Looking for suggestions on dirt cheap 200mm F/2.8 primes

I

Imamacuser

Veteran
I’m looking for a reasonably sharp, dirt cheap 200mm F/2.8 prime. I'm thinking manual vintage lenses; I don't care what brand or mount it has, as long as it can be adapted to E-Mount.

I read good things about Soligor's 200mm prime, but I'm curious which ones you guys would recommend.

I don't anticipate using it on very many shoots, which is why I'm not dropping $2,500+ on a modern 70-200mm.
 
Last edited:
It is not a prime it's purely manual and it's an 80-200. It's f2.8 and it's Parfocal which for video is a really nice thing to have, being able to focus at max then zoom to re-frame and still maintain focus. It's also built like a tank. On an E-Mount S35 sensor with a Metabones Speed Booster it becomes an f2.0 lens. If you can grab a decent condition one you will be surprised just how good an image they can deliver. Some people say they are soft wide open. I haven't found that to be the case so much as more to the fact that if you are not careful it can flare and reduce contrast. Use it with its deep lens hood and you can generate a very nice looking image with its 9 blade aperture. It can deliver a very pleasing bokeh if that's what you are after. I use the Nikon version because it has the manual iris ring. Using a Metabones Speed Booster or straight through adapter you can then obviously use the click-less aperture ring on the adapter. I have used one of these on many interviews and have never had a negative comment on the image it produces. Of course it works very well on full frame because obviously it is a full frame lens. Warning, it is a pretty heavy lens. I picked up a mint version in it's original leather case for $320.00. I notice on eBay the price of these is starting to go up, I think because like yourself there are a number of video shooters looking for a reasonably priced lens that works for video. The word is obviously spreading. I know the following samples are still images taken with this lens, click on them to enlarge, but they will give you a pretty decent idea of what a good one of these can deliver. It's the Tokina 80-200mm f/2.8 AT-X 828 AF PRO.

Chris Young

https://www.juzaphoto.com/recensione.php?l=en&t=tokina_af80-200
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far, I'll see what eBay has to offer. I was hoping to get a long list of gem lenses that I had overlooked, but I guess there's only a handful of good inexpensive lenses, you get what you pay for after all.

Does anyone have thoughts on the Nikon 180mm F/2.8 AI/AIS? I know I said 200mm, but 180mm is a long enough range for most of my indoor usage.
 
I have a nikkor 180 2.8 (ED with a gold ring) https://kenrockwell.com/nikon/180mm-history.htm#ed

It is fantastic. Focus rotation is a little heavy - I bit like the 135/2 or 85 1.4 if you have tried them.

The 200 f4 macro nikkor is super sharp. Focus rotation is exquisite. (http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/micronikkor/200mmicrof4.htm)

You cant really go wrong with that generation of nikkors, if you can handle focussing the 'wrong' way.

I have a few canon FDs that are wonderful too.. and focus the 'right' way.
 
Last edited:
Not a prime, but: Nikon 80-200 f/2.8.

Dirt cheap is relative, but for ~$500 this lens is absolutely fabulous. One of my favourite lenses ever - I like it much more than either the newer Canon or Nikon equivalents. It is built really solid and has a nice, smooth manual focus ring. Also has really nice flares which I like, as opposed to the single sunspot the newer lenses produce.
 
BTW, I looked for the FD 200 f1.8L, don't go looking. The few that I found listed were $5000.00usd so you might as well buy a Fuji MK Cinema zoom in E mount for a little less. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1321240-REG/fujinon_fujinon_mk50_135mm_t2_9_lens.html only 135mm, but a real modern lens.

Also if you decide on an FD, you may want to get the newer versions with the rubber ring on the sun shade. Not sure how to tell if it is the internal focus version but you might get lucky. My older metal ring sunshade version has well over an inch of extension as it focuses through the range. I had to print a very large gear for it because of the movement. You can see it in this picture (still FD mount, need to fix that) The 50f1.2 is on the camera, and none of my 35mm lenses stay working, the focus mechanism always seems to break and get really sloppy. Need to replace another one and print another gear for it. All save the 200mm and 20-35 parfocal zoom have been converted to passive EF, another project I need to finish.
 
So last night I saw a Vivitar 200mm F/3.5 MD and couldn't resist. I got it for $14 and plan to throw it on a C camera.

I still intend to get a F/2.8 200mm, but the Vivitar gives me something to play with while I decide which F/2.8 to get.

I know that "dirt cheap" is somewhat nebulous, but I'm looking for a broad range of suggestions to evaluate which one appeals to me.
 
Greg_E said:
If you decide on an FD, you may want to get the newer versions with the rubber ring on the sun shade. Not sure how to tell if it is the internal focus version but you might get lucky. My older metal ring sunshade version has well over an inch of extension as it focuses through the range. I had to print a very large gear for it because of the movement.
Click to expand...

