Need Advice re: Zoom Lens for Nikon F2AS

JackRosa · Jul 17, 2015

Thanking in advance my fellow APUGers who will provide insight, I need advice on what zoom lens to get for a Nikon F2AS. Not knowing much, my inclination iwould be to go with a Nikon lens but it is possible 3rd party vendors manufacture lenses of excellent quality.

I have never used the Nikon system and just purchased an F2AS (due to arrive shortly). A 50mm lens is coming with it and I am thinking a zoom lens would be a good complement: 35-105mm; 35-135mm; 35-200mm; 50-135mm. It would seem to me that most flexibility would be had with the 35-200mm but I do not want to significantly sacrifice image quality.

I "dabbled" in 35mm (using a Canon A-1 with 50mm lens) back in the late 70's but since then most of my work has been LF. I am truly a 'rookie' with 35mm equipment, especially when it comes to lens technology.

One of my fellow APUGers has already provided insightful advice on 3rd party lenses but I would like to cast a broader net and recruit the opinions of others.

Thanks in advance.

mweintraub · Jul 17, 2015

I'm not sure about the zoom quality of older MF zoom lenses, but I have a 28-85mm AI-S lens that I got in a kit that I'm not using, if you're interested.

gone · Jul 17, 2015

The 28 105 is a very nice lens. Pincushion at 28, but improves from there on up. Probably only available as an AF lens, but they're cheap these days and can be manually focused. Vivitar made some very sharp Series 1 70 210 zooms.

BradleyK · Jul 17, 2015

JackRosa: Although not listed for consideration, you might give a thought to a pair of older Nikkor Zooms: the 35-70 F3.5 Ai and the 80-200 F4.5 Ai (or it its newer iteration, the 80-200 F4 Ais). Each is a solid performer; the 80-200s are regarded as among the best ever built. You did not mention a budget. Looking quickly at current prices, a 35-70 and 80-200 would probably set you back less than $350 USD.

Alan Gales · Jul 17, 2015

When the Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm zoom lenses came out they were the best thing going. They are the lens that made zooms popular! Before the Series 1, zooms were not all that sharp so everyone used primes. Like momus is saying, they are sharp zooms.

I bought my daughter a Series 1 70-210 lens for her OM-1. She loves it!

leicarfcam · Jul 17, 2015

A late model 43-86mm f/3.5 Ai or Ais is a very underrated lens. I would however stay away from the non-Ai first generation version.. This is the only Nikkor zoom I have and want to have..

Peter Simpson · Jul 17, 2015

This page: http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html#top1 and KEH.com is probably all you need.

leicarfcam · Jul 17, 2015

Peter Simpson said:
This page: http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html#top1

I wonder what kind of tests he does since my own real world use contradicts many of his test results.. One example is he claims all tests with the Nikkor-Q 200mm f/4 renders a dull drab gray in all images.. I've used this lens for years with excellent results though it is very slightly soft wide open but at no time have I gotten "dull" gray images..

He also seems to be down hard on non-Ai lens of all focal lengths..

MartinCrabtree · Jul 17, 2015

I have a nice example of the 50-135 f3.5 fixed aperture. Use it regularly. Nice lens. Sharp even at f3.5 and only gets better until F8 where it levels out for the duration. I had a CLA done on mine. While they had it a felt ring was replaced and zoom creep went away. That was my only issue with it and even then it was something I just dealt with using a rubber band from a bunch of broccoli to steady it. Has a chip installed now for digital and F5 use. Enables matrix metering.

Just took a gander on fleabay. There's one available pretty cheap. Looks like a good example.

JackRosa · Jul 17, 2015

Thank You All - so far

Thank you all so far for your insight. I visited the website recommended and read a number of reviews. My head is still spinning!

Looks like:
the 50-300mm f/4.5 ED yields sharp & contrasty images but is a large lens probably not well suited for hand-held photography. If I have to carry a tripod around, I might as well bring one of my MF (or LF) cameras. Idea is to shoot had-held.

the 35-200 AIS exhibits barrel distortion, flare, etc., etc.

the 50-135 produces sharp images with good contrast but should not stop down past f/11.

