Recent Posts

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21
Lens Talk / Re: Medical Nikkor 120mm f4
« Last post by MEPER on March 27, 2026, 00:29:53 »
I agree on the EL-Nikkors. They are 6-lens designs and they have excellent performance for macro use.
Back in the days those lenses were quite expensive but today quite cheap.
The Componon-S enlarger lenses also very nice.
22
Lens Talk / Re: Medical Nikkor 120mm f4
« Last post by David H. Hartman on March 27, 2026, 00:12:42 »
I've been looking for a Bellows-Nikkor 105mm I could afford, for ages...

Have you considered a 105/5.6, 135/5.6 or 150/5.6 EL Nikkors?

Just a thought,

Dave
23
Camera Talk / Re: XQD VS. CFexpress Cards
« Last post by golunvolo on March 26, 2026, 23:24:54 »
Use the HE* compression for minimal quality loss (some file size savings) or HE for slightly more quality loss with further reduction in file size. I think with the latter the camera will do fine with the XQD cards you have, especially if you are not used to shooting at max frame rate indiscriminantly.

If you want to shoot lossless compressed then you may run into some buffer issues if you shoot long bursts at high frame rates. If you use short bursts with short breaks then it probably doesn't become a limitation. I would personally recommend HE* for your situation.

CFexpress cards are very fast but tend to get hot and slow down in case the temperature gets too high, so to get the best extended performance you need to get specific types of CFexpress cards that run particularly cool (Delkin Black is one such example, Prograde Digital's Cobalt is also good, though discontinued / replaced by Iridium).

XQD cards typically don't get hot, so they're very steady. I have Sony XQD and not Lexar myself, but Micron/Lexar had a very good reputation (today's Lexar brand is owned by another company and may be different).

   Agree with every point above. I have gotten a prograde CFexpress because I do shot video here and there too but for dancers, with HE* and 10 fps I have never had a problem with the XQD.

   Another point is the downloading time with CFexpress are way faster if you care about that.
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Lens Talk / Re: Medical Nikkor 120mm f4
« Last post by ggoodes on March 26, 2026, 23:23:11 »
I've been looking for a Bellows-Nikkor 105mm I could afford, for ages. When I find one, they always come at a premium.

I can only say "be patient".  I found a mint one for $150 earlier this month, and a few days afterwards one turned up on eBay NIB for $200:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/317424946025 (alas already sold).  Agreed, too many people asking insane prices for this lens, especially when as Roland points out the Micro-Nikkor 105/4 AI or AiS is the exact same lens with focusing to 1:2 and a built-in hood, and can be found quite reasonably.  I wanted the Bellow-Nikkor for my PB-4 (and I already have the Micro-Nikkor 105/2.8), and it took 30 years to find one for a price I would pay!
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Lens Talk / Re: Medical Nikkor 120mm f4
« Last post by Roland Vink on March 26, 2026, 19:47:39 »
The AI and AI-S 105/4 micro have the same optics as the Bellows-Nikkor 105mm, and they are multicoated. You lose the ability to mount it on a bellows if you need tilt/shift functions, but the micro lenses give you the automatic aperture, a focus ring (infinity to 1:2) and a built-in hood. They are nicely built lenses.
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Lens Talk / Re: Medical Nikkor 120mm f4
« Last post by Wannabebetter on March 26, 2026, 19:06:48 »
BTW, are the optics of the Medical-Nikkor considered particularly good (against the pallet of other Micro-Nikkor options), and thus making it worthwhile to resurrect?  I have seen a couple of Medical-Nikkor setups for sale over the years, but of course the power-supply (and the built-in ring-light generally) made it one of those fragile dinosaurs from the past, worth very little except to a completist/collector.  Speaking as someone who just bought a Bellows-Nikkor 105/4 (a lens which I thought was totally superseded by my Micro-Nikkor 105/2.8), I guess I'm re-evaluating the advantages of some of these older designs.

I've been looking for a Bellows-Nikkor 105mm I could afford, for ages. When I find one, they always come at a premium. I did consider substituting it for something salvaged from an x-ray device but it proved so unwieldly and cumbersome in concept I abandoned the enterprise before any small animals or mad scientists might get hurt. Why I just don't consider a proper, purpose-built and designed, macro lens, escapes me at this time. But it's in so keeping with my character.
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Lens Talk / Re: Medical Nikkor 120mm f4
« Last post by Wannabebetter on March 26, 2026, 18:54:55 »
The Medical 120 is an interesting optical design, and despite the short-coming introduced by the lack of an independent aperture ring, is capable of delivering quite excellent results.

My sample has decoupled the internal linkage between focus and aperture, and a CPU added. Thus I can set aperture from the camera, making the lens much more versatile. Usually I don't bother about the internal flash as this actually complicates the matter when aperture is independent.

Decoupling the aperture ring and adding a CPU has lately interested me more and more as the practical realities of 21st century digital photography have greatly outweighed my concerns for a post-apocalyptic world in which only analogue cameras would survive. Which in any case would be well served by my F bodies and old Nikkors. Still, I am, or rather was, reticent about irreversibly "converting" such a good lens. Indeed I even considered adding (came to me in a dream as I rarely drink) an aperture ring after doing all the perfunctory decoupling jazz. (About that not drinking...) Surely, I'm a stickler for punishment if not unnecessary grief and effort. But more to the point, the practical utility of this lens - and I have enjoyed using it - have me thinking this is the season to act. So, suitable CPU hunting I go!?
28
Camera Talk / Re: Nikonos II
« Last post by ggoodes on March 26, 2026, 18:23:31 »
The filter size for the 28/3.5, 35/2.5 and 80/4 are all 52mm, according to this Nikonos III manual: https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/rl/01039/01039.pdf
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What the Nerds Do / Re: Dealing with stain on glass element :(
« Last post by Wannabebetter on March 26, 2026, 18:16:51 »
Hi guys,

I have been dealing with a stain on a glass element of Nikkor-Q 135mm f3.5 (Please see the pictures). I have tried all the cleaning methods I know without luck. Do you guys know what this is and how to clean it off?

Cheers,
Zang
Judging from a careful examination of the photograph you provided, it appears the lens has more condition problems than a mere insult to the outer element coating would suggest. Being that the Nikkor-Q 135mm f3.5 can be readily found on the used market in North America and for well under $100USD [re eBay], acquiring a good/excellent used copy might be the best way to go. Of course, if money is a factor - and when isn't it? - or you just can't see yourself discarding the lens without at least attempting to salvage it - something I'm guilty of - then you have to ask yourself: What effect has the coating damage on my images? I had spots on the outer element of a 35-70mm 2.8D that had absolutely no effect on my images - but drove me batty just because they were there! (The spots were attributed to pollen projectiles hitting the unfiltered lens at high velocity, long before I purchased it used for $30.) Years later, when time and constant, near-daily, use necessitated an overhaul after a cam or bushing came loose, the good people at Nikon USA unexpectedly replaced the entire lens group for me for the price of the already agreed upon lens repair and routine cleaning. And I asked them to "just fix the zoom problem".
30
Welcome to the forum! You have chosen a most curious place, in which to ask your question! Not many of us, on this Nikon Gear forum, use both Nikon and Canon cameras. I do use both Canon and Nikon cameras and lenses, though my Canon shooting started with DSLRs, and has not yet moved to the RF system... I am not claiming to be any kind of expert.

It's clear to me that your practical experience qualifies you as an expert and at the very least to some level of professional certification. Still, I hear what you're saying. (That famous Texan humility!)
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