AIS MF Nikkors 28mm f2.0 vrs. 28mm f2.8

"Roger" wrote in message
news
Folks,

I've been using a 28mm f2.8 AIS MF Nikkor for quite some time as a
street lens. Recently I got some back some photos that I had taken on
a trip and noticed that I just didn't seem to be getting the
performance I expected at the corners and edges when the lens was
focused at infinity (at f8-16). I went back through many prior photos
and realized that I had fallen into a routine of using the lens as a
"night" street lens and most of the photos were such that the
corners/edges didn't really play into the final image. I've also been
working around a bit of flare when strong point sources are included
in the image, quite common for the "night" shots.

After some research, it seems that the 28mm f2.0 MF AIS lens might be
a better lens for the kind of work I'm doing.

Can anyone with experience with the 28mm f2.0 MF AIS lens comment on
the flare resistance in high contrast images and the infinity
performance at medium/high apertures (e.g. daylight).

BTW: The 28mm f2.8 MF AIS lens is near perfection for close up images
and medium range images. It has been a mainstay lens, but I just had
an opportunity to use it for some mountain and urban skyline scenic
panoramas and noticed the slight falloff when I started stitching the
images.

The falloff of the 28mm f2.8 is barely noticeable in smaller stand
alone frames and even if the 2.0 appears to be a better solution for
some of what I, I'll keep the 28 for its mid distance performance. I
really like it at f5.6 on the street with ISO 400 film. The softness
does begin to show at larger magnifications (e.g. 10x14).

Thanks for the help,
Roger


Check out David Ruether's review of those two lenses. Short and to the
point. I'm sure he wouldn't mind some correspondence on the subject,
either:
http://www.ferrario.com/ruether/slemn.html#wide

I've heard the 2.8 AIS is better when focused on objects in the foreground
to middle distances. I own one and think it's a fantastic lens.

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
www.mattclara.com

"Roger" wrote in message
news
Folks,

I've been using a 28mm f2.8 AIS MF Nikkor for quite some time as a
street lens. Recently I got some back some photos that I had taken on
a trip and noticed that I just didn't seem to be getting the
performance I expected at the corners and edges when the lens was
focused at infinity (at f8-16). I went back through many prior photos
and realized that I had fallen into a routine of using the lens as a
"night" street lens and most of the photos were such that the
corners/edges didn't really play into the final image. I've also been
working around a bit of flare when strong point sources are included
in the image, quite common for the "night" shots.

After some research, it seems that the 28mm f2.0 MF AIS lens might be
a better lens for the kind of work I'm doing.

Can anyone with experience with the 28mm f2.0 MF AIS lens comment on
the flare resistance in high contrast images and the infinity
performance at medium/high apertures (e.g. daylight).

BTW: The 28mm f2.8 MF AIS lens is near perfection for close up images
and medium range images. It has been a mainstay lens, but I just had
an opportunity to use it for some mountain and urban skyline scenic
panoramas and noticed the slight falloff when I started stitching the
images.

The falloff of the 28mm f2.8 is barely noticeable in smaller stand
alone frames and even if the 2.0 appears to be a better solution for
some of what I, I'll keep the 28 for its mid distance performance. I
really like it at f5.6 on the street with ISO 400 film. The softness
does begin to show at larger magnifications (e.g. 10x14).

Thanks for the help,
Roger


Check out David Ruether's review of those two lenses. Short and to the
point. I'm sure he wouldn't mind some correspondence on the subject,
either:
http://www.ferrario.com/ruether/slemn.html#wide

I've heard the 2.8 AIS is better when focused on objects in the foreground
to middle distances. I own one and think it's a fantastic lens.

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
www.mattclara.com

Roger wrote:

Folks,

I've been using a 28mm f2.8 AIS MF Nikkor for quite some time as a
street lens. Recently I got some back some photos that I had taken on
a trip and noticed that I just didn't seem to be getting the
performance I expected at the corners and edges when the lens was
focused at infinity (at f8-16). I went back through many prior photos
and realized that I had fallen into a routine of using the lens as a
"night" street lens and most of the photos were such that the
corners/edges didn't really play into the final image. I've also been
working around a bit of flare when strong point sources are included
in the image, quite common for the "night" shots.

I had some similar problems and experiences with several Nikon 28 mm
manual focus lenses.



After some research, it seems that the 28mm f2.0 MF AIS lens might be
a better lens for the kind of work I'm doing.

To use in really low light conditions, that f2.0 would provide a
brighter view through the viewfinder. Unfortunately, I don't think you
will avoid darker corners, unless you stop down the lens to f5.6 or f8.



Can anyone with experience with the 28mm f2.0 MF AIS lens comment on
the flare resistance in high contrast images and the infinity
performance at medium/high apertures (e.g. daylight).

Unfortunately, again I have yet to find a 28 mm manual focus Nikon lens
that is really good at avoiding flare. Using an HN-1 or HN-2 hood can
help, though it is still important to be careful when setting up the
shot. Most of the 24 mm Nikon lenses are much better in this regard.



