leon8 Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 Just reading through various threads, I hear about certain lenses which are decribed as having extraordinary "punch" - which I take to mean high contrast color rendition and sharp resolution. I often hear the Nikkor 105/2.5 described to be punchy as George Foreman. I have the 105/2.5, and I have always been pleased by the results. I was just wondering what other lenses out there people feel have this punch... I hear that the new 45mm Tessar has just as much "punch". I also suspect that the 180/2.8 has a mean punch. What other lenses do you think fit in this special catergory? And I do not just mean merely sharp - for instance, I have the 50/1.8 and it is just as sharp as my 105/2.5, but the 105/2.5 just has something that the 50/1.8 does not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_levine Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 I never heard it described thusly,usually its called snap or crispness.Most of the manual focus,fixed focal Nikkors(AI or NON AI) have "it" though.In no particular order Ive always loved the following:24mm f2.8,28mm F2.8,35mm F2,50mm f1.4,85mm f1.8,105mm f2.5,135mm f2.8,180mm f2.8.In certain light these lenses have that "Nikon" glow,which always looked best in Kodachrome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj_soroka Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 Add the 28 f/2; 35 f/1.4; and AFS 85 mm f/1.4; AFS 300 mm f/2.8; AFS 500 mm f/4 and AFS zooms 28-70 f/2.8 and 17-35 f/2.8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin carron Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 I have an elderly AI'd Nikkor-UD 20mm f/3.5 which never ceases to amaze me with its 'punch'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim_power Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Colin,I have the same lens and recently went to see about AI'ing it. The cost of using the original Nikon rings is about 80 USD, doign it manually by removing material (without adding the numbers) is about 20USD.Any suggestions on which comes out better, in the sense of whioch one produces better photographic results?Thanks Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin carron Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Tim, The conversion on my 20/3.5 Nikkor-UD seems to be the proper job but was already done when I bought it. My Nikkor-UD is one of my favorite lenses with great peformance for foreground and medium range but to be fair tending to be just a little soft a infinity compared with later Nikkors. Probably worth the cost though if the glass etc is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_wu Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 I have Tokina 90mm macro lens..... Check the photodo.com to see how "punchy" this lens is.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 I like my Nikkors but if any carried Big George's punch I'm not sure I'd want to be within striking distance. What I notice with my Nikkors, compared with the Canon FD and Olympus Zuikos I've used before, I somewhat higher contrast and slightly harsh bokeh. The contast is no problem with good color negative films like NPS, NPH, etc., but I have to be careful with slide films like Provia 100F to keep highlights in balance. With slower b&w films I've had to make some adjustments to my familiar routines for exposure and processing to accomodate this characteristic. Resolution is definitely good - my Nikkors have a wider sweet spot than some other lenses I've owned. Of course I didn't compromise in my selection of Nikkors, while I had to with the Canon FD gear I used to use. I guess my best Nikkors are a 50/2 AI and 180/2.8 pre-AI, non-ED. Extraordinarily versatile for fairly humble lenses; very responsive to different films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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