I personally like a collection of primes. My first three Nikon f-mount lenses were the 28/2.8, the 50/1.4, and the classic 105/2.5 and for what I do, which is pictures of people, that was really all I needed for a good long while. A 35/2, now really the staple of how I "see" didn't come until years later. As the world made the transition to digital and autofocus, many of the lenses I had desired in my youth came up for sale on the used market at really reasonable prices. During that time I added a 105/2, a 50/1.2, and a 85/1.4. -- these were specialty speed lenses that were always out of my reach financially, even on the used market, in the 1980's and 90's. But they all produce. Some folks say that the 50/1.4 has "nissen bokeh" -- none of mine do when wide open.
The Nikon F was such a work-horse. I bought a used one too in the early 2000's. The thing was really a working pro's camera. It is a machine that is designed to be repaired too, so you can keep using it as long as there are competent repair people around. My F prism has a non-working meter, which is probably true for many of them out there today. Still, it is perfectly capable of working without it.
