We love our manual focus Nikkor lenses!


Here are some photos from my 105mm f1.8. Sharper than the 150mm f2.5 version by a hair, it definitely outresolves the d700 and d300s sensor beyond f4 and produces incredible bokeh. Have not used the 105mm f2 DC yet, so cannot comment between the 2, but what I know for sure is that the f1.8 is much cheaper than the f2 DC with great IQ. Pity that I have not used the lens for sometime as I've been pretty busy.

7750658790_3aef5ea773_b.jpg


7750657762_91d1b7d3ca_b.jpg


7750657394_48b4a3e27f_b.jpg


7750658210_3ae1d464c4_b.jpg
 

Some more bokeh from the 105mm f1.8 AIS

7750658546_3666b44ef7_b.jpg
 

Why not using wide open and stop at F1.4? And pump up 4500 ISO should be good enough for reduce the noise.
Thanks for remind,as f/2 is almost reach the peak of the lens,and f/1.4 is some soft. :angel:
 

Why not using wide open and stop at F1.4? And pump up 4500 ISO should be good enough for reduce the noise.

more than light gathering ability, the 50 1.2 has a different rendition at f/1.2, 1.4, and 2. so you ll need to chose carefully which to use to create the feel you want.
 

homan said:
Thanks for remind,as f/2 is almost reach the peak of the lens,and f/1.4 is some soft. :angel:

Thanks your input it
 

Last edited:
Here are some photos from my 105mm f1.8. Sharper than the 150mm f2.5 version by a hair, it definitely outresolves the d700 and d300s sensor beyond f4 and produces incredible bokeh. Have not used the 105mm f2 DC yet, so cannot comment between the 2, but what I know for sure is that the f1.8 is much cheaper than the f2 DC with great IQ. Pity that I have not used the lens for sometime as I've been pretty busy.

7750658210_3ae1d464c4_b.jpg

Great shots. I particularly like the last one. The red wall(?) is so dazzling it makes me want to squint.

I have no experience with any 105mm other than my own F2.5. I won't argue with you about yours being sharper by a hair. What's a hair or two among friends. :bsmilie:
IMHO sharpness is not much of a problem, provided of course one's technique and skills are up to scratch. Maybe I'm too much of a pixel-peeper, as I tend to be more concerned with the lens' resolution. I am wowwed by the resolving capability of the 105mmF2.5 as it is such an old lens.
The following is a 100% crop of the second picture:
D8S9232c.jpg


D8S9232r.jpg
 

Last edited:
105mm f1.8 is an awesome lens, too bad I find it too big for my hands. The f2.5 is perfect for me as a lightweight portrait lens.

And all this talk of the 50mm f1.2 really makes me want to sell off my f1.8 AIS and upgrade...
 

Great shots. I particularly like the last one. The red wall(?) is so dazzling it makes me want to squint.

I have no experience with any 105mm other than my own F2.5. I won't argue with you about yours being sharper by a hair. What's a hair or two among friends. :bsmilie:
IMHO sharpness is not much of a problem, provided of course one's technique and skills are up to scratch. Maybe I'm too much of a pixel-peeper, as I tend to be more concerned with the lens' resolution. I am wowwed by the resolving capability of the 105mmF2.5 as it is such an old lens.

Thanks. Its a plastic igloo which is a part of alight installation at singapore river.

Yup agreed, the f2.5 is sharp too. I've used 4 different variants of the 105mm lenses, namely the f1.8 AIS, f2.5 AIS, f4 AIS micro and the latest f2.8 AFS VR micro. All are impressive performers. Given the chance I want to try out the f2.8 AIS micro and f2 DC as well.

Below is a 400% crop form a photo taken with a D700, straight from the camera except resizing. It is cropped at the worst possible area, extreme bottom right corner (where the yellow umbrellas are) of the FX frame wide open at f1.8, iso 100. Note the lack of CA. With the D700's low pixel density, this much can be revealed. I wonder what would be resolved with a D800e at f8. :think:

7805352220_49e36a025d.jpg


7805352746_0e62d1ff00_b.jpg


To say the truth, all lenses, even the cheapest kit lenses have great resolution. Problem is, most photographers, myself included, are limited by our own creativity and vision to fully utilise such capabilities to the maximum. To quote from one article in luminous-landscape, "Most lenses are better than most photographers". What I think is that people should spend more time enjoying photography than to go around shooting brick walls. Granted, I was once caught in the quest for the sharpest lens once too. :embrass: I would go around shooting newspaper to check each of my lenses's sharpness. ._. And I still do it whenever I buy a new lens. Maybe thats because sharpness is the easiest to quantify, compared to microcontrast, rendering, bokeh in the transition zone, colour accuracy, etc.
 

Last edited:
Thanks. Its a plastic igloo which is a part of alight installation at singapore river.

Yup agreed, the f2.5 is sharp too. I've used 4 different variants of the 105mm lenses, namely the f1.8 AIS, f2.5 AIS, f4 AIS micro and the latest f2.8 AFS VR micro. All are impressive performers. Given the chance I want to try out the f2.8 AIS micro and f2 DC as well.

