NIKON NIKKOR Q 135/2.8 compatibility question - Nikon D610

[Lonnie1212]

Hi Folks,

I have been seeing a lot of raves about the Nikon 135 mm f2.8 lens on YouTube. It has gotten a lot of praise and attention lately. It is an older (real old) lens and supposed to be one of the best ever made. It is even supposed to work on FX and DX cameras.

I am looking at a particular lens on eBay and just want to know if it will work on my Nikon D610. The seller is not 100% sure and is being honest about it. Can anyone give me the 'go ahead' or 'don't buy it' on this lens? (attaching 2 pics)

Thank you,

Lonnie

 

[dxqcanada]

That looks line a non/pre-AI lens.

 

[JBPhotog]

Do not buy this lens unless you can convert it to an AI version which would require a service shop doing it and only if they have the AI ring(which is highly doubtful).

 

[Derrel]

1. I used to have one of these I do not think I would buy it for use with a camera that does not have the flip up tab, a feature which the Nikon d610 does not have. This is a so-called pre AI model, And is not that particularly good. I would look for a 135 mm lens from the AI or ai-s era, either in F / 2.8 or in F / 3.5. I believe this lens is what some people call a fat Barrel lens, which means that the aperture ring is somewhat fat in comparison to later lenses, and can cause problems with the AI sensing lever and even more seriously with the maximum aperture sensing pin which is located at around 6 to 7 on the lens mount, as I recall. it has been over 20 years since I got rid of this lens but it was not a particularly good 135, just average. The Stellar reputation for the 135 m m f / 2.8 comes from the later AIS version and one particular YouTube "Angry photographer"guy

 

[Derrel]

This version of the 135 mm F / 2.8 is not one of the best ever made.

 

[Lonnie1212]

Would like to thank everyone for the replies. You saved me a lot of money. I just listened to the Angry Photographer on YouTube again. He said if anyone didn't own this lens that they were a douche bag, a moron, an idiot and guilty of a cardinal sin. So it's the 135 mm F2.8 AI or AIS lens that I really want.

Thanks again.

 

[Solarflare]

Maybe the long list of attributes he gives was a hint he was joking... ?

For example I dont own any of the four lenses he speaks about (AI-S 105mm f1.8, AI/AI-S 105mm f2.5, AI/AI-S 135mm f2.8, AI/AI-S 135mm f3.5), but an AF 105mm f2 DC, which is also a great lens and of course offers autofocus.

I see no point in also owning any of the AI lenses because I wouldnt use them.

I have a hard time already justifying owning the AF lens because that Tokina 100mm f2.8 macro is a really good portrait lens too and it also is a great macro lens.

 

[Braineack]

I just listened to the Angry Photographer on YouTube again.

ew.

 

[Derrel]

The 135 3.5 ai is quite good but is somewhat hard to focus having a relatively long and slow Focus travel. I own this lens and have for two years. The 135 mm F / 2.8 AIS has a much faster rate of focus travel, and a lighter touch required to move the focusing ring, which is the main difference between Ai i and ai-s series nikkor lenses. The 105 mm F / 2.5 AIS is perhaps the best focusing manual focus Nikon lens I have ever seen or used and I have owned one example since 1982, and it is a remarkable lens in many ways. the original 105 was perhaps the one single lens which cemented Nikon's Fame as a photojournalist and news camera company. By the time the lens reached the AIS version, Nikon was the preeminent 35 mm single-lens reflex maker for sports and photojournalism uses. The 105f / 2.5 ai-s has a very light and easy to turn focusing ring, and the number of degrees required to achieve focus is substantially less than in the AI series. When a manual focus ring turns really slowly, it is often hard to Spot the Difference between In-Focus and out of focus. This might seem counterintuitive, but it is a reality. When the focusing touch is light and the lens races to and fro with light pressure, it is easy to go back and forth quickly and to hit focus with relative ease. When you have to apply quite a bit of finger pressure to turn the focusing ring, it is often very difficult to quickly achieve good Focus. It has been my experience that the Nikon AIS lenses are easier to focus than the AI series or the pre-ai models.

The 105mm f/2 af-d defocus control was a lens that I had for 15 years or so. I had nothing but problems with it. My copy consistently had tremendous Focus Shift from wide-open to shooting aperture and on many occasions the lens would miss Focus big after being disappointed by the lens on so many occasions oh, I finally sold it off. I never could figure out exactly what the problem was.

 

[Lonnie1212]

The responses have been great! Thank you very much!

 

[Derrel]

The videos from the Angry Photographer have caused prices on eBay to Skyrocket for the 135 mm / 2.8 models. The same thing happened a few years ago for the 58 mm f 1.2 Noct Nikkor, which used to be at 350 to $400 on the used Market, but is now around $3,000 to $3,500. A number of high-profile websites featured glowing reviews and within two years this lens was priced out of the reach of most people.

 

[cgw]

A good lens but not a great lens. Seriously, though,the AP's endless bloviation often leaves you with very little to unpack. This is just another instance of it.It was a popular focal length before 70-210/80-200 zooms pushed it to the margins decades ago. Just make sure you're down with what's what when it comes to mixing various generations of Nikon bodies and lenses. Tons of charts, photos, ratings and discussions online compiled by Nikon people who've forgotten more than the AP will ever know.

 

[Tim Tucker 2]

The videos from the Angry Photographer

Ahh, that explains why the picture of my copy is getting a few hits...

@Lonnie1212, It is very specifically the multi-coated versions which are the QC and 'K' designations of the older pre-Ai 135/2.8, serial nos: 380 xxx - 464 xxx. And they would have to be converted to Ai (Nikon's new Aperture indexing system) before you even mount them on a D610, (there is a possibility of damage should you try to mount non-Ai lenses on the D610).

It is a nice lens and worth trying out if you get one at a reasonable price. Actually quite good performance across the board, but you need the multi coated versions as the single coated ones tended to flare. The AP is just re-regurgitating opinions already around the internet but in his own confrontational style. It's a good lens and a nice object to own. But it will not transform your photography or turn you into an instant douche-bag should you choose to give it a miss.

I was lucky a few years ago and picked up a mint copy, (really mint!), and also managed to source one of the last factory Ai kits for it. It's still mint and lives on the shelf at present.