Lens for Nikon FE

medwaygreen

medwaygreen

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Richard
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I am a little lost as to know what to look for, I need a lens for my FE and cannot stretch to a Nikkor and do not wish to use an adaptall mount, so my question is, what lens would you suggest that can be acquired for a small budget.

Spec would be Nikon mount, manual, with or without auto stop down, but prefer with and a focal length of 24mm,28mm,35mm or 50mm.

Your views and help would be appreciated.

Richard.
 
I don't know what your budget is, but you should be able to find a used f2.0 50mm Nikkor for around £50 and it's still an excellent lens. I go for that, rather than a third party lens if possible.
 
Series E

but you knew that.....:exit:

is it you with the EMs..?
................................................................
ps
''50mm f2 Nikkor, non AI
Serial Number :3137440
Grading : EXC+.............Price: £49.00 ''

from a respected Dealer
PM me if you want to know who...................john
 
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Yardbent said:
ps
''50mm f2 Nikkor, non AI
Serial Number :3137440
Grading : EXC+.............Price: £49.00 ''

from a respected Dealer
PM me if you want to know who...................john
Click to expand...

A few things - is there a reason why we can't say that the respected dealer is Peter Walnes?

http://www.peterwalnes.com/componen...ategory_id,30/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,1/

Additionally, non AI lenses would require stop down metering with the FE. It's compatible, but not practical. A Nikon 50mm prime is inexpensive and still an excellent piece of glass - and, to buy, costs less than the cost of your FE. It's a no-brainer.
 
freecom2 said:
A few things - is there a reason why we can't say that the respected dealer is Peter Walnes? ......
Click to expand...

NONE WHATSOEVER

I've dealt with him .....very good

the IDEA was so that Richard could have 'first crack' at it...:shrug:...:D

didn't realize that about the FE ..my mistake
 
Yardbent said:
the IDEA was so that Richard could have 'first crack' at it...:shrug:...:D
Click to expand...

Apologies, didn't mean to step on toes. However, even at dealer prices £50 for a non-AI 50mm is quite expensive... :shrug:
 
Many thanks for all the replies, the thoughts are brewing.

J, what did you mean or what were you referring to when you said A Nikon 50mm prime is inexpensive and still an excellent piece of glass - and, to buy, costs less than the cost of your FE. It's a no-brainer. What 50mm prime did you have in mind.

Thanks,

Richard.
 
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Nikon have produced several 50mm primes. The f2.0 ones are easier to make and less expensive than the f1.4s and the f1.2s. They were, and are still, very good lenses like a lot of the old Nikkors. I still use mine on an F2 and an FM, and on my 30D with an adapter.
 
The E series lenses are a real bargain, I've had a few and they've all been pin sharp.

Andy
 
Thank you for the replies they have helped, I already have a series E 50mm that I use on my EM as John alluded to and it is as said an impressive lens for the money, so as my preference is for a wide lens I am looking for a 28mm or 35mm series E. A friend suggested that Vivitar have produced Nikon fit 28mm lenses and this is also of interest and finally, I have a Sigma 24mm AF that is available in manual focus hard to find and that is also on the list.

The above is driven by budget which stand at circa £25.00, so I am going to have to look hard and wide.

Wish me luck.
 
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medwaygreen said:
Thank you for the replies they have helped, I already have a series E 50mm that I use on my EM as John alluded to and it is as said an impressive lens for the money, so as my preference is for a wide lens I am looking for a 28mm or 35mm series E. A friend suggested that Vivitar have produced Nikon fit 28mm lenses and this is also of interest and finally, I have a Sigma 24mm AF that is available in manual focus hard to find and that is also on the list.

The above is driven by budget which stand at circa £25.00, so I am going to have to look hard and wide.

Wish me luck.
Click to expand...

Vivitar offered a wide range of lenses - most of them were manufactured by other companies for them - including Nikon fit, but that's going back quite a few years. They were good value, but I suspect it might be easier to find a Nikkor 28mm now. You'll have to be pretty lucky at £25, but you never know. Enjoy the search, that can be a lot of fun too.:)
 
Vivitar never actually made any of their lenses (or pretty much anything) themselves, they basically set a criteria for lenses and worked with lens companies such as Kiron to design and manufacture them then sell them under the Vivitar name.

They also got products such as darkroom gear etc from small independent companies and sold them under the Vivitar name to increase their market exposure.

