lenses for nikon f4s

[Field]

I would buy a 50mm f1.8 g, and an old 55mm f3.5 macro. The Macro is way cheap. and the 50mm f1.8 g is cheap compared to most new lenses but SMOKIN HOT good.

Personally I have no idea on 300mm+

Again though with old Nikon lenses, the 80-200mm f4 is very good.

I guess it all depends on if you want autofocus with some things but... why autofocus macro work?

 

[FrankS]

Nikkor 50mm f2 or f1.8, even the series E ones, are very good and inexpensive.
The nikkor 28f2.8 is worth looking out for. (I am talking about manual focus lenses.)

 

[Field]

There are a lot of old lenses that are great. You could buy KEH bargain AI-S lenses. They often sell ones that are a higher grade than BGN just to have a sale.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

The Nikkor 300mm f/4 or F/4.5 (both ED) are almost free in comparison to the prices they were released at. The autofocus 300mm f/4 IF ED is one of the best lenses ever made at this focal length and can be had for under $600. The manual focus 300mm f/4.5 IF ED is also a fantastic lens and is a few hundred cheaper. Neither is a slouch at all.

As for the third party lenses, the Tokinas are good and don't forget the Vivitar Series 1 line either.

If you want to get exotic, you can get an adapter flange which will allow you to stick Leica R or Contax mount lenses on your F4. Using those lenses with that camera, you'll get full matrix metering but won't get auto-stopdown.

There are a ton of excellent options for the F4. I still think it's the most capable film camera ever made. It's perfect, just about.

Phil Forrest

 

[Colin Corneau]

Stay away from off-brands, is my advice. They just don't compare to Nikkor glass and there's a ton of great Nikon lenses for a song in so many places, now...KEH is one and there's many others.

The beauty of the F4s is that you can use manual focus lenses (which are cheaper to get now) but still get Matrix metering, as well as spot. You also get the built in rangefinder to confirm your focussing.

With all these advantages, do yourself and your future images a favour and stay away from the off-brands...some may disagree but I maintain they just don't compare to Nikkor.

 

[L. M. Tu]

I agree with Colin Corneau; there are too many good old Nikkors out there going for cheap. Here are some that I've picked up within the past couple of years:

50mm F1.8 AF (not AF-D), $65
20mm F4, AI'd, $70
24mm F2.8 AIS, $125
35mm F2 Nikkor-O, AI'd, $70
55mm F3.5 Micro, AI'd, $70
105mm F2.5 AI, $70

You may want to look for screens that improve manual focusing with the F4. I particularly like the P screen - a 45 degree split-rangefinder with a microprism collar - and the J screen, with the central microprism circle. The MB-20 battery pack is nice to have, it will slim the camera down to a more compact size. The DA-20 action finder is great to look through, but it makes the camera feel awkwardly top-heavy. Have fun, whatever you decide to do.

 

[ronnies]

I would buy a 50mm f1.8 g, and an old 55mm f3.5 macro. The Macro is way cheap. and the 50mm f1.8 g is cheap compared to most new lenses but SMOKIN HOT good.

Personally I have no idea on 300mm+

Again though with old Nikon lenses, the 80-200mm f4 is very good.

I guess it all depends on if you want autofocus with some things but... why autofocus macro work?

The only slight problem with the 50mm f/1.8G on an F4 body is you'd be restricted to S and P/Ph auto modes only.

Ronnie

 

[Bill58]

All of the Nikon "E" series lenses are great....and a real bargain. The Tokina lenses are OK, but not up to Nikon.

 

[sepiareverb]

I'll second bargain Ai and AiS lenses from KEH. Build quality is so good that even beaters are going to work fine. 50/1.8- has some beautiful bokeh too, 28/2 (but not likely cheap) 105/2.5 of course. The micro 55 versions are good, but I don't know the older long lenses at all. Bjorn knows all.

