Good primes to pair with F100?

<p>Hi all,<br>

I've just picked up a lovely F100 and a 50mm 1.8 AF D to go with it. I've been using primes on a Pentax LX but wanted to grab an autofocus camera (already had experience with Nikon on a D7100 with DX lenses) so the F100 fitted the bill well. <br>

I've been using a 100mm on my LX, and would like a similar focal length for the F100, so wanted some advice to what might be similar on the Nikon system. I mainly shoot street and portraits, so if anyone has any ideas or experiences, I'd be very grateful!<br>

Thanks in advance!<br>

Oli</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Off hand, I'm a little fuzzy on what lens models work on what Nikon bodies these days, but the various later evolutionary versions of the Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 classic lens are still among some of the best primes ever, period. (not to be confused with the "Micro" version which is a good lens, but not the classic).<br>

<br /> I have the original (non-AI) and use it on both Nikon F mount and Canon EF mount cameras to very good effect.</p>

<p>Oli--another good prime is the 28/2.8 AIS--works great. I've also had good success with the 28/2.8 AF lens.<br>

Good luck! The F100 is a super camera.<br>

Paul</p>

<p>Since you have the 50, suggest a 28/2.8D and a portrait/short telephoto. Maybe the 85/1.8D or 105/2.8 Micro, or 105/2.0D.</p>

<p>If you'd consider a zoom, the 28-70/f3.5-4.5D is a remarkably good lens that can be had for a song these days. Also, the 80-200/4.5-5.6D is surprisingly good, again, for a song.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Be careful not to mount a pre-AI manual focus lens on the camera - those could (will) damage the aperture feeler. The good news is that it is inexpensive to have even most of the oldest lenses manual converted to AI operation.</p>

<p>Are you looking for autofocus or manual focus lenses? If autofocus, it is hard to beat the latest generation of 1.8 G primes.</p>

<p>TI'm quite keen to be able to use the Aperture ring (it's a custom menu option on the F100) and I have a feeling the latest G's don'w have a ring? Call me old fashioned but there's something nice about selecting it on the lens rather than a dial..!<br>

I'd likely lean towards AF, but if a good MF lens came along I'd happily give that a go - the F100's focus indicators seems to do a good job from what I've heard. </p>

<p>For AF, 105/2 DC, 85/1.8G, 85/1.4D(great lens with aperture ring), 180/2.8D (another great lens with ring), and 105/2.8 micro.</p>

<p>I am not that crazy about the older prime AF wide angle lens unless they are cheap. The newer G series has raised the bar significantly.</p>

<p>Best bets for manual primes are 28/2 (same price as the good but inflated 28/2.8AIS), 35/2, and 24/2.8. The 35/2 and 24/2.8 lenses are bargains, typically. Be aware that the earlier 28/2.8 pre-AIS lenses don't perform nearly as well as the AIS version and are often mis-represented as the AIS version to take advantage of a high selling price. Since it is not that hard to focus the wide angles, these MF lenses can be great values.</p>

<p>And, as mentioned, the 105/2.5 manual focus is a classic (and bargain now), and ought to be in every Nikon lens kit.</p>

<p>Meant to add - not a prime but my older 20-35/2.8 AFD performs very well - enough so that I don't own an older wide AF prime. Essentially it replaces the AF 20, 24 & 28/2.8 primes and is good at 35, also. The newer 17-35 is a little better at 2.8 and focuses closer, but feels much bigger and heavier in actual use. Both the 20-35 and 17-35 zooms have aperture rings.</p>

<p>The F100 will meter with most Nikon Ai, AIs, AF-D lenses. I am not sure about the latest E series of lenses. My guess is that the G series will work too, but verify that first. <br>

When I had my F 100, I loved using old manual focus Nikon lenses, especially the 35mm f2.0 Ais and the 105 mm micro lens. If you want AF, the older style 35-70mm f2.8 (fixed) push pull zoom was my everyday workhorse lens. The 24mm f2.8 AF D was my most used landscape lens. For tele, my most used lens was a 300mm f4.0 AF_D. This lens is built like a tank and is very sharp. The newer versions of it have faster AF, like the AFS version.</p>

