Nikon A hypothetical question for you Nikon shooters...

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Say you have a D7000 w/18-200 lens and want to take pictures of a butterfly on flower against a background of greenery.

Which lens would you rather receive as a Christmas present, 1) A Nikkor 50 1.2 AiS or 2) A Series E 100mm lens?

 

[mike3996]

E 100 mm would be more appropriate for this particular scene but the 50/1.2 would be more usable for general things.

 

[Irene McC]

E-series are very old and were always regarded as a cheaper alternative.
I'd go with the 50

 

[gryphon1911]

I would see if I can find a used Tamron 90mm f/2.8 in f-mount. Autofocus is slow, but it is a great macro lens. I've used it as a general purpose portrait lens, for macros, street.
It is sharp as you'll ever need and at times was too sharp for portraits - had to calm it down a little with minus values on texture and clarity in Lightroom or running the images through the portrait software.

The older ones are screw drive designs, so very reliable.

If that is not an option, as @mike3996 stated, the working distance of the 100mm might be better for the use case you mentioned.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Thanks, keep the opinions coming all, this is good stuff.

I'm actually trying to decide if I should buy a lens or just send one of mine to my sister for Christmas.

 

[Irene McC]

Thanks, keep the opinions coming all, this is good stuff.

I'm actually trying to decide if I should buy a lens or just send one of mine to my sister for Christmas.

But those are two different things entirely?

 

[mnhoj]

The Tamron 90 mentioned above seems like an excellent choice for butterflies and things that may be skittish.
For other things, I'll throw in the 40 AF-S DX micro. Budget friendly, 1:1 and a normal-ish perspective.

https://www.mpb.com/en-us/product/nikon-af-s-dx-micro-nikkor-40mm-f-2-8g

 

[DaveNJ]

E-series are very old and were always regarded as a cheaper alternative.
I'd go with the 50

Some of them are pretty decent though. Based on this review this seems to be one of those but of course ymmv with old lens.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

But those are two different things entirely?

I'd be sending her a lens I buy, if I buy one, or I may decide to just send her one of either of the lenses I've asked about here.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

The Tamron 90 mentioned above seems like an excellent choice for butterflies and things that may be skittish.
For other things, I'll throw in the 40 AF-S DX micro. Budget friendly, 1:1 and a normal-ish perspective.

https://www.mpb.com/en-us/product/nikon-af-s-dx-micro-nikkor-40mm-f-2-8g

That 40 AF-S DX micro is a great candidate, thanks for mentioning it.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Some of them are pretty decent though. Based on this review this seems to be one of those but of course ymmv with old lens.

I think I've got one of the better copies of the 100.

 

[mpeterson]

E-series are very old and were always regarded as a cheaper alternative.

This is very true, the Series E lenses were marketed as a less-expensive alternative to the standard AI-S lenses. BUT the 100/2.8 Series E was considered the gem of the series. It's a quite good performer optically, and would give high image quality on a D7000. Optically it compared favorably to lenses like the 105/2.8D Micro and the 80-200/2.8 AF/AFD lenses of the day, which were very highly regarded. A lot of working pros kept the 100E in their bags as a tiny secret weapon.

All that said, it only focuses down to 1m, so given the butterfly application, it may not be the ideal choice. Add a Nikon 5T closeup diopter or a short extension tube to it, though, and you'd have a pretty nice butterfly lens. Or alternatively, you could also get a 105mm AI Micro - or even a 200mm AI Micro - for probably about the same money, and that would give you more close-focusing capability for subjects like butterflies. The Tamron 90mm AF lens mentioned above offers AF, of course, but is also probably a good bit more expensive. I've always found AF to be a pain for subjects like butterflies, so I'd personally opt for the MF lens, anyway, but your sister's preference may be different.

 

[MountainMan79]

I’d do a mix of the two, and grab a 55mm micro Nikkor f/2.8. Ai/ai-s if you’re cool with MF, which it seems like you are, or for about the same price you can get a D version with AF that should work great on the d7000. Wonderful lens, very sharp, great macro capabilities (especially if you add some extensions), and remains a very usable all around lens.

 

[mnhoj]

I had one. Let a friend borrow it. That was three years ago. Might have to chase it down. ( :
For me, the e-series build quality equates to lighter weight. I thought the optics were very good.

Another one I really liked back then was the Tamron 60mm F2. More for portraits than anything else.

Here's one I never tried but looks interesting. 80mm 3.5G with VRii. Price seems reasonable.
And I don't think I've ever met a macro I didn't like.

https://www.adorama.com/us1847238.html?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADxgUsyS364wtAnaQ1MnY3n79aWXV&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgJa6BhCOARIsAMiL7V9jOaZcEKhGsKmrQaFvdqLjzDTSOG7UwxirJ3yuP5WkoSNWPN7zdJsaAqXxEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&utm_source=inc-google-shop-p

 

[phigmov]

Seconding the 55mm Micro Nikkor - great lens. Arguably more versatile than a f1.2 (useful in low light but the bokeh can be an acquired taste compared to the f1.4 and its a big hunk of glass) or 100mm (actually a really nice lens & facal lenght). The 55mm can be used as a walk-around lens, but also for flowers/macro work and even portraits (it'll be a short tele 78/80mm on the D7000 APSC sensor anyway). Really can't go wrong with any of the name-brand manual-focus macro lenses from this era - they're all pretty great.

 

[rloewy]

I own a copy of the e series 100, I really don't like it. Maybe it's just my copy, but I do not like what I get from it. Fwiw, the 105mm 2.5 is amazing, so it is not as if I object to Nikon glass, far from it.

I never sold any photography equipment I ever got, but when I decide to do that, that lens will be in the first batch going out.

Per my usual, ymmv

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Thanks for all the input here people, I really appreciate the help/advice/wisdom shared here.

I've been in touch with my sis and she's 'getting old and lazy' and would not mind an auto focusing lens.

I'm really leaning towards the 40 micro suggested above as it's in a price range I could afford and I know, having experienced Nikon lenses, that it'll be sharp as a tack PLUS the added benefit of being light weight. I need to keep in mind the cost of shipping to Australia too, as that is not cheap either. On top of that I think her photography has slackened off because of the weight of her gear. Anything to lighten her load will get her shooting more I believe.

Once I hear from her as to what her lens inventory is now I'll make a decision.
Again, thanks for the help and any further suggestions will be taken into consideration with earnest.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I finally heard from my sis.
I ordered the Nikon Micro 40 this morning, should be here next Monday, then it'll be shortly on it's way to Perth.