BTW: The 28mm f2.8 MF AIS lens is near perfection for close up images
and medium range images. It has been a mainstay lens, but I just had
an opportunity to use it for some mountain and urban skyline scenic
panoramas and noticed the slight falloff when I started stitching the
images.

That one is probably better than other Nikon 28 mm choices at close
distance, especially with the CRC feature. My preference is to using a
28 mm more stopped down, than wide open. I almost went with the 28 mm
f2.8, though I tried out a 28 mm f3.5 AIS, and found I liked the stop
down performance better. I am now finding that I am leaning more towards
getting a 24 mm f2.8 instead.



The falloff of the 28mm f2.8 is barely noticeable in smaller stand
alone frames and even if the 2.0 appears to be a better solution for
some of what I, I'll keep the 28 for its mid distance performance. I
really like it at f5.6 on the street with ISO 400 film. The softness
does begin to show at larger magnifications (e.g. 10x14).

The newer autofocus 28 mm f1.4 is supposedly a much better lens, and
better resistance to flare. However, these are much more expensive, and
the manual focus feel seems quite loose compared to a true manual focus
lens.



Thanks for the help,
Roger

Okay, it might sound weird that I went with a 28 mm f3.5 AIS. I really
wanted more stop down performance, though there are compromises. This
lens shows almost no distortion, which was one of the reasons I got it.
During night shooting, a split image screen will just go dark, so you
really need to change screens to use it under low light. This lens is a
very simple construction, which might explain why it is more flare
resistant than the other 28 mm lenses. Close focus is not as good as the
28 mm f2.8, so I cannot recommend it for that. It does close focus to
under 1' (less than 0.3 m), though it works better with a short PK-11
extension tube at close distance. If you find yourself doing many shots
at f2.0, then stick with that version, or try to get a newer f1.4
version.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com/gallery.html Updated!

Roger wrote:

Folks,

I've been using a 28mm f2.8 AIS MF Nikkor for quite some time as a
street lens. Recently I got some back some photos that I had taken on
a trip and noticed that I just didn't seem to be getting the
performance I expected at the corners and edges when the lens was
focused at infinity (at f8-16). I went back through many prior photos
and realized that I had fallen into a routine of using the lens as a
"night" street lens and most of the photos were such that the
corners/edges didn't really play into the final image. I've also been
working around a bit of flare when strong point sources are included
in the image, quite common for the "night" shots.

I had some similar problems and experiences with several Nikon 28 mm
manual focus lenses.



After some research, it seems that the 28mm f2.0 MF AIS lens might be
a better lens for the kind of work I'm doing.

To use in really low light conditions, that f2.0 would provide a
brighter view through the viewfinder. Unfortunately, I don't think you
will avoid darker corners, unless you stop down the lens to f5.6 or f8.



Can anyone with experience with the 28mm f2.0 MF AIS lens comment on
the flare resistance in high contrast images and the infinity
performance at medium/high apertures (e.g. daylight).

Unfortunately, again I have yet to find a 28 mm manual focus Nikon lens
that is really good at avoiding flare. Using an HN-1 or HN-2 hood can
help, though it is still important to be careful when setting up the
shot. Most of the 24 mm Nikon lenses are much better in this regard.



BTW: The 28mm f2.8 MF AIS lens is near perfection for close up images
and medium range images. It has been a mainstay lens, but I just had
an opportunity to use it for some mountain and urban skyline scenic
panoramas and noticed the slight falloff when I started stitching the
images.

That one is probably better than other Nikon 28 mm choices at close
distance, especially with the CRC feature. My preference is to using a
28 mm more stopped down, than wide open. I almost went with the 28 mm
f2.8, though I tried out a 28 mm f3.5 AIS, and found I liked the stop
down performance better. I am now finding that I am leaning more towards
getting a 24 mm f2.8 instead.



The falloff of the 28mm f2.8 is barely noticeable in smaller stand
alone frames and even if the 2.0 appears to be a better solution for
some of what I, I'll keep the 28 for its mid distance performance. I
really like it at f5.6 on the street with ISO 400 film. The softness
does begin to show at larger magnifications (e.g. 10x14).

The newer autofocus 28 mm f1.4 is supposedly a much better lens, and
better resistance to flare. However, these are much more expensive, and
the manual focus feel seems quite loose compared to a true manual focus
lens.



Thanks for the help,
Roger

Okay, it might sound weird that I went with a 28 mm f3.5 AIS. I really
wanted more stop down performance, though there are compromises. This
lens shows almost no distortion, which was one of the reasons I got it.
During night shooting, a split image screen will just go dark, so you
really need to change screens to use it under low light. This lens is a
very simple construction, which might explain why it is more flare
resistant than the other 28 mm lenses. Close focus is not as good as the
28 mm f2.8, so I cannot recommend it for that. It does close focus to
under 1' (less than 0.3 m), though it works better with a short PK-11
extension tube at close distance. If you find yourself doing many shots
at f2.0, then stick with that version, or try to get a newer f1.4
version.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com/gallery.html Updated!