Below is a 400% crop form a photo taken with a D700, straight from the camera except resizing. It is cropped at the worst possible area, extreme bottom right corner (where the yellow umbrellas are) of the FX frame wide open at f1.8, iso 100. Note the lack of CA. With the D700's low pixel density, this much can be revealed. I wonder what would be resolved with a D800e at f8. :think:

7805352220_49e36a025d.jpg


7805352746_0e62d1ff00_b.jpg


To say the truth, all lenses, even the cheapest kit lenses have great resolution. Problem is, most photographers, myself included, are limited by our own creativity and vision to fully utilise such capabilities to the maximum. To quote from one article in luminous-landscape, "Most lenses are better than most photographers". What I think is that people should spend more time enjoying photography than to go around shooting brick walls. Granted, I was once caught in the quest for the sharpest lens once too. :embrass: I would go around shooting newspaper to check each of my lenses's sharpness. ._. And I still do it whenever I buy a new lens. Maybe thats because sharpness is the easiest to quantify, compared to microcontrast, rendering, bokeh in the transition zone, colour accuracy, etc.

Hey bro, I don't think you can show a 400% crop on the monitor without pixellation, unless you have gone "back to the future" and brought back a monitor made in the year 2525 AD.:bsmilie:
 

Haha I think I shot it at f/2 ...
Wanted the form instead
Plus she's so small now, her eyes are simply two black spheres, extremely tough to get the catchlight in them
How's this?



on empty (CKC_8118_bw) by Zichar, on Flickr
 

Hey bro, I don't think you can show a 400% crop on the monitor without pixellation, unless you have gone "back to the future" and brought back a monitor made in the year 2525 AD.:bsmilie:

Well, I don't know, I just simply adjusted the slider on my navigator panel in Photoshop CS5 till it reads 400% and crops what I see on the screen. :dunno: ViewNX's slider at the top right gives me a sililiar image at 4x magnification. And I only start to see actual pixels at 500% magnification in PS, and max magnification goes all the way to 3200%. And nope, my free monitor's made about 2 years ago haha.
 

Haha I think I shot it at f/2 ...
Wanted the form instead
Plus she's so small now, her eyes are simply two black spheres, extremely tough to get the catchlight in them
How's this?



on empty (CKC_8118_bw) by Zichar, on Flickr
Nice!
I like the high key effect.
Now I can see your little dog's expression. She has a sad look; a heart-melting appeal.
A man's best friend in the making.
 

Well, I don't know, I just simply adjusted the slider on my navigator panel in Photoshop CS5 till it reads 400% and crops what I see on the screen. :dunno: ViewNX's slider at the top right gives me a sililiar image at 4x magnification. And I only start to see actual pixels at 500% magnification in PS, and max magnification goes all the way to 3200%. And nope, my free monitor's made about 2 years ago haha.

Actually "100%crop" is miss-leading. If a picture is cropped 100%, then it means 100% is cut(=cropped) away and there would be nothing left to see.

But it is a common expression that the screen picture is enlarged to 100%, meaning that every picture pixel is represented by one pixel on the screen. It means your image is enlarged to 100% of is full size on the monitor.Any more that 100% means that more than one pixel of the monitor is representing one pixel of your image.

And the crop means that a cut(=crop) is made of the 100% image. That is, a piece of the enlarged image is cut out and saved.

I am familiar with View NX's enlargement slider. If the magnification is too great the picture will pixelate and even if you save it, and later open it again it will display as a 100% crop. I know this because I have done it with Capture NX2

Ahh...sorry for the long discourse. You'll probably find this from any google search and with better explanations than mine.

Anyway...take more pictures and enjoy them. Let's see more manual focus images!
 

Hi guys and girls,

Between the 24 and 28mm f2.8 AIS, which lens would you choose?

Would the 28mm sharpness, less distortion and close focus ability win your vote?
 

i've used both side by side, and the 24mm gets my vote. it matches the 28mm for pretty much all the the 3 categories you brought up, and has a more dramatic perspective; but the second point is abit more subjective. between the 2, chose the focal length you prefer to shoot at; either one will be fantastic. i chose the 24mm cos i prefer to work with that focal length.

Hi guys and girls,

Between the 24 and 28mm f2.8 AIS, which lens would you choose?

Would the 28mm sharpness, less distortion and close focus ability win your vote?
 

Actually "100%crop" is miss-leading. If a picture is cropped 100%, then it means 100% is cut(=cropped) away and there would be nothing left to see.

But it is a common expression that the screen picture is enlarged to 100%, meaning that every picture pixel is represented by one pixel on the screen. It means your image is enlarged to 100% of is full size on the monitor.Any more that 100% means that more than one pixel of the monitor is representing one pixel of your image.

And the crop means that a cut(=crop) is made of the 100% image. That is, a piece of the enlarged image is cut out and saved.

I am familiar with View NX's enlargement slider. If the magnification is too great the picture will pixelate and even if you save it, and later open it again it will display as a 100% crop. I know this because I have done it with Capture NX2

Ahh...sorry for the long discourse. You'll probably find this from any google search and with better explanations than mine.

Anyway...take more pictures and enjoy them. Let's see more manual focus images!

Oh I see. I guess I'm wrong then, apologies for the confusion haha.

Yup, going to do some low light shooting later haha.

On a side note, you could try shooting with your 50mm f2 as the only lens for a day. :) To me, this lens has one of the most distinctive renderation and contrast out of all the Nikkors I've used so far.
 

Back
Top