 

[photo4ls]

Try to find the Vivitar Series One 90 f2.5 Macro w/extension tubes.
This lens is pretty impressive even w/out ext.tubes for what I have seen.
Nelson

 

[_mark__]

28/2 or 28/2.8 ai/ai-s both great lenses! 2.8 has the less distortion if the 2, 50/1.4 ais, amazing lenses all of them. Friend if mine recently Reccomended early tamron stuff, I've never used them but he's been selling Nikon stuff for decades and he says there super sharp inevery respect.

 

[nikon_sam]

Tamron makes some nice stuff...my first Nikon came with the 28-70mm Macro lens...very good lens, some might call it slow @ 3.5-4.5 depending on focal length setting...
I also have the Tamron 28-50mm 3.5-4.5 Macro...don't remember when/where I got this one (that's not good) but it's mounted on my F4s right now...
One more...the Vivitar Series 1 28-90mm 2.8-3.5 Macro...AIS mount...I got this one at a garage sale in super-duper minty condition for $20...
These are all very nice lenses and I'm not a big fan of the Zoom...

 

[bhop73]

I would buy a 50mm f1.8 g, and an old 55mm f3.5 macro. The Macro is way cheap. and the 50mm f1.8 g is cheap compared to most new lenses but SMOKIN HOT good.

Personally I have no idea on 300mm+

Again though with old Nikon lenses, the 80-200mm f4 is very good.

I guess it all depends on if you want autofocus with some things but... why autofocus macro work?

G lenses aren't compatible with the F4 due to the lack of aperture ring.

The 50mm f/1.8D is a nice cheap option.

 

[sanmich]

Blake, you will have to choose if you want a manual focus for the long lens..

As far as I understand, the best nikkor out there should be the 50 f/2, 55 f/2.8, 28 f/2.8 AIS, 105 f/2.5...

 

[Beemermark]

On manual focus lenses the Tamrons are good lenses. Ditto for the Vivitar Series 1. I have a 80~200 AF sigma/quantary that's like new, got it with a body years ago and never used it. Optically it's decent, build seems cheap. Drop me an email and I'll send it to you. I lost your email.

BeemerMark@hotmail.com

 

[Peter_Jones]

Tamron 90/2.5 is super-sharp for macro.

Nikon Ai or Ai-s 50/1.4 is in real-world use as good as any modern lens (but less contrasty)

 

[Field]

G lenses aren't compatible with the F4 due to the lack of aperture ring.

The 50mm f/1.8D is a nice cheap option.

Hm I use KR's compatibility chart and he failed to mention that. Oh well. I thought it was just VR did not work and some modes.

Regardless, legacy lenses +

 

[_mark__]

This entire thread and no pictures, the F4 in all it's camera phone glory,

 

[Steve M.]

Every now and then I go back and look at photos I took when I was shooting Nikons, and the 3 lenses that stood out were the 28 105 zoom, the 28 200 G ED, and the 35 70 3.5 4.5 D zooms. I never liked the 85 1.8, or the 35 70 2.8 (both certainly two of Nikon's highest rated lenses), and neither of those are exactly cheap. But the zooms I mentioned, especially the 28 105, were excellent bang for the buck, and all are very small and light for zooms. The 50 1.8 has a harsh bokeh I hated, although it is sure sharp. The 28 200 G ED has become a bit of a cult lens, and costs more now that it did when new.

So, cheap but excellent IQ: 35 70 D. Plastic, fantastic lens and cheap.

Better focal range and much better build quality: 28 105.

Best IQ: Get an adapter and put a Leica R lens on that big 'ol Nikon. I am still amazed at the shots that came from my N6006 w/ a 90 R Summicron hung on it's snout. Man, what a lens! Once we get moved, that's the one lens I have to get again. Portraits are perfect w/ that baby.

 

[ronnies]

Hm I use KR's compatibility chart and he failed to mention that. Oh well. I thought it was just VR did not work and some modes.

Regardless, legacy lenses +

G lenses aren't compatible with the F4 due to the lack of aperture ring.

The 50mm f/1.8D is a nice cheap option.

As I've already said. G lenses ARE compatible with the F4 but only in S and P modes.

Ronnie