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Not sure why but I'm suddenly craving a classic Nikon SLR

Sirius Glass said:
Time to enjoy and move on. Now which lenses are you going to buy for it?
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logan2z said:
Even though it's coming with a 50mm, I typically shoot with a 35mm lens so I'll start to look for one of those. Any suggestions for a good 35mm option? I'll probably pick up a telephoto at some point as well.
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I recommend the 28mm for a wide angle lens for three reasons:
  1. In my not so humble option the 35mm lens is too close to the 50mm lens.
  2. The 28mm lens is better for getting power lines, cars, people, ... out of the photograph.
  3. In places like Europe, the streets can be too narrow to use a 35mm lens effectively.
Now for fixed focus: 21mm [not used a lot but any shorter and the usage goes down and distortion goes up], 28mm, 50mm, 85mm to 90mm for portraits, 150mm, 250mm.
That is my story and I am sticking to it.
 
I don't think either the 35mm f/2 or the 35mm f/2.8 Nikkors are remarkable. They're both just "pretty darned good". I kept the 35/2.8 non-AI just because it is smaller and lighter than the 35/2.0

It may be worth noting that, when my mom worked for the newspapers, back in the late 1970's and early 1980's, it seemed to me that a Nikon F2 with a 35mm/2.0 Nikkor was "standard issue" for the press photographers.

Personally, I'd pass on the 35mm Nikkors (you want mine?) and go for a 28mm f/2.8 AIS and a *105mm f/2.5 of any vintage.

*EDIT: 105mm not 150mm !!!
 
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I've had the 35/2 and 35/1.4 (both AI). To 35/1.4 was the more interesting of the two but to be honest none of them thrilled me particularly. I'm not really a 35mm person but if you want to try something a bit different look at the Voigtlander 40/2, that is a very interesting lens that can pass both as a 35 and a 50 depending on the scene.
 
logan2z said:
...I typically shoot with a 35mm lens so I'll start to look for one of those. Any suggestions for a good 35mm option? I'll probably pick up a telephoto at some point as well.
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The pre-AI 35mm f/2 lens was the first Nikon lens I purchased. Since it was the lens I used the most, it received a lot more wear and tear than my other equipment. I had to replace it twice – once with another 35mm f/2 and eventually with the 35mm f/1.4 shown in this photo.

For telephoto, I used the 85mm f/1.8 and the 180mm f/2.8 Nikkor.



Nikon F2 by Narsuitus, on Flickr
 


You hit the gist of the matter very nicely with this: There is no shame in wanting a classic SLR. I see cameras as tools, and I wouldn't trust a carpenter with only one tool in his belt. - Kudos.
 
Sirius Glass said:
I recommend the 28mm for a wide angle lens for three reasons:

  2. The 28mm lens is better for getting power lines, cars, people, ... out of the photograph.
  3. In places like Europe, the streets can be too narrow to use a 35mm lens effectively.
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I am puzzled:

How can a 28mm lens better get power-lines etc. out of the imagr than a 35mm one?
If a street is already too narrow for a 35mm lens, it would be much more so for a 28mm one.
 
AgX said:
I am puzzled:

How can a 28mm lens better get power-lines etc. out of the imagr than a 35mm one?
If a street is already too narrow for a 35mm lens, it would be much more so for a 28mm one.
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The shorter focal length allows one to stand closer to the subject, often eliminating the extraneous bits on the periphery. This is even taught introductory photography classes & books - see for example, "Photography" by Barbara London and John Upton.
 
Reducing subject distance does not significantly reduce angle of view, however it introduces distortions.
 
AgX said:
Reducing subject distance does not significantly reduce angle of view, however it introduces distortions.
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Incorrect. Reducing subject distance does not introduce distortions. It changes the perspective.
Standing closer is a very well known and common method for getting distracting junk at the periphery out of the frame. It can and is done without any serious detriment. Try it...you will see.
 
BradS said:
Incorrect. Reducing subject distance does not introduce distortions. It changes the perspective.
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We call that perspective distortion. There are various kinds of distortions in optics.
 
It’s a mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world that conflates optical distortions and perspective.
I eschew such sloppy imprecision
 
AgX said:
We call that perspective distortion. There are various kinds of distortions in optics.
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If one does not know how to take a photograph, uses too wide a lens, ... A 28mm lens will not have the perspective distortion unless the photographer is either very sloppy or very inexperienced. That is not what we are discussing. We are discussing choices of lenses for experience photographers. Very basic photography books discuss moving in to get rid of extraneous object and if necessary using a wider lens.
 
I still do not get your both points at all, and I am both experienced and a theorist.. But let's leave ot at that.
 



Please excuse the crudity of this sketch. I’m on a bus. At point A I’m using a 50mm lens but the trees are in the photo. With a 28mm lens I can position myself at point B and get the whole building without the trees. And since it is still natural to view the building from point B, the perspective is not exaggerated. Make sense?
 

That nails it. There is nothing described in that sketch that would lead to distortion unless one aimed a very wide angle lens up at a tall building which would be very obvious in the viewfinder of a classic Nikon SLR.
 
BradS said:
Make sense?
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Yes.
As we have been talking past each other...
I got the impression you both were depicting instead a situation were one nears the subject that much that it is blocking unwanted view for the most.

(As a side note: all european textbooks that come to my mind even in your case already hint at the risk of perspective distorsion. Linhof of course advising lateral shift instead...)



Though I still do not get this:
Sirius Glass said:
I recommend the 28mm for a wide angle lens for three reasons:

  2. In places like Europe, the streets can be too narrow to use a 35mm lens effectively.
Click to expand...
There are countless ways to photograph a street or in a street, making such statement at least ambiguous if not enigmatic.
 
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The FM arrived today and it looks close to new. The meter is working and the lens appears to be in great shape.

One question about the light seals: there's a vertical seal on the door right beside the hinge and there are seals around the mirror. Both look to be in great shape. There are no other seals that I can see on the body, nor are there any signs (adhesive residue, etc) that seals were ever there. Is that normal for an FM, or should I be installing additional seals?
 
Nope, that's about it. The only seal needed for the mirror is the upper front cushion for when the mirror flips up. Check that the upper and lower inside edges of the back door are not sticky, as they slot into the grooves in the back of the body. There's usually a thin foam or yarn seal in that groove, but it's tough to see. If you're not sure, shoot a test roll and if you don't see any light leaks, you're good. These cameras are great and really reliable.
 

Thanks for the confirmation. I'll run a roll through it and see how things go.
 
There are a whole bunch of odd bits of foam inside the body that I assume act as something to absorb noise. Their decay shouldn't cause any light seal issues and they seem tucked away enough so that they shouldn't affect any of the mechanisms. In the FM bodies that I've dismantled most of this foam has rotted and not caused any issues. The mirror damper foam is important to check and replace though, but it's an easy DIY job, just careful not to touch the mirror with anything.
 
unfortunately, the photographic talent that made those images doesn't come with the cameras.You've got to bring your own.
 
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