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Shooting with prime lenses
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Picture of Wink
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There is one cost effective way to raise image quality: use fixed focal length prime lenses. If using the Nikon system there are four recently released and relatively inexpensive lenses which give, literally, the best results possible with an autofocus lens on a Nikon camera.* The lenses are the Nikkor 28mm f/1.8 G, the 35mm f/1.8G, the 50mm f/1.8 G and the 85mm f/1.8 G. They are all AF-s lenses (meaning rapid and silent autofocusing) and are optimized for the recent high megapixel camera sensors. They are all fast lenses (f/1.8) which means they can be used in low light situations and no zoom lenses are this fast. They are also compact and lightweight.

Last week I walked around San Sebastian in Spain with just one camera and one lens, the 28mm. All shots handheld, no tripod.







The resolution with these lenses has to be seen to be believed, and it's not easy to show it on downsized photos for web posts. No zoom lens, now matter how expensive, will give results equal to the better fixed focal length lenses. The four lenses I mention give the best sharpness ratings possible with Nikkor lenses, according to DxO labs, and cost between $400 and $700 depending on the focal length. It does mean that you have to concentrate on "seeing" with that focal length, but shot discipline is a virtue and the results are worth it. Camera was a Nikon D700, which is pretty much the limiting factor in these pictures, I can only imagine the superlative results with a brand new Nikon D810.

I've been shooting with my Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 and Nikkor 28-300mm the last few years (and they work fine) and just recently bought the 28mm prime and the 85mm prime. When you can immediately see the difference in the results, you're not talking about nuance, the primes really are better.

* Zeiss manual focus lenses with Nikon mounts, which cost several thousand dollars each, will give the best results possible.


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AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim.
 
Posts: 7046 | Location: Rambouillet, France | Registered: 25 June 2004Reply With Quote
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To better illustrate the resolving power of this lens, take a look at this carousel. Top picture is the full frame. Lots of decorative artwork with fine detail. In fact, each fresco at the top of the carousel is a reproduction of famous artist's painting and the name of the artist is written under each fresco.

Bottom picture is a 100% crop of the same photo showing just the decorative frescos at the top of the carousel.








If any of you have looked at your photos at 100% on your computer, then you know how just how good it is when you get results like those shown above. Who needs a zoom lens when you can crop any photo like this? I would have needed a 300mm or more to get this field of view.

This 28mm is one excellent lens and probably the most bang for buck purchase I have ever made on photo equipment. I realize everybody likes zooms but I'm going to be using my fixed focal length lenses more now that I see what they can do.


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AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim.
 
Posts: 7046 | Location: Rambouillet, France | Registered: 25 June 2004Reply With Quote
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Wink, excellent examples of what can be done with a prime lens. I was in San Sebastian last week too, playing around with a Fujifilm X100S which carries a fixed 23mm lens. I would have enjoyed meeting up with you… Here are couple of shots I took:




 
Posts: 1045 | Location: Kerrville, Texas USA | Registered: 02 August 2001Reply With Quote
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David,

We might have been watching the same boat races.




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AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim.
 
Posts: 7046 | Location: Rambouillet, France | Registered: 25 June 2004Reply With Quote
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Yep. Small world.
 
Posts: 1045 | Location: Kerrville, Texas USA | Registered: 02 August 2001Reply With Quote
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I have and use a few primes: Nikon 55mm AIS manual lens, Canon 49mm, 100 Macro, 200mm L, and 400mm L. But the problem with primes is that they aren't as versatile as zooms. When shooting wildlife in Alaska using the 400mm L, I sometimes have to switch to a 70-200mm zoom. Otherwise I would have to move away from the subject, something that is not always the best idea since whichever wildlife subject I am taking photos of spooks and runs away when I move.

Anyway, given the limitations of primes (one having to move closer or farther from the subject), I do enjoy using them.

