Great information! Just ordered this lens USED on Ebay and can't wait to use it on a Nikon D750...I already have a 50mm 1.8 Keep up the great work and I'll keep you posted
55/1,2 went to the moon with Apollo 15. If we have a late Nikon F, the combination will really deserve the title "Nikon F Apollo edition". The model that was sent to the moon was indeed very adapted to extreme conditions on the moon, but Nikon's marketing created pride and joy of ownership for the few who bought the old F long after the F2 was introduced.
I have one that I think was converted from the 74/77 era that I absolutely love.Works great with film or digital one of my favorites to use with my Df and now my z6.
i picked up the same version as you have, the single-coated '71-'72 version. i was going for the vintage look, but im curious if fhe colors are different than the "S.C." version.
Nice video, I've one myself, use it on my Nikon F, looks awesome and yes you are right, has a very unique look. Don't forget the very first version of the 58mm 1.4, 1959-62. I was going to buy one but I did read it wasn't the best, the 50mm 1.4 that replaced it was a big improvement from 1962 onwards.
I've been looking at the 58mm but they never sold it with an AI conversion, it's only ever pre AI... And I do like my old lenses AI converted... Still I may get one for fun
Great video - thank you for posting! Not much on this lens. I saw one of your comments about the letters - curious to know if SC still means multi-coated. I'm trying to build a set that matches. Some have a yellow coating and some have a blue coating. Also, curious, could the S series with the yellow coating be made with Thorium?
Hey so if it’s got a brownish hue then there’s a chance it’s thoriated glass. Generally the fast primes will have thoriated glass until like AI-S era. camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Radioactive_lenses Here’s a link to all lenses tested and known to be radioactive.
@@Dudeitsbrian I have the 35mm 1.4 and that is definitely thoriated with a blue tint but turns the image brown. I don't think my 55mm 1.2 is thoriated but could be wrong. I built a set of non-thoriated Takumars for this reason - wanted a matching set!
I have one of these, in the original format like the one in your video, and love it. Highly underrated lens, especially considering how little you can pay for one these days. It's sharp even at f/1.2 but there's a mild haze at apertures faster than f/2 from uncorrected aberrations that makes things seem soft and you have to absolutely nail focus. I don't know how film photographers do it; I have to use zoomed in live view on my DSLR. There is definitely a single coat on the front element, mine shows a very distinct gold color when you bounce light off of it. I just recently got an AI-s model 50mm f/1.2 and I'm looking forward to comparing them. The newer 50mm has 9 aperture blades vice 7, is definitely multi-coated, and it is significantly lighter.
- First, if you use a Nikon Dslr change the focus on the camera switch to MF and then in the view finder choose your focusing point .. in the lower right end in the view finder there is a circle which confirms the focus is right (it will till you to rotate right or left and become a circle when the focus is correct)... I use the live view method sometimes specially for macro , however the viewfinder method is faster ... try it and check if it is accurate with your lens (some lenses may front or back focus but usually it is accurate) - As for the old cameras, I bought the Nikkon F1 (from 1964) ...it has a prism circle in the middle and you'll see that the upper and lower parts are shifted .. I need to move the focus ring till they be in right position (the inside is continuous) and then take the photo ... I was blown away of how smart this system is ...haven't shot a film yet , but really looking forward for my first Nikon F1 + 55mm 1.2 combination 😀
@@estoylisto I can get away with the viewfinder focus indicators at slower apertures, but for f/2 and faster, especially up close (which is mainly what I do with this lens) they're not accurate enough. I've shot film on SLRs before and I love how the microprisms work. Really clever engineering. Unfortunately, my eyes aren't good enough to make the most out of them, LOL! Thanks for the reply!
Back in the days of Kodak 2475, Tri-X Pan souped in Diafine, and old timers talking about "mercury hypersensitization," f/1.4 and f/1.2 lenses were all the rage. I never did buy even a 50mm f/2 Nikkor, since I preferred the 55mm f/3.5 Micro Nikkor. (The fastest lenses I owned "back in the days of High Speed Ektachrome" was an 85mm f/1.8 Nikkor or a 35mm f/2 Nikkor for Ye Olde Nikkormat FTN.) When the Nikon FM/Nikon F-2 and the AI meter coupling system lenses came out, I had all of my Nikkor lenses adapted, since I intended to use the non-multicoated Nikkors as long as I could. (Plus, I didn't have the money to buy "AI native" multicoated lenses.)
