Small Nikon Primes

UaeExile

UaeExile

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Adam
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Hi All,

I recently picked up a Nikon Df which came with a few lenses I probably wont get much use out of, expect maybe the 50mm 1.8G.

I already have a couple of zooms and bigger primes, like the 35mm 1.4 ART and 85mm 1.8G, but these are a bit big for the Df for my liking and I was looking to add one or two compact primes for street / travel.

One I was looking at was the 24mm 2.8, or the 35mm f2. I was wondering if anyone had experience with these lenses, or had other recommendations?

Cheers!
 
Both lenses are good, maybe not the sharpest on test charts but more than good enough for real world shooting, especially when stopped down.

I've owned both but never actually used the 24mm as I started selling my Nikon kit before it was needed (it's in the classifieds if you're interested).

The 35mm I used a fair bit, it's not my favourite focal length and it lacks contrast wide open but gets very sharp very quickly, has nice colours and is very small and unobtrusive, it would suit the DF well.
 
Nawty said:
Both lenses are good, maybe not the sharpest on test charts but more than good enough for real world shooting, especially when stopped down.

I've owned both but never actually used the 24mm as I started selling my Nikon kit before it was needed (it's in the classifieds if you're interested).

The 35mm I used a fair bit, it's not my favourite focal length and it lacks contrast wide open but gets very sharp very quickly, has nice colours and is very small and unobtrusive, it would suit the DF well.
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Thanks - I've already got a few 35mm options with the sigma ART and X100T, so wanted to add something slightly wider.

Just played with the 28mm 1.8G which I would take in a heartbeat if I didn't already have the 35mm. Actually, I may move on the Sigma and pick it up...
 
Yeah, the new 1.8 primes are stunning but not as small (or cheap!) as the old AFD ones.

If I ever make it to see the northern lights I'll be getting the 20mm 1.8...
 
chrism_scotland said:
Both good lenses actually, I had both on the 24mp D600 and they performed very well however I did find the 24mm struggles a little on the D800, shouldn't be a problem with the 16mp of the DF though, very compact and very nice lenses.
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Thanks Chris. They both seem decent enough lenses. I bought the Df for travelling about with and bashing around a little. So the light compact and comparatively cheap nature of these appeal to me. Just tried out the 35mm but I think I want something wider.... Hmmm!
 
UaeExile said:
Thanks Chris. They both seem decent enough lenses. I bought the Df for travelling about with and bashing around a little. So the light compact and comparatively cheap nature of these appeal to me. Just tried out the 35mm but I think I want something wider.... Hmmm!
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Thats been my thinking for travel really I've enviously been eying some of the compact systems but don't feel they're quite there yet for me (although the IQ from an A7 is awesome!) so I'm looking at lighter primes for my D800 albeit I really need the newer (dearer) G lenses as in my experience the older D ones just don't seem to measure up on the D800 sadly or I'd save a bundle buying some of those ones!
 
chrism_scotland said:
Thats been my thinking for travel really I've enviously been eying some of the compact systems but don't feel they're quite there yet for me (although the IQ from an A7 is awesome!) so I'm looking at lighter primes for my D800 albeit I really need the newer (dearer) G lenses as in my experience the older D ones just don't seem to measure up on the D800 sadly or I'd save a bundle buying some of those ones!
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I've owned the Fuji XT1 twice (!), which tells you how much I wanted the smaller system thing to work. But for me it just didn't. I had a good range of lenses in the 10-24, 35 and 56, but the fact I also had the D750 meant that I was running two systems and had no like-for-like back up for my D750.

I made the swap between the XT1 and Df last night and so far so good. I know the Df has a lot of haters, but most of them are due to the price and lack of features compared to other professional bodies. These problems quickly go away when you start comparing it to most of the compact systems on the market.

My only criticism of the Df (and Nikon) is calling the 50mm 1.8 the "Special Edition". It's exactly the same as the normal nifty fifty, except a very retro (not really) silver stripe!
 
The DF is designed to work well with older lenses like AI and AI-s - There are certainly some bargains and the styling would suit the retro body style better than the newer plastic looking lenses - I find the focus rings much easier to use as well.
 
boliston said:
The DF is designed to work well with older lenses like AI and AI-s - There are certainly some bargains and the styling would suit the retro body style better than the newer plastic looking lenses - I find the focus rings much easier to use as well.
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Any particular lenses you would recommend Adrian? I haven't had much experience with older Nikon lenses and wouldn't know where to start! I don't mind manual lenses at all.
 
UaeExile said:
One I was looking at was the 24mm 2.8, or the 35mm f2. I was wondering if anyone had experience with these lenses, or had other recommendations?
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I've used both and they were great, I still have the 35 as my 'only take one lens' lens. The 28/1.8 and 50/1.8 are my 'take two lens' lenses. The only advantage the 24 had over the 28 was smaller size to fit in a jacket pocket. I don't miss the extra 4mm. If you want to save space the older lenses are ideal.
 
boliston said:
The DF is designed to work well with older lenses like AI and AI-s - There are certainly some bargains and the styling would suit the retro body style better than the newer plastic looking lenses - I find the focus rings much easier to use as well.
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+1 …… certainly worth thinking about with the DF … also quite a good shooting experience

Adrian ………. good to see you follow Don, (Streetshooter) Springer …… http://streetshooter.net
 
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BillN_33 said:
+1 …… certainly worth thinking about with the DF … also quite a good shooting experience

Adrian ………. good to see you follow Don, (Streetshooter) Springer …… http://streetshooter.net
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Any specific lens recommendations Bill? I have no experience of older manual lenses so any suggestions would be welcomed.
 
UaeExile said:
Any specific lens recommendations Bill? I have no experience of older manual lenses so any suggestions would be welcomed.
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Hi Adam, all the 50mm and below, (e.g. 35mm, 20mm), Nikon are worth looking at - If you want small the 50mm f1.8E is worth a go - a cheap lens at the time but will give you a nice B & W look …… small than any 50mm DSLR lens around today …… but the AI f1.4's are also good ………. the 50mm f1.2 MF is still around new, but it is expensive and the DOF at f1.2 is almost impossibility shallow when use MF

I would think that modern AF-S lenses are better technically but the old MF glass is still v good optically and just good to use and "different"

If you get into "older" Nikon MF lenses …… it is a fascinating subject as Nikon have used the F mount right from the start of their DSLR camera, (unlike Canon who changed the mount when they moved to AF lenses)

with wide - focusing is no problem - just use "zone" and most of the time I stuck mine at f8 and infinity for quick shots

lots of stuff on the web …… and a good place to start is

http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html

knows far more than I ever will

you can pick Nikon MF glass up on Ebay for hardly anything …….. stuff I could not afford at the time ……. I still have a "box full" which I get out now and again ……. you just have to be careful about the fitting, (needs to be AI and AI newer …….. NOT non AI - all explained in the manual)

just seen the following

https://photographylife.com/why-i-love-the-nikon-e-series-aka-really-cheap-lenses
 
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If you want smaller then I think you can't go wrong with the 50 & 35mm D lenses and zoom with your feet when you can. One on the camera and one in your pocket. You need to watch if you get any bigger lenses as you may end thinking I may as well take the D750 as the system gets too big or kept the XT1.

You can get the 50 & 35mm D lenses for around £300 if buying new.
 
UaeExile said:
One I was looking at was the 24mm 2.8, or the 35mm f2. I was wondering if anyone had experience with these lenses, or had other recommendations?
Click to expand...


I had the 35 f/2 for a while. Its OK for street photography but ulutimatley you will be dissapointed in it compared to your 35 f/1.4 art lens. That said for the money, its worth trying
 
Swanseajack said:
If you want smaller then I think you can't go wrong with the 50 & 35mm D lenses and zoom with your feet when you can. One on the camera and one in your pocket. You need to watch if you get any bigger lenses as you may end thinking I may as well take the D750 as the system gets too big or kept the XT1.

You can get the 50 & 35mm D lenses for around £300 if buying new.
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Size has never really bothered me to be honest. Whether I take the D750, Df or XT1, all of them need the same size bag. Weight can be an issue, but when I travel I take one body, and one maybe two small primes, so again, not really an issue.

What are you using now Simon? I know you had the XT1 also at one point...
 
BillN_33 said:
Hi Adam, all the 50mm and below, (e.g. 35mm, 20mm), Nikon are worth looking at - If you want small the 50mm f1.8E is worth a go - a cheap lens at the time but will give you a nice B & W look …… small than any 50mm DSLR lens around today …… but the AI f1.4's are also good ………. the 50mm f1.2 MF is still around new, but it is expensive and the DOF at f1.2 is almost impossibility shallow when use MF

I would think that modern AF-S lenses are better technically but the old MF glass is still v good optically and just good to use and "different"

If you get into "older" Nikon MF lenses …… it is a fascinating subject as Nikon have used the F mount right from the start of their DSLR camera, (unlike Canon who changed the mount when they moved to AF lenses)

with wide - focusing is no problem - just use "zone" and most of the time I stuck mine at f8 and infinity for quick shots

lots of stuff on the web …… and a good place to start is

http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html

knows far more than I ever will

you can pick Nikon MF glass up on Ebay for hardly anything …….. stuff I could not afford at the time ……. I still have a "box full" which I get out now and again ……. you just have to be careful about the fitting, (needs to be AI and AI newer …….. NOT non AI - all explained in the manual)

just seen the following

https://photographylife.com/why-i-love-the-nikon-e-series-aka-really-cheap-lenses
Click to expand...

