Lenses for DF

<p>Hey, you know we're going to be hearing this over and over soon enough. So, what lenses to put on a DF? I'll start with thinking of only small lenses, to better fit how this camera is being marketed. People who use 500mm lenses aren't likely to buy it, or wedding photographers either for that matter. So, I'll skip the "holy trinity" of f2.8 zooms. For me, the idea is to have a small but flexible camera bag. Something easy to carry as I wander about Scotland (which I did last summer, ) or better yet--Iceland! What lenses does Nikon have for this thing, really? OK, the 50mm they came out with it looks good on it, so it's "in." Now for some others to go with it. Nikon has other f1.8 lenses. They are smallish, but not really cool. The DF is all about cool factor! I'll go with my standard three lens kit here as it's served me very well in the past. Small camera bag, lots of capability I say. On the wide end, I'm picking the Zeiss 25mm Distagon f2. The 21mm tempts me but leaves too big a gap between 21mm and 50mm. The middle lens is the Nikon 50mm f1.8G that comes with the camera. Now for the long end. I'm going to surprise you and skip the 85mm. I'm picking lenses for general purpose/travel photography, after all. My choice for a longer lens is the Zeiss Makro Planar 100mm f2. It's stunningly sharp! It can be used for portraits but gives you a little more reach than 85mm. It also has strong macro credentials, giving yet more flexibility. This would be a very high quality kit with maximum capability with minimum pieces. Yes, the Zeiss ZF lenses are manual. but no one will be buying this camera for its AF capability anyway. ;-) I'm skipping the old lenses from the 70s and earlier. They will mount on the DF, but I say save them for a vintage F3HP or F2. The Zeiss are not only outstanding, they match the "cool!" The Zeiss name has been all about "Pure Photography for the past 120 years!</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<p>I 'm thinking manual focus lenses only - 20mm, 35mm and 85mm. The Nikon AF-S primes are good but boring plastic things.</p>

<p>I'm not yet sure if I'll go for this camera... even I was crying out for years about it :) It is all I was waiting from this camera but with a huge minus. I was hoping for a huge viewfinder with interchangeable focusing screens, something to equal the quality of the ol' good film bodies. I'm very sad that Nikon did not included this in a "pure photography" project.</p>

<p>As for lenses I have the perfect kit for it (according my own needs):</p>

<p>CV 20/3.5 Color Skopar - not the sharpest lens but small and portable and equipped with a chip </p>

<p>Zeiss 35/2 Distagon - a great and quite compact lens</p>

<p>Nikon 50/1.2 AI-S - the most sharp Nikon lens at f2 and the sharpest ever lens from Nikon bunch (surpassing even Sigma 35/1.4) at f4, according the Imatest measurements done recently by Nasim Mansurov.</p>

<p>Nikon 105/2.5 AI-S - one of the best portrait lenses - works amazingly even on D800.</p>

<p>For longer needs I think my 70-200/4 would complement well the MF kit.</p>

<p>I would consider using the Nikon Pancake 45mm f2.8 which was introduced with the film version of the FM3A.</p>

<p>I already have three manual focus lenses that would fit the bill for me: 28/2.8 AiS, 105/2.5 Ai and a Leica Apo-Telyt 180/3.4 converted to F-mount (as a non-Ai, I am afraid that I wouldn't like the procedure to use it on the Df though - at least the way I currently understand it). <br>

In that setup, the 28mm might be the weakest link - not that great at infinity and it may leave me wanting for something wider too - like a 24 or 20mm. <br>

The issue though is, for less than the price of the Df, I could get the Nikon 24/1.4 AF-S that would work perfectly fine with my D700 - I would still save some $800 in the process! </p>

<p>Also, since apparently the focusing screen on the Df isn't interchangeable, I doubt that there is any improvement over the D700 in terms of manual focusing ability, especially with lenses faster than f/2.8. I find those hard to focus manually on any DSLR because the focusing screens don't show the effect of DOF for anything faster than f/2.8; I need to almost exclusively rely on the green dot. Or use live view, which is about as pleasant as eating tar (as Ilkka stated in another thread).</p>

<p>If it really has the same focusing screen as the D600/D800 then I don't know what Nikon was thinking.</p>

<p>That the focusing screen isn't interchangable means nothing as you can easily change the screen on every Nikon made in the last 15 years. But without a focusing screen specifically made for manual focusing (in whatever shape or form) the pure photography experience is gone.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>My old tried & true 24/35/85, which I already have multiple combo's of. (I can also tryout monovision with a single contact lens to counter act the bifocal/peephole finder whatchamajiggie.)</p>

<p>It's humorous that the teaser video got quicker hits than the release thread.</p>

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<p>It's humorous that the teaser video got quicker hits than the release thread.</p>

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<p>That rumor site with "nikon" in the name has cooled down substantially too. And as was remarked in previous thread, once the camera is officially announced and the specs known, the criticizing and nitpicking starts. As was said, the camera never looked better than in the first teaser video, 100% excitement, 0% disappointment. Now, for many that ratio has shifted, to as much as 0/100.</p>

<p>I use my 28mm/f2 AIS all of the time, often go out with just that lens only in front of a D600. Maybe put an 85 in a pocket somewhere.</p>