Are there any other downsides to the old FD as opposed to the new? I assume that the new one has better coatings and thus less chromatic aberration.
 
morgan_moore said:
I have a nikkor 180 2.8 (ED with a gold ring) https://kenrockwell.com/nikon/180mm-history.htm#ed

It is fantastic. Focus rotation is a little heavy
Click to expand...

This was going to be my suggestion, fantastic lens for the most part - although I expect they cost a lot more now than they did when I bought mine a decade ago and may not fit OP's needs in that regard now.

The focus on mine is incredibly hard to turn, I thought it was just my copy and have been meaning to send it for a CLA for years now, but just don't use it enough to justify it. It feels like the grease on the helicals has solidified somewhat. Interesting to hear mine isn't the only one - I bet the factory used bad grease on this model.

Edit: Just pulled mine out for the first time in a couple of years, and the focus won't turn at all now. This is def a bad grease issue :/

Edit2: Checked eBay and they are still very reasonably priced!
 
Last edited:
In the newer versions, they changed the number of elements and groupings and with the rev3 internal focus, so that could change the characteristics.

The SSC version (older) when paired up with a full kit of other SSC coated lenses might be interesting, some of those SSC lenses were really nice with a good vintage look yet didn't flare horribly. Tough to track down and now that Edmika is building mounts again, you can get them converted to EF. The older SSC are an ALL metal design, read that as solid. I have a couple of them and may look into some of the rare(ish) concave front element versions again. The entire range from 20mm to 135 were made with the concave radioactive glass (not enough to be concerned). Getting wider is tough, not too many choices, and longer didn't get made the same way in that generation (if my memory is correct). With the SSC I would be tempted to leave them as FD, these were breach lock and they locked onto a pin (no rotation). You can get a few different focal reducers in FD now.

It's a good way to waste a lot of time trying to track down some of these elusive versions, but what else to you have to do during a day?

Then there are the cheaper versions, things like the nFD 50f2.8, weighs grams, all plastic, tiny little thing. Having a few of these other lenses might be useful because they are CHEAP.

Some of the MD are really good lenses, same with some of the OM lenses. But prices on the good ones have been climbing (same with FD) as people start putting them on mirrorless cameras. I got most of my FD before the prices went up.

Another option that you may want to consider, look for Mamiya 645 manual lenses and an E to m645 adapter. Some of those can produce beautiful images, but most are dark (like many medium format lenses). A whole other topic for you to research. Again I have most of a complete set, with many in the f2.8 range. But the 210 that can be afforded is an f4, and the 500mm is an f5.6. The 24mm is an extreme fish for medium format and weighs a ton, never did score that one but got down to 35mm.

Again, just more options to waste your time, it's a rabbit hole.
 
I probably have too many lenses already, but not much in the telephoto range.

Here's my current hodgepodge lineup:

Tokina 11-16mm
Sony 16-50mm
Sigma 17-50mm
Sony 18-105mm
Nikon 24mm D
Tokina 24-40mm (some haze)
Nikon 28-80mm D
Nikon 35mm AI
Nikon 50mm D
Nikon 55-200mm (f/4-5.6)
Hasselblad 80mm CF (on semi-permanent loan from my Dad)
Vivitar 200mm MD (yet to arrive)

A number of those lenses really only work for photography on my Nikon D7000.
 
Update: I'm leaning towards a Canon FD, but also keeping a lookout for any deals on fast 200mm primes.

I received the Vivitar 200mm f/3.5 (made by Komine) and shot an informal test. The pictures below are 100% crops that appear to be at slightly different focal lengths due to lens breathing.

Nikon 55-200mm @ f/5.6 (fastest aperture at 200mm)
Compressed_Nikon 200mm f5.6.jpg
Vivitar 200mm @ f/3.5
Compressed_Vivitar 200mm f3.5.jpg
Nikon 55-200mm @ f/11-ish (my lens adapter's aperture control isn't completely accurate)
Compressed_DSC00436_Nikon 200mm sharp.jpg
Vivitar 200mm @ f/11
Compressed_DSC00455_Vivitar 200mm_ sharp.jpg
 
I ordered an Edmika mount for mine, should be here soon and then mine will be EF like the rest of my collection. $75usd for the mount. Just wishing I had the newer style lens with IF because it probably breaths less, and certainly won't require the huge focus ring since it won't extend.

What was the object distance for those crops?
 
My A6300 was locked down on a tripod around 6'-8' from the $10 bill. I set focus on Alexander Hamilton's eyes.

The Vivitar's contrast isn't very good wide open, but improves as it's stopped down. It's also kinda soft wide open, but I'll take that over noise.

The Vivitar's made by Komine and Tokina seem to be the best versions based on my reading.
 
I have a Zeiss Jena 180mm f/2.8 Sonnar. This lens is supposed to have great bokeh, and I've seen some tests around the web that confirm that. But mine has nasty bokeh and also it is moderately soft in the center and definitely soft in the corners on FF (even if it's a medium format lens), which leads me to think that I have a damaged copy. Maybe you'll have better luck than I did.
 
The Yashica ML 200mm f/2.8 is worth considering. Yashica/Contax mount, but it can be adapted.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top