An Outstanding Opportunity - DPChallenge Forums

Sigma 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Macro

07/19/2005 08:44:00 PM · #1

Many of you may be aware that Nikkor lenses (most all non-G ones with aperture setting rings) can be used on Canon EOS bodies with a simple mount adapter. I've been toying with the prospect of trying out some of the older manual-focus Nikkors, but was reluctant to spend the up-front cost of the adapter ($175 from CameraQuest or $179 from Novoflex). Well, an opportunity fell in my lap this week that made me order one (will be delivered tomorrow).
My boss loaned me his beautiful copy of the manual-focus Nikon 200mm f/2.0, which is ranked as one of the best and fastest 200mm lenses ever made (along with the equally stellar Canon 200/1.8). I have it to play with through Sunday, and I hope I have time to do some real shooting. I cannot wait for the adapter to arrive.
For those wondering why I'd spend that much to test a lens, well, Nikon last year updated this lens to an AF version with VR, and it sells for $4k. The Canon 200/1.8 is discontinued and demand exceeds supply for used lenses, making even rough copies worth >$3k. The old nikkor manual focus 200/2.0 can be had for $1000-$1500 used. Quite a deal for this quality glass. This is a test to see if it's worth me trying to find one. I'm also testing performance of the lens on a digital body for my boss, who is a dedicated Nikon film shooter and is considering a Canon 1DMkII with adapter for use with his extensive collection of Nikon manual-focus glass.
I'll try to post some results, though they may not be artistically inspiring, LOL.

Sonda

Canon EOS-20D

07/19/2005 08:51:19 PM · #2

How cool.. Very interested in this experiment.

wtg kirbic :)

coolhar

Canon PowerShot Pro 90 IS

07/19/2005 09:25:58 PM · #3

Very interesting indeed. Please post some shots along with your impressions.

I do have a question, indirectly, for your boss. I'd like to know why he is considering the 1DMkII, over the D2X?

petrakka

07/19/2005 09:38:16 PM · #4

me too he should just get a d2x if hes gonna drop that dime anyways

yido

Canon EOS-5D

Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX Aspherical DG DF RF for Canon

07/19/2005 10:00:19 PM · #5

Tell him to get the Nikon D2X, it performs like the 1D and 1Ds mark II and it cost much less than the 1Ds. I've held it, it also feels better than the 1D series.

07/19/2005 10:53:40 PM · #6

He is looking for something with a larger sensor than the 1.5x crop of the D2X. He'd really like to go full-frame, but is considering 1.3x crop as a good compromise between using as much of the image circle as possible while not breaking the bank. The 1.3 crop doesn't hurt for sports either, and he does plenty of that.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

07/20/2005 10:48:47 PM · #7

Here are two (really cheesy) pics of the Nikkor 200mm f/2.0 ED AI mounted on the Canon 10D using the CameraQuest adapter

Yes, the front element is as big as it looks, LOL. It's just over 4 incnes in diameter.

Message edited by author 2005-07-20 22:50:12.

deapee

Kodak V803

07/20/2005 10:52:02 PM · #8

Nothing like a Canon user admitting the truth...Nikon is superior -- even the Canon guys mount Nikon glass.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

07/20/2005 10:52:07 PM · #9

Damn, I remember that lens very fondly. I had one back in the day... Of course I sold it when I sold all my gear... sigh... That's one hell of a lens.

Robt.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

07/20/2005 10:54:03 PM · #10

Originally posted by deapee:

Nothing like a Canon user admitting the truth...Nikon is superior -- even the Canon guys mount Nikon glass.

LOLOL... I don't think he said it was "superior" to the Canon 1.8; just that the latter is virtually unavailable and costs the earth when you can find it. You could turn that logic upside down and ask why the Nikon is readily available for so much less?

But, come on, great glass is great glass, nobody has a monopoly on it.

(wink)

Robt.

BikeRacer

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

07/20/2005 10:55:10 PM · #11

How do you meter with it?

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

07/20/2005 11:39:30 PM · #12

Originally posted by BikeRacer:

How do you meter with it?

Those wonderful Canon EOS bodies don't care whether the've got a Canon lens mounted, or any lens at all for that matter, they will still meter properly in Av mode. Aperture is set on the lens, of course, and proper shutter speed is set with the camera happily ignorant of the actual the aperture value. In the camera display, the aperture is shown as "00", and it's just not reported in EXIF.

BikeRacer

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

07/20/2005 11:53:23 PM · #13

Originally posted by kirbic:

Those wonderful Canon EOS bodies don't care whether the've got a Canon lens mounted, or any lens at all for that matter ...

That's really cool! My friend has some great old Nikkor lenses, like this one:

He's expressed interest in going (or at least getting) digital, but I figured he'd be out of luck in using his old lenses. The lens mounted on his cam above is a silky-sweet 50mm f/1.2. I think he also has a 135 and one other prime.