OK .... does it look like the 50-135mm is the winner?

Any votes for the 35-200mm? For the 35-105mm?

:confused:

jimjm · Jul 17, 2015

Jack -

I've been happy with the results I've gotten from the 35-105 AIS. Here's one shot at the longer end:

I tend to opt for smaller, lighter fixed lenses rather than zooms these days, unless I think I will need a wide range of focal lengths for sports, wildlife, etc.

The 75-150 3.5 Series E is a great lens also, and fairly light and small. Some folks think the Series E lenses aren't worth the trouble, but this lens had a good reputation back in the day and was popular among pros (so I've read). Look for the later version with a chrome mounting ring.

The 80-200 4.0 AIS is the sharpest zoom I have. At the long end it compares favorably to the 180 2.8, which is saying a lot.

Ken Rockwell has a lot of information on his site about Nikkor lenses, although some don't agree with his opinions or conclusions. David Reuther also has a good lens review site at http://www.david-ruether-photography.com/slemn.html .

Good Luck!

Robert Ley · Jul 17, 2015

I have both the 35-200 and the 35-105 and would take the later in a heart beat. It is a sweet lens (I have owned two of them as I liked them that much). A good example can be had for less than a hundred bucks. The 35-200 is an OK lens, but it is heavy and not the sharpest lens in the bag.

All you need is an AI lens as there is no advantage too most AIS lenses as most are the same lens with the AIS notch in the mount.

Also, if you are shooting an F2AS...Shoot nikkor glass, it's a no brainer.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

chip j · Jul 17, 2015

28-85 Tokina green RMC--very sweet w/almost NO distortion. Used one on my F for yrs. Just replaced the one I had for $20, mint-.

Nodda Duma · Jul 17, 2015

Has anybody ever measured MTF of the Nikon lenses?

JackRosa · Jul 17, 2015

Thanks Robert

Robert Ley said:
I have both the 35-200 and the 35-105 and would take the later in a heart beat. It is a sweet lens (I have owned two of them as I liked them that much). A good example can be had for less than a hundred bucks. The 35-200 is an OK lens, but it is heavy and not the sharpest lens in the bag.

All you need is an AI lens as there is no advantage too most AIS lenses as most are the same lens with the AIS notch in the mount.

Also, if you are shooting an F2AS...Shoot nikkor glass, it's a no brainer.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Thank you Robert. Your posting helps me narrow down my search: (a) Nikkor glass; (b) no need for AIS, and (c) the 35-200mm is out.

P.S. I have used a Canon A-1 and a Canon F-1 (old). Never used any Nikons. Just received the Nikon F2AS, put the 50mm Nikkor glass on and just held it for a few minutes ... sweet piece of equipment! Can't wait to put a roll of film through it!

Thanks again for sharing your insight.

JackRosa · Jul 17, 2015

Thanks Jim

jimjm said:
Jack -

I've been happy with the results I've gotten from the 35-105 AIS. Here's one shot at the longer end:

View attachment 112858

I tend to opt for smaller, lighter fixed lenses rather than zooms these days, unless I think I will need a wide range of focal lengths for sports, wildlife, etc.

The 75-150 3.5 Series E is a great lens also, and fairly light and small. Some folks think the Series E lenses aren't worth the trouble, but this lens had a good reputation back in the day and was popular among pros (so I've read). Look for the later version with a chrome mounting ring.

The 80-200 4.0 AIS is the sharpest zoom I have. At the long end it compares favorably to the 180 2.8, which is saying a lot.

Ken Rockwell has a lot of information on his site about Nikkor lenses, although some don't agree with his opinions or conclusions. David Reuther also has a good lens review site at http://www.david-ruether-photography.com/slemn.html .

Good Luck!

Thanks Jim. Your posting is very helpful. I will take a look at the reviews. Thanks also for the insight re: the 75-150 E series and the 80-200 AIS.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 17, 2015

Jack,

What type of photography will you be doing in 35mm? I think that dictates to some degree what would be useful in lens choices.

Nodda Duma said:
Has anybody ever measured MTF of the Nikon lenses?

