Is there a need for Nikon to release fast lenses?

[dan_south]

<blockquote>

<p>Dan: I use my 85mm f1.4 on my D3x all the time and I'm delighted with it.<br /><br />I don't use my 50mm f1.4 as much, but when I have it's worked just fine.<br /><br />Which of the Nikon primes have you had trouble with?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>20mm f/2.8 AF-D</p>

<p>24mm f/2 AIS</p>

<p>28mm f/3.5 shift</p>

[sandysocks]

<p>DOF? I would rather defocus select areas in software for better result. Any keeper image gets loving attention in PP anyway. I am in Kent's camp on this. Fast glass is nice for manual focus, but I find f4 to be generally adequate. Keep lenses simple, rugged, and affordable.</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>RL Potts writes [DOF? I would rather defocus select areas in software for better result.] Nice, but not the same.</p>

<p>They still have their place.</p>

[breogan_gomez]

<p>This f/4 zooms would be very interesting for us, the ones with limited budgets. The fast primes can be nice, for sure, but some of us can only dream about them. </p>

[greg stephens]

<p>Amen, Shun on your comment about the 300 f4 and the 80-400. Canon is kicking Nikons proverbial behind on the 100-400 zoom market. Many of the people I shoot with dropped Nikon and went with Canon simply because of the superb function, optics, and solid quality of their 100-400. I would buy a new 80-400 tomorrow if they came up with one that actually tracked flying birds, and VR2.</p>

[oskar_ojala]

<p>Agreed that lenses such as the 28/1.4 will not be cheap. But current technology would enable Nikon to make for example a 24/2 for a quite reasonable price that would perform well. also, lenses that are only available second hand have a clear drawback: nobody guarantees that a sample in good condition and reasonable price will be available when needed.<br>

While the ISOs have kept rising, the actual signal to noise ratio doesn't raise too fast and dynamic range is a huge limitation for hand-held nighttime city shooting. I completely understand that many people don't have the need for fast lenses, but assuming that improving sensor technology is going to make fast lenses obsolete now or in the next few years is wishful thinking.<br>

And if they get the bokeh right, cool things can be done...</p>

[arthuryeo]

<p>Bjorn said:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Some of the older Nikkors still outresolve the D3X imager.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>But, many of the old AiS lenses seem to exhibit a slight tilt towards the magenta end of the spectrum. Not sure why but I have seen it many times.</p>

[CvhKaar]

<p>I Agree with shun,<br>

Additional I'd like to see an upgraded bellows with metering coupling to replace my old PB4 ( never liked the PB5 / PB6 ...). And in addition to that possibly a FAST wide angle for DX ...</p>

[osfania]

<p>If you want fast, razor sharp lenses, think about the Zeiss ZF series. Manual focus is the only drawback, but didn't we manual focus back in the 1970s anyway?</p>

[andrew robertson]

"But, many of the old AiS lenses seem to exhibit a slight tilt towards the magenta end of the spectrum."

 

Arthur, this shouldn't make a difference with a properly profiled camera, or if you shoot RAW files.

[gemma_seymour]

Unfortunately, the sad fact is that every Nikkor release will henceforth be of the "G" variety, that is, sans aperture ring,

making all new Nikkor lenses unsuitable for those of us who prefer to make our own decisions about camera operation

and/or exposure.

[michael_bradtke]

<p>"Unfortunately, the sad fact is that every Nikkor release will henceforth be of the "G" variety, that is, sans aperture ring, making all new Nikkor lenses unsuitable for those of us who prefer to make our own decisions about camera operation and/or exposure"<br>

A G lens does not limit the amount of decisions that a photographer can make. The only thing that is different is the lack of aperture ring.<br>

Will it work on my F or F3 no but it will work fine from the F4 on. Not a big problem as I see it.</p>

[gemma_seymour]

The "G" lenses only work properly in Program and Shutter Priority modes on an F4. The F4 has no means of selecting the

aperture from the body controls. Being as I feel that full and discrete manual control is paramount, I have no interest in any

Nikon camera beyond the F4 and FM3A, but even setting aside my personal proclivities, I doubt anyone would serious

argue that the contortions one must bear when operating an F5 or later Nikon are the ideal way to control a camera.

 

Perhaps I was a little unclear in the actual point I was trying to make in my previous post.