A great and relatively cheap ultra-wide prime is the 14mm Sanyang lens. It is a fully manual lens, but very sharp edge to edge.
 
Posts: 492 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 20 November 2013Reply With Quote
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Wink,

A very nice post on an interesting subject.

I have a Nikon D2X somewhat dated now, but it was the last camera with the one a half multiplier. This means that if you have a 50 mm lens it is modified to be 75 mm lens in effect. Currently the lens I use mostly is the Nikon 28 mm F1.4D which works out to be (28+17) 45 mm on that camera. As you know that is slightly shorter than normal lens.

The camera is 12 megapixels which is more than adequate for conventional photography. While the newer models have significantly higher pixel count (a feature which the camera manufacturers see as progressive), I see these as counterproductive to usage with Microsoft base PC software.

Even at 12 megapixels it is still necessary to do some cropping as shown in following picture of one of my old rifles.




That lens while somewhat costly is to my judgment very close in quality to the Zeiss lenses that I used to use on my Hasselblad film camera. This is about the highest praise I can give to a Nikon lens.

My goal now is to acquire a Nikon 80 mm 1.4 D. This will give me the equivalent of a 120 mm 1.4D.



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EGO sum bastard ut does frendo

 
Posts: 2821 | Location: Left Coast | Registered: 23 September 2001Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by DMCI*:


My goal now is to acquire a Nikon 80 mm 1.4 D. This will give me the equivalent of a 120 mm 1.4D.




You might want to seriously consider a Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.8 G lens in the same focal length range. The autofocus is super fast and it is sharper than the D lens, although probably not as ruggedly built.


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Posts: 7046 | Location: Rambouillet, France | Registered: 25 June 2004Reply With Quote
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Whenever I think of this concept I think of Garry Winogrand. That guy's work, and method still inspires me.
 
Posts: 7771 | Registered: 31 January 2005Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by Wink:

You might want seriously consider a Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.8 G lens in the same focal length range. The autofocus is super fast and it is sharper than the D lens, although probably not as ruggedly built.


After checking, it turns out that the choice of the 85 mm F1.8G is generally not available on the used market. It is probably the optimal lens/price selection as you suggest. It also requires 55 mm filters.

Now the 85 mm F1.4D uses my favorite size of filter (77 mm) but also is readily available on the used market at a semi-reasonable price, a little over $700. Two features that make the F1.4 very attractive to me, and you must admit it is not a terrible lens.


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EGO sum bastard ut does frendo

 
Posts: 2821 | Location: Left Coast | Registered: 23 September 2001Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by DMCI*:
quote:
Originally posted by Wink:

You might want seriously consider a Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.8 G lens in the same focal length range. The autofocus is super fast and it is sharper than the D lens, although probably not as ruggedly built.


After checking, it turns out that the choice of the 85 mm F1.8G is generally not available on the used market. It is probably the optimal lens/price selection as you suggest. It also requires 55 mm filters.

Now the 85 mm F1.4D uses my favorite size of filter (77 mm) but also is readily available on the used market at a semi-reasonable price, a little over $700. Two features that make the F1.4 very attractive to me, and you must admit it is not a terrible lens.


I have the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 G lens, but mine takes 67mm filters. Of course most of my filters are 77mm filters so I use a step down ring, which costs little. Since B&H sells the lens brand new for just under $500 there's no need to search the used market, if $700 is your budget.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/...KOR_85mm_f_1_8G.html

I gave an example of lens sharpness above, using the 28mm lens. The 85mm is my favorite lens for portraits (on an FX camera) so here's an example with that lens. Top photo is the full frame, bottom photo is a crop of just the head. You may notice that you can see the arteries/veins in the eyes, which is pretty much the only thing in perfect focus.






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AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim.
 
Posts: 7046 | Location: Rambouillet, France | Registered: 25 June 2004Reply With Quote
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The NIKKOR 28MM F1.4D does reasonably well for full length portraits and equipment photographs which is what I purchased it for.

