Question about Nikon primes

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Phil1076

Well-known member
I was going to post this in the Nikon forum but I actually would like the input of cinematographers instead of photographers.

I currently shoot with an HMC150 and will be upgrading my camera within the year. My next camera will almost definitely be an interchangeable lens camera such as the AF100, FS100, or whatever else comes out next year.....my belief is that Nikon will eventually stop releasing lenses with manual aperture rings (the single biggest reason why people use Nikon primes as opposed to Canon since all they need is a dumb adapter)....the aperture ring makes the lenses future-proof but, at the same time, may make them harder to get in the future if Nikon discontinues them.

So, I think I want to invest in some Nikon primes today to have "just in case"...what are your thoughts on Nikon discontinuing the aperture ring models of lenses?

What top 3 primes should I look into?

Are there any good older primes I should be looking for on the used market?


Thanks
 
There are lots of nice Nikon Primes out there. Just go on craigslist or ebay. I've got an 85 1.4, a 50 1.4 and a 35 2.8. I use the 85 and 50 all the time. I've got a Voightlandter 25mm 0.95 so the 35 is seeing less action. The hard part is below that and that's where many go for the Tokina 11-16. You'll need it if you're shooting narratives on location. In that case you can get a Novoflex adapter to manage the aperture. I got an Olympus 11-22 to fill that because the AF-100 can control the iris. I'm going to swap it out for the Tokina.

I'd be surprised if they stopped making the manual iris Nikons if they haven't already but I have nothing back that opinion up ;)
 
I think hscully's post is very good about the Nikon primes. Canon FD primes are also pretty darn good. They have a 35 f2 that is a great lens, its about as hard to find as the Nikon 35mm f2.8 but its a little faster. I also like the Canon FD 28mm f2.8. Finally, there is a 17mm f4. Its slow, I don't own it, but it is a prime I want to add to my arsenal. Don't know if there is any distortion with it being such a wide angle though.

Good luck on you hunt for primes. I'm sure we'll be looking at many of the same eBay auctions.
 
My take is that there seems to be a robust supply of, for example, older Canon FD and Olympus OM mount lenses out there on eBay and elsewhere, even though cameras with those mounts haven't been manufactured for years. Even if Nikon stopped making lenses with aperture rings tomorrow, it would be many, many years before the market for them totally dried up.

Personally, I'm slowly adding to my collection of old OM mount Zuikos -- I had a few to start with since my film SLRs were all Olympus OMs, and I like the fact that they're generally light, compact, high in quality and consistent in the placement and feel of focus and aperture controls.

- Greg
 
I agree that you do not need to rush to buy Nikon's but you may enjoy shopping on ebay over time to get the most sought after lenses at reasonable prices.
Below is a list of some of the more sought after lenses that all have apertures and manual focus only.
20mm f2.8 Ais
35mm f1.4 Ais
50mm f1.2 Ais
85mm f1.4 Ais

Then the f2.8 zooms with aperture ring, but do have auto focus on a nikon camera, but will need to be used manually on AF100 camera
17-35 f2.8,
28-70 f2.8 (need to buy second hand)
80-200 f2.8

Enjoy the search because some of these lenses will only come up occasionally, cheers
 
CineStill said:
I agree that you do not need to rush to buy Nikon's but you may enjoy shopping on ebay over time to get the most sought after lenses at reasonable prices.
Below is a list of some of the more sought after lenses that all have apertures and manual focus only.
20mm f2.8 Ais
35mm f1.4 Ais
50mm f1.2 Ais
85mm f1.4 Ais

Then the f2.8 zooms with aperture ring, but do have auto focus on a nikon camera, but will need to be used manually on AF100 camera
17-35 f2.8,
28-70 f2.8 (need to buy second hand)
80-200 f2.8

Enjoy the search because some of these lenses will only come up occasionally, cheers
Click to expand...

