Lenses for my Nikon

Rol_Lei Nut · Jul 3, 2009

BimmerJake said:
thanks for all your input. what is a ai converted lens? is this worth wile or something i should avoid?

i think my 50mm is an Ai, how can i tell definitively? also, i don't think my fm10 used the Ai-s functions, so the extra money isn't worth it in my case. unless someone can tell me otherwise.

again, thanks for all the advice, it gives me much to think about and decide on.

In some cases an AI converted lens is optically the same (apart from the coating), just a piece has been ground off the aperture ring (or the ring itself has been replaced) to allow full aperture metering on later cameras.

Often, though, the AI/AIS versions are optically upgraded and are preferable (with a few specialist exceptions - the 55mm Micro for close-up work, for example).

The 200mm f/4.0 and older 105mm f/2.5 (at some pre-AI point they changed the formulation), just to name two, are much better in AI/AIS versions.

dougjgreen · Jul 3, 2009

BimmerJake said:
thanks for all your input. what is a ai converted lens? is this worth wile or something i should avoid?

i think my 50mm is an Ai, how can i tell definitively? also, i don't think my fm10 used the Ai-s functions, so the extra money isn't worth it in my case. unless someone can tell me otherwise.

again, thanks for all the advice, it gives me much to think about and decide on.

http://www.aiconversions.com/compatibilitytable.htm

This website will explain the different versions of the Nikon mount. John White also does excellent conversions of original pre-AI lenses, but he charges around $35 plus shipping for each lens.

For your FM10 camera, you need to use either AI lenses, AIS lenses, or lenses that have been converted to AI. The earliest pre-AI lenses that have been converted to AI will be the most economical ones for you. In some cases, the optical formula is the same in the older lenses and the newer AI and AIS lenses, while in other cases, Nikon has improved the optics over time.

HarryW · Jul 3, 2009

BimmerJake said:
i think my 50mm is an Ai, how can i tell definitively?

Use the link in post 20 - click on serial numbers - scroll down to 50 mm f2.0 and check the serial number of your lens against those listed. If the lens designation is in blue double click to get a photograph of a similar lens.

Regards

Harry

BimmerJake · Jul 3, 2009

mhanc said:
3. There is also the option of just having a 50mm. That's all I had for ~30 years and was perfectly happy. I recently started shooting in NYC and found I wanted a wide angel for the "urban landscapes". I still prefer images from the 50mm in terms of perspective, but that's just me. So one should just evaluate their needs and preferences.

after much thought i've decided that there's good wisdom in that. i think for a month or so i'll just shoot the 50 and see how it goes and then add from there. not to mention this option fits perfectly into my budget.

thanks again for all your input.

dougjgreen · Jul 3, 2009

BimmerJake said:
after much thought i've decided that there's good wisdom in that. i think for a month or so i'll just shoot the 50 and see how it goes and then add from there. not to mention this option fits perfectly into my budget.

thanks again for all your input.

That's a pretty wise plan. After you shoot for a while, you'll figure out what you wish that you had. You might find that you wish you had a wider lens, you might find that you wish you had a longer lens, and you might find that you wish you could do close-ups more easily, and you'll figure out if you shoot a lot at f2 and f2.8, or if you shoot mostly at the smaller f-stops.

You have to realize that most of us are, to some extent, gear-heads, so we all would wish to have exactly the perfect lens for every occassion. But the reality is, a 50mm f2 is a perfectly good starting point, and after you use it for a while, you'll have a much better idea what YOU most wish you had in addition - rather than what everyone here wishes they had, or thinks that THEY need to have.

glockman99 · Jul 4, 2009

Along with that (excellent) Nikkor 50mm f/2 lens that you already have, you might want to think about a zoom to go with it somewhere down the line...Maybe something like a 28-105mm focal-length. The 50mm f/2 lens can be used with low light, and the zoom as your "walk-about lens".

John_Nikon_F · Jul 4, 2009

I've recently returned to the 50f2 myself. Have had a few 50f1.4's and 50f1.8's over the years, yet it seems that I keep coming back to the Nikkor-H 50f2. Have a copy from 1969 that has the factory AI ring on it. Currently is mounted to my newest camera (in age), that being my F4. It has been used on an F5, my F3, F2, my Nikkormats, the FE2 I used to own, at least one or two FM2's that I owned, and also has been used with an adapter on a brand new EOS 5D mark II, when I wanted to see what the fuss was all about @ the camera shop.

My other lenses currently are:

20f2.8 AIS Nikkor, 55f2.8 Micro-Nikkor (also AIS), an 85f1.8 Nikkor (factory AI converted), and a 300f4.5 EDIF Nikkor AIS.

-J

glockman99 · Jul 4, 2009

John_Nikon_F3HP said:
I've recently returned to the 50f2 myself...Currently is mounted to my newest camera (in age), that being my F4...

-J

John...Are you & I long-lost brothers or something like that?.:confused:. You are into F3HP's, own and use the Nikkor 50mm f/2 lens, and have an F4 as your newest camera (in age)...Me too (mine is both a F4 and a F4s).

John_Nikon_F · Jul 4, 2009

glockman99 said:
John...Are you & I long-lost brothers or something like that?.:confused:. You are into F3HP's, own and use the Nikkor 50mm f/2 lens, and have an F4 as your newest camera (in age)...Me too (mine is both a F4 and a F4s).

Dann,

'tis possible. Now, if you somehow acquire bodies identical to the others in my kit, then it may be more likely.

-J

Uncle Bill · Jul 4, 2009

I would start with a 50mm lens, if you are under a tight budget look at the Ais 50 f1.8, it is really sharp glass, secondly I would save up for a 105 f2.5 telephoto lens, I term this Jesus lens in the Nikkor lens when it comes to portraiture, finally I would look for a nice 28 f3.5, again if funds are tight, the 2.8 is faster but you will be spending more.

fschifano · Jul 6, 2009

Thomas Wilson said:
If you stumble upon a 180mm f 2.8, grab it!

Ain't that the truth. I picked one of those up about 10 years ago, and that is one sharp lens. It's a big bastard compared to the 200 f/4, but boy oh boy, it's a gem.

John_Nikon_F · Jul 8, 2009

Even the non-ED 180's are nice. Owned a couple over the years. One being a factory AI'd Nikkor-P version, the other being an AI version.

-J

Lenses for my Nikon

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