Gear Talk > Camera Talk
Z fc - the thread
Kenneth Rich:
I haven't weakened to the point where I am making room in the bag for the camera, but I''ve made a mental note to thank myself for not selling the almost as new 43-86 that has now found a home again in the bag. I will purchase the dumb FTZ adaptor as soon as possible, to keep the hounds on the trail. Thank you, Birna.
Birna Rørslett:
Aside from being well made with a beautiful finish, the last version of the 43-86mm Zoom-Nikkor is a pleasant surprise in a number of occasions. Using a DX camera prevents the weaker corners from making to much of a negative impact to the overall outcome. Contrast is lower than shown by a modern lens, however this hardly detracts when one is aware of the behaviour.
This was the early morning view from my porch with the 43-86 set to 86mm and f/5.6. Run straight through NX Studio 1.01 with Picture Control Neutral.
Birna Rørslett:
The main lens on the Zfc for now seems, not surprisingly, to be the 3.5cm f/1.8 W-Nikkor. It matches the Zfc beautifully. While it is not very rare, sometimes finding a sample in acceptable quality can be time-consuming. My guess is that the price of this Nikkor will climb when people discover how well it suits the Zfc.
Appearing very late in the Nikon rangefinder era at the end of the '50s, it was a very sophisticated design for its time. Except for the inevitable lower image contrast, it actually compares quite favourably against the 35mm f/1.8 Nikkor S-Line which is >60 years younger (!!), if one looks at the centre of the frame at least. However, with the Zfc, that part is what you got anyway.
A snapshot of today to show the excellent quality of the 3.5cm f/1.8. It also has very low geometric distortion compared to many more modern optics.
ianwatson:
Ah, sweet temptation! The lens, that is.
Birna Rørslett:
Seems the price level on the 3.5cm f/1.8 has climbed quite a lot in the years since I got my near-mint sample back in the early 00's :) Something like 10 times?
Perhaps one of the modern Chinese designs, also without aperture automation but with native Z mount, might be a better direction to follow for a small, unobtrusive lens on the Zfc.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version