Someone local to me was advertising some old lenses they had, so I went to take a look and try them out.
On the menu were (Ken Rockwell was the only links I could find with decent photos and specs, sorry):
Nikkor 105mm f2/8D Micro http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/105af.htm
This lens is pretty much optically perfect to my eye. The detail it captures is phenomenal with no noticeable distortion, I took a few shots of a Cactus and it was amazing, you could even make out fibres hanging on the ends of the spines. It is pin sharp, and I cannot wait to really play around and get some serious Macro action in.
AF also performed decently, albeit slowly and comparatively noisily... and this was hand-held in ok but unspectacular light at 1/125 and f/8. VR? Pah, who needs it. I also hear it's an amazing portrait lens, and the bokeh does seem nice and creamy.
As for build quality, it's a metal tank but not heavy or unwieldy, and the sample I got is clean as a nuns naughty bits, in fact looks near to damn new internally and not a hair of a scratch on the glass.
Nikkor 35-70 f2/8D http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/3570.htm
I'd never hear of this lens before, so was interested when I saw it was basically the original precursor to the modern 24-70 f2/8 aimes at professionaly. The push and pull zooming does feel somewhat antiquated, but there is no doubt that wide open at f2/8 it is a sharp lens at 35-60mm, with some increased softness at 70mm. AT f/4 and beyond it's admirably sharp all across the board, with f/8 being awesome.
Yes, I have no wider angles of 24-23mm, and yes, the push pull zooming system feels a bit funny and less smooth and accurate than modern twist systems but for 200 quid I have a lens that is optically not so far away from a modern 24-70 and I am very impressed with performance at f2/8. I notice it is subsceptible to flare, but that was only with the sun directly in the frame Chromatic aberration also reared its head indoors with artificial lighting on one occasion, but it was easily fixed in LR and I didn't see it since. Bokeh is also pleasing with little to no nervousness that I could see, certainly much more pleasing than the Tamron 24-70 I had the other week. Build quality is also tank-like.
So yeah, to anyone out there who wants to play aroundwith some quality glass, spare a thought for some of the older stuff out there... just make sure you check it thoroughly to see it's in good condition as I read they are prone to fogging and algae if not well maintained. Very happy I took the punt.
On the menu were (Ken Rockwell was the only links I could find with decent photos and specs, sorry):
Nikkor 105mm f2/8D Micro http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/105af.htm
This lens is pretty much optically perfect to my eye. The detail it captures is phenomenal with no noticeable distortion, I took a few shots of a Cactus and it was amazing, you could even make out fibres hanging on the ends of the spines. It is pin sharp, and I cannot wait to really play around and get some serious Macro action in.
AF also performed decently, albeit slowly and comparatively noisily... and this was hand-held in ok but unspectacular light at 1/125 and f/8. VR? Pah, who needs it. I also hear it's an amazing portrait lens, and the bokeh does seem nice and creamy.
As for build quality, it's a metal tank but not heavy or unwieldy, and the sample I got is clean as a nuns naughty bits, in fact looks near to damn new internally and not a hair of a scratch on the glass.
Nikkor 35-70 f2/8D http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/3570.htm
I'd never hear of this lens before, so was interested when I saw it was basically the original precursor to the modern 24-70 f2/8 aimes at professionaly. The push and pull zooming does feel somewhat antiquated, but there is no doubt that wide open at f2/8 it is a sharp lens at 35-60mm, with some increased softness at 70mm. AT f/4 and beyond it's admirably sharp all across the board, with f/8 being awesome.
Yes, I have no wider angles of 24-23mm, and yes, the push pull zooming system feels a bit funny and less smooth and accurate than modern twist systems but for 200 quid I have a lens that is optically not so far away from a modern 24-70 and I am very impressed with performance at f2/8. I notice it is subsceptible to flare, but that was only with the sun directly in the frame Chromatic aberration also reared its head indoors with artificial lighting on one occasion, but it was easily fixed in LR and I didn't see it since. Bokeh is also pleasing with little to no nervousness that I could see, certainly much more pleasing than the Tamron 24-70 I had the other week. Build quality is also tank-like.
So yeah, to anyone out there who wants to play aroundwith some quality glass, spare a thought for some of the older stuff out there... just make sure you check it thoroughly to see it's in good condition as I read they are prone to fogging and algae if not well maintained. Very happy I took the punt.
, not Nikon related but I've got a Canon EF 20-35 f3.5-4.5 USM on the way that I got for a steal as an alternative to the 17-40/16-35 models. Discontinued in 2007, will see if it's any good.
They're all the 3.5-4.5 AF-D you were talking about?
