yet another lens question...

BimmerJake · Aug 8, 2009

i'm dumped to zoom lens idea in favor of my original desire to keep with prime lenses.

i'm looking at a couple of 135mm lenses. my first thought was a 135mm f/3.5 ais then i came across a nikkor q converted to ai at f/2.8 for less money. are the optics inferior?

thanks

bdial · Aug 8, 2009

What is it that you want to do with the lens? 135's are a little long for portraits and too short for almost anything else.
I'm not sure how those two would compare for sharpness. The AIS is multi-coated, I believe, hence will likely have better contrast. If I were choosing between the two, however, I'd go for the faster one. Stopped down there probably isn't much difference, and the extra stop wide open is useful if you want to hand-hold in marginal light.

BimmerJake · Aug 8, 2009

sorry for the forgotten details... it will be used primarily for outdoor nature type shooting. i like taking long exposures, so the slower speed is sometimes a good thing. i was more concerned with the sharpness and contrast of the older lens vs new.

PhotoJim · Aug 8, 2009

The Nikkor-Q will be a good lens - bigger and heavier than an AI-S f/3.5 though. Contrast might be slightly lower, although the f/2.8 only has 4 elements so multicoating isn't crucial.

I agree that a slightly shorter lens is better for portraiture (my favourite portrait lens is the Nikkor 105/2.5) but the 135/2.8 is quite a good lens. You can get some nice results with it wide open, throwing the background right out of focus.

Bob-D659 · Aug 9, 2009

The smaller aperture lens just makes the viewfinder dimmer and focusing a little more difficult. Outdoor nature shots at slow shutter speeds won't help with sharpness, as most things move a little and subject motion blur doesn't help with scenes or closeups of flowers.

BimmerJake · Aug 9, 2009

no doubt that long exposures aren't always the sharpest, but i still want the lens to be capable of producing sharp images as well. the weight that jim pointed out isn't that big of a concern either, as i am a giant man

i think i like the wide open depth of field thought. i do shoot my 50mm wide open fairly often.

PhotoJim · Aug 9, 2009

I'd pick up the f/2.8 then.

In fact, I have a Series E 135/2.8 that has some fungus damage - it's yours if you want it. You might find it good enough, or perhaps it will answer the question for you. No caps, mind.

PM me if you want it.

BimmerJake · Aug 9, 2009

pm sent

even if the fungus gives me problems i can still get a feel for the fexibility.

yet another lens question...

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