All-time favourite!...never to part?

Dave Wilkinson

Dave Wilkinson

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As a slight twist on the ever popular lens opinions and evaluations here. Is there one optic that over time has been your absolute, never-to-part-with - for whatever reason, all-time much loved favourite?. Here's mine ( be it ever so humble! ), for nearly forty years, an early Nikkor 105mm f2.5 (Sonnar type) has been in my bag, and in younger days more than earned it's keep, with some superb portraits, as well as general shooting. What surprises, and pleases me a lot these days - is the way this old bu*+#r has taken to a digital sensor!, not too contrasty, but well-detailed images with a really beautifull rendition of colours!.......yes - this is the one that will have to be pulled from my cold, stiff fingers! :)........what's yours? (no 'ifs' or 'buts' or 'maybe's'! )
Cheers, Dave.
 
I have a 135 2.8 Nikkor I bought in the mid 1970's for my then Nikon F that I'll never part with. Must have been a good day at the factory, but this lens is as sharp a short tele as I've ever owned. Too sharp for a portrait lens - I shot a group of girls for a beauty pageant with it the day I got it and every pore and facial hair was crystal clear (had to reshoot!). But as a general purpose tele, it can't be beat.
 
The only lens I have that I'd be very reluctant to see go is My 50mm 1.2 Canon!

It's not unique so if I lose it or break it I know I can likely get another one ... but it's really endeared itself to me faults and all ... and it does have a few short comings! It's a little soft at the edges, a bit doughy wide open and somewhat fllare prone but it looks great on any camera and has the best looking genuine hood I've seen. The images it makes never fail to wow me and in bad light with my favourite 400 black and white film pushed to 1600 ... it's the business!


200209_18.jpg
 
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I hope I don't get beaten for this, but one of my all-time favorites is the AF Sigma 24mm 1:2.8 (and not the newer and softer 1:1.8 version). It works nicely when photographing my kids and the color rendition works well with my eye.

http://saulisarkka.com/m/nea_piirtaa.JPG

Another favorite is the Kaleinar-5N 100mm 1:2.8, a copy of Nikon's Series E 100mm 1:2.8, which focuses a touch closer and seemed to be a little sharper as well. Probably one of the sharpest lenses I've ever owned.


-Sale
 
Sauli Särkkä said:
I hope I don't get beaten for this, but one of my all-time favorites is the AF Sigma 24mm 1:2.8 (and not the newer and softer 1:1.8 version). It works nicely when photographing my kids and the color rendition works well with my eye.

http://saulisarkka.com/m/nea_piirtaa.JPG

Another favorite is the Kaleinar-5N 100mm 1:2.8, a copy of Nikon's Series E 100mm 1:2.8, which focuses a touch closer and seemed to be a little sharper as well. Probably one of the sharpest lenses I've ever owned.


-Sale
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i have the 24/1.8 and taken some good shots w/ it.
there is a lot of distortion though and the weight size does bother me.
 
In my RF world it's the DR Summicron. The first of my lenses and the last to go. Perhaps not for it's use as a shooter (I shoot the latest 50 Summicron more recently), but for beauty and build.
For the (D)SLR world, it's probably the 24-105 IS L. Great handling, excellent IS, great range (even though I uses a 1.6 crop 40D), excellent contrast, and superb color rendition. (However, I like the 17-40 L almost equally well, despite the overlap in range).
 
HuubL said:
I have no scans from the DR presently, but this is a 24-105 L shot from last January.
winter.jpg
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And very nice too! personally I prefer stuff like this, to a lot of the 'soot 'n whitewash' pics that regularly appear! - ( he says - quickly running for cover! ) :D Dave.
 
Dave Wilkinson said:
As a slight twist on the ever popular lens opinions and evaluations here. Is there one optic that over time has been your absolute, never-to-part-with - for whatever reason, all-time much loved favourite?. Here's mine ( be it ever so humble! ), for nearly forty years, an early Nikkor 105mm f2.5 (Sonnar type) has been in my bag, and in younger days more than earned it's keep, with some superb portraits, as well as general shooting. What surprises, and pleases me a lot these days - is the way this old bu*+#r has taken to a digital sensor!, not too contrasty, but well-detailed images with a really beautifull rendition of colours!.......yes - this is the one that will have to be pulled from my cold, stiff fingers! :)........what's yours? (no 'ifs' or 'buts' or 'maybe's'! )
Cheers, Dave.
Click to expand...

I've got the AIS version of the 105/2.5 and I love it very much. I think though, the AF-N 180/2.8 just edges it as my favourite old Nikon lens.

I haven't been doing this rangefinder stuff for very long, but I think perhaps the 2/35 Biogon might be in the same class for me. I've been pairing up the 2/35 Biogon on an R2A with the 105/2.5 AIS on an F3 and the two lenses seem to be working very nicely together as partners. (F3 doubles as a quasi spot-meter, which is useful)
 
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well surprisingly enough it's a japanese version nikon 50mm f1.8 af (not d). it has survived all the gear shuffles, sales and gas attacks. now that it's back in the full frame world it has been getting a lot of use!

i also have a 105 f2.5 ai that looks like it was dragged behind the car for a while. the glass is puurrrrfect and i am awful fond of it!
 
For me, it is the Ricoh 50mm f/1.7, in Pentax K mount, mainly for sentimental reasons, although I doubt I will ever part with my 90mm f4 elmar. I have a couple of CV lenses, but I would probably swap those for leica glass if the opportunity arises. The elmar, however, is exactly what I am looking for in a portrait lens.
 
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