Nikon 28mm lenses

mike3996

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Regarding 28mm f/2.8 lenses for Nikon.

The Series E lens has for whatever reason gained in asking price and is now close towards 100 €. Some of you will say the time for Series E was when these lenses could have had for 50 € or so. A general consensus seems to be that the 28E has the worst value of all the Series E lenses.

As things stand, what separates a 28/2.8E from a quite closely priced 28/2.8D? Some haters claim the compact autofocusing 28 shares the optical design with the cheap series E lens. I may agree that there are optically superior 28mm lenses but I may not necessarily need optical perfection of those lenses.

What is out there anyway?

  • 28/1.4E is a modern and fast lens with few flaws but perhaps I'd anticipate a few issues with the size and weight and the possible lack of character with this one.
  • 28/1.4D is a classic as far as I can tell.
  • 28/2.8 AIS is the benchmark performer
  • 28/2 AIS would be my favorite, balanced between the 1.4D looks and the 2.8AIS form. The faster lens would be also faster to focus also.
  • 28/2.8 AF-D
  • 28/2.8 Series E
As a side note, 28mm is an interesting target for me because while my main camera can technically show me 28mm framelines, the framing is hardly as convenient as it could be: the frames are so wide for the 0.68x magnified view.

Why don't I just go for the f/2 lens then if that's my favorite? Maybe I will, but maybe I'll also snatch the 2.8 AF lens. It's a compact lens and would form a nice companion to my 50/1.4D for a leisurely two-lens stroll.
 
Regarding 28mm f/2.8 lenses for Nikon.

The Series E lens has for whatever reason gained in asking price and is now close towards 100 €. Some of you will say the time for Series E was when these lenses could have had for 50 € or so. A general consensus seems to be that the 28E has the worst value of all the Series E lenses.

As things stand, what separates a 28/2.8E from a quite closely priced 28/2.8D? Some haters claim the compact autofocusing 28 shares the optical design with the cheap series E lens. I may agree that there are optically superior 28mm lenses but I may not necessarily need optical perfection of those lenses.

What is out there anyway?

  • 28/1.4E is a modern and fast lens with few flaws but perhaps I'd anticipate a few issues with the size and weight and the possible lack of character with this one.
  • 28/1.4D is a classic as far as I can tell.
  • 28/2.8 AIS is the benchmark performer
  • 28/2 AIS would be my favorite, balanced between the 1.4D looks and the 2.8AIS form. The faster lens would be also faster to focus also.
  • 28/2.8 AF-D
  • 28/2.8 Series E
As a side note, 28mm is an interesting target for me because while my main camera can technically show me 28mm framelines, the framing is hardly as convenient as it could be: the frames are so wide for the 0.68x magnified view.

Why don't I just go for the f/2 lens then if that's my favorite? Maybe I will, but maybe I'll also snatch the 2.8 AF lens. It's a compact lens and would form a nice companion to my 50/1.4D for a leisurely two-lens stroll.
I’ve only seen the 28 F2 ai-s out of that lot, fixed to an early Fuji model it, rendered really nice in terms of mono images. This generally means it’ll be just as good on a Nikon. What moves you to the 28mm focal length on a DSLR?
 
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I’ve only seen the 28 F2 ai-s out of that lot, fixed to an early Fuji model it, rendered really nice in terms of mini images. This generally means it’ll be just as good on a Nikon. What moves you to the 28mm focal length on a DSLR?
With a rangefinder the 28mm frame is getting inconvenient in terms of precise framing. If only there were 0.58x viewfinders for digital Leicas out there. As such I think maybe 28 and the other wides have a place within TTL system cameras. All within reason, of course.

This is my trail of research so far, in mostly chronological order.

What I understand is that 28 f/2.8 AIS has a particularly good design and has corrections for a most excellent close focus, making it a benchmark in that way. But right now, before experiencing a real split prism focusing, I have my reservations about slower wide angles.

So I turned my head to the fastest lenses. 28/1.4E doesn't appeal to me because of its size and I presume its optical formula might be too clinical for my taste. Lucky to me, there's the older 28/1.4D lens that just about everybody loves. These lenses may have dear price tags on them but they're a small fraction of what corresponding Leica glass would cost me. So I regard these prices as manageable, if need be.

I was watching youtube comparisons and reviews of the 28/1.4D, and then in one video the author pitted the speed legend against the f/2 AIS lens. I didn't know much about the f/2 lens before the video. It wasn't on my radar. But in a direct A/B comparison I noticed the f/2 producing just great bokeh, precisely what the doctor ordered (for my symptoms anyway).

Despite this, I think the 28 AF-D is also an interesting prospect, if for nothing else, it's cheap and it complements my other AF-D lenses: 50/1.4 and 85/1.8. Some people would prefer to pair a 50 with 24mm but I'll gladly take 28mm.
 
The Nikkor 28/2 works for me: is very sharp, much better than the Konica 28/1.8 that sells for twice the amount. I have that lens as well.

The AF-Nikkor 28/2.8 stopped down a little is just fine. It is probably the cheapest Nikkor 28 that you will find.
 
Sounds like you're looking for F2.8 or faster.
If not, I've had a few versions of the 28mm 3.5.
Nice sharpness. Pretty good into the sun. Affordable.
Yeah right now I am unsure if I can personally focus these wide angles if they're somewhat dim, that's the reason. Might be that things will improve greatly after my camera is all calibrated and aligned.
 
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