It seems that because of the Internet requirements I've been taking a few self-portraits which for a modest person like me is somewhat difficult. Red FaceD Picking a good background for a portrait is also important



Another problem is that if you lose weight your clothes don't fit as well. The girls seem to like it though on craigslist. Sometimes there is no telling for taste. :-)


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EGO sum bastard ut does frendo

 
Posts: 2821 | Location: Left Coast | Registered: 23 September 2001Reply With Quote
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If you are a Nikon shooter two new prime lenses have been put on the market and both are worth a look: 20mm f/1.8 G and the very new AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4E PF ED VR. The latter is a wholly new type of lens, it will act like a G lens but has an electro-magnetic aperture mechanism (the "E"). The PF stands for Phase Fresnel, a honeycomb element that helps correct for chromatic aberration eliminating the requirement for additional lens elements normally required, hence the smaller size and weight, less than 6 inches long and less than 27 ounces.

The new 20mm is the sharpest 20mm Nikon has ever made and it is sharper than the very expensive 14-24 f/2.8 at 20mm. The 300mm won't be available until February so if you want to be first in line you have to pre-order http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/...kkor_300mm_f_4e.html . I have the older AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4D lens and it does very well, being until now the best bang for buck Nikon telephoto you could buy. But it doesn't have VR (the new one does) and it is long and heavy. The new one will be, IMHO, the best compact telephoto one can buy. Easier to handhold and easier to get into that overstuffed camera bag. It's around $2,000 so there is no free lunch here. But put it into perspective, a Nikon 300mm f/2.8 costs around $6,000.

Another with the Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G. At St. Malo in Brittany on New Year's Day:



If you've already got a Nikon DSLR camera body, the latest prime lenses will give you an immediate increase in image quality.


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AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim.
 
Posts: 7046 | Location: Rambouillet, France | Registered: 25 June 2004Reply With Quote
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Gorgeous photo Wink.

I have the new Nikon 300mm on order. I've been frustrated by the lack of consistent sharpness with my long zoom lens and I'm hoping the 300 prime will solve the problem.

I keep buying lenses hoping my photos will look like Wink's but no luck thus far. He should be getting a commission from Nikon.


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Posts: 5052 | Location: Muletown | Registered: 07 September 2001Reply With Quote
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Thank you Forrest. I kinda like the way the sky is reflected of the water in several parts of the photo. But some who have looked at my St. Malo photos like this one too. Same 28mm lens.



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AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim.
 
Posts: 7046 | Location: Rambouillet, France | Registered: 25 June 2004Reply With Quote
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Facades on the Grand Canal, Venice. (same Nikkor 28mm) The first pictures in this thread were with a Nikon D700 body, the two below are with the more recent Nikon D810.






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AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim.
 
Posts: 7046 | Location: Rambouillet, France | Registered: 25 June 2004Reply With Quote
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That is all I shoot with mainly because it's all I have. My cameras don't take zooms. But they produce quality spelled with a capital 'Q'. I have 2 digital's and one film left. They are Leicas. 2 M8's and an old M3 SS. Lenses are a 21 a 40 and a 50 respectively. Small,light and unobtrusive while taking excellant pictures.


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Posts: 2786 | Location: Green Valley,Az | Registered: 04 January 2005Reply With Quote
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I really like those pictures from the Venice. They really show a slice of life there. Make you wonder about the people that live behind those windows that are not hotels.


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Posts: 2821 | Location: Left Coast | Registered: 23 September 2001Reply With Quote
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For a place like Venice I could have gotten by easily with just the 28mm, but I did also take my 85mm.





The 85mm is good for isolating subjects.



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AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim.
 
Posts: 7046 | Location: Rambouillet, France | Registered: 25 June 2004Reply With Quote
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By the way, everybody in Venice is carrying a camera it seems.




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AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim.
 
Posts: 7046 | Location: Rambouillet, France | Registered: 25 June 2004Reply With Quote
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