vintage Nikon lens recommendations?

FiddlerMD

FiddlerMD

Well-known member
I recently found out that my old 35-70 f2.8 push-pull lense that i've had for years has some fungus on the internal elements and that no one seems to want to clean/fix it cause Nikon doesn't supply parts anymore.. so I'm look for something to fill the gap . I have a Tamron 17-50mm which I love but at times, it's too wide. I also have a sigma 70-200 .. i'd love something like a 24-70, but I don't want to spend thousands on the lens, so I'm looking for old school manual lenses and whatnot. Variable aperture is acceptable as long as i'ts still reasonably fast (no slower than f4.5 at the highest end)..
I see there's a 35-105 that looks like it has a decent range and good reviews.

any others?
 
I have a Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm f2.8 -3.5 that I love. I shot with it on my FS-100 and it has become my go to lenses when shooting run and gun. It is very sharp, has pleasing contrast and color. It is push pull also. I paid $125.00 for it off of eBay about 2 years ago. There are also a lot of Vivitar Series 1 28-95mm lenses out there also.
 
Well, what is your budget?

I have the Nikon Series E 36-72 f/3.5 that was 50 bucks, and isn't awful, but I wouldn't really recomend it unless your budget is down there.

I also have the Tokina 28-20 f/2.6-2.8, the early version that was around $350 or so and I love it. Absolutely great lens, if you can afford one of those, do it.

Then there's also the question, why not another Nikkor 35-70 2.8?
 
would the Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm work with the D7100? I am trying to figure out what camera he has.
I am interested in this topic for my D7100 I ordered.
 
Deer Film said:
would the Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm work with the D7100? I am trying to figure out what camera he has.
I am interested in this topic for my D7100 I ordered.
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The Vivitar Series 1 lenses came in a variety of mounts. They are all fully manual lenses. If you get one with a Nikon mount (F mount) it should fit on the D7100 with out an issue, but your focus and aperture are going to be manual.
 
Sorry, I have the D7000, budget is up to $250 and while Samuel H's tests are pretty awesome, I am not looking for primes and most of those lenses are prime :(
 
sigma made a manual 24-70 f2,8 with iris control similar to the Nikon D Series, no vintage lens, but a fast 2 ring zoom...
94120d1233977651-sold-sigma-24-70mmd-2-8-ex-dg-nikon-mount-24-70-1.jpg
 
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FiddlerMD said:
I am not looking for primes and most of those lenses are prime :(
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Beware of vintage zoom lenses: computer assisted design has helped a lot on very complex lenses, such as zooms and wide-angle lenses. I wouldn't expect a lot from a $250 zoom from the 70s. You're probably a lot better off with the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 non-VC.

I love vintage glass, but I only see it as a superior-image option if we're talking about primes in the 35-135mm range.
 
Samuel H said:
Beware of vintage zoom lenses: computer assisted design has helped a lot on very complex lenses, such as zooms and wide-angle lenses. I wouldn't expect a lot from a $250 zoom from the 70s. You're probably a lot better off with the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 non-VC.

I love vintage glass, but I only see it as a superior-image option if we're talking about primes in the 35-135mm range.
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Well, it all depends on what you want, exactly. A lens is an aesthetic tool and using terms like "Superior-image option" when comparing aesthetic tools is a pretty tough row to hoe, IMO. I agree that computer design probably has made advancements in optical design. However, what I find with modern zoom lenses is that they have taken "Superior" designed optics and put them into plastic bodies with electronic controls. I would take the opposite approach and advise someone to beware of a modern low cost zoom lens. Yes, my Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm is about 30 years old. It is in pristine condition, has all metal construction, full manual controls, including aperture control, full frame coverage and I very much like the images that it makes. With the F mount I know I can use that lens on any compatible camera with an inexpensive mechanical adapter. That can not be said about modern electronically controlled lenses. The Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm cost about $400.00 when it was new (1979ish), adjusted for inflation that would be about $1200.00 today. Comparing that lens to a modern plastic body, electronically controlled $500.00 lens is a tough thing to do, and has to weighed by personal considerations. I am very satisfied that I have the Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm lens. That lens is not the be all and end all for zoom lenses for me, but I really doubt that I am going to replace it with a modern $500.00 zoom lens though (Maybe a Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF, but that is $1700.00 and I would still need to coverage on the longer end). ...But, everyone has to make those decisions for themselves.
 
I've read Ken Rockwell's reviews in the past but as we all know, video and photo requirements are different. For instance, while I think the image out of the Tamron 17-50 is very sharp and pleasant, the focus throw is TINY and it's fairly difficult to control in a run and gun situation.
Likewise, I'm not sure how well push/pull would work for video (havent tried my fungus-y 35-70 yet)
 
Samuel H said:
Beware of vintage zoom lenses: computer assisted design has helped a lot on very complex lenses, such as zooms and wide-angle lenses. I wouldn't expect a lot from a $250 zoom from the 70s. You're probably a lot better off with the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 non-VC.

I love vintage glass, but I only see it as a superior-image option if we're talking about primes in the 35-135mm range.
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Mate - for shooting not testing most 80s glass is in a different class from modern plastic crap which is close to unusable for filming
 
I actually like push-pull zooms for run and gun shooting. With the push-pull zooms, you control both the zoom and focus with one ring, and when operating you can do both, zoom and focus without moving your hand back and forth between two control rings. Now the front of the lens does move in and out, so using a matte box could be problematical. I do not use a mate box at the moment so that is not an issue for me. I have found that sometimes I can do a focal length adjustment and nail the focus with one move... kind of a "Zen" thing. It is not easy, but with practice you can get pretty good with it (EDIT- a monitor with focus peaking really helps!). If you want to do controlled zoom shots I don't think that any low cost still zoom lenses are going to be that practical for that. While I am shooting run and gun, I will make focal length and focus adjustments during shots, but I am really just reframing and cut around the zooming most of the time. I think that I could "Rube Goldberg"/DIY witness marks and or hard stops with the Vivitar to do pretty fast zoom ins or zoom out shots but I have not tested it yet and am not 100% on that. Doing that would take a second set of hands I am pretty sure.
 
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FiddlerMD said:
how do you deal with the fact that the vivitar is varifocal? refocus after every zoom?
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Yes.

Like I noted above, with the push-pull lens, as I am am zooming in or out I am also adjusting the focus at the same time. When I get the frame right I just do the final focus adjustment to get it right.
 
morgan_moore said:
35-70 3.5 manual is awesome for film making
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Would agree 100% with this - it's tough, it's cheap, it's more-or-less parfocal and it makes a pretty decent image. Would be a pretty perfect like-for-like replacement for your 35-70/2.8 - in fact, I would choose it every time over the 2.8. I got mine for around £70 (GBP) on ebay in almost perfect condition, and now I can't live without it. Its only downside is that the filter threads rotate with focus, so if you're sticking Polarisers on the front, you might be in a bit of trouble. Me, I don't use Polarisers, so I'm pretty much perfectly happy with it :-)
 
My favorite type of Nikon lens is the AF-D series, mating vintage AI-S optical technology with modern CPU-equipped electronic control. Unlike current Nikkor AF-S G lenses, which lack manual aperture rings and are made of plastic, AF-D lenses offer full manual controls and solid metal construction. They can also work in auto-focus mode with Nikon camera bodies that include a built-in screw-drive focusing motor.
 
Like Morgan and Ross, I would also go for the 35-70 f3.5: it's a great lens for video (and holds up well for stills too, apart from bloom at f3.5). Mint copies are cheap. Cheers, Roland.
 
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