@@dangerpowers123 That's very much an American thing, where photographers asked "how fast can I get this film to be?" But across the pond, Europeans asked "what kind of quality do I get out of this film?" So there are hypersensitization and latensification processes, they were rarely - if ever - used, but those things even became some sort of industry in the US, where gadgets like metal cans with radioactive materials for treating film were made and sold. There was one that was quite interesting and effective: CPA (concurrent photon amplification) where an overall exposure just below what can be registered beyond B+F is applied concurrently as image exposure.
I noticed that too, I'm here in Aus as well and most of the ones I've looked at that are in good condition with no mould or fungus are running around the 500-600$ AUD mark at the moment so it looks like I'll have to wait for a little longer yet...there were a couple that were around the 1,000$ mark as well..definitely not paying that much for one.
It's heavy but actually not hugely so. It balances ok with the Nikon bodies and with the Fuji I now use the bolt on grip so it's more weighted. Hay it's been a while I hope your doing a video or two soon buddy
@@dangerpowers123 I'm curious to see/feel the weight of these new .95 lenses coming out for the mirrorless as well. I'm sure they won't have the build quality this 1.2 does. I've been good man! I have a few vids on the works, but have been super short on time since Dec. I should have something new or soon though.
About the focal reducer... how can it increase the amount of light coming in? I thought any thing that lengthened the focal length reduced the amount of light falling on the film plane (inverse square law I think it is called). Using extension tubes always required one to increase the aperture to compensate for the loss of light afforded by the increase in focal length. It should slow the lens down not speed it up. Can anyone help me understand what is going on with this?
I also bought one in Japan while being there. Love it. I use it on D700 - I installed magnifying eyepiece on it and the focusing is now much more easier. My version is No. 5 :www.nicovandijk.net/55types.htm
@John Woodsrd why didn’t it work on your FM? Did you know there is a aperture coupling tab that flips up out of the way so you can use pre-AI lenses with the FM?
@@reedmelicher8658 : I have always received any photo equipment and lenses from Japan but remember that the seller may say it is “near mint” or “mint” but the photographs show otherwise. I use PayPal as they are strict that the buyer receives the right things and the seller knows this. Thank you. RS. Canada
I wish you would speak more about what matters the most - pictures. Talking about gear is futile if it does not translate directly into tangibles. It would be best if you could compare lenses in their pictorial results.
Great video, this lens is a super classic. I was able to find one super cheap but in really bad shape. No problem, got it fixed! made a video of the restoration ruclips.net/video/mP3dq1R5y8s/видео.html
This lens was never maded for portrait photography bud for very low light situations and circumstances were you were not alowed to use flashes.85mm lenses are made for portraits.It also wil be @ his sharpest @ a distance from 5 meters.@ infinity it wil NOT be sharp because it wasnt made for that.
Lots of these lenses are adapted and uses on Fuji and other crop sensor bodies...where a 55mm lens becomes an 80mm focal length due to the crop factor. So can make a good portrait lens. I see it as a lens I use for a unique and different look. And often that's portraits, I don't mind how sharp or not it is.
S stands for the number of lens elements, in this case sept or 7. Nikkor-H, hex, has 6. Nikkor-P, has 5 etcetera
Your 100% right ... I read this before a few times, but for some reason my brain failed to remember it when I made the video. Thanks you
Great information! Just ordered this lens USED on Ebay and can't wait to use it on a Nikon D750...I already have a 50mm 1.8 Keep up the great work and I'll keep you posted
Can it work on my Nikon d3300?
The Voigtlander Nikon mount lenses are also a good choice for high quality primes.
55/1,2 went to the moon with Apollo 15. If we have a late Nikon F, the combination will really deserve the title "Nikon F Apollo edition". The model that was sent to the moon was indeed very adapted to extreme conditions on the moon, but Nikon's marketing created pride and joy of ownership for the few who bought the old F long after the F2 was introduced.
I have one that I think was converted from the 74/77 era that I absolutely love.Works great with film or digital one of my favorites to use with my Df and now my z6.
i picked up the same version as you have, the single-coated '71-'72 version. i was going for the vintage look, but im curious if fhe colors are different than the "S.C." version.
such a beautiful lens! i have the f1.4
Very informative. Thank you.
Great video
Nice video, I've one myself, use it on my Nikon F, looks awesome and yes you are right, has a very unique look. Don't forget the very first version of the 58mm 1.4, 1959-62. I was going to buy one but I did read it wasn't the best, the 50mm 1.4 that replaced it was a big improvement from 1962 onwards.
