Carry about lens for SLR

The 50/2 Ai and 50/1.8Ai are very sharp, and not too expensive.

The 35/2 Nikkor-O and Nikkor-OC converted to AI: also superb.
 
The F3HP is great for walking around...

Of course I sugest the lenses that I am currently using ;-)

AI-S 20 f/2.8, AI-S 35 f/1.4 or AI-S 50 f1.2

I like the AI-S 85 f/1.4 but it's too heavy for a carry about kit

I just got back from two weeks in Hawaii and California where I traveled with the AI-S 35 f/1.4 as the only lens and just the one SLR body... it worked for me...

Have fun...

Casey
 
Thank you all for your great suggestions.

I have considered the 35/2.0 but for some reason market prices have been driven up by unknown (to me) forces. This and the 85/2.0 would have been an ideal 2 lens kit, though if I only would carry one it would be a wider than 50mm lens. I am currently using both the 50/2.0 Ais and 50/1.8 E, but I guess I am looking for something a little wider.
 
Gary E said:
Thank you all for your great suggestions.

I have considered the 35/2.0 but for some reason market prices have been driven up by unknown (to me) forces. This and the 85/2.0 would have been an ideal 2 lens kit, though if I only would carry one it would be a wider than 50mm lens. I am currently using both the 50/2.0 Ais and 50/1.8 E, but I guess I am looking for something a little wider.
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For many years, my main film kit was F3HP with either 24/f2, 35/f2, 85f/2 *or* 24f/2, 50f1.4, 85f/2. I had a belt pack that perfectly fits the two primes that were off the camera, and all three lenses use 52mm filters.

It was a very compact kit. I still use the same configuration today when I take any of my F bodies out for a spin. :)

--Warren
 
My favorite one-lens kit has been either the 28/2.8 ais or the CV40/2. The 40/2 is an outstanding lens... perfect balance of sharpness, color saturation, and handling. The focus ring moves sooooo smoothly. I thought the images it produced on color film looked very similar to those made with the Zeiss Biogon-M 35/2.
 
I've got all kinds of primes and zooms, but when I'm only carrying one body and one lens, it is usually a motorized FA with a Tamron SP 35~105 2.8 manual focus zoom.
This Tamron is an excellent lens, with nice focal length range from moderately wide to short telephoto, a reasonably fast maximum aperture at 2.8, and it produces photos with good image quality.
And while it originally cost about $1,000.00 +/-, good used copies are available at KEH for vastly less money.
It's my favorite walk around lens.
 
Gary E said:
I just got back my Nikon F3HP from a long slumber in storage, and now want to use it as my carry about camera to see if I missed it as much as I thought I did. So what lens do you SLR users use for a carry about kit? I like to use anything between 21 and 50 (due to size) but have yet to put my finger on one yet. I'm leaning towards the VC 40mm pancake like lens, but the ordinary 50/1.8 might do (due to price).
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With the F3/T HP, I used the Nikkor 45 2.8 pancake and thought it was really cool. Beautiful lens in chrome. Wasn't fast enough for me.

Hated the bokeh and got a hankering for a Leica rangefinder. Sold both the camera and the lens and if I were to go back to the F3, I would be looking for a good zoom instead. Or a fast 50.
 
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