Only One Lens for FM2N - What's your choice?

[wind.dk]

If small and easy to carry are the prime criteria, take a look at the E series of lenses. I'm trying a 100mm/2.8 which in size is only a few millimeters longer than a normal 50/1.4.

 

There's also a 50/1.8 in the E series, which seems to be not much bigger than the lovely 45/2.8P, but I've not had it in my hands. I think even adding a third lens like the 35/2.5 would make the total no bigger than one good zoom lens.

 

The E lenses can be had dirt cheap and though once upon a time I hear they were derided for their build quality, that was in the days before consumer AF lenses.

[melvin_bramley]

So many choices! The 55 Micro is a good choice as are any of the 50mm Nikkors.My favourite is the 50mm F2. I have too many 50's;want to buy a good used 50mm 1.8 AIS?

[roland_vink]

<i>Now I consider to get one general purpose lens to use with my FM2n. I shoot environmental portrait, building, street, candid shots. What do you recommend? I'm thinking about a used 50/1.4AIS or a 50/1.8AIS. 35/1.4 is nice but too expensive! Is 28/2.8AIS too wide for general purpose shooting and slow? I love the 105/2.5 but it's not compact enough to carry around.</i>

<p>

If you prefer a 50mm lens, I'd go for the AI 50/1.8. It's smaller and lighter, and cheaper than a 50/1.4 and as good or better at equivalent stops. Bokeh (rendering of out of focus background) of nikon 50mm lenses is harsh but the 50/1.8 is better than the 50/1.4. If you can live with slightly less speed, the 55/2.8 micro is another excellent option, since it gives the added flexibility of doing closeups. Unfortunately the bokeh is harsh.

<p>

The AIS 28/2.8 is an outstanding lens but it may be too wide as your only lens. For a general purpose lens 35mm is more useful. The AI or AIS 35/2 is an excellent all round lens, a good balance of fine optics, speed and compact size. The 35/1.4 is nicer, the speed is useful and it has smoother bokeh. Lenses with good glass and scratched cosmetics are not too costly, but it is rather bulky and heavy, not really much smaller than the 105/2.5 which you consider too big. The 45/2.8P is also a nice little lens - very sharp and very compact. Also very expensive for it's size.

<p>

If you want a longer lens, consider the 85/2. It's barely bigger than a standard lens and I find the focal length is ideal for portraits. The series-E 100/2.8 is also a very good lens, the most compact telephoto from Nikon. Perhaps it is too long for a one-lens system. Both these lenses are sharp, but the bokeh is not as smooth as the AIS 105/2.5.

[gilbert_c1]

If you snap your family life photo often I'll recommend the AIS 35/1.4. If you compare its price with nikkor 28/2 or other brand's 35/1.4 you will find nikkor 35/1.4 a real bargain. It's my most used family lens. If it's now out of your budget range maybe you can sell your sb28 to help you buy the 35/1.4. FM2N doesnt has TTL so leave your flash shots to your canon af camera.

[steve_ql]

You hinted that you'd really rather have the 35 f/1.4 if

it wasn't so expensive.

 

The 35 f/2 AF-D is lighter, closer focusing, more flare

and ghost resistant, and it's equally sharp and distortion

free at f/2. If you buy it new, you'll have no worries.

 

My wife and I use two cameras. This 35 is pretty much welded to our FM2n.

[gilbert_c1]

"You hinted that you'd really rather have the 35 f/1.4 if it wasn't so expensive."

 

 

Nikkor 35/1.4 is the cheapest 35/1.4 among all brands and that makes it a real bargain. My sole reason to keep this lens over the 35/2D is for easier focus and better background look, though it has noticeable barrel distortion. The nikkor 35/1.4 is really an interesting lens. It has very stong spherical-over-correction at f1.4, which makes it much easier for fast-focus but also severely sacrifice the background look. What's interesting is that when stoping down to close to f2.8 the background look doesnt seem to suffer from the ugly spherical-over-correction. So it makes a good snap lens @ around f2.8.

(Note that 28/2 has superior background look than 35/1.4)

 

 

If ambient light allows me to shoot f4 1/60 I'll like to use 50mm f1.8 for its superb fine quality (though ghosting easily). Why f4 it's because people usually talk and laugh and nod so I cant cover that movement within 50mm f2.8 DOF and by the way this lens isnt easy to focus. My 50mm snap shot at f2.8 are usually blurry (out of DOF), LOL. But when f4 is useable no lens can beat the 50/1.8.

 

 

My 3rd most used lens is 105/2.5. It's so famous so there's no need to talk about this lens.

 

 

I'll put it this way: for best photo quality I'll choose 50/1.8, for family-life snaps I opt for 35/1.4, and the best "gear-fun" is no doubt the 105/2.5.

[steve_ql]

"But when f4 is useable no lens

can beat the 50/1.8."

 

You say that only because you haven't seen the 85 f/1.4 AF-D at f/4. :)