<p>Joe </p>

<p>The F100 is fully compatible with pretty much any Nikon AF lens except a couple of very early lenses made especially for the F3AF, the DX lenses designed for cropped digital sensors, and the very latest 'E' (electronic diaphragm) lenses. The latter have an 'E' immediately after the maximum aperture in Nikon's naming scheme, e.g. 'F/4E' in 'AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR' (note that the 'ED' in this name isn't the issue - this just refers to 'extra-low dispersion' glass, which lots of compatible lenses also have). Otherwise, AF, AF-D, AF-S, G and VR lenses are fine, so you have a really wide choice:<br /><br />http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/camera-lenses/all-lenses/index.page<br>

<br />I'd suggest the AF DC-NIKKOR 105mm f/2D, which is a great lens in the range you want. It happens to have the 'DC' feature (which gives you subtle control over the appearance of the out of focus areas of the image), though use of this is entirely optional (it's actually a very sharp lens). This one has a traditional aperture ring, but you might want to see how you get on with controlling aperture using the camera dial before excluding 'G' lenses (which lack the ring) altogether. The recent f/1.8 range are all 'G', and I'm very pleased with the 28 f/1.8 (the 85 f/1.8 might then be an option).<br /><br /></p>

<p>The F100 will meter with essentially all AI/AI-S, AF, AF-D, G and E lenses. The only exceptions since the beginning of the AI era (1977) are the two rare F3-AF lenses. Since the F100 has two command dials, it is fully compatible with G lenses (except for DX lenses due to the cropped image circle).</p>

<p>However, no Nikon SLR, film or digital, introduced prior to 2007 can control the aperture on E lenses that have no aperture ring (i.e. not counting PC-E lenses). Therefore, if you mount such E lenses onto the F100, you are stuck with the lens wide open. The D3 and D300 introduced on August 23, 2007 are the first two that can control the aperture on E lenses. Since then, only the D60, D90, and D3000 (introduced in 2008 and 2009) cannot control E lenses.</p>

<p>Since the OP prefers AF and the aperture ring, we are mostly talking about AF/AF-D and some of the early AF-S lenses that are not G.</p>

<p>I wouldn't be too paranoid about the choice of lenses on a F100.</p>

<p>The image rendering of film dramatically differs from a DSLR/digital, you'll (fortunately, a picture's main feature IMO should not in the first place be the fact that it's sharp. Based on that criteria many icons pictures from the past would have to be disqualified) ) simply never get the corner to corner sharpness of a DSLR<br>

A film will always have some kind of curve due to the material acetate - it's made off, and e.g. 35mm being spooled up in a canister, and will therefor never be as flat as a sensor (which always will be completely 'flat')<br>

That means the 'flat' focal plane of a lens will inevitably at some point hit an area of the film that lies flat on the film pressure plate,a and other areas which due to the curving of the material are not (the reason why in the film area some large format camera manufacturers - like e.g. Schneider - offered vacuum film backs to assure the film would like as flas as possible)</p>

<p>So when shooting film you really won't see a difference in sharpness (not talking about flare or CA correction) between eg an old (pre D) AF lens and the latest G lens as dramatic compared to when using those two lenses on a high resolution DSLR<br>

Only reason I e.g. upgraded my 2.8/80-200 AF to a 2nd generation AF-D copy was the improved AF speed, not image rendering or 'sharpness'<br>

After that upgrade used that lens for over 20 years on a variety of film (F801S/F90/F90X/F100) and digital (D70S/D1/D1H/D1X/D2X/D3) bodies.<br>

Only after I got a D800 did the flaws of it (soft when used wide open) forced me to upgrade to a newer model 2.8/70-200 VRII</p>

<p>So IMO if you want to keep shooting AF, all the old 'classics' like 1.8/85AF, 2.0/135DC, 2.8/180AF and 2.8/80-200 AF will do fine.<br>

<br />Pre/non Ai lenses are a 'nono', since the AI tabe on the body can't be flipped up (and consequently will be damaged when a non Ai lens is mounted) .<br>

The F100 manual ( I still have a F100, and manual, lying in the back pf my closet, despite not having used it for over 20 years) lists quite a number of lenses which are incompatible too, but it mainly concerns really old stuff you'll probably will never think of getting (F11/2000mm reflex, f11/1200mm with AU-i focussing unit etc)</p>

