best bargain vintage lenses (nikon fit and minolta lenses)

Hi everyone

Thanks so much for your help with the 28 and 35 on my previous threads. I just ordered the Sigma mini wide on ebay for 55 euro including postage.

I am now asking for recommendations for any focal length of MF lenses that you have bought that was super cheap and very good for the price. Please no 50s though. I have enough.

Also, I have Nikon bodies so a Nikon fit would be good like the Sigma I got but I also have an adapter for Minolta MD to Nikon so those Minolta fans among you might be able to help.

You need a 135mm lens to round off the collection. Most of them stopped down will give good results. I have an ultra cheap Focal MC 135 2.8 that gives weird roundy bokeh wide open and has terrible contrast. Stopped down though it's pretty good.

I have a fungsy 135 2.8 Nikkor pre AI that is gorgeous. Always try the lens even if it might look a bit off, you never know if it still does a good job.

Ya... a 135. But quite possible a 85mm also. Very useful lenses, both of them. One suggestion, though... save your money until you can afford Nikkors.

I just got a great price and ordered a Tokina 135 2.8 - Maybe not a great lens but for the price I figured why not.

Nikon Series E 75-150mm f/3.5 (about $50 used) - Galen Rowell often recommended this lens.

http://www.ishootshows.com/2011/06/21/review-nikon-75-150mm-f3-5-series-e/

Cholentpot said:

You need a 135mm lens to round off the collection.

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+1
In fact my two most used lenses are the 50 and 135mm. This is despite owning 19 20 24 28 35 45 50 55 58 85 100 135 200 and 300, for many different systems and formats.

On 135 i've owned/own currently the following, sorted by speed:

135/2.5 Canon R
135/2.5 Canon FD
135/2.5 Pentax Super-Multi-Coated Takumar
135/2.8 Canon FDn
135/3.5 Nikon Pre-AI
135/3.5 Nikon AI
135/3.5 Carl Zeiss Jena MC

Cholentpot said:

Most of them stopped down will give good results.

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And some of them will give great results even wide open.
For Nikon i can heartily recommend the Pre-AI 135/3.5 and the AI 135/3.5. Both are stellar.

flavio81 said:

+1
In fact my two most used lenses are the 50 and 135mm. This is despite owning 19 20 24 28 35 45 50 55 58 85 100 135 200 and 300, for many different systems and formats.



And some of them will give great results even wide open.
For Nikon i can heartily recommend the Pre-AI 135/3.5 and the AI 135/3.5. Both are stellar.

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I'm been looking for bargain barrel lens below a 28. Something 24 or wider but alas, it's a hard search.

Cholentpot said:

I'm been looking for bargain barrel lens below a 28. Something 24 or wider but alas, it's a hard search.

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What is a barrel lens?
Do you mean a large-format lens without shutter?

When i meant "for many formats", i meant that i have the equivalence of those 35-mm focal lengths in some other formats.

For example for 6x7 mamiya i have the 50mm (25mm equivalent), 180mm (90mm equivalent), etc.
For 6x6 mamiya i also have the 65mm (35mm equivalent), and others and so on...

flavio81 said:

What is a barrel lens?
Do you mean a large-format lens without shutter?

...

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I think he meant "bargain-barrel" which is American slang for very inexpensive.

BTW... I find your tag line to be hilarious but mildly offensive. I have nothing against Canon but have been a Nikon man for my entire photographic life.

Don't waste money on a 135 go right to 200.

the Nikon F4 rabbit ear 200 is a pretty good lens for the money. The Vivitar 2.8 135 is soft wide but quite good at F8.

Here is another vote for the Nikon 75-150mm f/3.5 Series E.

Nikon 75-150mm by Narsuitus, on Flickr

BrianShaw said:

I think he meant "bargain-barrel" which is American slang for very inexpensive.

BTW... I find your tag line to be hilarious but mildly offensive. I have nothing against Canon but have been a Nikon man for my entire photographic life.

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I am both a Nikon man and a Canon man. But overall i'm a bit more fond of Canon lenses. However, the Nikkors i've kept, i love them, like the 58/1.4 Nikkor-S.

Paul Howell said:

the Nikon F4 rabbit ear 200 is a pretty good lens for the money.

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I owned this one, the Nikkor-H 200/4. It has really beautiful bokeh and it's balanced.

Now i have the 200/4 AI which is sharper wide open.

I disagree on skipping the 135. 135 gives you compression effects closer to the 200, while being much more compact. It is also markedly more tele than a 85 or 100 lens.

Another great, little lens from the Series E is the 100mm f/2.8 (used about 75 $)

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/100f28E.htm

flavio81 said:

What is a barrel lens?
Do you mean a large-format lens without shutter?

When i meant "for many formats", i meant that i have the equivalence of those 35-mm focal lengths in some other formats.

For example for 6x7 mamiya i have the 50mm (25mm equivalent), 180mm (90mm equivalent), etc.
For 6x6 mamiya i also have the 65mm (35mm equivalent), and others and so on...

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American for very cheap. They used to dump all the produce that was going off into a barrel in front of the store and mark the price down. The term Bargain-Barrel was born. Sometime in camera stores they have buckets full of old cameras all for one price. Same idea.

Looking through my acquistions over recent years, here are a few recommendations:

Tamron 24mm f/2.5 -- this lens is sharper than the Nikkor AIs 24mm f/2.8. It can often be found on eBay for cheap. I paid $40 for mine a few years ago.

I agree about the usefulness of 135mm lenses. One of the sharpest I've ever used was a Nikkor 135mm f/3.5 AI. These can often be picked up for cheap and are really worth the price. Another 135 to look for is the Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 CF (CF stands for close focus). This lens, which focuses down to 1:2 is actually a macro -- and a very sharp one. It has recently been "discovered" and often goes for high prices now. Still, you might luck out and find one for cheap. I found mine in a local camera shop's "bargain bin" of old lenses. Paid $5 for it. Woot!

The old pre-AI Nikkor 200mm f/4 is an excellent lens, but usually sells for cheap on eBay. Sometimes you might luck into one that's been AI'd -- even by Nikon -- for no difference in price.

One zoom that can often be found for cheap on eBay, and one I recommend highly, is the Komine-made Vivitar Series 1 28-90mm f/2.8-3.5. This is a very sharp lens, easily equivalent to primes. The later S1 28-105 was made by Cosina and isn't quite as good, so I recommend the original.

Now this depends on your definition of "bargain." But for me, it definitely was. I did some research on the Tamron 80-200mm f/2.8 LD lens and determined that it is the equivalent to the Nikkor AIs 180mm f/2.8 ED in terms of sharpness and contrast. I found one in "BGN" condition (zoom collar was very slightly loose) on KEH for $225. So I bought it and I love it! And it really is as sharp as the Nikkor 180 ED (I used to own one).

This is also a Tamron, and also depends on your definition of "bargain," but once again, for me, it definitely was. The Tamron 300mm f/2.8 LD-IF usually sells on eBay for $700 and up. I found one at auction with an opening bid of $500. Nobody was bidding on it because the seller revealed that it had a bit of fungus behind the front element. Well, I've cleaned fungus from lenses before, so I saw this as a buying opportunity. Sure enough, there were no other bids, and I got it for the opening bid amount. This is a great lens -- equivalent to the much more expensive Nikon 300/2.8 EDIF.

Cholentpot said:

American for very cheap. They used to dump all the produce that was going off into a barrel in front of the store and mark the price down. The term Bargain-Barrel was born. Sometime in camera stores they have buckets full of old cameras all for one price. Same idea.

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Thanks Cholentpot!