older nikon fit wide-ish angle ideas/advice

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I need some advice from those of you that regularly use older Nikon fit lenses on modern bodies.

I am looking for a wide angle prime lens for an ongoing project - something between about 12mm and 20mm. I am mentioning older lenses, simply because I am quite happy for it to be manual focus as it will be used almost exclusively for inanimate objects with plenty of set up time. The restriction is cost, not really looking to pay more than a couple of hundred squids if possible at this point which discounts many of the modern equivalents, even at s/h values. Must be full frame and preferably with a reputation for good IQ and limited distortion. Brand not an issue either, as long as it will bolt onto a D700. Also any advice on issues to look for when buying your recommendations would be appreciated.

So, am I asking the impossible or are there plenty of options out there? I have tried a forum search, but with little luck due to the search feature not really able to narrow things down enough. Back in my film days I used Praktica so have precious little knowledge of Nikon related lenses of yore, but reckon there are plenty round here that do. :)
 
I looked into this before and came to the conclusion that there aren't really any older MF ultra wides worth having that won't break the bank, decent ones are still expensive. Quite honestly the Samyang 14mm 2.8 is probably your best bet s/h.
 
Thanks John, it is at least a starting point and Samyang is a name i know but know nothing about, so would never have thought to look there, if that makes sense - which is why I am asking. If its a case of asking the impossible then will just have to wait until I can justify the cost of something more expensive, but i figured it was worth asking here because as you have shown, it is highly likely other people have done this and can advise.
 
Hi, If 20mm Full Frame is wide enough for your purpose then you can pick up 20mm F3.5 Manual Focus Nikors well within your budget. I've used one of these for a long time both on film and on a D800. Like nearly all wide angle lenses you get a bit of vignetting when used wide open (easily corrected in photoshop) but optically they are superb. Have a look at Ken Rockwells review of this lens.

Of the Samyang lenses the 35mm is very good, but I'd be surprised if you'd be happy with the optical performance of the 14mm ?:shake: (I say no more).
 
I can recommend the Samyang 14mm. I think it is closest approximation to perfect 14-24mm (with possible exception of £1900 Zeiss Distagon 15).

It is not flawless (notably there is a plenty of geometric distortion), but it is sharp.

Compared to old manual AI-S or AF-D primes, like 14mm/2.8, 20/2.8 or old Sigmas from film days, the Samyang has modern optical designs with aspherical elements and modern coatings and that makes it shine.
 
I think the best ever wide angle Nikon made was this one,have you done the lottery today :)

13mm f/5.6 Nikkor AIS
(ITEM SOLD BUT DETAILS RETAINED HERE DUE TO ADVERTISEMENT WHICH APPEARED IN THE AP AND WIDESPREAD INTEREST). VERY RARE! One of the "holy grails" of Nikon lenses, being offered secondhand for the first time by Grays of Westminster. The 13mm f/5.6 Nikkor ultra-wide-angle lens was introduced in March 1976 in a pre-AI type lens mount. This extraordinary lens has only ever been available to special order. The 13mm f/5.6 covers an angle of 118º. It weighs in at 1200 grams and represents the widest rectilinear lens available for the 35mm format. It is 4 inches long (10.2cm), with an aperture range from f/5.6 to f/22. It has 16 elements in 12 groups; the front element has a diameter of almost 11cm and is surrounded by a fixed 'petal' style lens hood. It has a floating rear element design, CRC close-range correction, a rectilinear element design for straight line rendition and can focus down to one foot. In 1977 the lens was updated to the AI standard, and in March 1982 the third version was introduced with the AIS type mount with four x 39mm (rear bayonet mount) filters: Skylight, Orange, Amber and Blue in a CL-14 case. It was designed by Mr. Ikuo Mori of the 1st Optical Section, Optical Designing Department at Nikon Optical Japan. Apparently only about 350 of these lenses were ever made. "It is Nikon's greatest lens because not only is it big and supremely expensive, it is Nikon's, and perhaps photography's, greatest lens because it lets us make photographs we can make no other way." Ken Rockwell.
 
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simonblue said:
I think the best ever wide angle Nikon made was this one,have you done the lottery today :)