<p>Only one you could run into and may want to consider, but is warned NOT to be used on a F100, is the TC16A teleconverter (and it really can't, did it myself once, ended up with a scratched inside - not the mirror- of the mirror box).</p>

<p>No issues or problems with G lenses on the F100 either, like with the F5 and F6 those lenses can be used without any special tricks, modifications or limitations, since the aperture can simply be selected with one of the command wheels.<br>

As a consequence all exposure modes (M,S,A,P) are available when using a F100 and G lenses, unlike the older models like eg the F90X</p>

<p>Don't own nor have used one (did own a 1st edition PC 2.8/85mm AFD) a E series lense (i.e the PC lense range - PCE 24, 45 and 85mm - not the old manual Ais E serie) so can't commend on that</p>

<p>e</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone for such insightful knowledge! It's given me some food for thought and no doubt many hours searching for a good deal! I've been playing with the F100 this evening (with the 50mm/1.8) and I'm loving the handling - it just feels right in the hand.</p>

<p>To further stress an important point:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Be careful not to mount a pre-AI manual focus lens on the camera</p>

</blockquote>

<p>is right.<br /> Although Nikonistas brag about F-mount compatility over the years, there are some real dangers here for the unwary.<br /> Check with the Nikonians mostly up-to-date list of compatibility at <br /> <a href="https://www.nikonians.org/reviews?alias=nikon-slr-camera-and-lens-compatibility">https://www.nikonians.org/reviews?alias=nikon-slr-camera-and-lens-compatibility</a></p>

<p>There are just so many options. While it makes sense to find the value lenses, sometimes there is a pleasure in use of splurging a little, so I'm going to list some that nobody else has just for the heck of it. I have never much cared for slow zooms, but I do have the 28-105 3.5-4.5 D zoom with micro setting. It always got pretty good reviews for what it was, and I liked the results for when I chose to use it. I considered it my "kids' birthday party lens" on an N70, but I didn't use it much otherwise, but it didn't cost a fortune. It's modest range and speed was a good compromise. This is a period when I contemplated the F100, but I ended up going for the FM3a. The 45 2.8 P is also cool and unusual in that it is one of the few chipped manual focus lenses that can shoot in some of the various modes that the other ais lenses can't. It is a tiny pancake lens and transforms the handling. It is a tessar design as I recall. I also have an AI'd version of its predecessor: the 45 2.8 GN lens. It was designed for early semi-automated flash use in the early 70s by locking the focus ring and aperture ring together. You set the Flash guide number, and then when you focused, it set the aperture where necessary for precise flash exposure. <br>

I really enjoyed the 20 2.8 ais on my FM3a. I believe the 20 2.8 D is the same formula. Also the 55 micro ais is a superb performer and so versatile. It is true that with film, the f 2.8 can be limiting in low light, but the 55 is already great at 2.8. The question of whether a person wants a one lens, two lens, or three lens kit for which particular situation is also just an endless circular argument. The fact is that I never really ended up with a go-to one lens for my FM3a because the 35 1.4 was legendary but not cheap and not very compact. That is why I tried the 45 pancakes. Perhaps the 28 2.8 or 35 f2 was the solution I never tried before I turned to rangefinders for my carry everywhere cameras. I have the 85 1.4, and I treasure it, but it is more like a Holy Grail for my use than anything else. The 105 2.5 is just much more handy and cheaper and still superb. I found that for me, the 85 1.4 is difficult to focus accurately for portraits with only a split image, so the D version of this lens might be had at reasonable value and easier to use on the F100. I have a friend that probably still enjoys that combination more than anything even today now that he has a D800.</p>

<p>My wife has (not using much any more) an F100, and I think her favorite lens was the 105/2.8 Micro. I've always had and loved the manual 105/2.5 but the AF 105 is very nice indeed, and that macro feature is handy. Hers always gave nice sharp and pleasing results.</p>

<p>That 28-105 D zoom mentioned above also performs very nicely on this rig. It's not very fast but it's decently sharp and covers a good range as a walking-around lens. </p>

