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Nikkor 58mm 1:2

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
I have a strong interest in this lens . I really enjoy night street shooting . The leica notiluxes are great but limited by an effective top ISO of 1000 (yes I know its possible to do great work beyond that but the DR is so narrow its difficult to pull off). The Nikon high ISO performance keeps getting better and better .

I am looking for the rendering of an R 80 summilux but with a wider view.

Diglloyd has an older test of this lens against the Canon 50/1.2 L which I consider a great lens for what I have in mind.

The other alternative is to convert one of the R 50/1.4 summiluxes .
 

Brian S

New member
I think the title should be th Nikkor 58mm 1.2, rather than a colon. The "1:2" is often used for an F2 lens.

The Nikkor lens goes for almost as much as an F1.0 Noctilux these days. For whatever reason, the Aspheric Canon F1.2 is much less expensive, like 1/5th the cost.

Of course with a very high ISO performance, and F1.2 lens is almost redundant. The Zeiss F-Mount F1.4 lens might be worth considering. It is just 1/2 of a stop.
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Brian you are correct. I think the issue on the super fast glass is that they are also optimized to handle coma (street lights ) and produce the Noctilux style of bokeh. I am sure there are better technical terms.

You can get a Nikkor 58 1.2 for between $3-3500 mint. The canon 50 1.2 is a superb example and a relative bargain compared to the alternatives..but I need the Nikon high Iso performance. The canon and the zeiss render in distinctly different ways they have different signatures.

Whats new is the high Iso performance combined with the fast glass for night shooting.
 

Brian S

New member
I have the original review of the Noct-Nikkor from the Pop Photo coverage of Photokina '76. It is an amazing lens. I wish I had the lens, somehow I did pick up the Lens Hood for it. If I come across a lens, I'm set for the correct hood.

The resolution/contrast set point for the Noct-Nikkor was optimized for low-light situations. I seem to remember 10LP/mm resolution being optimized for contrast. I should find the article.
 

TimothyHyde

Subscriber Member
I had one that I lost with a lot of other gear in a robbery a few years ago. It was especially useful at night--with a D2x in those days--because it eliminates most coma distortion (is that redundant?) in night shooting. It is on my list to replace at some point.
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Thanks for the insights. Its such a rare lens and been out of production for so long that few people consider it. But from the sample images I can find it has that vintage Noctilux 1.0 look.... Next generation of Nikon sensors should handle 6400 (D3S) about the same as the M9 does 1000.
 

shtarka1

Active member
Hi Guy's. My Friend Corlan Pointed Me In This Direction..

1.


2.


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5.


6.


7.


8.

D3, 58 Noct AIS
Got this Amazing lens off Flea Bay approximately 2 years ago & it ranks up there with the Best of them! Though not technically perfect, these images show you the unique feel of the lens. Hope this helps a little with regards to this Stellar Old Classic!:)
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Steve

Thanks... I thought the summary of all of his examples into one gallery was really great (see Sandro s link above). The Sigma is much better than I thought and the NOCT is absolutely perfect for night shooting wide open. I am less into close ups of people with blurred background and more concerned about using the lens on the street.

You can see that the NOCT has some challenges with "swirly bokeh" in the street shots.
I am spoiled by the Leica M Noctilux which doesn t do any of that . But I need that higher ISO of the Nikon . And the NOCT looks sharper than the 1.0 Noctilux wide open .
 

Corlan F.

Subscriber Member
A very enlightening thread about this great piece of Nikon history.
Combined with the info posted in the "Quality of out of focus image for 50mm lenses" discussion... well...

Now, i want one.
Just have to save a little bit. :rolleyes: :deadhorse: :eek:
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
A very enlightening thread about this great piece of Nikon history.
Combined with the info posted in the "Quality of out of focus image for 50mm lenses" discussion... well...

Now, i want one.
Just have to save a little bit. :rolleyes: :deadhorse: :eek:
Me too while I was studying "my navel" I missed a really nice one for $2900 on a buy it now on eBay. :deadhorse:
 

NotXorc

New member
Have you considered the (much cheaper) Voigtlander Nokton 58/1.4? As it is manual focus it might not be optimal for street photography. Wide open, zone focus may be too tricky. That said, I have used it successfully to shoot a nighttime carnival. Focus 'bracketing' adjustments were necessary to insure sharp results, but the results were nice. Live view is best, even if you don't have the luxury of a tripod.
 
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