The search is definitely one of the perks of the modern interchangeable lens cameras. If you are just getting started, I would suggest sticking with getting a workable set of Nikon lenses together first. The lenses for the Nikon F mount are, from my understanding, some of the most plentiful still camera lenses every made and, thanks to the forward thinking of Nikon designers, will adaptable to almost any camera we are probably going to see come down the pike. I have a 20mm f2.8 AI-S, 24mm f2.8mm AI, 35mm f2.8mm AI-S, 50mm f1.4 pre-AI, 50mm F2 pre-AI, 100mm f2.8 Series E lens and a 200mm "Q" lens. I want to get an 85mm f1.8 AI-S, or pre-AI lens and a 17-35mm f2.8 ED zoom, but those lenses but just can't swing the cash for them now (The 85mm is $200.00 Plus -on a good day, all down hill, with the wind at your back, and 17-35mm ED zoom is north of $1100.00, both used). I have started picking up much less expensive 3rd party lenses, in Nikon F mount, just out of the pure joy of getting lenses, and experimenting with the different looks. I just got a Kalimar 35mm-70mm f2.8 zoom that has a very cool haloing in bright back light that I am going to keep around as my "Dream Sequence" lens, not bad for $30.00. I am also waiting on a Vivitar Series 1 f2.8-3.8 28mm-105mm zoom AI F mount lens that just bought of eBay to arrive in the mail. I am hoping that this is works out as my run and gun event lens.

If I had to pick three lenses to get, to start off. I would go with the 20mm f2.8 AI-S, a 35mm AI-S lens and a 50mm. I have the 20mm f2.8 AI-S lens and I LOVE IT. There are several versions of the 35mm lens. I have the f2.8, and I like it, but the f2 is also very highly rated. I am not familiar with the f1.4 35mm, but I seems to me to kind of rare, and more expensive that the other two. If I had my druthers, I would have went with the f2, but I got a real good deal on the f2.8, and it is one of fav lenses. I like the angle of view (Field of view) of the 35mm on ASP-C and S35 sensor cameras and it is, to me, closer to the "Normal" perspective. Next I would get a 50mm. I have the 50mm f1.4 and it is a great lens, but the f1.2 is dang near an iconic lens. If you can get one, get it. With those 3 lenses you can do some great imaging making, but you will want a longer lens at some point. I went with the 100mm f2.8mm Series E lens and I really like that lens. The Series E lenses were designed, in the early '80s as a less expensive, more consumer oriented lens, but almost 30 years latter, these lenses stand up, with excellent optical quality and build quality that beats the sh*t out of a lot of modern lenses. Without having the 100mm Series E lens, I would definitely have gotten an 85mm. either the f1.8 or the f1.4. I still want an 85mm... in time, in time.
 
Personally I have a lot of nikon lenses buy I also a Samyang 85 1.4 which really impressed me. I would hesitate to pick up the 35 1.4 either.
 
I really like the adaptimax nikon plus mount. It allows you to control the iris on all nikon lenses.
 
I love my Nikons, and have a full set of the older manual primes from 20mm to 200mm (20mm f/3.5 (factory AI converted), 24mm f/2.8 n'AI, 28mm f/2.8 n'AI, 35mm f/1.4 AI, 50mm f/1.4 AI, 85mm f/1.4 (AIS), 135mm f/2.8 (factory AI converted), 200mm f/4 n'AI), along with the older Nikkors, I also have the Tokina 11-16mm for the ultrawide as well as the Samyang(Bower) 85mm f/1.4 (great portrait lens). I personally look for older AI or even pre-AI (if they have the same optics and the price is right) as they have a longer focus throw, and the mechanics are slightly better than the current AIS lenses in most cases, and only get newer versions if they are not available in the older versions. I really love my set, and would only ever trade them in for a full set of cine-primes.

Nikon Lens Set small.jpg


bgundu said:
Personally I have a lot of nikon lenses buy I also a Samyang 85 1.4 which really impressed me. I would hesitate to pick up the 35 1.4 either.
Click to expand...

Love the Samyang 85mm f/1.4, it is my favorite portrait lens, and my clients like the image it makes (I dont tell them who makes it though, lol), and having read about their new 35mm f/1.4, I would really look into that as well if I did not have the nikkor. It is supposed to be ALOT better wider open than the nikkor, which really is not useable below f/2, and does not start to shine till you get past f/2.8.
 
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Besides a bunch of the old fast Nikons, I have the Kiron 28mm 2.0 and 24mm 2.0 with Nikon mounts. Beautiful lenses and more saturated than the Nikons. Plus they weren't too expensive - I guess they may be under a lot of peoples radar so going rate is pretty good. If you can find them I highly recommend.
 
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