13mm f/5.6 Nikkor AIS
(ITEM SOLD BUT DETAILS RETAINED HERE DUE TO ADVERTISEMENT WHICH APPEARED IN THE AP AND WIDESPREAD INTEREST). VERY RARE! One of the "holy grails" of Nikon lenses, being offered secondhand for the first time by Grays of Westminster. The 13mm f/5.6 Nikkor ultra-wide-angle lens was introduced in March 1976 in a pre-AI type lens mount. This extraordinary lens has only ever been available to special order. The 13mm f/5.6 covers an angle of 118º. It weighs in at 1200 grams and represents the widest rectilinear lens available for the 35mm format. It is 4 inches long (10.2cm), with an aperture range from f/5.6 to f/22. It has 16 elements in 12 groups; the front element has a diameter of almost 11cm and is surrounded by a fixed 'petal' style lens hood. It has a floating rear element design, CRC close-range correction, a rectilinear element design for straight line rendition and can focus down to one foot. In 1977 the lens was updated to the AI standard, and in March 1982 the third version was introduced with the AIS type mount with four x 39mm (rear bayonet mount) filters: Skylight, Orange, Amber and Blue in a CL-14 case. It was designed by Mr. Ikuo Mori of the 1st Optical Section, Optical Designing Department at Nikon Optical Japan. Apparently only about 350 of these lenses were ever made. "It is Nikon's greatest lens because not only is it big and supremely expensive, it is Nikon's, and perhaps photography's, greatest lens because it lets us make photographs we can make no other way." Ken Rockwell.
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:eek: wonder how much one of those things costs as and when they no doubt infrequently become available?!? Sadly my numbers didn't come up :lol:

gman said:
http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Nikon-20mm-AF-D-f/2.8_70905.html

I've got one as a backup and it's a great lens.
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Thankyou, definitely considering one of those...
 
Yv said:
:eek: wonder how much one of those things costs as and when they no doubt infrequently become available?!? Sadly my numbers didn't come up :lol:



Thankyou, definitely considering one of those...
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Last was on e.bay US $46000 :eek:,but free postage :D
 
I've been looking myself, I've now had 2 Nikon 20mm lenses which didn't seem great so I remain looking. I'm trying to avoid going back to an UWA zoom like the Tokina 11-16 but it might be unavoidable.

I've also come across the Tamron 14mm f2.8, not still being made but doesn't seem too dear and some of the images I've seen are very good.
 
The Tokina 12-24mm f/4 works quiet well on full frame from 12mm to about 15mm after then it starts to vignette quiet badly. Not a prime but the optical quality is good withe the exception of CA which can be a bit high in the corners.
 
Digifrog said:
he Voigtlander 20mm was quite popular with a friend of mine. This one is a newer version...

http://www.kenrockwell.com/voigtlander/20mm-f35.htm


£387 @ Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Voigtlander...F8&qid=1370174330&sr=1-2&keywords=voigtlander
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Thats interesting, a tad over budget atm, but worth considering, I hear about voitgtlanders a lot but have never been near one.

chrism_scotland said:
I've been looking myself, I've now had 2 Nikon 20mm lenses which didn't seem great so I remain looking. I'm trying to avoid going back to an UWA zoom like the Tokina 11-16 but it might be unavoidable.

I've also come across the Tamron 14mm f2.8, not still being made but doesn't seem too dear and some of the images I've seen are very good.
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Thanks Chris, similar thing, trying to avoid a zoom if I can, although a very short one wouldn't be too bad. I already have a sigma 10-20 that fits my cropped body, but its several years old now, and whilst still very useable, does suffer some IQ issues, mainly edge softness and of course, won't work on the FX bodies, or not to the full sensor anyway. :bonk:

ah5168 said:
The Tokina 12-24mm f/4 works quiet well on full frame from 12mm to about 15mm after then it starts to vignette quiet badly. Not a prime but the optical quality is good withe the exception of CA which can be a bit high in the corners.
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Yes, I get a bit of that on the 10-20 too, though usually only outdoors, trees against sky type of thing - the main purpose for this one would be indoors, interiors where the contrast levels would be generally lower, but thanks for the heads up on that :thumbs:



I think what I am going to do is create a list of the possibles and start looking for image samples and tech reviews. I came across one for the samyang 14mm last night, that shows a highish level of distortion [just over 5%], one of the highest the reviewers claim they have seem on such a lens, but more significantly, the distortion is spread in a odd way, which makes it difficult to correct in post, especially for architectural images, though they did say that if its for landscapes, buy with with confidence, you will not see it. I expect distortion on anything that's wide, moreso when shopping cheap, but it needs to correctable 'to the eye' - without a sample file to play with, I wouldn't be confident that Samyang is - which is a shame, as there was one for sale in classies :lol:
 
You can borrow my Tamron 17mm if you want, I hardly ever use it these days.

It might give you a starting point for the research and see if using a mf lens is going to be a goer.
 
I can let you play with the 12-24 Sigma soon if you like. Not the fastest of lenses but very wide and very well corrected for rectilinear distortions. Possibly over budget though, even 2nd hand. I also have a Cosina (same lens has also been branded as Vivitar) 19-35. Again, not that fast and not as wide as the Siggy but available as a free loan if it's any use to you.
 
Nod said:
I can let you play with the 12-24 Sigma soon if you like. Not the fastest of lenses but very wide and very well corrected for rectilinear distortions. Possibly over budget though, even 2nd hand. I also have a Cosina (same lens has also been branded as Vivitar) 19-35. Again, not that fast and not as wide as the Siggy but available as a free loan if it's any use to you.
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:thumbs: thankyou Nod, pack them in your boot please ;)
 
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