Your favorite Nikon AIS Lens?

[BradS]

If you had to limit yourself to just two or, at most, three current model Manual Focus, Nikon AIS lenses - which would you choose and why? Just to make it interesting, let's say you have to stay under $1200 at current retail prices.

[titrisol]

Micro Nikkor 55
28/2.8
135/2.8
and if there's some money left
50mm /1.4

[Canuck]

24F2.8, 35F2, 105F2.5 - Just the classic ones. I tend to look at the world from the wider side, therefore the 24 and 35. On ocassion, the portrait opp comes up so the 105 is useful. If shooting sports, the 180F2.8 and 300F4.5 would be on my list of within budget teles but if budget is no problem, then thats another dream

[harveyje]

24,50,105, and an older 300/4.5 if you can find it. These seem to be my sharpest lenses and they fill the gaps nicely. (Mine are all the older non AI versions but I have no complaints as the go with my somewhat ancient cameras.)

[Lee Shively]

John, you have an older 300/4.5 that is sharp? That may be a collector's item. The one I had was pretty poor.

I don't shoot Nikons anymore but I loved the 24/2.8 when I did. I wore out two of them over a twenty year period. Great lens with a great look. I also loved the old 85/1.8 and the 180/2.8.

[Mongo]

If you limit this to currently available manual focus lenses, a lot of the classics are out. For example, the 28/2.8 and 50/1.4 & 1.8 are no longer available in MF, only AF.

Given what's available in MF these days, I'd take the 105/2.5, then either take AF versions of the 28/2.8 and 50/1.8, or buy MF versions used. (I've never been much of one for low-light work, so the 50/1.8 is fine for me...light, sharp as a tack, and great at all apertures.)

On the Nikon web site, only the following lenses are listed in manual focus:
24mm f/2 Nikkor AI-S
28mm f/3.5 PC Nikkor AI-S
28mm f/2 Nikkor AI-S
35mm f/1.4 Nikkor AI-S
45mm f/2.8P Nikkor AI-S
50mm f/1.2 Nikkor AI-S
85mm f/1.4 Nikkor AI-S
85mm f/2.8 PC Micro-Nikkor - REBATE!
105mm f/2.5 Nikkor AI-S
135mm f/2.8 Nikkor AI-S
200mm f/4 Micro-Nikkor IF AI-S
500mm f/8N Reflex Nikkor
35-200mm f/3.5-4.5 Zoom-Nikkor AI-S
70-210mm f/4.5-5.6 Zoom-Nikkor (For FM-10)

It's disheartening that these are all of the lenses that Nikon lists in MF...every time I mount an AF lens on my camera it feels like the lens will fall apart if I handle it too much. (Of course, the last time I bought a new Nikon lens was in the 1980's, so it's not like they're losing my business by limiting their MF lens line.)

[luvmydogs]

Hi Brad,

The 105 f/2.5, the 45 pancake lens, and the 28 f/2.8 would be my three. In fact, these are the three I currently use on my FM3A. The 45 is a really compact lens and very sharp, and the 105 is legendary.

[eric]

I received this friendly input via a PM....just thought I'd share with the rest of the group. Surely everybody can benefit from this valuable information.

I like my Rokkor lenses better than my Nikkor lenses. There are many Leica lenses made by Minolta.

[bobfowler]

If you had to limit yourself to just two or, at most, three current model Manual Focus, Nikon AIS lenses - which would you choose and why? Just to make it interesting, let's say you have to stay under $1200 at current retail prices.

Current manual focus models? Yikes! You really narrowed down the available field...

I haven't looked at the Nikon catalog for 2005 yet, but if it's still available as a manual focus lens, I'd take a 24mm f/2.8.

Not limiting myself to "current models", if I could ONLY have 2 lenses for my Nikons, they would be the 25-50mm f/4 AIs and the 50-135mm f/3.5 AIs. Luckily, I'm not limited to 2 lenses... (I have 16 Nikon lenses in the arsenal)

[Akkorn]

24 f2.8 AI, 50 f1.4AI & 75-150 series E zoom. With this trio I can cover most situations.