<p>In addition to the cautions above, you should remember never to mount an AF lens to a K-1 extension ring unless it's been milled out. The inside of the ring fouls the electrical contacts of the lens. Otherwise, non-automatic extensions such as the K set are one cheat whereby one can use pre-AI lenses, at least for macro use, on this and other cameras that forbid them alone. That would include the K-1 with a manual lens. Just don't put an AF lens on it unless you've modified it for clearance. </p>

The F100 can't use pre-AI or the newest AF E models. It's fully compatible with AI/AIS/Series E, AF, D, G and VR. There's

a very nice (but not AF) 100mm Series E and 105mm f/2.5 AIS. The 85mm 1.8G is excellent. The only 100mm AF lens I

can think of is the Tokina macro, which is a great lens.

<p>If you program an AI lens in the F100 menu, the correct f/stop will be displayed in the viewfinder information field as you set it on the lens, and you can use the internal light meter. There is a ring on the lens mount which engages the aperture setting ring on the lens. You enter both the focal length and maximum aperture. I'm not sure if this affects any other feature of the F100 besides aperture display and auto exposure.</p>

<p>The aperture tab on the F100 does not fold out of the way for pre-AI lenses, which will damage the camera if mounted. The last camera to have compatibility with pre-AI lenses is the F5.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>The last camera to have compatibility with pre-AI lenses is the F5.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Only after a trip to the Nikon service center to get modified - without modification, the tab does NOT fold out of the way.<br /> Non-CPU lenses on the F100 don't allow matrix metering, and only A and M modes are available. Nothing needs to be programmed, the internal light meter works just fine in center-weighed or spot.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>If you program an AI lens in the F100 menu</p>

</blockquote>

<p>News to me - how exactly does one do this? There are 22 CSM settings - none of which AFAIK accomplishes that feat and with non-CPU lenses, the camera will always display F--. CSM 22 enables/disables the use of the aperture ring on the (CPU-equipped lens). CSM 19 affects the way the camera deals with variable aperture zooms or variable aperture caused by extension of micro-Nikkors.</p>

<p>Dieter, I think there may be some confusion there with models. No programming of non-CPU lenses is mentioned in the F100 instruction book, nor is there any menu setting I know of. I find no indication that there was a firmware update. Maybe Mr. Ingold is thinking of the Df. </p>

<p>My mistake. I was thinking of a Nikon D2H, ten years ago instead of 15 with a D100.</p>

<p>My F3 has a folding aperture tab. I thought the F5 did, but never had a reason to try it, and no pre-AI lenses in my fold.</p>

<p>The OP said he purchased the F100 because it was an auto-focus camera. Much as I love my 105mm f/2.5 it definitely is not auto-focus <grin>, and not what I would choose for candid (street) photography; it is good for portraits The OP's other requirement was a focal length of about 100mm.</p>

<p>I would recommend the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 SP Di MACRO 1:1 VC USD. I do not own it, but I tried it on my F100. Focuses rapidly, and the VC works very well indeed. It is a sharp lens. </p>

<p>Right now, BH has it on sale at $549 - reasonable price. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/892886-REG/Tamron_90Mm_F_2_8_Di_Macro.html</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Dieter, I think there may be some confusion there with models. ... Maybe Mr. Ingold is thinking of the Df.<br>

My mistake. I was thinking of a Nikon D2H, ten years ago instead of 15 with a D100.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Quite obviously, the confusion has not been resolved - this thread is about the film F100 not the digital D100.</p>

<p>With regards to the 100mm or similar focal length: if 85mm suffices, then the 85/1.8G is an obvious choice - even though it does not have an aperture ring. The older 85/1.8D does - but given the choice between the two, there is no reason to pick the older version.</p>

<p>If I shot a Pentax LX with a 100mm prime and wanted to duplicate the experience on a Nikon F100 with an auto focus Nikon lens that had an aperture ring, I would select a Nikon 105mm f/2D AF. If I wanted to simulate the experience with an auto focus Nikon zoom lens, I would select a used Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D AFS.</p>

<p>There is a new 105 AFS 1.4. I am pretty sure it will be a nice tool on the F100 (IMHO) the most sexy camera body ever made.</p>