Nikon E 75-150 f/3,5

[Lumens Pixel]

I have circled a lot around this lens. Another E lens, up to the level of the rest of the band? Very good reviews from Bjorn Rørslett, Ken Rockwell, plus all the noise about Galen Rowell available online.

This was part of my quest for very small and light hiking telephotos. I have been quite happy with the AF D 80-200 f/4,5-5,6, cheap as hell and very sharp, even smaller than the E and greater range.

But since I use these lenses on a Sony A7II there is no AF and the AF D is a chore to manual focus. And the E opens to 3,5 and is still cheap.

I bought a copy that was very good but with the beginning of a fungi infection so I returned it.

This is the second copy that required some shimming but the glass was clear.

A very nice lens, absolutely unsuitable for women portrait.


L'arrivée du printemps (1) by lumens pixel, sur Flickr


L'arrivée du printemps (2) by lumens pixel, sur Flickr


Concentration by lumens pixel, sur Flickr

[Birna Rørslett]

A nice lens indeed, if you get hold of a decent copy. It can also do IR photography in a pinch.

The main issue with this lens is loose focusing and zoom creep.

[Lumens Pixel]

A nice lens indeed, if you get hold of a decent copy. It can also do IR photography in a pinch.

The main issue with this lens is loose focusing and zoom creep.

Yes, both copies were completely loose. I have taped the barrel of the copy I have kept. It is an imperfect solution since the remaining felt that provided for the adequate friction is getting worn away by the tape. But it somewhat works.

[David H. Hartman]

There are several versions of this lens. The first had very weak protection for the rear element, thin tabs that bend easily. This first version should be avoided completely!

Shimming the zoom's friction dampening was easy enough that I did the job myself at a camera repairman friend's kitchen table. No disassembly of the optics was involved. I did the job from the rear bayonet.

Here is information regarding the various versions at Roland Vink's site...

http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/e75150.html

Dave

[Snoogly]

I have not done this myself, but here are some instructions:

https://www.photo.net/forums/topic/523563-nikon-75-150mm-f35-series-e/#post-5795604

[ggoodes]

I have a late serial-number copy (in the last batch of 10,000, probably from the final year of production in 1985) and it has very good focus stiffness and no zoom-creep.  I think they (mostly) fixed the issues later in production, but of course I might also just be lucky!  It's a lovely lens, and in fact my only zoom lens.  It is a great design, both optically, and also just utility: Small and light, with a very useful portrait range.

[Lumens Pixel]

What makes it quite desirable compared to the 80-200 f/4 N AI and, to a lesser extent, the 80-200 f/4 AIS and the 50-135 f3,5 is the minimum focus distance.

[Lumens Pixel]

I have not done this myself, but here are some instructions:

https://www.photo.net/forums/topic/523563-nikon-75-150mm-f35-series-e/#post-5795604

I am not skilled enough for that but these instructions are very useful.

[David H. Hartman]

One of the easily bent tabs on the back of the earliest 75-150/3.5E is the "Lens Speed Indexing Post." I'm not sure which cameras use that post. Perhaps the FA and FG?

Dave

[ggoodes]

One of the easily bent tabs on the back of the earliest 75-150/3.5E is the "Lens Speed Indexing Post." I'm not sure which cameras use that post. Perhaps the FA and FG?

The FA was the first AiS-standard supporting body, and then the FG as you say, followed by the F301 and F501 for consumer bodies (I think that's the complete list: The FG-20 for example dropped support).  The F4 was the first pro body supporting AiS, then the F5 still had it, but the F6 dropped it I believe.

[Birna Rørslett]

I have a late serial-number copy (in the last batch of 10,000, probably from the final year of production in 1985) and it has very good focus stiffness and no zoom-creep.  I think they (mostly) fixed the issues later in production, but of course I might also just be lucky!  It's a lovely lens, and in fact my only zoom lens.  It is a great design, both optically, and also just utility: Small and light, with a very useful portrait range.

Plus the 75-150 handles using a +4T attachment very well. So you use it for close-ups (not 'true macro' by any stretch of imagination, of course).

[Matthew Currie]

The FA was the first AiS-standard supporting body, and then the FG as you say, followed by the F301 and F501 for consumer bodies (I think that's the complete list: The FG-20 for example dropped support).  The F4 was the first pro body supporting AiS, then the F5 still had it, but the F6 dropped it I believe.

The speed indexing post is on all true AI as well as AIS lenses, and the F4 will not matrix meter without it. Converted lenses revert to center weighting. The FG-20 dropped AIS support, but for some reason kept the feeler for the speed indexing post, though I could never figure out what, if anything, it did with it. There's no mention in its instructions.  Supposedly that post had some function for dedicated flashes, but the FG-20 did not do TTL flash or matrix metering, so I have wondered if it's connected to anything at all.

[Roland Vink]

The Series-E 75-150/3.5 is my most used manual focus zoom. What's not to like? It covers a very useful medium telephoto range, which is perfect for portraiture, landscape, and closeups. It was also about the longest focal length I could easily hand-hold when shooting 100 ISO film, so I rarely used longer lenses. The close focus limit is very useful, and as Birna said, it handles closeup lenses (3T in my case) very well. The relatively fast constant f/3.5 aperture is also handy, much nicer than f/6.3 of many current zooms, only 1/2 stop slower than the big f/2.8 zooms, and allows nice narrow DOF if required. Background rendition is also relatively smooth and pleasant.

There are two versions of this lens. The first has a black plastic grab ring and early ones have the thin tabs at the rear of the lens which can easily get bent out of shape. I have the later version with the chrome grab ring and solid rear lens protectors. My version has not developed zoom creep.

There is nothing like this among the zooms currently available, the closest would be the Tarmon 70-180/2.8 which trades a slightly shorter zoom range for a more compact design. I sometimes wish for Cosina to bring out a modern version with improved coatings and glass, but they seem to be happy producing primes.

[Snoogly]

Finding a decent 3+ serial number here in Japan is surprisingly hard these days.

The used lens (and I suppose camera) market here is now dominated by idiots who barge into the reputable camera shops at the second they open, with huge roller bags. They swamp up anything new on the shelves and then peddle it on eBay as Mint++++++—, or shit like ‘read mint +++++’. They don’t care how inaccurate their descriptions are, and charge far too much. Sadly this is seen by the likes of Mercari and Yahoo auctions, where prices are raised accordingly.

Even worse, buyer’s rights are essentially nothing in Japan. No legal right to demand a refund.

If you are ever in Tokyo I recommend going to the likes of Fujiya or Kitamura or Map before doors open, and observe the scum with big bags. :-(

This is the case with photographic gear, but I am sure it is the same with manga, games, or anything else ‘Japanese’ the world is addicted to now.

Sorry for the rant, but this really gets my goat.

[MEPER]

The price for a nice 75-150/3.5 last generation is about 100 Euro or a little less it seems?
A local photo store have two of these for sale at around 100 Euros. There you get some warranty.
Image attached of one of them. Very nice looking and I assume that is the latest version.
I think I have become too much fan of native Z-lenses with AF to get some "new" AI-s stuff.
I also have the 1st generation of the F-mount 70-200/2.8 VR. I guess this lens holds up well compared to the 75-150.