Who says Nikon don't have?



Nikon has manual focus AI / AIS lenses as well as AF autofocus.

Saying that it performs less sharp and saying it does not exist are 2 different things. After all this is a Nikon thread and saying that that lens does not exist is giving misinformation to Nikon users.

Yeah, wide open it may not be as good as Canon's but with the D800 / D810 sensor, it levels the playing field a bit.

But making the sensor platform the same, the Canon's 135mm is indeed better according to http://www.lenscore.org/. But then again Nikon's 135mm is very close in performance to Canon's fantastic EF 100mm f/2.8L macro lens and better than Nikon's own AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II. That's good enough for me.

Best 135mm f/2 for the Nikon is the one from Zeiss APO Sonnar ZF.2 manual lens.

Thanks for the link. Interesting and I may not fully agree with the reviewer as I own 3 of those lenses albeit the older AF-D lens for the 85mm f/1.4 and not the new AF-S version. I find that amongst all 3 lenses, the 200mm f/2.0 VR is the most stunning and mind blowing images that can be produced. It blew the socks out of me the first time I shot with it. Superb performance wide open and devoid of any chroma imperfections. Surprised that the reviewer did not find it stunning and complained lack of contrast at f/2.0. Perhaps something not right with the reviewed lens. Focus lock is tremendously fast on this chubby monster. The best from anything I've personally used. Need to be careful with the DoF because it's so thin wide open.

The same cannot be said for the AF 135mm f/2.0 DC wide open. It's known to be soft wide open. Yes, older lenses do tend to perform that way. It's not always about how sharp the lenses performs wide open but also how the lens renders the background bokeh. Case in point is how a lot of people are disappointed that the new AF-S 58mm f/1.4 performs at wide open while others praise how beautiful and smooth the image is rendered from it. That's a different discussion altogether. Anyway, a recent discovery about the use of the 135mm f/2.0 DC lens claims that the lens gets sharper when the DC ring is clicked and positioned at F2 (which I have personally discovered) and sharper still if it's at an intermediate setting in between the neutral and F2 setting (this I have just read and I have not personally tested yet) at wide open f/2.0. Stopping it down a little to 2.2 or 2.5 or even to 2.8 yields very nice results unlike what is reported by the reviewer of having experiencing it soft at f/4.

Anyway, the same too regarding the AF-D 85mm f/1.4 that I have. Not as biting sharp as the newer AF-S sibling wide open but sharpens very nicely when stopped down a little. The way bokeh is rendered is most instances differ slightly than the newer AF-S lens. I know wide open the newer AF-S version is biting sharp but like what I mentioned earlier above, it's a matter of preference where some people may like the way the AF-D lens renders bokeh while some say the AF-S is better etc. Some even say the Sigma is better yet.

One thing that I dislike about both the screw driven 135mm f/2.0 and 85mm f/1.4 lenses are that their focus acquisition are a little slow. Well, at least some AF is better than just MF from the Zeiss.

p/s: Incidentally, that 135mm f/2.0 picture posted earlier was shot by a 200mm f/2.0.

The 135mm f/2.0 DC (as well as the 105mm f/2.0 DC) is not worth getting brand new. And because "old" lenses like this are not well appreciated and sought after like they are in US/UK, they can be found around here for very reasonable price. Hunt around and with patience, you should get a good copy for good price.

I rather the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4.

No lens is spot on without any calibration. Even Nikon's own. Nowadays you can fine tune your focus in the camera body for a specific lens. So there's no issue if the 35mm f/1.4 ART it's slightly front or backfocus.

Nowadays when I want a panorama, I just take my phone and do it. Painless and results almost instant and can redo if I get it wrong. Too much hassle with DSLR for pano which does not come out they way you want it. But that's just me.

Your question is not stupid or illegal. No rules broken.

If I was looking for a 24-70mm f/2.8 and if it's true that SG is selling it cheaper, I'll buy it without hesitation since Nikon lenses carry 1 year international warranty.

Some more if you happen to fly in to SG (not via JB Causeway), you can claim back SG GST. Not full 7% though. It's 5% only if I'm not wrong.

This post has been edited by jchue73: Apr 8 2015, 01:13 AM

If I go in and out of SG on a frequent basis, I'll still buy it in SG since it's RM 300 less. Some more I get to claim back SG's 7% (or rather 5%) GST if I travel via airport.

Box and all is not important. More importantly is to know that the 2nd hand unit is reliable and not banged up. But to know for certain that the 2nd hand unit is in pristine condition is quite hard for an untrained and unsuspecting person. I know this because I take care of my stuff very well but even then, my 24-70 which I bought brand new some time back already has a stiff zoom ring.

If you do a search, there's quite a lot more serious problems that can happen with the 24-70. Do a search. Cost for repair can be quite costly depending on the fault and repair.

