45mm or 50mm

[notelliot]

for a nikon f75 i have which has a 28-100mm f3.5 on it. i'm looking for the smallest possible 'regular' lens i can find. there isn't a whole lot of difference between a 45 and 50mm, and i'm wondering which would be more practicle in terms of:

compact-ness [sometimes people don't need to know they're having their picture taken]
practibilty [how much closer to the subject will i be?]
price [i imagine a 50mm would dominate here..]

any comment is cool. thanks

 

[DocFrankenstein]

45 is smaller for sure, but 50 would be cheaper.

I think it's splitting hairs.

 

[notelliot]

what's an avg. nikkor 45mm priced at?

 

[DocFrankenstein]

300 bucks for 45mm... others i don't know

 

[Patrick]

300 bucks for 45mm... others i don't know

Can't go wrong with the 50mm 1.8. Also it's cheap enough. Like 100 bucks or so.

 

[jstuedle]

The 45mm is a little different. It is copied from the old 45mm GN. Both have the same 3 element teslar design, metal construction and both are f/2.8. The newer P lens has better, more modern coating. It is a manual focus lens, but had the "D" chip that enables all metering modes on AF bodies. It is very short and compact like the older GN version. It was brought out for sale with the FM3a and is a relatively short or limited production lens. The 50mms are AF and of composite construction, making them a little more fragile and very light in weight.

 

[DocFrankenstein]

Is there anything special about the 45mm optically?

 

[tito_gh]

i just ordered a 50mm 1.8 for my f4 i will tell you my opinion on it when it arrives

maybe you might want to do something like 18-55 around there

 

[e_]

Hello notelliot

jstuedle gives a good, brief overview

* Compactness: the first impression one gets on handling is just how small it is

* Practicality: "Popphoto" Lab Test states ... the SQF readings were excellent overall, among the best we've recorded for a lens of this type. There was slight pincushion distortion, measured at 0.55 percent. At the closest focusing distance of 17 ¼ inches (1:7.4 magnification) center sharpness was excellent at all apertures. Corner sharpness was very good at f/2.8, excellent from f/4 to f/16, and good at f/22. Optimum performance was at f/11.

*Price: The 45mm 2.8 P is somewhat a boutique lens, expensive and not very fast

The Doc asks if there's anything special about this lens optically:

After purchasing the matt black model in 2003 for my backup camera, Nikon's FM3A, i sold my fast Nikon 50mm lenses ... in my view their results could not compare

No regrets, albiet the loss of speed

Have fun!



e_

 

[jstuedle]

Is there anything special about the 45mm optically?

I have a 45mm GN, the first Nikkor lens I ever purchased. It was bought in 1969 and I used this as my standard (read only) lens for years. The lens design is simple, sharp and has good contrast. The 3 element Teslar design from what I understand does not lend itself to fast lenses, hence the 2.8 max. aperture. An advantage to me was it's f32 min aperture. I did a little extreme DOF close-up work in school and was amazed at the sharpness of this little lens. I have it converted to AI mount, this lets me use it on my D1 cameras and its still a hoot. It does look a little funny on that big body, almost like I forgot to mount a lens at all. Images shot with this lens compaired to say the 50mm f/1.8 are just a little more pleasing to the eye IMO, it's hard to put a finger on what is differant, just nicer for lack of any technical term. That is not to say the 50 is not tack sharp and a deal for the price. It's just that the 45 is, well .... nicer.

 

[DocFrankenstein]

I was thinking of getting F3Ma with that lens as a MF system. It was a bit too expensive so I went with Canon FD for much less money.

 

[santino]

for me 35mm is a normal lens.

 

[jstuedle]

I was thinking of getting F3Ma with that lens as a MF system. It was a bit too expensive so I went with Canon FD for much less money.

Depends on what you want. A FM3a/45mm P is expensive, about $900.00 US. You could get a mint FM/50mm f/1.8 AI for $100.00 and do the same thing. Both are all Nikon and do the same thing. Just one is the well kept Escort, the other is the new Crown Victoria.

 

[jstuedle]

for me 35mm is a normal lens.

For many this is true, I liked the 45 for years and really still like it's "look". Today with the DX format DSLR I find I am either at 24 or 90+ on my 24-120 zoom. Seldom do I find myself anywhere in the middle range. So, we could say I often shoot about the perspective of your 35mm when shooting at 24mm.

 

[DocFrankenstein]

Depends on what you want. A FM3a/45mm P is expensive, about $900.00 US. You could get a mint FM/50mm f/1.8 AI for $100.00 and do the same thing. Both are all Nikon and do the same thing. Just one is the well kept Escort, the other is the new Crown Victoria.

I just wanted nice manual camera to shoot BW film with. Film shooting with an EOS and AF lenses would just suck. It has to be manual.