Japan Visit - MF Nikon Splurge

So I’m headed to Tokyo and southern Japan in April and one of the things I’m going to do is use the opportunity to get some Nikon glass for my F2AS / F3 in Tokyo.

I own two lenses, which are really great -
28mm f2.8 AIS
50mm f1.8 AIS pancake (the best one starting serial number 2xxx)

As I seem to get endless quality issues on eBay, I’m going to use this opportunity to buy a few more bits of glass in person.

I shoot travel / landscape / street

I’m thinking 20mm, 105mm or 135mm and a longer lens:

Just like the 50mm, there are so many variations of these optics, which ones should I look for?

You're going to want AI or AI-S lenses for your F2AS and F3. Older lenses converted to AI should be fine as well. I am not exactly sure of the technical differences between the AI and AI-S lenses, but a practical difference is that the older pre-AI and AI lenses tend to have a longer focus throw than the newer AI-S lenses. This is a matter of preference; one is not better than the other.

I don't have any personal experience with Nikkor lenses in the focal lengths you referenced. I have experience with both the 24mm f/2.0 AI-S and the 24mm f/2.8 AI, and they are both excellent. I find 20mm a little too wide for how I tend to see, and I think the 24mm lenses are considerable more common and therefore should be less expensive if that focal length works for you. But it does crowd in pretty close to the 28mm you already have.

The main difference between AI and AIS is a little "scoop" on the mounting ring that tells some cameras what focal length lens is on the camera.
Not needed for F2AS or F3.
AIS lenses are newer, also.

Look for Ai or AIS. AIS are later and have better coating but differences will be truly minor.
Nothing worth sweating over.

I used a Non AI 105 2.5 later converted to a AI for years, decades, it was my go to lens when working as a PJ, from F to F3P, If you shoot color the AIS version has newer and better coatings. I never owed a 135 in Nikon mount, but the 180 2.8 and 200 F4 are great lens, the 200 is lighter. If you shoot Nikon cropped digital as well as film the 135mm will be great on a cropped sensor.

Paul Howell said:

I used a Non AI 105 2.5 later converted to a AI for years, decades, it was my go to lens when working as a PJ, from F to F3P, If you shoot color the AIS version has newer and better coatings. I never owed a 135 in Nikon mount, but the 180 2.8 and 200 F4 are great lens, the 200 is lighter. If you shoot Nikon cropped digital as well as film the 135mm will be great on a cropped sensor.

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I have a borrowed 105mm pre-AI converted to AI and it's perfect. That's definitely on my list at the moment, simply because it is so small. Nice to hear about the 180 and 200. Will look into those.

In order of preference:

85/1.4 AIS
24/2 AIS
180/2.8 AIS
All bangers

to save money or weight a 105/2.5 AIS or an older pre-AI model that has been converted will be a great BW portrait lens

I love my 45/2.8 AIP (chipped for modern cameras) but many don't

55/2.8 AIS or 55/3.5 AI if cheap they are super sharp

You should be able to mount and meter with both AI and pre-AI lenses on your cameras. The "S" in AI-S doesn't do anything with your cameras.

I use these Nikkor lenses on my F2AS and F3 with very good results.

16 AFD
20/2.8 AFD
24/2.8 AI
20/2.8 AFD (AI-S)
28/3.5
28/2.8 AI
28/2 AI
35/2.8 AI
35/2 AFD
50/1.4
50/1.8 AFD
50/2 AI
80-200 4.5 AI

Take 28 mm and 105 mm and you are set. Tokyo isn’t all that different from other megacities, except for how surprisingly quiet it is for its size and how safe it feels. Those things inspired me so much that I ended up taking way more photos than I ever expected.

It’s also an incredibly photogenic city. I mean, have you ever seen a gas station flipped upside down?

There's so many of them you'll trip over them. BTW what does "MF" stand for in the topic line of your post?

GregY said:

There's so many of them you'll trip over them. BTW what does "MF" stand for in the topic line of your post?

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Male or female, bisexual lenses but don't assume their aperture preference

Franklee said:

Male or female, bisexual lenses but don't assume their aperture preference

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I was thinking more Plaubel Makina (MF) with with 55 or 80mm lens...

I venture it refers to Manual Focus.

MartinCrabtree said:

I venture it refers to Manual Focus.

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ah.... thank you..... never crossed my mind.
much appreciated

Even though they are afs the 17-35 2.8 and 80-200 2.8 are nice though big.
For mf 20 2.8(also the spiratone)24 2.0, 35 1.4, 45gn and 50 1.2
Also the tokina 28-70 2.8 and 20-35 2.8 (both af and somewhat compact)

Thinking about on the cheap, I have a 100 2.8 and 28 2.8 Es. I got them with a FG that I bought, the FG worked for a few months then stopped. I kept the lens, the 50, 100 and 28 were all bundled the the FG. When an old friend passed away his wife gave me his 2 Fs, a black and chrome. The 3 E lens work fine on the Fs. I only print to 11X14, resolution seems fine for my needs. They are small, but of course lack the build quality of the standard lens. I had to buy lens hoods, as I only shoot the Nikons a few times a years, good buy.

The prime lenses are nearly all good, as far as I know. The internet sometimes splits the differences quite finely.

There is a ton of durable used Nikon gear in the world, so if you have poor luck with ebay (which at this point I understand), a used camera store that stands behind its gear ought to have some. Like KEH or Roberts in the US, there ought to be a counterpart in the UK? By all means look for them in Japan, but you should be able to find them elsewhere as well.

The AI-S lenses have an aperture motion that linearly stops down with the lever to allow a few cameras to push it to set the aperture in Program mode (FA, etc). Your cameras don't need that, so AI, AI-S, and series E are functionally equivalent (also any AF lens with an aperture ring).

I'm not a precision judge of lens quality and am too cheap for super-fast lenses. Some that are good and seem widely well-regarded:
20/2.8 (may have to watch out for sticky aperture?), 24/2.8, 35/2, 50/1.4, 100/2.8 E, 105/2.5, 180/2.8.
I've also liked "humble" lenses like 28/3.5, 35/2.8, and 50/2, but you don't necessarily need more of those.

Another suggestion: pick up a checked and clean compact 35mm camera there, such as a Canonet GIII or Olympus 35RD. The 'bay is a minefield re. these compact cameras.