"Look" lenses for Nikon

[RVB]

The 85 1.8 is really nice and I like it almost as much as the 1.4 but the 70-200 f4 is really good and a great call over the 2.8. I will have to sell mine though to get the Zeiss 135 f2 as ill have no choice since my photo budget is zero right now. The medical bills are absolutely outrageous from my wife's brain surgery. :banghead:

Totally agree on the 85mm 1.8G.. it's better for many situation's,cheaper and a lot lighter and just as good at 1.8 as the 1.4G.. It has another differentiator. it can give great flare if you want it, (due to the lack of coating's I believe..)

I empathise with your family's medical situation,I have been through a similar situation for over two decade's.. I had a head injury in a bike accident in 1990.. it wrecked me,I had 4 back op's and had my right arm broken ,set badly and re-broken to reset it.. a real ball buster..I was still unable to even look through a viewfinder for another 15yrs bacuase no one could figure out that I had something called idiopathic intracranial hypotension ...i have had about 18 mri's and nuclear medicine in the last few years and no face another op in North carolina soon... :wtf: .. sorry for the rant

Anyway I believe (from a post you made on LL) your wife is recovering from what I know is not just physically tough but mentally,emotionally and spiritually draining too,..i wish her the best.. health is wealth..

Be optimistic about the future,you could end up with another Phase soon..life is like that..

Rob

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Thanks Rob . Not to go to far OT but its the emotional side and these nasty drugs she has to take that just alter her personality right now. The seizure medicine hopefully will go away next month , what a **** drug it is.

 

[RVB]

Thanks Rob . Not to go to far OT but its the emotional side and these nasty drugs she has to take that just alter her personality right now. The seizure medicine hopefully will go away next month , what a **** drug it is.

I have experienced those drug's,it's probably a sodium transfer inhibitor.. dampen's brain function to control seizure's.. they do affect you profoundly,

The emotional side of such an experience is extreme,it's a life changer to have to face up to own own mortality ..trigger's a cascade of thought's,fear's and question's..

On the lighter note I am looking forwad to your report on the 135mm f2 Zeiss..

 

[mark1958]

I do think the 200/4 is not mentioned too often but quite a nice lens.. I like the combo--- 200mm/4, 105mm macro, and the 85mm PCE for macro shots.

I would say my favorite look lens is the 105mm f/2.5 shot wide open. However the 200mm f/4 shot wide open has the nicest rendering for some botanical shots that I do. However that said from what I have seen the 105 DC is on my list, I think that is a special lens. Joe

 

[Dustbak]

I really like the 35/1.4G and the 85/1.4G but the lenses that render really unique are my Voigtlander APO 125 and 180. Totally void of CA and a lovely color rendering.

I used to own the 135DC and the 105DC too, these were also lovely especially when using the defocus control.

 

[IsakBergwall]

I like my old rodenstock 50/0.75 look but the DOF isn't that usable for other than macro work

 

[mattpallante]

Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AIS, which I use all most all ways use wide open. When I want that distortion and dreaminess. Maybe the Sigma 35mm f1.4 for the great contrast and quality @ f1.4.:thumbs:

 

[robsteve]

Probably not in the same league as the other lenses mentioned, but I like the look of the old Nikon 35-70mm f2.8. A lot of them are fogged, but if you find a good copy, it is a sharp across the frame lens on the D800E with nice colour.

 

[Vivek]

I like my old rodenstock 50/0.75 look but the DOF isn't that usable for other than macro work

I had a few. Tried to use them as doorstops but found out there are better, real doorstops and so got rid of them for free. Some of these are radioactive hazards so they need to be disposed off properly as not to contaminate the environment!

 

[RVB]

I posted these already on another Nikon thread but I thought i would add them here so people can have a look if they like ... Zeiss 15mm .. camera is obviously tilted quite high which adds to the dramatic perspective..

https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpRm8wdVUwZ2xESjhUQw

 

[RVB]

Again I also posted this on the fun with Nikon... thread but i also posted it here as an example of a nikon lens with the "L@@K"..

