976 and later updated to AIS "Auto Indexing Shutter" in 1978 although this transition took some time. In general most AI and AIS lenses are identical optically, although the 28mm 2.8 seems to be an exception. The construction seems to be slightly sturdier on AI lenses and their focusing draw is longer but this depends on the lens in question. Both will work equally well on Red.
 
Thank you Evinsky... Do you have a recommended list of what to look for in a set of Nikkor lens ?....I have no clue but looks like a nice option till RED comes out with their lens
 
I have one of those! :) I used it to shoot lots of scenes in "The Faithful" and it is also one of the lenses I continue to offer when I rent out my M2.

I did extensive testing on Nikkor lenses before I purchased the adapter, and I can echo the results that Evan has found. Most people automatically jump for the fastest lenses they can get, but in a lot of cases, the faster lenses aren't necessarily better performers. The "sweet spot" of any lens is closed down a couple of stops from its widest aperture anyway, and in some cases the sharpness of one version of a lens can equal or even exceed the sharpness of faster lenses of equivalent focal length by a given manufacturer - even when the faster lenses are closed down to the widest stop of the slower lens!

Lots of times you get what you pay for - but you will almost always be paying for a faster lens regardless of performance (due to the fact that most people assume that "faster" always equals "better"). That's not to say that every lens behaves this way - certainly there are fast lenses which are also top performers - but it's always good to do research and testing before you buy. And while I do think it's interesting that so many people are just jumping to put $100 Nikon still lenses on their new $17,500 Red One, I will say that the 28 2.8 AIS has served me well.

P.S. - Here are two very good sites for identifying the differences between Nikon's line of manual lenses. There are some differences of opinion between the two sites (every piece of glass behaves slightly differently even if it's an identical model), but you should be able to determine a general consensus of which lenses are standouts in the line by sifting through their findings:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/nikkor.htm#mf

http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html
 
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JTmoney said:
Thank you Evinsky... Do you have a recommended list of what to look for in a set of Nikkor lens ?....I have no clue but looks like a nice option till RED comes out with their lens
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A complete, top of the line set of Nikons would be...

135mm F2 - $300-$400
105mm F1.8 - $300-$400
85mm F1.4 - $350-$450
50mm F1.2 - $400-$500
35mm F1.4 - $400-$500
24mm F2 - $300-$400
15mm F3.5 - $500-$600


Total cost would be around $2,500.

All of these can be found on eBay.

Stay away from Non-AI Nikkors, the lens coatings are inferior.
 
JTmoney said:
Thank you Evinsky... Do you have a recommended list of what to look for in a set of Nikkor lens ?....I have no clue but looks like a nice option till RED comes out with their lens
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YES, of course. That's "THE" deal!
 
favorite nikor 200mm F2 !!!
use ND's to keep it f2-f4 .... 16m or 35m ..
most cine rental houses have it - available in all mounts - most conversion were to a nuetral mount system ( sort of plain end then you attach any mount to it = PL , arri bay, aaton, panavision, nikon , canon etc ..
 
Most of the Nikon ai lenses can only adjust the aperture in full-stop increments. On a still camera one can maker finer exposure adjustments using the shutter speed, but of course on a cinema camera you would generally only adjust the shutter speed (angle) for a particular effect - not for exposure tweaking. So do you see any problem with the one-stop adjustments, or are they fine enough?
 
Mr. Blonde, have you used the 50mm 1.2 for cinema work? I'm curious because I've read mixed reviews of it. I asked about it on another thread but got no response. I'll quote myself:

"The factors that would seem to weigh against it (based on reviews, not experience) are field curvature, potential softness wide open (I've read conflicting opinions on this, but seen some very nice still images), and very narrow dof (about 3" I'm told). On the other hand, 1.2 would be nice to have occasionally."

I've also ready that it has lower contrast than other 50s. I'm asking because I have an opportunity to buy one (ai) in really nice shape, and have to decided between it and a 1.4.

Thanks.
 
im.thatoneguy said:
That's a little premature without having seen any Oakley glass isn't it? :)
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Sure, but then again Oakley take pride in the quality of their eyewear lenses. Judging by everything else we've seen from Red/Oakley, I think it's a fair bet that they're not going to put out crap. And they'll be cine-style lenses as well, so I'm sure they'll be better suited to the task than the Nikkor glass that's designed for still photography.
 
adaml said:
Most of the Nikon ai lenses can only adjust the aperture in full-stop increments. On a still camera one can maker finer exposure adjustments using the shutter speed, but of course on a cinema camera you would generally only adjust the shutter speed (angle) for a particular effect - not for exposure tweaking. So do you see any problem with the one-stop adjustments, or are they fine enough?
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The detents are in full stops but you can easily set 1/2 or 1/3 stops with a little practice.
 
Mr. Blonde said:
I will sell all my Nikkors as soon as that RED zoom is available, no doubt.
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Why, they represent such a small investment in the scheme of things and may offer a diffrent look, or at least a more compact shooting option or mounting or steadi-cam. Certainly buy the Red zoom, I know I will but I'm not selling anything. I've made that mistake many times before. A $1000 in Nikkors will give you many extra options in addition to the Red zoom.
E.
 
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