'Best' 35mm lens for Nikon F3

Chris_911

Chris_911

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Chris Tarling
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Looking for recommendations please.

I'm in the process of finding a good Nikon F3 body - always wanted one and it's the last of the manual focus pro Nikon film SLRs, so has a significant appeal.

Recommendations please for a 35mm focal length lens to go with it.

I have read the 35mm f2 D is 'better' optically than the older AI-S - is this a sound conclusion?

Maybe look at a Zeiss lens??

I don't want a zoom - just after the best 35mm manual focus lens that I can pair with the F3.

Thanks!
 
the 35mm f2 Nikkor-O f2 - in Al or AlS is a good lens

O = "Octo" - 8 elements

It was very popular in it's day

just looked at mine - which is an O C ....... the "C" indicating that the lens is coated
 
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I personally can't speak to the optical performance of the various 35mm primes for Nikon SLRs, though I do own the 35mm F/2D and like it, I have not made any direct comparisons. I tend to use this lens on my F80, and hence I take advantage of the autofocus.

My personal opinion is that, if you are shooting ISO400 films, any sharpness difference between the Ai / Ai-S / D etc lenses will likely be washed out. Further, sharpness is really not all that important unless it's the only attribute of the images you are looking for. As such, I might instead opt for an older pre 'D' lens, and gain all the character that comes with it in the images. Further, as you'll be shooting on the F3 where you are of course bound to manual focusing, these older lenses have much smoother, damped focus rings, whereas the AF lenses were designed to be as friction free as possible. I don't know about you or other people, but I find manual focusing on a lens designed to solely for manual focusing is a far nicer experience.
 
Yeah just get the AIS 35mm.

Personally I use a Voigtlander 40mm f/2 but that's because I'm primarily a 28mm shooter and the 40 pairs nicely with it. Also it feels just about right on an SLR.

If you like 28mm the 2.8 AIS (not AI) is the one to go for. Very sharp and flare resistant.
 
Thanks for all your replies!

FruitFlakes said:
Yeah just get the AIS 35mm.

Personally I use a Voigtlander 40mm f/2 but that's because I'm primarily a 28mm shooter and the 40 pairs nicely with it. Also it feels just about right on an SLR.

If you like 28mm the 2.8 AIS (not AI) is the one to go for. Very sharp and flare resistant.
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Lloyd that's really interesting - I have actually just been looking seriously at the Voigtlander 40mm f2.
Can you tell me a little more about your experiences with it?
What's good, what's not so good?
Thanks
 
I never felt entirely happy with my F3HP; probably because I'd previously used a pair of F4s. (I subscribe to the theory that the F4 was Nikon's best ever manual focus camera, spoiled by the AF add ons.)

As to a 35mm lens: I found that the 24/f2.8 played best to the F3's strengths. Paired with the 55/f2.8, I felt ready for almost anything when walking around.
 
Whether or not the AF-D lens is better than the earlier versions, it won't be as nice to focus on a manual focus body, and there is the recurrent issue of lubricant getting on the aperture blades and making them stick, which requires a service to correct. It's claimed (not officially) that this issue was fixed after a certain serial number, though I've seen the odd report of it eventually happening outside the problematic range, so perhaps there's always a small risk with this design. On the other hand, if you also have a compatible 'screwdriver' AF body, film or digital, it could make sense to go for the AF-D.
 
Chris_911 said:
Thanks for all your replies!



Lloyd that's really interesting - I have actually just been looking seriously at the Voigtlander 40mm f2.
Can you tell me a little more about your experiences with it?
What's good, what's not so good?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I'm happy with mine - it's sharp wide open (and of course stopped down), the build is excellent and the CPU chip means that it does double duty on my digital bodies with all the metering modes as well. The sharpness wide open is actually quite noticeable in use, I have a far easier time picking out the plane of focus in the viewfinder compared to my (admittedly much older) 50mm Nikkor H.

There's a nice thread on RFF here:

Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 for SLR - impressions sought and which version? - Rangefinderforum.com

Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 for SLR - impressions sought and which version? SLRs - the unRF
www.rangefinderforum.com
 
FruitFlakes said:
I'm happy with mine - it's sharp wide open (and of course stopped down), the build is excellent and the CPU chip means that it does double duty on my digital bodies with all the metering modes as well. The sharpness wide open is actually quite noticeable in use, I have a far easier time picking out the plane of focus in the viewfinder compared to my (admittedly much older) 50mm Nikkor H.

There's a nice thread on RFF here:

Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 for SLR - impressions sought and which version? - Rangefinderforum.com

Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 for SLR - impressions sought and which version? SLRs - the unRF
www.rangefinderforum.com
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Thanks.
Yes found that thread earlier in my searches!
 
I also like the Ultron 40mm f2 on my F3HP, it makes a great combination and also has good close focus too.
 
if you are concerned about cost, you should be able to pick up a Nikon 35mm f2 AI in good nick for £30
 
Retune said:
Whether or not the AF-D lens is better than the earlier versions, it won't be as nice to focus on a manual focus body, and there is the recurrent issue of lubricant getting on the aperture blades and making them stick, which requires a service to correct. It's claimed (not officially) that this issue was fixed after a certain serial number, though I've seen the odd report of it eventually happening outside the problematic range, so perhaps there's always a small risk with this design. On the other hand, if you also have a compatible 'screwdriver' AF body, film or digital, it could make sense to go for the AF-D.
Click to expand...
Very true - my own 35/2 AF-D (316088) has now been serviced three times - in 27 years - to remove lube from the Iris - it's worse if the lens isn't used frequently. That said, when it's working, it works great.
But I agree that a manual Ai or Ai-converted lens is better on a manual-focus camera - if for no other reason that the focusing ring is wider and easier to find without looking.

20210715_160924.jpg
 
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BillN_33 said:
if you are concerned about cost, you should be able to pick up a Nikon 35mm f2 AI in good nick for £30
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Please tell where, I would like some of those.
 
BillN_33 said:
if you are concerned about cost, you should be able to pick up a Nikon 35mm f2 AI in good nick for £30
Click to expand...
Please point me towards it if you find one at that price.
 
RaglanSurf said:
Please point me towards it if you find one at that price.
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just looked on ebay - silly prices - why are they so expensive as these days they are mostly "paper weights" - I think that I have quite a few Nikkor lens from the 70's
 
It probably helps that any AI or AI-converted lens will still work perfectly well on current Nikon dSLRs, via an adapter on Nikon's Z system, or via third party adapters on other mirrorless systems. As they were high quality lenses to begin with, they've kept a lot of their value.
 
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BillN_33 said:
just looked on ebay - silly prices - why are they so expensive as these days they are mostly "paper weights" - I think that I have quite a few Nikkor lens from the 70's
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There might have been a dip 15 years ago at the dawn of the digital frenzy but the reality is Nikkors hold their money and always have.
Maybe its the mount, maybe its the resurgence of film, maybe its a combination of a few factors I dunno but clearly, they are not just paper weights.
Maybe you should cash some of your Nikkors in... :D
 
BillN_33 said:
just looked on ebay - silly prices - why are they so expensive as these days they are mostly "paper weights" - I think that I have quite a few Nikkor lens from the 70's
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Why would you think they’re paperweights? There’s a very healthy market for Nikon manual focus lenses, the quality remains despite the new AF glass that’s out there. If you’re interested in selllt your 70’s kit please let us know.
 
My go-to Nikon lens for 35mm format is the 35mm f/2 AIS. A really usable focal length, without the needless weight and complexity of the f/1.4.

I'd gladly buy another if someone flogged one to me for £30!
 
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