The classic Nikkors: 28 mm f/2

[richardHaw]

i dont know but mine seems to flare more than usual. i tried an ai-s and that flares just as much too 

[John Geerts]

No flare at all with my K  (pre-Ai) sample.

[Bruno Schroder]

No flare problem with my quite dusty AI version.

[JohnnyHooks]

No flare problem with my quite dusty AI version.

I also don't have any flare problem with AI version.

[CharlesZamora2]

Thank you Erik, Roland, Pluton for suggestions. Appreciated.
Opposite of this position there is a tiny grub screw on the focussing ring which holds the sloping front of the focus ring (in front of the scalloped focussing ring)
It will stay a mystery.... as I am reluctant to take this plastic cover off to have a look I surely will leave marks on this plastic cover. Indeed plastic....
Presumable the first piece of plastic introduced on a Nikon Auto series lens :-) (beside the lens caps of course) 

I have bought a Nikon 28mm f2.8 AI-S in a very nice condition from a famous photography shop in the UK.

According to the reviews, the lens should be optically perfect, but I can see it is producing too much flare!

Also when I shoot in the woods when the sunlight comes from between the trees (high contrast situation), it

[Erik Lund]

Share some images with the flaring

[Roland Vink]

I have bought a Nikon 28mm f2.8 AI-S in a very nice condition from a famous photography shop in the UK.

According to the reviews, the lens should be optically perfect, but I can see it is producing too much flare!

Also when I shoot in the woods when the sunlight comes from between the trees (high contrast situation), it

The AIS 28/2.8 is reasonably resistant to flare but not as good as the 28/2. In particular, if there is a wide expanse of bright overcast sky which appears in the top of the frame, there is a noticeable loss of contrast across the entire image. Shading the lens does not help unless the scene is reframed so the sky is no longer in the picture. This is true even with the newer lenses with SIC coatings, and can be a problem in some situations. Otherwise it seems to handle bright point sources of light in the frame quite well.

If flare is worse than expected, open the aperture up and shine a bright light though it to see if there is a significant layer of dust or haze internally. Also remove all filters as these can be a source of flare.

[pluton]

The AiS 28/2.8 produces a bit more flare than any of the 28/2's, or the earlier 28/2.8K, or the early 28/3.5 F/K.  Both types of flare, BTW: Diffuse flare (as has been described) plus what I call acute flare (also known as ghosts or ghost images) that come from intense spot/specular light sources.  I still regard it as a highly valuable lens due to it's incredibly flat field in the close up range, and the relatively low cost to purchase.

[Øivind Tøien]

The AiS 28/2.8 produces a bit more flare than any of the 28/2's, or the earlier 28/2.8K, or the early 28/3.5 F/K.  Both types of flare, BTW: Diffuse flare (as has been described) plus what I call acute flare (also known as ghosts or ghost images) that come from intense spot/specular light sources.  I still regard it as a highly valuable lens due to it's incredibly flat field in the close up range, and the relatively low cost to purchase.

I cannot say I see much diffuse type of flare/bleeding of light into shadows with my copy of the 28 mm f/2.8 AIS. It certainly flare and ghost a lot more with sun in the frame or sunlight hitting the front element than my Nikon 12-24mm which is excellent in that regard, and even more so in IR (I tend use an NC filter on it which can be partly responsible), but otherwise it provides good contrast an delineation between quite light and dark areas. Here are two examples of challenging situations, captures at f/7.1 and f/8 respectively. (It is chipped and can be controlled from the body, thus the 1/3 aperture step, but registered as 45mm in EXIF before I re-chipped it).
#1

28mm f/2.8 AIS @ f/7.1 on NIKON D200, 1/180s, ISO 200

#2

28mm f/2.8 AIS @ f/8 on NIKON D5100, 1/1250s, ISO 100  (What could look like flare in the background is ice-fog, not flare.)

Not as dark shadows as my Nikon 12-24mm, but that lens is exceptional in that respect.

Edit: Hit upon another one which might have been posted here before, perhaps even better example:
#3

28mm f/2.8 AIS @ f/8 on NIKON D7100, 1/50s, ISO 800

[Zang]

Does anyone have sample of infinity scenes from 28mm f2 and f2.8 for comparison? Everyone is talking about the infinity issue with f2.8 and I am curious how bad it is comparing to some counterparts.

[pluton]

I haven't had a Nikon 28/2 since before digital. I have tried to test my 28/2.8 AiS at infinity, but it has been impossible to find a test subject that has testable detail covering the full frame, or most of the full frame, at true infinity. The best I can find is the view of the city from up on a hill 2-3  miles (≈3-6 km) away---a test that only gives me a narrow horizontal strip of highly detailed subject matter. Imaging a big highly detailed brick building from across the street does not work because it's not at infinity.  The building imaged from across the street shows even, sharp rendition all over the frame.  The true infinity city shot shows blurry zones about 2/3 out from center, but the center and edges are sharp. If I haven't deleted the 28/2.8AiS test shots I'll find them and post them.

[Zang]

I haven't had a Nikon 28/2 since before digital. I have tried to test my 28/2.8 AiS at infinity, but it has been impossible to find a test subject that has testable detail covering the full frame, or most of the full frame, at true infinity. The best I can find is the view of the city from up on a hill 2-3  miles (≈3-6 km) away---a test that only gives me a narrow horizontal strip of highly detailed subject matter. Imaging a big highly detailed brick building from across the street does not work because it's not at infinity.  The building imaged from across the street shows even, sharp rendition all over the frame.  The true infinity city shot shows blurry zones about 2/3 out from center, but the center and edges are sharp. If I haven't deleted the 28/2.8AiS test shots I'll find them and post them.

Please do, thanks! I have lately acquired 28/2.8, the one with CDC but like you, I do not have any good infinity scene to test it. I visited Yosemite this October and it would be a great place for testing infinity However, I had 17-35 AFS with me and the lens was perfect at infinity. I am just wondering if I can rely on 28/2.8 as the only landscape lens I bring with me next time.

[pluton]

Zang, alas my 28/2.8AiS test shots have been deleted and are gone. Might be better...certainly faster... to set up your own test.

[MEPER]

I found an Infinity example here:
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/37324070

Strange if Nikon re-design a wide-angle lens (AI-AIS) that is not sharp at infinity?

Maybe the CRC are gone out of alignment on some samples?

[David H. Hartman]

The best I can find is the view of the city from up on a hill 2-3  miles...

A distance of 2 - 3 miles is probably a greater than ideal distance due to atmospheric influence. I would think 100 to 200 yards would be more than enough for a 28mm lens.

Dave