Nikon's website has the MTF charts for their AF lenses, but not for the few manual focus primes still available new.

MartinCrabtree · Jul 17, 2015

The advantage of AI-S lenses is only seen on auto cameras. The linkage that operates the aperture is not linear on the pre AI-S lenses and causes varying degrees of over/underexposure. Nikon saw that and the AI-S lenses respond in a linear fashion for the auto exposure camera. If you use the ring on the lens to set aperture there's no problem.

I ran into this when using chipped AI lenses on digital cameras. A little testing gives the needed offset but is a bit tedious. My F5 allows using the aperture ring on the lens where the non-pro digitals do not. Some of the lower level film cameras have the same issue.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 18, 2015

MartinCrabtree said:
The advantage of AI-S lenses is only seen on auto cameras. The linkage that operates the aperture is not linear on the pre AI-S lenses and causes varying degrees of over/underexposure. Nikon saw that and the AI-S lenses respond in a linear fashion for the auto exposure camera. If you use the ring on the lens to set aperture there's no problem.

Correct.

The best example I have ever seen on how AIS works and how it is different from mere AI is here:

http://www.throughthefmount.com/articles_back_difference_ai_ais.html

narsuitus · Jul 18, 2015

JackRosa said:
... I need advice on what zoom lens to get for a Nikon F2AS.

When I need a zoom lens for my Nikon F2, I select one of the following:

[A] Tamron 28-200mm f/3.8 - f/5.6 Zoom auto focus (72mm filter)
Slow, variable f-stop; auto focus lens
Wide focal length range
Given to me as a gift
Nice portrait lens
Nice travel lens
Good to use at events with telephoto length limit

Nikkor 75-150mm Series E Zoom f/3.5 AIS (52mm filter)
Fast, constant f-stop, manual focus lens
Low-cost
Good image quality in spite of the low cost
Good travel lens
Good for times when a bigger and heavier lens is not needed

[E] Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 D AF-S (77mm filter)
Fast, constant f-stop, auto focus lens that is also a great manual focus lens
Excellent image quality
Excellent for sports and stage shows

[G] Vivitar 70-210mm Series I AI f/3.5 Zoom (67mm filter)
Fast, constant f-stop, manual focus lens
Good image quality

Nikon 35-70mm f/2.8 or Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8
Fast, constant f-stop, auto focus lens that is also a great manual focus lens
Nice travel lens
Great for one-lens/one-body situations
Great lens for shooting weddings

Telephoto Lenses by Narsuitus, on Flickr

JackRosa · Jul 18, 2015

Good Question!

Theo Sulphate said:
Jack,

What type of photography will you be doing in 35mm? I think that dictates to some degree what would be useful in lens choices.

Nikon's website has the MTF charts for their AF lenses, but not for the few manual focus primes still available new.

Good question! In fact, excellent question! I guess I should have included this information . . .

> Only B&W (stopped printing color many moons ago)
> General purpose photography, all hand-held: a portrait, a picture of an old house. rain tracks, old buildings, or an old car. My idea was to carry the 35mm camera around with me (as I used to many, many, many years ago) and shoot whatever catches my eye. The idea of a zoom was to be able to "get in closer" without having to physically move closer to whatever I want to photograph.
> I intend to develop the 35mm negs (in my darkroom) and print the ones I like to 8x10 or 11x14. Thus, image quality matters.

chip j · Jul 18, 2015

Best walk-around lens is the 28-105 nikkor af.

ajuk · Jul 18, 2015

Hello

Sent from my GT-I8190N using Tapatalk

Nodda Duma · Jul 18, 2015

Theo Sulphate said:
Correct.

The best example I have ever seen on how AIS works and how it is different from mere AI is here:

http://www.throughthefmount.com/articles_back_difference_ai_ais.html

That was good info, thanks for posting.

Ap507b · Jul 18, 2015

Second the suggestion of the 80-200mm F4.5 I Nikkor. I don't use mine much, preferring primes generally but the image quality is good & I can see why it had such a reputation back in the day.

Need Advice re: Zoom Lens for Nikon F2AS

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency