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- Name
- Duncan
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I've always loved vintage lenses. I love using them, handling them, photographing them.. Having begun my foray into photography in the late 80s, many of the now vintage Nikon lenses bring back a real sense of nostalgia for me but I also remember how good some of them were and how good they still are. Lenses that were tack sharp then are still tack sharp today. The 35-70mm f/2.8 AF-D was/is a cracking lens and was found in the bag of many a top journalist. The old Noct-Nikkor.. hang on, let me just wipe some drool off my keyboard.. The 85mm 1.4 AF-D, 17-180mm Zoom Micro-Nikkor.. Stunning lenses that took stunning images and the list is endless. It's a great shame we don't talk about some of those lenses today as the younger generations coming through generally haven't a clue that some real gems are out there that would cost them a fraction of the latest and greatest modern monsters. Along those lines I wanted a good 50mm lens for IR photography and I remembered an old timer that was supposed to be a stellar performer with an IR filter in front of it. This is the "K" version of the Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/3.5 (Pre Ai), produced between Feb 1975 - Mar 1977 with confirmed serial numbers ranging between 195884 - 279111. Today I received 277256, an example in near mint condition. Holding one of these vintage Nikkors was like meeting an old friend again. The quality, the weight, the smoothness of the focusing, the assured clicks of the aperture ring. It all feels just right and aesthetically, to me, these lenses are just drop dead gorgeous! Here she is in all her resplendent glory! Would love to hear from others who know their vintage lenses and still use them.
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