[greg_peterson3]

<blockquote>

<p>I doubt anyone would serious argue that the contortions one must bear when operating an F5 or later Nikon are the ideal way to control a camera.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Me!</p>

<p>I'd argue that using the same set of controls no matter what lens you put on, is a very good thing.</p>

<p>And maintaining the F stop when you change lenses is a good idea too.</p>

<p>I bought my first Nikon F in the early 60's, and I've owned a whole bunch of Nikons, both film and digital, and I like the new cameras much better!</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>Gemma,</p>

<p>I find it way easier to shoot in full manual mode on a newer camera than on one where I have to fiddle with that old-fashioned aperture ring. It's not your style, okay, but there isn't a "handicap" when shooting in full manual on newer cameras. My D50 only has one wheel and even on there I have no problem with it at all.</p>

[michael_bradtke]

<p>Gemma<br>

I have no idea how you hold a camera but there should be no contortions invilved with a modern camera.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Gemma, I bought an F4s in 1990 and then an F5 in 1997; I still own both cameras. Initially I was going to use the F4s as my backup, but after using the F5 for a few months, I really hated the way to control the aperture on the F4s to a point that I no longer wanted to use it, even as a backup. Eventaully I bought an F100 as my back up and then I went to all digital.</p>

<p>Back in 2003 I talked to John Shaw. He had exactly the same experience after switching from the F4 to F5. In his case he simply bought a second F5.</p>

<p>Back to the original topic: Nikon has just announced a 24mm/f1.4 AF-S. Clearly they feel that a fast wide angle is necessary: <a href="http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Viz0">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Viz0</a></p>

[gemma_seymour]

Shun, I'm not sure I can really grasp what you're saying there. To control the aperture on an F4, you rotate the aperture ring

on the lens...the same thing we've all been doing with cameras for 100 years. Assuming the lens in question has an

aperture ring, it's exactly the same function on an F5, F6, or any newer digital body. The only difference is that on an F5 or

newer camera, you also have the option of locking the aperture ring of the AF lenses and using the SCD to change

aperture, which is, IMO, not the ideal way to control your exposure.

 

If I wanted lenses without aperture rings that don't work on my mechanical and manual focus bodies, I would have switched

to Canon EOS a long, long, time ago, and had a much wider selection of superfast primes.

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>Gemma,</p>

<p>There aren't a lot of people lining up to complain as loudly as you about this particular issue (You are the only one that sprints to mind currently). In fact, <strong><em>all</em></strong> of the remaining SLR manufacturers have removed the aperture ring from the lens. Pentax, Olympus, Nikon, Canon, Sony... no aperture rings on any of their newer lenses.</p>

<p>As strongly as you feel about this, if you want to ever shoot digital, you'll probably have to get past it. Many, if not most, users prefer the "new way".</p>

[steve_in_l.a.]

<p>Gemma, no I think you're mistaken, on digital SLRs from Nikon you can no longer control the aperture using the ring on the lens, it can only be set via the body controls. At least, far as I can tell so far, I'm 6 months into my digital switch over.</p>

<p>I grumbled about the loss of a real aperture ring and other stuff when I first contemplated switching over. Now, having made the switch because of the unbelievable power of digital vs film for the wildlife and action work I focus on, I find so far only one thing about aperture control bothers me. Someone above said its a good idea to have the aperture stay the same when switching lenses? Sorry, I don't see that at all. The whole point of switching lenses is to take a wholly different creative perspective with the new lens. I was doing macro in the Costa Rican jungle a few months ago, then switched quickly to my 300/4 in a heated moment when some monkeys approached, and only after they'd departed did I realize my crap results were due to the $%#$#% aperture remaining on f/16 from when I was shooting macro. I immediately realized this would never have happened with good old fashioned aperture rings because I always left my fast primes like the 300/4 on max aperture by default. Two steps forward, 1 step back.</p>

[bjørn rørslett]

<p>You can choose whether aperture control is by the control dial on the camera, or by the ring on the lens (if there is any, of ocurse). If the camera i set up for aperture control on the lens, the newer "G" lenses default to aperture control by the camera, so this is almost a fail-safe setup. "Almost" because Nikon has set a trap for you in connection with LiveView. For absolutely no plausible reason, LV can only work when aperture control is from the camera (but you *can* change aperture on a manual Nikkor when in Liveview mode. Abbout as nonsencial as it gets and a real pain since most of my lenses are manual-focus, with aperture ring, and with CPU).</p>

<p>You should not write-off using the aperture ring, by the way. It is by far the most precise method of controlling the actual exposure. The difference towards the newfangled "dial in from camera" approach can be annoyingly visible for example when you do time-lapse photography and manifests itself as a flicker of the frames.</p>

<p>What Nikon may slowly move towards is having "E" aperture technology replacing the current "G", since even "G" depends on a mechanical linkage at the moment of exposure. However, "E" means the end of whatever is left of the once famed Nikkor backwards compatibility. Even the current "G" lenses can, with some restrictions, be used on F4, meaning they span more than two decades of Nikon history. For "E", history starts with the birth of D3/D300.</p>