Look for Vivitar Series 1 lenses, generally their of superb quality (although not the later AF ones or most those from the late 80) and can be got for quite good money.
 
TBH Richard I think you'll have a hard job finding a Nikon 28mm or 35mm for that kind of money, you may find one attached to one of the less desirable Nikon bodies that you could then sell the body on.

There are a few cheap Nikon fit 28mm lenses on the 'bay but they're not makes I know much about but they are less than £20 so may be worth a punt.

I've just spotted a Vivitar 28mm f2.5 for sale at a bargain price PM me for details. I've no idea how these rate but it's got to be worth a try.
 
I followed up on Nick's post and after confirming with Ffordes that it was an AI mount I carried out some Internet research and found that this Vivitar was made by Kiron and that the example photographs and reviews seem to rate the lens in all departments as average/good to excellent.

I have seen some photographs that I was very impressed with and ordered the lens, so thank you Nick, I think the price is just to good to be true as the condition of the lens is rated as good+++.

As soon as it is received I will post some examples with a little comparison test against my Tamron 28mm and Sigma 24mm, just for fun you understand.
 
Nice one Richard, Ffordes do have some real bargains sometimes.

Look forward to seeing the results, oh and if they're rubbish I'll deny all responsibility:lol:
 
The Lens arrived during the week at it,s condition is good and I am very pleased, I asked Ffordes prior to purchasing what the F mount was either AI,AI-s or pre(non) AI and they confirm AI, however when studying the lens it is pre AI and it has been adapted so I guess that makes it an AI,D.

Will this make a difference and if so what on my Nikon FE, FG and EM?

Thanks.
 
An AI conversion is just that - turning a non-AI lens into an AI lens. So surely it doesn't change anything? I used an AI converted lens on my D7000 with no problems at all.

Also, how do you know it was non-AI for sure? Most 3rd party manufacturers only started cranking out lenses in the AI period and onwards...
 
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freecom2 said:
An AI conversion is just that - turning a non-AI lens into an AI lens. So surely it doesn't change anything? I used an AI converted lens on my D7000 with no problems at all.

Also, how do you know it was non-AI for sure? Most 3rd party manufacturers only started cranking out lenses in the AI period and onwards...
Click to expand...

The lens is marked N/F for the f mount non AI mount? and the lug that engages on the outside of the lens is an aluminium plates screwed on to enable aperture recognition, the rear of the lens has the auto diaphragm slot, however from what I can ascertain the true Nikon AI lens then had a further lug on the rear element housing that engaged the meter information slot at about the 5 o,clock position when looking into the camera body(Nikon FG).

I may well be mad.:)
 
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N/F = Nikon/F-Mount surely?

And since AI was a feature and a term that didn't exist, lenses before that would not have been labelled as "non-AI" - that was a term that came after AI was introduced, to differentiate between the types of lenses. Before that, they were simply known as f-mount lenses.

The additional further lug is for AIS lenses, and that is to have greater functionality with the more electronic cameras (like the FG).

And don't forget that there are also manufacturer differences - Vivitar/Kiron is likely to have manufactured the AI mount in a slightly different way to Nikon. This probably accounts for the discrepancies.

/bore
 
freecom2 said:
N/F = Nikon/F-Mount surely?

And since AI was a feature and a term that didn't exist, lenses before that would not have been labelled as "non-AI" - that was a term that came after AI was introduced, to differentiate between the types of lenses. Before that, they were simply known as f-mount lenses.

The additional further lug is for AIS lenses, and that is to have greater functionality with the more electronic cameras (like the FG).

And don't forget that there are also manufacturer differences - Vivitar/Kiron is likely to have manufactured the AI mount in a slightly different way to Nikon. This probably accounts for the discrepancies.

/bore
Click to expand...

Thanks for that:thumbs:
 
I felt that these photo,s may explain what I mean better then my efforts by word alone:).

#1 Nikon F mount.

e266-31.jpg


#2 Nikon F mount converted to AI called AI,D, you can see where the aluminum lug as been added.

20111201_07871.jpg


#3 Nikon AI mount, this is AI mount not AIS and it shows the extra lugs to the rear element housing on the black rim showing at about 5 o,clock and the longer one opposite.

nuikon_vivitar_28mm-85mm_28-38_mc_auto_variable_focusing_1015851.jpg


Now from what I can gather my FG was designed for use with AI mount lens and does not need AIS to work to its full features.

Any more views on this.:thumbs:
 
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