what's to know before buying Nikon / Nikkor lenses?

F

Fahad

Veteran
so i've found a few used nikon lenses on Adorama...

Nikon 24mm 2.8 Ai

Nikon 35mm 2.0 Ais

Nikon 105mm 2.5 Ov

1) are these lenses any good?

2) what does the Ai, or Ais, signify?
(i've read that you need to break off a piece before using it with a Nikon to EOS mount adapter)

3) what does the Ov signify?
 
Fahad, I started here, before buying Nikon lenses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F-mount

The AI designation is from lenses introduced in 1977 that added an aperture indexing feature to the lenses. The AI-S is successor dedication. The "Prong" that was removed, was a procedure for making pre-AI lenses compatible with the AI cameras AI feature. I don't think it is an issue with most adaptors, but I would check with the specific adaptor manufacture and see. I have been picking up pre-AI Nikkor lenses, as a personal preference, and they appear to be less expensive. The AI lenses have improved coatings and are newer lenses, so they are very good lenses. I have right now the Nikkor 24mm f2.8 pre-AI lens, a 35mm F2.8mm pre-AI lens, a 200mm Nikkor-Q f4 pre-AI lens and a 100mm f2.8 E-Series lens. The E series lenses were a collection of lenses made in the '80s as a lower cost option for amateur SLRs, and are designated as AI-S lenses. While originally rated as lower cost lenses, they still are pretty well reviewed. I like all of the lenses.

I don't know what "Ov" is for.
 
thanks for the information and link, David.

so... i should be ok with getting a manually adjusted Nikon F-Mount lens (provided i make sure the adapter is OK).

what kind of adapter do you use?
(i've read about the fotodiox, but i'm not sure if people praise it because it's cheap, or because it's good AND cheap).
 
Fotodiox is good and inexpensive. I tried some other adapters before settling on Fotodiox and the build qualities don't compare. The Nikon adapter is especially nice. It fits snugly on the lens with no play. I don't think you'll have any complaints.
 
Fahad said:
thanks for the information and link, David.

so... i should be ok with getting a manually adjusted Nikon F-Mount lens (provided i make sure the adapter is OK).

what kind of adapter do you use?
(i've read about the fotodiox, but i'm not sure if people praise it because it's cheap, or because it's good AND cheap).
Click to expand...

I use the very inexpensive Kawa adaptors and have not had any problems with them, except that getting them off can be a little difficult. Their build quality is not the greatest and I do not think of them as lifetime investments at all. I went with them because of their low price. I am personally using the DSLR right now as an interim camera, and kind of want to see how the whole camera market shakes out over the next year or so. I am very comfortable with buying the Nikkor lenses, as I think that they will be useful for a very long time, but, FOR ME, I am trying to keep the camera specific accessories as inexpensive as I can, RIGHT NOW. The Fotodiox adaptors are very highly rated and a lot of people seem to like them. I don't think you would go wrong with them. I am pretty sure that their F-mount to EOS adaptors are cool with AI, AI-S and pre-AI lenses, but would just check and make sure.
 
I have a 50mm Nikkor-S f1.4 (pre-AI). It's single coated so it will flare a bit into or adjacent to bright lights. That particular lens mounts fine with an adapter on the 7D or 5D-II. Weirdly enough, it won't mount on a Nikon camera. I use the Fotodiox "amateur" adapter, which seems very nice quality.

I have video on my website using that lens, and a short write-up about it. For less than $100, it's nice to have a fast lens like that for video. You can probably find an AI version for a little bit more, which would probably be the better choice.
 
hey. I have a question.

What is the difference between using AI or non AI lenses on an EOS body?

Does it matter? is one more preferred than the other and why?

thanks in advance!
 
No difference on an EOS body

Ideally, go for the AI for multicoated lenses. Otherwise, no usablility difference
 
heyrobert said:
No difference on an EOS body

Ideally, go for the AI for multicoated lenses. Otherwise, no usablility difference
Click to expand...

Agreed, single-coating (non-AI) = ghosting/flaring. (When shooting into or sometimes near a bright light source.)

There's lots of non-AI on ebay, though, and they're cheap like borscht. The optics are the same other than the coating.
 
Hi Chris-
I have the T2i and I'm going the Nikon AI route... which Fotodiox adapter would be the best option for someone on a budget?
 
David G. Smith said:
Fahad, I started here, before buying Nikon lenses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F-mount

The AI designation is from lenses introduced in 1977 that added an aperture indexing feature to the lenses. The AI-S is successor dedication. The "Prong" that was removed, was a procedure for making pre-AI lenses compatible with the AI cameras AI feature. I don't think it is an issue with most adaptors, but I would check with the specific adaptor manufacture and see. I have been picking up pre-AI Nikkor lenses, as a personal preference, and they appear to be less expensive. The AI lenses have improved coatings and are newer lenses, so they are very good lenses. I have right now the Nikkor 24mm f2.8 pre-AI lens, a 35mm F2.8mm pre-AI lens, a 200mm Nikkor-Q f4 pre-AI lens and a 100mm f2.8 E-Series lens. The E series lenses were a collection of lenses made in the '80s as a lower cost option for amateur SLRs, and are designated as AI-S lenses. While originally rated as lower cost lenses, they still are pretty well reviewed. I like all of the lenses.

I don't know what "Ov" is for.
Click to expand...


For shooting video, would there be any preference between a Nikon AI or AI-s? I've found that on eBay the AI go for a little cheaper, but from all I've read, thanks to everyone's informative posts, there's no difference.
 
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