07/21/2005 12:24:39 AM · #14

Here are the first, very quick test shots:

f/2.0, left=full image, right=100% crop

f/5.6, left=full image, right=100% crop

So far, it looks like the lens stays very sharp at f/2.0, however it is "dreamy", giving a glow to highlights and slightly reduced overall contrast while retaining sharp edge detail. The blue and red channels seem to be much more affected than the green channel, leading me to believe this is due to slightly undercorrected spherical aberration.
Bokeh is buttery smooth and beautiful. The iris is a 9-blade design (nice!). This lens is built like a tank, but is definitely hand-holdable. The ergonomics are nice, despite the huge diameter of the front element. The focus ring is silky smooth, and it's easy to manually focus.
This is the early, AI version of this lens. I understand that the later (AIS) version, still manual focus, pretty much does away with the dreaminess at f/2.0
I'll be testing this beast a little more over the weekend, and will post some larger images to another server :-)

Sigma 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Macro

07/21/2005 12:36:08 AM · #15

Originally posted by BikeRacer:

Originally posted by kirbic:
Those wonderful Canon EOS bodies don't care whether the've got a Canon lens mounted, or any lens at all for that matter ...

That's really cool! My friend has some great old Nikkor lenses, like this one... He's expressed interest in going (or at least getting) digital, but I figured he'd be out of luck in using his old lenses. The lens mounted on his cam above is a silky-sweet 50mm f/1.2. I think he also has a 135 and one other prime.

The Cameraquest adapter gets my "two thumbs way up." It is not at all cheap, at $175 USD, but if he's got several good old Nikkors, it might very be well worth the investment. The adapter is best used by mounting it to the lens, then the lens to the body. The lens must be taken back off of the body before the adapter can be removed from the lens. The only Nikkors that do not work are G lenses (no aperture setting ring) and a few older special purpose lenses that required mirror lock-up when mounted to Nikon bodies.

Sonda

Canon EOS-20D

07/23/2005 12:59:18 PM · #16

Looking good Kirbic.

How do you think it compares to the Canon 70-200 2.8 so far?

Or is it only comparable to the Canon 200/1.8?

Would love to see more testshots :)

Message edited by author 2005-07-23 13:01:43.

kyebosh

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 80-200 f/2.8L

07/23/2005 01:31:24 PM · #17

Why don't you set the custom function to allow the setting a aperture while "no lens" is mounted? Then you can get the Av in the exif data instead of the 00 value.

Spork99

Canon EOS M6 Mk II

Canon EF-M 22mm STM Lens

07/23/2005 03:41:06 PM · #18

So, if you select any aperture other than wide open, the finder is darkened correct?

07/23/2005 04:59:31 PM · #19

Originally posted by Spazmo99:

So, if you select any aperture other than wide open, the finder is darkened correct?

Correct. You're metering and focusing "stopped down." That's really not an issue, of course, unless you're shooting at f/8 or smaller aperture, and that's definitely not what this beast is about.
Weather is not cooperating here, thunderstorms today. Hopefully this afternoon and/or tomorrow I can do some more test shots.

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

07/25/2005 12:47:50 AM · #20

OK, the weekend's up, and sadly I have to part with the Nikon 200mmf/2.0 ED :-(
Here is a sampling of what I shot this weekend. In each case, I've posted the full, uncropped frame, and a 640x640px (100%) crop. The images were shot as follows:

- All shot hand-held. Yes, I hand held this beast all day!
- All shot in RAW, and converted in ACR (PS CS2)
- "Exposed to the right" and exposure adjusted in PS.

The shots were minimally post-processed, including exposure adjustment in RAW conversion, a single pass of very-low-radius USM in PS CS2, and in a few cases a gentle application of curves afterward. In one shot (dog) I cloned out a very minor distraction (a bit of leash). OK, OK, the images already:

Shot at 100 ISO

Shot at 800 ISO

The images shot at 800 ISO were done to give the owner of the lens an idea what the 10D is like at 800 ISO.

My conclusions:
The lens is a stunner. At the very near end of focus and wide open, the images have a bit of a dreamy look which is not accounted for by the very small DoF. At least one other reviewer has mentioned this. I don't find this result unattractive, and honestly, I wouldn't use the lens wide open at near focus very often! The dreaminess is just detectable at longer subject distances (>10 meters). In all cases, the lens still renders detail beyond what the 10D's sensor can resolve, even wide open. the bokeh is absolutely beautiful, rendered as smooth circles with a diffuse edge. There are nine iris blades.
Color is accurate, and contrast is high even wide open. All in all, this is one stunning piece of glass. I'm glad I had a chance to play with it. Now if I can just keep myself from buying a copy, LOL.

Message edited by author 2005-07-25 00:59:04.

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

07/25/2005 02:41:24 AM · #21

That's a very nice lens...

Robt.