- Location
- Switzerland
- Name
- Matt
I recently decided to give a spare lens I know I had, a second Nikon 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-D which really *should* still be around - if only I could find the darned thing, to a student of mine who has a really nice body (a Nikon D750) but no truely suitable lens: He was really unhappy about having to use a dated 18-55mm II DX lens. While I've so far failed to unearth the intended one, I ended up finding these two lenses in the recesses of my old Nikon AF camera bag:
The Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-D (the original one without IF, ED or VR) was my father's preferred lens when he still shot his F50 (N50). The lens gets mixed reviews, but it struck me by how small and light it really is. It's actually a bit shorter and only slightly heavier than the 28-105mm. We'll see what it can do - this is a truely no-frills optic, though it was considered "fancy" when it hit the market (well, for a short while ...).
The Tokina AT-X 242 24-200mm f/3.5-5.6 AF I remember buying during my university days as my "upgrade" zoom over the infamous Nikon 35-70mm f/3.3-4.5 AF (Nikon's "worst lens ever", by some accounts). I've never used it much - though I obviously kept it around for some obscure reason until I more or less forgot about it. This was considered a very bulky lens in its day, but next to my Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR, it honestly doesn't look (or feel) that oversized; it balances well enough on the D750, though it *is* rather heavy at a chunky 760g (1.67 pounds). The lens is somewhat limited by today's standards by a pretty long MFD of 0.8m (2.6ft.) - but its long reach might compensate for that. It too has mixed reviews - and they are few and far between, even rarer than those for the Nikon 24-120mm AF-D.
I'll put the two lenses through their paces on my D750; should the absence of the 28-105mm continue, my student'll get the worthier (i.e. optically better) of the two if he likes; at the moment, I'm leaning towards the 24-120mm because of its portability. But both lenses feel quite similar, simple and sturdy, and pair well physically with the D750 - so it'll really be a question of what either can produce. I'll post some results in this thread - they should at the very least be entertaining and/or revealing.
I'd also like to know what (half-)forgotten lenses you've come across - and what you were able to achieve with them.
N.B. I really could bring myself to put this in the "Gear Porn" thread - it's kind of the opposite end of things ... I was contemplating "Probable Duds" as a thread title for a moment there ...
M.
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The Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-D (the original one without IF, ED or VR) was my father's preferred lens when he still shot his F50 (N50). The lens gets mixed reviews, but it struck me by how small and light it really is. It's actually a bit shorter and only slightly heavier than the 28-105mm. We'll see what it can do - this is a truely no-frills optic, though it was considered "fancy" when it hit the market (well, for a short while ...).
The Tokina AT-X 242 24-200mm f/3.5-5.6 AF I remember buying during my university days as my "upgrade" zoom over the infamous Nikon 35-70mm f/3.3-4.5 AF (Nikon's "worst lens ever", by some accounts). I've never used it much - though I obviously kept it around for some obscure reason until I more or less forgot about it. This was considered a very bulky lens in its day, but next to my Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR, it honestly doesn't look (or feel) that oversized; it balances well enough on the D750, though it *is* rather heavy at a chunky 760g (1.67 pounds). The lens is somewhat limited by today's standards by a pretty long MFD of 0.8m (2.6ft.) - but its long reach might compensate for that. It too has mixed reviews - and they are few and far between, even rarer than those for the Nikon 24-120mm AF-D.
I'll put the two lenses through their paces on my D750; should the absence of the 28-105mm continue, my student'll get the worthier (i.e. optically better) of the two if he likes; at the moment, I'm leaning towards the 24-120mm because of its portability. But both lenses feel quite similar, simple and sturdy, and pair well physically with the D750 - so it'll really be a question of what either can produce. I'll post some results in this thread - they should at the very least be entertaining and/or revealing.
I'd also like to know what (half-)forgotten lenses you've come across - and what you were able to achieve with them.
N.B. I really could bring myself to put this in the "Gear Porn" thread - it's kind of the opposite end of things ... I was contemplating "Probable Duds" as a thread title for a moment there ...
M.
