eric_. Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Hello all, First of all I'd like to wish you a very happy new year! I have the opportunity to buy a mint F3HP together with two lenses: MF 28/2.8 AIS and MF 50/1.8 AI. Both lenses are in near mint condition with perfect glass. I'd like to know your experiences with these type of lenses. How good are they? What are the alternatives? What is a reasonable second hand price for this combo? Thanks. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leif_goodwin8 Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Search the web. Both lenses are superb. The 28 is the best 28 Nikon have made. Most/all Nikon 50mm lenses are good. Again search the web for prices. In the UK no more than £200 for the 28. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueisland Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Eric, I've never used a F3HP so I can't comment, but both the lenses are excellent. The 28mm you would be looking at $190 upwards second hand, however you may find that the slightly older AI can be found for around $100. (These are street prices) I'm not sure if the "S" makes any difference on a F3HP. The 50mm is also a great lens, I use both quite a bit, especialy the 28mm. Anyhow, the 50 is generally a bargain at around $60-$80. This is for the "full metal jacket" version. Often you find the E & N series sold as AI lenses which is true but they are lighter and have a lot of plastic construction, even so they are both optically very good and go for around $30. Best thing to do is check out online 2nd hand shops for their prices, then look at the same lenses on ebay, watch them, and see what price they go for. I'm not sure where you are but I would recommend buying from the USA Ebay as prices are substantially lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueisland Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Eric I've just checked on Ebay (USA) and there are several F3HP's going at the moment. If you "watch " them you will see what final price they go for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry n. Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Just a quick note on the 28/2.8 AIS: I've used it a few times and was very impressed with it, especially for close-ups (it focuses very close). The AI version of this lens is very different by the way. The AIS is the one you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mskovacs Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 A truly mint late serial number F3HP would go for $750 or so or maybe even more. Remember mint means absolutely pristine, without a single mark. One of mine is a fairly early model (1984 or so) in excellent+ condition that I bought with an E+ condition AI 50/1.4 off ebay for $450. (a pretty good deal I think) You can also check the completed items on ebay to see what F3HPs have been fetching for the last couple of months. I believe that the AI-S 28/2.8 is the only 28/2.8 with close range correction (CRC). I think it is even omitted from the AF version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majid Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 The 28 f/2.8 AF-D has CRC as well. The plain AF (not D) does not, and should be avoided. The AI-S has 8 elements in 8 groups for the highest level of correction, and should be preferred to the AI or (shudder) Series E model. At $300 new from B&H (I got mine for Thanksgiving), it isn't such an expensive lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_. Posted January 2, 2003 Author Share Posted January 2, 2003 Thanks everyone. Instead of the regular F3HP I was able to buy an exc++ F3T tonight. I will focuss on obtaining two lenses for now, the 28/2.8 AIS and the 85/1.4 AIS, and then in the future possibly the 180/2.8. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_green1 Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Let me suggest some excellent non-Nikkor alternatives in 28mm land, for great prices. I personally have standardized on a Kiron 28mm f2 AI-mount lens. This goes on ebay for $50-70. I preferred it to the 28mm f2.8 Nikkor AI, and thus I sold my Nikkor AI. I hear that the AI-S 28mm Nikkor f2.8 is noteably better than the prior AI version, but I can't comment from any direct experience. Other nice 28mm lenses include the Vivitar Series-1 28mm f1.9, which typically sells on ebay for $75-90, and the older Vivitar 28mm f2.5 if you can find it in AI mount, it generally sells for $25-$40 on ebay, and is a screaming bargain at that price for it's quality. All 3 of these lenses were made by Kino Precision Optical, which marketed them under the Vivitar and Kiron brands. F3HP bodies sell on ebay for $300-500 depending on the condition. For under $500, you should be able to get a virtually mint one, for $400 an Ex+ one, for $300, a good user in VG condition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed_alban Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 The 28mm f/2.8 AF-D has no CRC at all. The only other wide-angle AF primes that incorporate Nikon's CRC are: 16/2.8D, 20/2.8D, 24/2.8D and 28/1.4D. The only 28mm f/2.8 prime Nikkor that has CRC is the AIS version. This according to my Nikkor Lenses brochure 2001. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_byrd1 Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 The 28mm 2.8 AIS is one of my two best Nikon lenses--the other being the 105 2.5 AI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry_miller5 Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Eric, both are excellent lenses buddy, especially that 28MM AIS CRC. Claimed as one of Nikon's sharpest wide angles. It is sharp for sure but my 20MM F2.8 CRC MF is right there with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now