I've been looking at the 58mm but they never sold it with an AI conversion, it's only ever pre AI... And I do like my old lenses AI converted... Still I may get one for fun
I just received this lens but I can’t remove the rear cap from it ! Is there something I’m missing ?
so i can still use the non-ai lens on bodies like the f3 and f6 if i just manually expose right?
Great video, which camera is featured in this video?
Just picked one up,looking forward to using it
With film or digital ?
Film
Awesome video! Great topic, great treatment.
Thank you
Great video - thank you for posting! Not much on this lens. I saw one of your comments about the letters - curious to know if SC still means multi-coated. I'm trying to build a set that matches. Some have a yellow coating and some have a blue coating.
Also, curious, could the S series with the yellow coating be made with Thorium?
Hey so if it’s got a brownish hue then there’s a chance it’s thoriated glass. Generally the fast primes will have thoriated glass until like AI-S era.
camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Radioactive_lenses
Here’s a link to all lenses tested and known to be radioactive.
@@Dudeitsbrian I have the 35mm 1.4 and that is definitely thoriated with a blue tint but turns the image brown. I don't think my 55mm 1.2 is thoriated but could be wrong. I built a set of non-thoriated Takumars for this reason - wanted a matching set!
I have one of these, in the original format like the one in your video, and love it. Highly underrated lens, especially considering how little you can pay for one these days. It's sharp even at f/1.2 but there's a mild haze at apertures faster than f/2 from uncorrected aberrations that makes things seem soft and you have to absolutely nail focus. I don't know how film photographers do it; I have to use zoomed in live view on my DSLR.
There is definitely a single coat on the front element, mine shows a very distinct gold color when you bounce light off of it.
I just recently got an AI-s model 50mm f/1.2 and I'm looking forward to comparing them. The newer 50mm has 9 aperture blades vice 7, is definitely multi-coated, and it is significantly lighter.
- First, if you use a Nikon Dslr change the focus on the camera switch to MF and then in the view finder choose your focusing point .. in the lower right end in the view finder there is a circle which confirms the focus is right (it will till you to rotate right or left and become a circle when the focus is correct)... I use the live view method sometimes specially for macro , however the viewfinder method is faster ... try it and check if it is accurate with your lens (some lenses may front or back focus but usually it is accurate)
- As for the old cameras, I bought the Nikkon F1 (from 1964) ...it has a prism circle in the middle and you'll see that the upper and lower parts are shifted .. I need to move the focus ring till they be in right position (the inside is continuous) and then take the photo ... I was blown away of how smart this system is ...haven't shot a film yet , but really looking forward for my first Nikon F1 + 55mm 1.2 combination 😀
@@estoylisto I can get away with the viewfinder focus indicators at slower apertures, but for f/2 and faster, especially up close (which is mainly what I do with this lens) they're not accurate enough.
I've shot film on SLRs before and I love how the microprisms work. Really clever engineering. Unfortunately, my eyes aren't good enough to make the most out of them, LOL!
Thanks for the reply!
Can I use this on my Nikon d3300?
Back in the days of Kodak 2475, Tri-X Pan souped in Diafine, and old timers talking about "mercury hypersensitization," f/1.4 and f/1.2 lenses were all the rage. I never did buy even a 50mm f/2 Nikkor, since I preferred the 55mm f/3.5 Micro Nikkor. (The fastest lenses I owned "back in the days of High Speed Ektachrome" was an 85mm f/1.8 Nikkor or a 35mm f/2 Nikkor for Ye Olde Nikkormat FTN.) When the Nikon FM/Nikon F-2 and the AI meter coupling system lenses came out, I had all of my Nikkor lenses adapted, since I intended to use the non-multicoated Nikkors as long as I could. (Plus, I didn't have the money to buy "AI native" multicoated lenses.)
That's really interesting about the diafine and mercury etc..thanks for the great comment 👍
@@dangerpowers123 That's very much an American thing, where photographers asked "how fast can I get this film to be?" But across the pond, Europeans asked "what kind of quality do I get out of this film?" So there are hypersensitization and latensification processes, they were rarely - if ever - used, but those things even became some sort of industry in the US, where gadgets like metal cans with radioactive materials for treating film were made and sold. There was one that was quite interesting and effective: CPA (concurrent photon amplification) where an overall exposure just below what can be registered beyond B+F is applied concurrently as image exposure.
@@Seele2015au sounds fascinating.. thanks for the information
Your camera body looks like a black F2 with an accessory grip? As of Dec 2019 most of these lenses are around the $500 Aust. Regards. Stephen C.