Cheers bill I'll have a read later. Just had a look on ebay and it looks like a minefield for older lenses, so thanks for the links!
 
boyfalldown said:
I had the 35 f/2 for a while. Its OK for street photography but ulutimatley you will be dissapointed in it compared to your 35 f/1.4 art lens. That said for the money, its worth trying
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Yeah I wouldn't even compare the two. The ART is great but huge - certainly wouldn't stick it on my Df or use for casual shots.
 
UaeExile said:
Size has never really bothered me to be honest. Whether I take the D750, Df or XT1, all of them need the same size bag. Weight can be an issue, but when I travel I take one body, and one maybe two small primes, so again, not really an issue.

What are you using now Simon? I know you had the XT1 also at one point...
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What I was trying to get at with the D lenses is that you can go without a bag as their so small.

I sold the XT before Christmas as I have started to get into garden bird photography as I'm home allday. Fuji delayed the super tele and I was struggling with manual focusing old lenses due to disabilities.. So I sold up and bought the D750. After a weeks use there seemed to be plastic swarf in the VF so I returned and I bought a D7100 to tie me over and they may as well sort out the flare issue in the mean time (which wasn't a problem on my camera).

I sent the D7100 of for a trade sale last week and some lenses so just waiting for the cash to hit my account to buy another D750. Will see how things are later in the year and buy a XT again.
 
Swanseajack said:
What I was trying to get at with the D lenses is that you can go without a bag as their so small.

I sold the XT before Christmas as I have started to get into garden bird photography as I'm home allday. Fuji delayed the super tele and I was struggling with manual focusing old lenses due to disabilities.. So I sold up and bought the D750. After a weeks use there seemed to be plastic swarf in the VF so I returned and I bought a D7100 to tie me over and they may as well sort out the flare issue in the mean time (which wasn't a problem on my camera).

I sent the D7100 of for a trade sale last week and some lenses so just waiting for the cash to hit my account to buy another D750. Will see how things are later in the year and buy a XT again.
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Yeah I remember you mentioning your disability. I would have thought the XT1 would be good with the weight, additional grips and flippy screen etc. You go through cameras quicker than me, and that's saying something! :D
 
I travel a lot these days and have just returned from 3 weeks in India. Ignoring the wildlife photos that I do, 90% of my street and people shots were taken with my D700 & 35-70 f2.8D zoom, I took a few with the 16-35 and a few with the 70-200. Trouble is I'm tired with lugging it all about, it's bloody tedious, hence very often I just leave the 35-70 on and have done with it. Like yourself I'm hoping to get a DF before the years out, my travel lenses will be a 20mm f2.8d, a 35mm f2 and a 85 f1.8D, I don't think I'll take a 50mm as looking at the shots I've taken, there either at 35mm or 60-70mm. The sad thing is if nikon did a couple of wide dx primes ( like Fuji's lovely 23mm f1.4 and 14mm ) I'd probably stick with the D7100 despite the DF sensor being in a different league for low light.
 
UaeExile said:
Yeah I remember you mentioning your disability. I would have thought the XT1 would be good with the weight, additional grips and flippy screen etc. You go through cameras quicker than me, and that's saying something! :D
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I can't say how many cameras I have had in-case Clare peeps over my shoulder:D

The XT was fantastic for me. It just became a case the camera was getting un-usable for me as I started photographing the birds, we back onto countryside/woodlands so have a little wildlife and it keeps me sane, just about. I tried the 55-200 & 50-230mm and they were a tad short even after cropping. Will see what the supertele is like and possibly change back. It's just with Nikon or Canon there are so many longer lenses available with AF which I need. I sent my 300mm f4 lens off with the D7100 as it was too heavy and no VR.

Going on Bills comments above. Another thought and possibly a bit of fun is the some of the older D zooms which have AF models and some with semi macro. I have had the 24-50 , 28-85, 28-105 etc.... and as a lens the 24-50 and 28-85 were good performers especially the 24-50 for me, I prefered it over the legendry 28-105, I had a great copy. For approx £50.00 quid it may give you the 24mm wide and the 35mm and it is quiet a small lens. Linky > http://mir.SPAM/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/AFNikkor/AF2450mm/index.htm
 
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