Advice on lens selection

[mark_peters]

I am fairly new to photography and have a Nikon FM with a 50mm f1.4

lens.

 

I want to round out my system with a both wide angle lens and another

for portrait and telephoto work. This is just a hobby but I want

quality, durable equipment. So I intend to stay within the

Nikkor/Nikon family.

 

After reading many of the posts here, I am inclined to buy the

following two lenses. My budget for the two, together, is about $350.

 

Nikkor 24mm f2.8 (for landscape)

 

Nikon 75-150mm f3.5 Series E (for portrait and telephoto work)

 

Assume these two, plus the 50mm, are the only three lenses I intend

to own (famous last words!).

 

I'll probably get both from KEH in bargain condition. I have had

good experiences with KEH in the past.

 

I would appreciate feedback if these sound like good choices given

the budget and applications I've described.

[efusco]

I think those choices are excellent and should serve you very well for a long time to come...about the only thing you'll miss is a macro lens.

--evan

[greg_deprow1]

The 24mm is a fine lens but I have always been well satisfied with the 28mm and it usually comes at 1/2 the price. I myself own an FM and love using it. 2 lenses I own and love are the 200mm F4 Nikkor and surprisingly a Kiron 28-105 for Nikon. This is a surprisingly good lens from a manufacturer that enjoyed a great reputation in its day. For portraits you might try a Nikkor AI 105/2.5 . Everyone of these lenses can be found on Ebay or other used dealers for great prices. And since you might save some money,think about an MD-12 motor winder. If for no other reasons I use it to add bulk to the camera to make it easier to hold, and so that the meter works without the film advance knob poking me in the cheek, which in case you haven't noticed, the FM meter will not work without that lever slightly adjusted.

[majid]

You would be in good company. Noted landscape photographer Galen Rowell waxes lyrical about those lenses in "Mountain Light". The other lens he used constantly is the 55mm f/2.8 macro.

[ed_alban]

They're excellent choices. I myself have gone out with just a 24/2.8, 35/2 (or 50/1.4) and the 75-150/3.5. Takes care of most of my needs. As far as macro, you can get a BR-2A reversing ring. A reversed 24mm will get you more than 2:1, double lifesize, while a reversed 50mm will get you 1:1 lifesize. Alternatively, you can get a 3T or 4T closeup diopter for your 75-150 zoom. These add-ons are a lot less expensive than a real Nikon micro lens but they work great.

[jos__javier_vicente]

I think you did a wise choice. I can't tell about the 24, but I've used the AI 50 1,4 and the 75-150 and I find them very reliable lenses.

In case you wanted to involve into macro work, I suggest to use the 75-150 with a diopter 4T. More comfortable to use than reversing rings, good results and easy to combine with a speedlight.

If you find 150 too short for a tele, you still can use a converter to obtain a 150-300 f7 not too bad in bright light.

Have good shots with your "new" equipment.

[debbikoplen]

I have a Nikon FM3A-a newer manual Nikon. I hear that the old Nikkor manual-focus zoom lenses aren't as good as the fixed lenses, so I have chosen to only purchase fixed lenses for this camera. For portrait photography, I bought the Nikkor AI 85mm 2.0. I've fallen in love with that lens...it's a real cream puff. I purchased the 35mm 1.8 and later stumbled upon a great deal on the 50mm 1.4, so I picked that one up, too. Word has it that the 105 is the most loved of all the lenses for the Nikon FM camera suite. I've been told that if you are looking to save money and want a short-medium telephoto, the 135mm is always less expensive than the 105. By the way, I got most of my equipment from KEH, too...and am very pleased with their service.