Might be my favorite vintage Nikon lens! Mine is between your 2 samples. Silver nose with the scalloped ar. Seriously fighting the erge to collect this one.
The pre-AI lenses with their Leica inspired scalloped focusing rings are some of the best looking glass Nikon made IMO. I’ll take composition over a bit of sharpness any day. Pre-AI glass has class.
Thank you Jules. I too have a few pre-AI and AI lenses (and SLR cameras). As you know, the AI's can be used on some of the Nikon DSLRs (like my D700). My pre-AI's (and AI's) I use on a Fujifilm X-Pro mirrorless camera with Metabones adapter. The AI and AI/S lenses were so well made, and thanks to mirrorless cameras they live again! Later Nikon made AF and AF-D lenses; do you use any of them?
I still have some AF and AF-D lenses, which I still use on my D810. The 60mm 2.8 AFD macro is great on the 810 but of course it won’t auto focus on the Z cameras.
Thank you so much for this. I was looking for information in regards to the chrome vs black pre-AI versions. I was looking into getting the 180mm ED, either I'm AI or D versions. I've read on the 1001 Nights blog that the D versions performs fantastically from near to far; the AI performs just as good from mid to far. Have you found this to be true?
I had the original 180 2.8 and it was very sharp, a great long portrait lens even wide open. I have no experience with the AFD version but I understand it was excellent.
Might be my favorite vintage Nikon lens! Mine is between your 2 samples. Silver nose with the scalloped ar. Seriously fighting the erge to collect this one.
Thanks for helping me find this one. Excellent as always
The pre-AI lenses with their Leica inspired scalloped focusing rings are some of the best looking glass Nikon made IMO. I’ll take composition over a bit of sharpness any day. Pre-AI glass has class.
I prefer the metal focus ring on the pre AI lenses over the rubber covered ring on the AI and later lenses too.
Thank you Jules. I too have a few pre-AI and AI lenses (and SLR cameras). As you know, the AI's can be used on some of the Nikon DSLRs (like my D700). My pre-AI's (and AI's) I use on a Fujifilm X-Pro mirrorless camera with Metabones adapter. The AI and AI/S lenses were so well made, and thanks to mirrorless cameras they live again! Later Nikon made AF and AF-D lenses; do you use any of them?
I still have some AF and AF-D lenses, which I still use on my D810. The 60mm 2.8 AFD macro is great on the 810 but of course it won’t auto focus on the Z cameras.
Thank you so much for this. I was looking for information in regards to the chrome vs black pre-AI versions.
I was looking into getting the 180mm ED, either I'm AI or D versions. I've read on the 1001 Nights blog that the D versions performs fantastically from near to far; the AI performs just as good from mid to far.
Have you found this to be true?
I had the original 180 2.8 and it was very sharp, a great long portrait lens even wide open. I have no experience with the AFD version but I understand it was excellent.