I just brought 55 1.2 for 210 bucks from Ebay
I noticed that too, I'm here in Aus as well and most of the ones I've looked at that are in good condition with no mould or fungus are running around the 500-600$ AUD mark at the moment so it looks like I'll have to wait for a little longer yet...there were a couple that were around the 1,000$ mark as well..definitely not paying that much for one.
Very good, informative video!
Thank you 👍
I have one of these lenses AI. Great video. Thank you very much. RS. Canada
Looks like a beast.
It's heavy but actually not hugely so. It balances ok with the Nikon bodies and with the Fuji I now use the bolt on grip so it's more weighted. Hay it's been a while I hope your doing a video or two soon buddy
@@dangerpowers123 I'm curious to see/feel the weight of these new .95 lenses coming out for the mirrorless as well. I'm sure they won't have the build quality this 1.2 does.
I've been good man! I have a few vids on the works, but have been super short on time since Dec. I should have something new or soon though.
@@filmismorefun good stuff, I'm looking forward to seeing them
Hi, Thanks! For my Nikon Z6 I bought the Novoflex adapter in order to mount pre-AI lenses on my camera. AI mount conversions are no longer necessary.
Fair play. I'd love a Z6 one day ...still tempted to pick up a Df
Where did you get Hand grip?
What grip is that?
S is for the Greek word Septem for the number 7, 7 being 7 elements and C is for multi coated as you said.
I’ve been wanting this lens . I’d like the single coated version . I do have the 50 f/1.4 non ai . Don’t use it much but it’s a nice lens .
Suggest setting up on eBay a followed search for 55mm f1.2 and then any time one is listed you will know
what does the ai stand for
nice video with 55 1.2 bro!
About the focal reducer... how can it increase the amount of light coming in? I thought any thing that lengthened the focal length reduced the amount of light falling on the film plane (inverse square law I think it is called). Using extension tubes always required one to increase the aperture to compensate for the loss of light afforded by the increase in focal length. It should slow the lens down not speed it up. Can anyone help me understand what is going on with this?
I am not an expert.
Maybe the glass element inside the focal reducer amplifies the light coming from the lense to the sensor?
Hello, if I want to buy the lens hood for this lens what is the model ?
It's sometimes called the HS-3
Y HN-6
Good description but you don't say much about the pictures it takes. Respectfully try to limit the "uhhm, uh, mmm... " Thank you for the video.
just ordered one. early one. in shipping from japan, I hope it'll be my standard dreamy/arty lens, lol.
Congrats on the lens. I hope you get it soon in the mail
I also bought one in Japan while being there. Love it. I use it on D700 - I installed magnifying eyepiece on it and the focusing is now much more easier. My version is No. 5 :www.nicovandijk.net/55types.htm
Did it ever show? I'm always super worried things won't show up from Japan
@John Woodsrd why didn’t it work on your FM? Did you know there is a aperture coupling tab that flips up out of the way so you can use pre-AI lenses with the FM?
@@reedmelicher8658 : I have always received any photo equipment and lenses from Japan but remember that the seller may say it is “near mint” or “mint” but the photographs show otherwise. I use PayPal as they are strict that the buyer receives the right things and the seller knows this. Thank you. RS. Canada
This or the 58/1.4G?
I don't use G lenses ...never have. Sorry so I cant say.
Film Camera Reviews No worries. Maybe someone will chime in who has :)
I wish you would speak more about what matters the most - pictures. Talking about gear is futile if it does not translate directly into tangibles. It would be best if you could compare lenses in their pictorial results.
You need to show more sample images. It is boring to see the lens only for 10 minutes.
I'll think about it... Appreciate the feedback
What is a normal price for this lengs?
Spotted on on eBay this week for £250... But usually around £300
@@dangerpowers123 thx
Is it just me, or do you guys think that zilver coloured filter looks amazing on this lens!
Totally agree
Great video, this lens is a super classic. I was able to find one super cheap but in really bad shape. No problem, got it fixed! made a video of the restoration ruclips.net/video/mP3dq1R5y8s/видео.html
Serial # 220001 and up have multicoated rear elements according to Roland Vink: www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html#50fast
This lens was never maded for portrait photography bud for very low light situations and circumstances were you were not alowed to use flashes.85mm lenses are made for portraits.It also wil be @ his sharpest @ a distance from 5 meters.@ infinity it wil NOT be sharp because it wasnt made for that.
Lots of these lenses are adapted and uses on Fuji and other crop sensor bodies...where a 55mm lens becomes an 80mm focal length due to the crop factor. So can make a good portrait lens. I see it as a lens I use for a unique and different look. And often that's portraits, I don't mind how sharp or not it is.