Lens Help

[rrted]

What would I look for in searching for an old manual lens, for my D90. I understand I will not have light metering or auto-focus. Also, would everyone agree that this is an inexpensive solution to get some low light shots with quality glass?

 

[analog.universe]

A while back I was looking at old Nikon glass for inexpensive low-light solution. Of course, all of your requirements (inexpensive, low light, and quality) are all quite relative. I was looking at the Nikkor 55mm f/1.2, and there was a really short thread about it at the time: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...allery/250587-nikkor-55mm-f-1-2-versions.html

 

[djacobox372]

The cheapest solution is the 50mm f1.8 series e, they sell for around $35 online and are about equal in performance to the 50mm f1.8 af-d. As for the other versions, they arent really worth it--the 50mm f1.4 ais cost just as much as a used autofocus f1.8, and that tiny bit of extra low light performance isnt worth losing af and metering for. The f1.2 lenses are all soft as hell below f2 (except for the noctor which cost $3k). The best 50mm you can buy is the new f1.8g, i'm selling my 50mm f1.4 afd to buy one.

Btw im a huge fan of buying older mf glass to save $$. However, the best categories for this are macro, telephoto, and full-frame ultra wides.

 

[djacobox372]

A while back I was looking at old Nikon glass for inexpensive low-light solution. Of course, all of your requirements (inexpensive, low light, and quality) are all quite relative. I was looking at the Nikkor 55mm f/1.2, and there was a really short thread about it at the time: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...allery/250587-nikkor-55mm-f-1-2-versions.html

The 55mm f1.2 is a por performer, the version you want is the 50mm ais--later version with 9 aperture blades.

 

[MTVision]

. The best 50mm you can buy is the new f1.8g, i'm selling my 50mm f1.4 afd to buy one.

You think the 50mm f1.8g is better than the 50mm f1.4g??

 

[KmH]

What would I look for in searching for an old manual lens, for my D90. I understand I will not have light metering or auto-focus. Also, would everyone agree that this is an inexpensive solution to get some low light shots with quality glass?

In general, today's lenses have much better optical quality than older legacy lenses, particularly the zoom lenses.

 

[djacobox372]

. The best 50mm you can buy is the new f1.8g, i'm selling my 50mm f1.4 afd to buy one.

You think the 50mm f1.8g is better than the 50mm f1.4g??

Definitely! the newer 1.8g has aspherical elements which makes it sharper with better contrast and less aberation at f2 and below, it's also lighter and smaller.

The only benefits of the f1.4g is the ability to take photos at f1.4, even if they are soft with poor contrast. It also has 9 aperture blades instead of 7 which arguably improve bokeh at smaller apertures, however it doesn't make a difference wide open where you'd likely be shooting your f1.8, since the aperture blades are completely retracted.