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Question about Nikon's legacy lenses


rahullele

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Over weekend i was trying Zeiss Milvus 85 mm ($15 for weekend rental) and i couldn't get manual focus working. (Although it was pretty interesting to try it out.) When i returned it, i was asking if there is any old manual focus nikon glass they have to where i'd get those DOF lines and get more hang of it. They had 3 and i just bought them. 

Nikon 50 mm 1.8 AI - $60. (https://kenrockwell.com/nikon/50mm-f18-ais-pancake.htm

Nikon 105 mm 2.5 - $20 (https://kenrockwell.com/nikon/105f25.htm

Nikon 55 mm 2.8 micro - $20 (https://kenrockwell.com/nikon/55f28ais.htm

Did i overpay ? Was that stupid purchase? i want to try these lenses for fun. And test images (JPEG out of camera) are not looking bad at all.  Just want to ask out of curiosity. 

Also I kind of started liking macro and i've 200 mm F/4 as wishlist. But there is rumor new one is coming and i don't want to spend much on stopgap arrangement. Hence i'm thinking of buying Nikon AF 105 mm 2.8 Micro for $300 tomorrow. (Older version) and continue to wait for new version of 200 mm macro. Just wanted to check with you if there are any caveats to it ? and if $300 is fair pay?

i'm not considering latest 105 micro as option because  I rented it to try and anyone would love it if they did not try 200 mm earlier. So i'm determined to buy new 200 mm Macro and not want to shell out $900 for that one.  

Greatly Appreciate your experienced inputs .. 

 

RL1_6844_55mm_Micro.JPG

RL1_6847_50mm.JPG

RL1_6848_105mm.JPG

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Manual focusing on a digital camera is a pain in the ass. They are fun to play with. A few years ago, a company called KatzEye made focusing screen that worked like the split-prisms on SLR bodies, which made manual focusing MUCH easier. Unfortunately, that company is no longer in business. Personally I'd either wait for the 200mm f/4 or get the 105VR. Unless you are going to use a tripod 100% of the time. I'm in the same boat. I have toyed around with getting a 105VR, but I feel that a 150m - 200m Macro Lens might be a better fit.

Honestly, you seem to want that 200mm and that is your answer. That said, I wouldn't hold my breath for Nikon to release anything like that in the near future. They have gone Mirrorless Happy with their new Nikon Z Mount lenses. What I do see being released is the Nikon D6, and the new 58mm f/0.95 Noct lens for the Nikon Z Mirrorless. Anything other than that is pure speculation.

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