The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Fun with the Nikon 135/2 AIS

A

asabet

Guest
I sort of have a thing for fast 135mm lenses as weird as that may sound. I've enjoyed using the Vivitar Series 1 135mm f/2.3 on my OM-2n, and the only thing keeping me from the Canon 135L and Nikon 135 DC is the price tag. I just don't shoot telephoto often enough to spend a lot of money on this length. When I found an inexpensive copy of the 135/2 AIS, I jumped on it. It's a pretty sweet lens. Sharp wide open. Very little CA. I really like the bokeh characteristics, which are for the most part neutral with some "swirliness" presumably due to optical vignetting of the rear element. 9 blades, so OOF points stay round. Building, handling, and focus ring action are excellent. The one negative I'm seeing is susceptibility to flare, and the built-in hood is not very effective.

A few examples from today (all taken with lens wide open):



Gettin' swirly with it:



Below you can see the flare causing contrast washout in the bottom left part of the picture. It was a pretty harsh test, shooting into the sun.



Eventually I'm going to have to spring for the AF DC version :rolleyes:.
 
S

S.P.

Guest
Hi Amin,

that´s a very nice lens and you nailed the sharpness on the spot! :thumbup:

Stefan
 

Lars

Active member
Amin,
FYI the 135 DC is a bit fragile - complex construction, heavy glass. Not a PJ lens, far from it. Lovely for portraits though.
Lars
 
A

asabet

Guest
Thanks Stefan!

Lars, appreciate the info. For now, I'm pretty happy with my old lens.

Here's one more from yesterday. I should have stopped it down a bit more to get his lips in focus :).

 
P

Paul.R.Lindqvist

Guest
Amin i would go so far to say that the 135/2 ais (latest version with more "brown" coating is just as the good as (in my case superior) 135/2 DC. If you dont need AF/DC.

I personally dont care one bit for the DC feature, and the build of the DC lenses are not up to pair with the older designs wich are mortars. :)

I absolutley love the 135/2 ais on the D3. My reason for buying the 135/2 ais was cause i didnt want the 135/2 DC, money wasnt a factor in that decision.

I actually have to copies of this lens, one of them looks better then the other :)

My "newest" copy is in "new" condition and the hood works like intended (maybe the newer coating helps aswell ?) the "beat" up copy has a "rattling" lens hood and is quite prone to flare and the contrast isnt the best in bright light.







Cute kids, the last one is my favourite.

Regards
Paul L.
 
A

asabet

Guest
Amin i would go so far to say that the 135/2 ais (latest version with more "brown" coating is just as the good as (in my case superior) 135/2 DC. If you dont need AF/DC.

Paul, thanks for the great information and pictures. Mine has the brown coating and is in pretty good condition. When I had the flare problems, I was shooting wide open directly into the sun, so it was a torture test to be sure. I'm not having any problems with veiling under normal f/2 use, so I'm pleased overall. I guess I was just digging for problems as the lens is outperforming expectations overall.


I personally dont care one bit for the DC feature, and the build of the DC lenses are not up to pair with the older designs wich are mortars. :)


I tend to think of DC as a way of improving bokeh, and the bokeh I'm seeing suits my tastes perfectly, so I suppose DC isn't much of a draw for me either.


Cute kids, the last one is my favourite.

Thanks Paul!

Regards,
Amin
 
Top