 

[Jack]

I need to add an update -- the Sigma 50/1.4 ART has replaced both my 50/1.4G and believe it or not, my 50/1.2(!)

And I have acquired a very nice copy of the 28/1.4 (asph) AF-D that is an incredibly nice look lens

So my current short list "best" trio is 28/1.4, 50 ART, 85/1.4g.

 

[JCT]

I need to add an update -- the Sigma 50/1.4 ART has replaced both my 50/1.4G and believe it or not, my 50/1.2(!)

And I have acquired a very nice copy of the 28/1.4 (asph) AF-D that is an incredibly nice look lens

So my current short list "best" trio is 28/1.4, 50 ART, 85/1.4g.

I have a bad feeling I know the answer to this, but I'm assuming you prefer the 84mm 1.4G over the 1.4D ?

 

[Jack]

JCT,

The good news for you -- at f1.4, there isn't a lot of difference, prolly because so little is actually in focus anyway.

The bad news for you -- at almost every other aperture, the difference becomes more pronounced as the sharp is so sharp it cuts your eyeballs -- clearly sharper at the edges and still visibly sharper centrally(!) than the D lens -- then fades out to butter in the oof areas. Moreover, there is less Bokeh fringing with the G lens which renders cleaner oof...

At 16MP, probably not a lot of total difference either. At 36MP I think it becomes more significant. Maybe not worlds better, but it is my humble opinion the difference is enough to be appreciated by most photographers. Whether it is worth the cost to upgrade is a more difficult issue. If possible, maybe rent or borrow first, or at the least when you buy, buy from a house you can return it to if it doesn't impress...

 

[woodyspedden]

I need to add an update -- the Sigma 50/1.4 ART has replaced both my 50/1.4G and believe it or not, my 50/1.2(!)

And I have acquired a very nice copy of the 28/1.4 (asph) AF-D that is an incredibly nice look lens

So my current short list "best" trio is 28/1.4, 50 ART, 85/1.4g.

Couldn't agree more Jack. I recently got both the 50 ART and the 35 ART and love both. Couldn't believe at first how large and heavy they are but whatever it is that Sigma had to do to achieve this "look" makes the size and weight acceptable

Woody

 

[vicfei]

Greetings -

My go to Nikon lens for a special look, especially for people/portraits, is the 58mm 1.4. Beautiful transition between "dreamy looking" in-focus to wonderful bokeh in the backround. The transition itself is what really makes this lens special and certainly unique in the modern Nikon lens family. Works beautifully with the Df.

Happy holidays,

Vic

 

[JCT]

JCT,

The good news for you -- at f1.4, there isn't a lot of difference, prolly because so little is actually in focus anyway.

The bad news for you -- at almost every other aperture, the difference becomes more pronounced as the sharp is so sharp it cuts your eyeballs -- clearly sharper at the edges and still visibly sharper centrally(!) than the D lens -- then fades out to butter in the oof areas. Moreover, there is less Bokeh fringing with the G lens which renders cleaner oof...

At 16MP, probably not a lot of total difference either. At 36MP I think it becomes more significant. Maybe not worlds better, but it is my humble opinion the difference is enough to be appreciated by most photographers. Whether it is worth the cost to upgrade is a more difficult issue. If possible, maybe rent or borrow first, or at the least when you buy, buy from a house you can return it to if it doesn't impress...

Nicely put, Jack. My current plan is to get the D810 first (soon!) and give my current lenses a try to see how happy I am with them at 36MP. OK, so I treated myself to a Sigma 35mm ART already since I don't have a Nikon lens in that range at present .

I expect that I will have to swap a few lenses with the body switch - and since 85mm is nearly my favorite focal length, the 85mm 1.4G will likely be the first new acquisition. Luckily for me, I am very compulsive with my gear, so I will likely get a good price for my D version - takes a bit of the sting out!

Jil

 

[Jack]

Sounds like a great plan Jil!

 

[archivue]

i was happy with the sigma 35 ART, i've just bought the sigma 50 Art… probably the best value for money lens, i've never bought !

At f1.6 bokeh really similar to F1.4 but much sharper !