<p>If I had a bag, I would want something wide, the 28 (on the camera), an 85(1.8GAFS), and 135/2.8AIS (instead of the 70-200/2.8) and maybe a 50.</p>

<p>Judging from the first photo that Shun showed in a previous post, the 43-86 is the obvious choice. ;)</p>

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<p>the 43-86 is the obvious choice</p>

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<p>Yep, who neeeds sharp pictures anyway? Or maybe the 43-86 isn't as bad as many claim? Don't call it soft, call it character or glow - works for Leica.</p>

<p>I'd look at the Voightlander Nikon mount MF lenses. Several nice options there.</p>

<p>Way back in 1977, I bought my first Nikon camera and lens. The lens is indeed a 43-86mm/f3.5 AI and the body was a Nikkormat FT3. The following year I bought an FE (shortly after it was introduced in 1978). I sold the FT3 a long time ago, but I still own that 43-86 and the FE. Would be an interesting test to put the 43-86 onto the Df, although mine is not pre-AI. It helps to be "only" 16MP.</p>

<p>Even if the 43-86 might have the reputation for being the worst zoom, it sure does have the most original focal lengths. When 45mm is too tight and 85mm way too short, it's got to be your first choice... :-)</p>

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<p>When 45mm is too tight and 85mm way too short, it's got to be your first choice... :-)</p>

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<p>Second time I got a good chuckle out of a post here at PN - thanks Wouter!</p>

<p>It's a camera that begs to be used with old prime lenses...</p>

<p>Well I have a nice selection of manual focus Nikkor primes. 24mm f2.8 Ais, 28mm f2.8 Ais, 35mm f1.4 Ais, 50mm F2, 85mm f1.4 Ais, 105 f2.5 and two zoom a 35-70 f3.5 Ais and the 75-150 f3.5 E.<br>

I don't think they will see a DF though not at 4049 euro where I live. I might have to paint my D700 silver and glue on some fake dials.</p>

I think quite many users of Zeiss, Nikon, Voigtländer, Samyang etc. manual focus lenses will be interested in a camera like the Df which is nice to use with high quality viewfinder optics. A long time it has been in the waiting.

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<p>which is nice to use with high quality viewfinder optics</p>

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<p>where does it say that the Df has that - from all I've read so far, it has the same focusing screen as the D600/D610 - but a different eyepoint. In any case, I reserve final judgement until I either read from a reliable source about or better yet, can take a peek myself. </p>

<p>Finally I get to tag in to the DF lines that have gone on forever. I have been shocked at how good the 75-150 f3.5 series e has been on the D800. it should do well on the new camera.</p>

<p>I'm going to use it with Canon lenses - I am sure canon lens compatibility is going to be a feature.</p>

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<p>I am sure canon lens compatibility is going to be a feature.</p>

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<p>Canon lenses don't fit on any of the Nikon bodies (at least not with infinity focus which requires an adapter with an optical element) - so why would the Df be different?</p>

<p>Donald said:</p>

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<p><em>Judging from the first photo that Shun showed in a previous post, the 43-86 is the obvious choice.</em></p>

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<p>Yes! That's probably the <em>first</em> lens I would mount on the Df--no Ai-conversion necessary! As it happens, I <em>just</em> bought a used, pre-Ai version of the Nikkor 43-86mm (it's the version before the "improvement," so it should have <em>lots</em> of character). Imagine my surprise when this particular lens (the lens which some guy named "Ken," called, "Nikon's worst lens") turned up in the Nikon promotional photo!</p>

<p>Although I can't possibly justify a fourth FX body at this point (yes, I would absolutely love a new Df!), here's the lenses I own which would live in the Df's new Domke bag (which I would buy especially for the Df):</p>

<p>1. AF Nikkor 18mm f/2.8D<br /> 2. Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 Ais<br /> 3. Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 Ais<br /> 4. Nikkor 105mm f/1.8 Ais and/or AF DC-Nikkor 105mm f/2.0D</p>

<p>Boy, I sure would love a new Df, but it's just too pricey a toy for me to rationalize right now.</p>

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<p> I have been shocked at how good the 75-150 f3.5 series e has been on the D800</p>

 

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<p>Now there's a focal range that deserves the AF-S + VR III treatment. Kinda portrait zoom....:-) So, an FX version of what Sigma have already done on DX @ 2.8....starting from 50mm too. Big and sharp as a very pointy tack, from all reviews.</p>

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Dieter, Bjorn Rorslett's early comments on the Df can be found on nikongear.com. It is a pay site, but for these early

comments easily well worth it, also the image post/review forums on that side are excellent.

 

Basically Bjorn says the Df viewfinder image + information display can be easily seen with glasses on, and fast f/1.2 and

f/1.4 snap into focus (I take this to mean it is easy to see clearly where the focus is). With the D800 he has difficulty both

with seeing the whole image (vignetting) and focusing these fast lenses is 'hit and miss'. Although I've felt and many times

noted the focusing screen is the culprit, proof being in my experience of Katz eye screens, this information seems to

suggest the viewfinder can be vastly improved by developing the other optical components of it, prism, ocular, I don't

know exactly what was done in the Df but reportedly it is much better than expected.

 

I also reserve final judgment to when I can try the camera myself, but I trust Bjorn and in many cases he has provided

information that is contrary to popular belief but turns out correct in real world testing.