What vintage lenses do you recommend for Df?

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Blame the Df.

[frankv]

I have a love for the 50/2. My 1972 H-C version is excellent in sharpness, easy to focus, and renders the out-of-focus areas, not that much smoother, but different. And more to my liking.

-frank-

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The f/1.8 to f/2 'normals' should be within financial reach for most people .... My favourite is the long-nose early AI 50/1.8, but the predecessor 50/2 AI is very good as well.

[Jan Anne]

I have a mint 75-150/3.5 for sale which doesn't see much use with the CV125 in the bag.

Just send me a PM when interested

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The 75-150 is very easy to CPU-modify.

Erik and I plan to offer CPU modification service ("chipping") as a regular part of future NG gatherings.

[JJChan]

Zooms to add to the list:
25-50mm superb on Df
28-50mm tiny, sharp, quite low distortion, very cheap but not super special
36-72mm flares easily but really really good reversed and very cheap. Very long minimum focus
50-135mm just crisp, nice bokeh, almost APO like and works very well on Df and D800E - as the Bear recommends and probably the best of the lot
75-150mm cheap, sharp nice bokeh, get silver ring edition and samples vary. Not great for me on D800E but good on Df

JJ

[Bill De Jager]

My own experience with Nikon MF lenses on digital is limited, but here's what I've found.  All this was done on a D7000 (16MP) so I didn't get any feedback on FX performance (edges, corners). 

The Zeiss 28/2.8 and Voigtlander 90/3.5 give wonderful renderings. They're not vintage but they'd be a priority for me if I were using a Df.
The Nikkor 50-135 AIS was very sharp across the field and gave excellent performance.  I had the pleasure of using a chipped version (http://legacy2digital.com/nikon/).
Two copies of the Nikon 75-150 were both very sharp in the middle and soft at the edges, and this was in DX in a number of test shots. Focusing was done via enlarged live view on a tripod, mirror up, self timer or remote.  This is a very handy lens, though.  I wish I'd had it decades ago when my only telephoto was a very slow and crummy Vivitar zoom.
The 300/2.8 AIS is outstanding but is definitely for the tripod.
The UV-Nikkor is absolutely beautiful as a visible-light lens for flower photos but is too precious to carry around for ordinary use.  Fortunately, the one time I really dropped a lens (attached to a camera, no less) it was an ordinary 28-105 zoom.

The Nikkor 25-50/4 and 105/4 macro were favorites of mine on film but I've not used them on digital... yet.

[tommiejeep]

Well, after posting here I put the DC105 f2D on the Df when I took my wife to the Police Station  . While I was waiting I took a couple of watches to my old friend for new batteries.  I really needed and ultra wide since his tiny shop is a wonderland.  Erik, I think he is getting on to start learning to Chip a lens but he does have a middle aged son who was also there  .

Just some very quick PP and sort of messing about as usual.   Probably not more than a square metre of floor space and two other customers so no room to frame an image with a 105mm.
 
f2,1/160,iso 720., +.3 EV
I will do one with CNX2 in B&W
He was happy to see me after a few years 
Cheers,
Tom

[PeterN]

Roland, Alex, Frank, JJ, Bill, Tom, Jan-Anne and Bjørn: thank you!
The list gets longer. ;-)
The possibility of chipping lenses is appealing.

I guess I need to do some homework to make up my mind...  and try to find an affordable Df.

[Eddie Draaisma]

The 85mm F/1.4 Ais Nikkor has not been mentioned yet...

[PeterN]

Thank you, Eddie!

[PeterN]

A slightly different but related question:

I do have 2 Tamron adaptall-2 lenses. One is a 35-70 3.5 and a 300mm 5.6 lens. Esp. the 35-70 seems to be a nice lens. Does anyone have experience with the 35-70 and what would be a good adaptall2nikon adapter?

[PeterN]

A slightly different but related question:

I do have 2 Tamron adaptall-2 lenses. One is a 35-70 3.5 and a 300mm 5.6 lens. Esp. the 35-70 seems to be a nice lens. Does anyone have experience with the 35-70 and what would be a good Adaptall2toNikon adapter? The only one I saw being available was a Fotodiox at Amazon.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Whatever lens you consider for a Df, do ensure it works with fully automatic features such as aperture control and light metering.

In the current embrace of the mirrorless principle, in which the usage of almost any lens is considered an advantage and proof that this approach is the future, people gladly accept being technologically thrown back to the '50s. Not being able to meter at full aperture and loss of aperture automation is a condition that should be the extreme exception instead of the new normal. One really needs native or fully compatible lenses to any system. My experience so far with the Sony A7 just remembered me of this ignored fact.

[PeterN]

Whatever lens you consider for a Df, do ensure it works with fully automatic features such as aperture control and light metering.

In the current embrace of the mirrorless principle, in which the usage of almost any lens is considered an advantage and proof that this approach is the future, people gladly accept being technologically thrown back to the '50s. Not being able to meter at full aperture and loss of aperture automation is a condition that should be the extreme exception instead of the new normal. One really needs native or fully compatible lenses to any system. My experience so far with the Sony A7 just remembered me of this ignored fact.

So when I select aperture on lens, shutter speed on camera and use auto-iso, the camera does not calculate ISO based on the light that comes through the lens, but based on aperture value communicated by lens. Hence, when there is no communication, ISO value is off? So basically I need to set all values manually and check the result? IF so, that works different from the mirrorless camera I was used to (Fuji).

So thanks for reminding.

For the Tamron this would mean: chipping or checking if there is any form of communication between lens and camera via adapter? Or am I totally offtrack? (I am a true novice in this field).