So to pay 4.5k for a 2nd hand unit when the cost of repair can be 1k or more is not worth it. Better save a jump for a brand new unit. Grey set. My 2 cents.


Congrats. Your samples look good. Good alternative to the 14-24. Nice to know that it reaches to 30mm.

If you fly into SG, I think you should consider it very much. I believe after 5% GST rebate, the lens is around RM 5k.

Ask Nikon SC and see if you need a lubrication service to solve the squeak sound problem. My AF-S 80-200mm f/2.8 was done for free.

Aiks... Upon looking up, perhaps you can get close to the price in SG at RM 5190 but not sure if it's inclusive of GST.

http://www.camera2u.com/Lens/Nikon-AF-S-24...ens-Import.html

Good wide angles for DX can be Nikon 10-24mm or the 12-24mm but there are no where near your asking price even 2nd hand. But if you can consider the 18-140mm, not too bad either and goes for less than 1k used.

I like it very much. I just got the VR2 because I need to shoot in low light and made some comparisons with the AF-S 80-200mm f/2.8. Focusing speed / lock goes to the VR2 but only because it's a newer lens. Not day and night difference like AF-D vs AF-S, just slightly faster only. Surprisingly for an old lens, it's still good on a high density sensor like the D800. You'd only see very slight difference in quality when viewing at 100% on monitor and most of the time the sub par shot is mostly because of user error. Calibrate the lens to the body and with right technique, you'll get excellent shots.

Yes, the AF-S 80-200mm f/2.8 is solid and built like a tank. One of my most used lens. I've used mine now for 10 years already.

Errr, how can the Tamron be an upgrade to the Nikon?

Yup.

I think it's silly. In my opinion, with the Sony A7 series, one has the most lens option to choose from.

Yeah, the crack in the AF-MF ring does not make the lens AF-less. AF still works.

Read that it's not too bad if compared to the ultra expensive Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8. A good alternative for those who cannot afford the Nikon.

Wah, D4? Respect.

BTW, don't know if you're aware or not but if you're interested in shooting 4k, then you're in the wrong camp. You should be getting a Note 4, S5 or S6.

Do you have sample pics to show when this happened? How far is your object to the camera? Besides being too dark, perhaps the object you're shooting is too close for the 18-200.

The 24-105 is a Canon isn't it?

Paiseh. Did not realise that Sigma has an Art series for the 24-105.

Only when doing macro. The loss of aperture at macro distances is how it is for internal focus lenses. You don't shoot f/2.8 for macro anyways. For normal shooting, the lens works fine at f/2.8.

Errr... if not wrong the Canon EF 100mm IS f/2.8L does 1:1 at f/2.8. Paiseh.

It's actually about f/4.8. Oh, VR also does not work especially at 1:1 macro work. Shake is too amplified at this magnification to be compensated by the VR.

I corrected it for you.

Yes, the new one has VR. There's only one VR version because the original 24-70mm f/2.8G like yours never had VR.

Actually very slight sharpness difference in the centre which the older model is better. But edge to edge performance the VR version is better. And even that it's at wide open. Smaller apertures and the difference is gone.

A lot of people update not because of the better optics but more for faster focusing and VR function.

The only cons for me is the VR is heavier, longer, 82mm filter and more importantly more expensive than the original 24-70mm f/2.8G.

Yeah quality wise the Nikkor AF-S 28-70mm f/2.8 is quite good. It's more rugged and built like a tank because of the old school crinkle metallic construction (which I like). But before jumping onto it, you need to realise that it's an old lens that has an AF-S motor that is bound to give up the ghost. Not cheap to replace. Need to check properly.

Also on the wide end, 28mm may not be enough for some. While in numbers 24mm vs 28mm may not seem much, in the viewfinder the difference is a lot.

Yes indeed a very sexy back !

Need to check the samples. If the dynamic range and noise from the D500 is far better than the full frame D800/D810, then it's something to think about. But then looking at just the AF module of the D500 alone, it's a very tempting idea to jump ship back to DX.

Yup, D5 + D500 an unbeatable match for photojournalist it seems.

But me trying to use rationalise a D500 + D800 combo. The D500 with D5 AF system can make up for fast action sports.

Curious, with rising cases of dengue how do you guys cope with your outdoor shoots? Any tips?

Might as well go in style and be in something like in a Hulkbuster suite.

Maybe a 600mm f/4 on one shoulder and the 800mm f/5.6 on another shoulder to mimic rocket launchers.

Already have a D800. So something like a D500 with enough reach and AF speed sounds good. The D500 should be less than a 2nd hand D4, yeah?

Aiks... Pricey. How you know?

Reading is one thing. Experimenting is another. They go hand in hand. Therefore go out and shoot.

If that being the case, then Shashinki pricing is "reasonable".

That's why I say the Shashinki RM 9540 pricing as "reasonable". Going by their standards, it could have been worse.