New Arrival! - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

01/05/2005 09:01:40 PM · #1

O Sweeeeet! The very old Carl Zeiss 75mm f/1.5 Biotar lens that i won on ebay in December finally arrived from Prague...

It's one big, fast chunk of glass. Mounts beautifully on the 10D with an inexpensive M42-to-EOS adapter.
Most of these lenses were produced in Exakta mount, this is one of theless common M42 screw mount versions. It's also a "late" version, built after WWII, probably mid-fifties.
As you can see the glass and the barrel is absolutely perfect. Ten aperture blades and an f/1.5 max aperture means I may just HAVE to use this for my "bokeh" shot =)
The center shot shows the lens at f/5.6... look how much the iris ican still be opened, LOL.

Message edited by author 2005-01-05 21:02:52.

deapee

Kodak V803

01/05/2005 09:06:43 PM · #2

and I was expecting some shots of a new baby. well, congrats anyway I guess lol

Tranquil

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Canon

01/05/2005 09:08:46 PM · #3

Originally posted by deapee:

and I was expecting some shots of a new baby. well, congrats anyway I guess lol

Lol... me too!

How can you tease us with this w/o a couple samples :-p ... i'm curious to see the quality.

Lee

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 16-85 f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

01/05/2005 10:02:02 PM · #4

Heh heh, a new baby under "hardware", now that would be something...

Samples will be forthcoming, but I don't know if I can get anything up this evening, might have to wait until tomorrow. I did take a couple low-light pics hand-held, and it seems quite sharp even wide open. I'm in love! Only real issue is the difficulty of hitting focus precisely, since the viewfinder on the 10D is not optimal for high-precision manual focusing.

cbeller

Nikon D300

01/05/2005 10:10:44 PM · #5

Originally posted by deapee:

and I was expecting some shots of a new baby. well, congrats anyway I guess lol

My exact thoughts and then I saw a picture of the Devil..err..a Canon. :)

Congrats on the new addition to the family kirbic! ;-)

graphicfunk

Canon EOS-20D

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

01/05/2005 10:13:42 PM · #6

Congratulations with this baby. This was an era where lenses were manufactured with that personal touch that is now controlled by computers. I had an old leica with a hand polished gem. Enjoy and tell me about its quality or shall I say, sing its praises. Good luck.

KiwiChris

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

01/05/2005 10:48:52 PM · #7

Very, Very cool....

Acording to the dof master

The depth of field at 3m (Typical portrait distance for ~75mm?) will be around 8cm :-).

You might have to use 'focus bracketing'.. ie: keep on pushing the shutter button while randomly playing with the focus. :-).

So the question is, does it have that silky smooth feel of a real lens when focusing? One thing that disapoints me about most modern lenses is that they just don't feel as smoot as my old zuiko gear, and that includes the silly $ 'L' stuff..

A neat purchase..

Cheers, Chris Hellyar.

01/05/2005 10:50:34 PM · #8

Kirbic,
Does Carl Ziess make any glass for Nikons? Im very curious. Thanx

01/05/2005 11:09:50 PM · #9

@Ohmark:
Yes, the focusing is very smooth, and the focus ring truns more than 3/4 turn from nearest focus (0.8m) to infinity!!
You are correct that focus bracketing will prolly be a requirement. Set focus, lean slightly forward, then fire a burst while leaning slowly back a bit.

@Damian:
The Canon EOS bodies are among the thinnest SLRs, meaning that the register distance (distance from the mount flange to the sensor plane) is small compared to other SLRs. This makes the Canon EOS bodies very flexible as far as lenses that can be mounted. The deeper body on the Nikon system makes it much less attractive to use these older lenses. Though adpaters are available to mount M42 lenses on Nikon bodies, infinity focus is not possible. The adapter moves the lens too far from the sensor plane. It acts just like an extension tube.

01/05/2005 11:23:10 PM · #10

Thanx Kirbic,
So Ziess isnt into the game of making specific lenses for Nikons ala Sigma?
After seeing how nice my 717 lens worked, im just curious about this manufacturer.

01/05/2005 11:39:09 PM · #11

Originally posted by Damian:

Thanx Kirbic,
So Ziess isnt into the game of making specific lenses for Nikons ala Sigma?
After seeing how nice my 717 lens worked, im just curious about this manufacturer.

I'm certainly no expert as far as what is made or has been made for Nikon. Perhaps someone with more knowledge than myself can answer that question. I'm tempted to say that none have been made, but I could well be wrong.

01/05/2005 11:41:16 PM · #12

Sorry if I centered on Nikon, I was actually curious if they make any specific lenses for DSLRs.
Thanx for the info : )

01/05/2005 11:48:14 PM · #13

Originally posted by Damian:

Sorry if I centered on Nikon, I was actually curious if they make any specific lenses for DSLRs.
Thanx for the info : )

The only current-production Zeiss glass for 35mm equipment is for Contax. They make a lot of stuff for medium format gear, e.g. Hasselblad. Do a search on B&H's site for "Zeiss lens" and take a look through. Don't drop dead at the prices though.

01/06/2005 12:14:55 AM · #14

Originally posted by kirbic:

Originally posted by Damian:
Sorry if I centered on Nikon, I was actually curious if they make any specific lenses for DSLRs.
Thanx for the info : )

The only current-production Zeiss glass for 35mm equipment is for Contax. They make a lot of stuff for medium format gear, e.g. Hasselblad. Do a search on B&H's site for "Zeiss lens" and take a look through. Don't drop dead at the prices though.

Well the price has ended my interest....and quickly : )

Thanx Kirbic