Zoom lens that can take a 52mm filter?

I just bought an N90 which I love! with a 50mm f1.4 lens to take classes with.

With this I also bought three 52mm filters which are great. However, as great

as the lens is for normal pictures and for classes, I want to find something

with a zoom when I travel overseas. I want to be able to take close up pictures

of architecture that can't be seen as well with the naked eye. Therefore, what

I'm looking for is a zoom lens with great quality at the furthest zoom that is

compatible with an N90 that can take 52mm filters. Don't know if this is

reaching for the stars! Any help would be wonderful! Thanks!

 

Blessings,

Kendall

I am afraid that your logic is backward. Most people identify a zoom lens that fit their needs and then get filters for it. The 52mm filter size was common to a lot of Nikon lenses back in the 1970's. Today, you'll have a hard time finding any zoom that uses 52mm filters.

 

Back in 1977, the 43-86mm/f3.5 zoom and 80-200mm/f4.5 zoom used 52mm filters.

I see what you are saying. I didn't buy the filters and then the lens. I bought the lens and then bought the 52mm filters which fit my 50mm lens.

the Nikon 35-70mm AF 3.3-4.5 use 52mm filter/caps.

For your N90 is a perfect everyday lens.

The Series E 75-150mm f3.5 zoom also accepts 52mm filters. It is a small, sharp, relatively

fast zoom. I sold my 105mm f2.5 soon after I bought the 75-150; it's really that good.

The 35-105 3.5-4.5 AIS uses a 52 mm. filter. Opinions of this lens vary, and I would hesitate to get one just for the filter size. I find it a handy walking-around lens, but it sounds as if 105 is a little shorter than you want.

Another vote for the 75-150 f/3.5 E Series zoom. Great, sharp lens and it takes 52mm filters. Another is the 28-70 (not the f/2.8 but the other one). I've owned both, loved them both.

Get an AI'd 80-200 4.5. The -C version is multicoated. For less than $100 (KEH) you will *not* be disapointed. When you upgrade later, keep it as a back-up for when the fancy new stuff breaks.

Most manual focus zooms will take 52mm filters.

 

The Nikon autofocus consumer zooms like the 18-55 and 55-200s both take 52mm

filters. But won't work properly with film cameras like the N90.

 

Generally better quality glass take bigger filters. 77mm being common on the high end.

 

One solution other than getting the same filter sized lens is to use step down rings. You

use an attachment to make your 52m filter fit on something bigger like a 62mm.

 

Depending on the kind of lens, focal length use and aperture used, among other things it

might cause vigentting and other issues.

 

A better strategy if you want one sized set of filters is to buy big filters and use step up

rings.

<P>The 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-D lens also takes 52mm filters. It's not available new anymore, but is remarkably compact. As much as I like my 24-85mm G zoom, I still find myself appreciating the lightweight and flare-resistance of the 28-70mm.</P>

<P>As others have said, many of the older manual focus zoom lenses use 52mm filters, such as the 75-150 E, and the excellent 28-50mm f/3.5.</P>

I second Alvin's comments on the 28-70. It is not often that I use a zoom, but the tiny 28-70 comes out when I can tolerate the speed (aperture) and want to go light. It works fine on my N8008s, but I also use it on my F3 and FE2 in aperture priority and with manual focus.

 

On the long end for zooms that take 52mm filters, if you can live with manual focus models, the 80-200mm f/4.5 Nikkor has a good reputation for sharpness, albeit with some acceptance of a pretty slow wide-open stop. My preferance is for the 75-150mm f/3.5 series E. You get a constant aperture, just a bit slower than the f/2.8 of higher priced (and larger and heavier) top-end zooms, at a nice size, weight and price. Besides these physical attribute, it is also very sharp.<div></div>

If I understand your question correctly, you are looking for a zoom with the longest focal length, which has a 52mm filter.

 

The longest 52mm filter zoom is the 80-200/4.5. There are several versions of this lens, the best is the later AI lens with serial numbers 760801 and higher. This lens has a rectangular cut-out at the rear of the lens, earlier lenses are circular around the rear element.

 

The next choice is the series-E 75-150/3.5. The zoom range is rather small and it only goes to 150mm, but the extra speed is very useful for hand-held photography. This lens is much smaller and lighter than the 80-200/4.5, and it also focuses much closer. This is my preferred telephoto zoom.

 

There are also a number of telephoto prime lenses which accept 52mm filters. These include Ai and AiS versions of the 105/2.5, 135/2.8, 135/3.5 and 200/4. They are all very sharp and are either faster or smaller than the equivalent zooms.

 

In the standard/wideangle range, there are several zooms which accept 52mm filters including the Ai 43-86, AiS 28-50, AiS 35-70, AiS 35-105, series-E 36-72, AF 35-80 and AF 28-70.

 

I've tried a few and settled on the AF 28-70/3.5-4.5 as it gives the best balance of wide zoom range, sharpness, compact size and not-too-slow aperture. Since it is an AF lens it would be an excellent match for your N90. The only problems are the rotating filter when you focus, which is inconvenient for polarizers. Barrel distortion is high at 28mm, but it's fine past 35mm. Otherwise the lens is fairly sharp, especially stopped down a bit, and also resistant to flare when shooting into the sun.

Thank you so much for all the help!

Do you think it would be wiser just to buy a lens with a different filter size and eventually invest in larger filters instead of limiting myself to finding a lens that is compatible?

"Do you think it would be wiser just to buy a lens with a different filter size and eventually invest in larger filters instead of limiting myself to finding a lens that is compatible?"

 

If you can find a suitable lens with a 52mm filter, then keeping the same size filter is useful. One of the things I like about Nikon manual focus lenses is that they have a standard 52mm filter size for almost every lens from 20mm to 200mm. Most of my photography is done within this range. It greatly reduces the number of filters you need. This is a great advantage especially when travelling as it reduces the number of "things", weight and bulk you need to carry. A single filter may not be much, but every bit helps.

 

On the other hand, it depends on what type of of lens you need. If you need a fast telephoto zoom such as the 80-200/2.8, you'll need 77mm filters. If you do get a lens with a different filter size, how many do you need - polarizer, UV ...? A polarizer is the minimum I need for each filter size, and I'm quite happy to get one for each lens.