What Vintage Nikkor Lenses Render "Eye Candy" Colors?

[Wally]

BruceSD,
I understand your preference for rich, vivid colors.
My first question would be if you checked the settings on your cameras? saturation, contrast, or picture profiles as important settings for out of camera jpegs.

It has been mentioned already that CCD and CMOS sensors are per se colorblind. But Nikon's color science has been very consistent since the D1 (1999).
I have Nikkor lenses ranging from 1959 to 2025. Their optical quality for sure improved over these years, especially with optimized designs and much better coatings. Apart from having character or being clinical perfect, their color rendition (when used with the identical camera settings) are very similar. I don't recognize a wide variation at all.
Hence, I am concluding preliminary that your rich colors are mainly determined by the camera settings and only to a minimal degree by the lens.

P.S> I am shooting exclusively NEF format with a neutral profile (for optimal image data) or flat (for video). This approach enables the widest range of color adjustments in post.

[golunvolo]

D200, 80-200 ed two ring version. Alien skin exposure for film emulation. It is not the first time I have used this image as an example of the colors this combination can reproduce

[golunvolo]

That D40´s image is food for thought Akira, lovely image.

[Akira]

That D40´s image is food for thought Akira, lovely image.

Thank you, Paco.  I also remember your D200 image.  The turcoise blue of her eyes and ring along with the green background enhances the impact of the dominating red color very effectively.

[golunvolo]

Thank you, Paco.  I also remember your D200 image.  The turcoise blue of her eyes and ring along with the green background enhances the impact of the dominating red color very effectively.

   Thank you Akira, I read it the same way

[Matthew Currie]

I've been pretty disorganized about filing shots, and forgetful about what I've posted before, and I am not that fond of saturation, but here are a couple of examples of why I like the old 200. Both of these were done with considerable extension, both with D7100 and probably pretty close to straight out of camera.

[Matthew Currie]

Speaking of saturation, though, perhaps we shouldn't forget the old 55/3.5.  Here's a D7100 shot, as usual drastically downsized but otherwise not much done to it, with a late pre-AI 55 (the PC with no internal compensation).

And another one I dug up from the 200, which I think renders colors rather nicely.

[Fons Baerken]

Speaking of saturation, though, perhaps we shouldn't forget the old 55/3.5.  Here's a D7100 shot, as usual drastically downsized but otherwise not much done to it, with a late pre-AI 55 (the PC with no internal compensation).

And another one I dug up from the 200, which I think renders colors rather nicely.

The Iris is wonderful!