nikon 55mm f/1.2 over various 50mm f/1.4

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Bruce Murphy - 28 Nov 2004 07:25 GMT

I'm playing with an AI'd 55m f/1.2 on a D70 at the moment trying to
work out whether to add it to my collection of an AIS 50mm f/1.4 and
an AF 50mm f/1.4 (first version). At this point, I'd consider it
potentially useful as a portrait-lens if it had a nice OOF rendition
and softness that didn't get in the way too much.

I've got the lens on loan at the moment and I'm trying to come up with
some ways of pushing it to various limits to see what it can do,
obviously a lens like that is going to have flare issues, but is there
anything a little more subtle I could try?

B

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Ken Nadvornick - 28 Nov 2004 09:24 GMT

> I'm playing with an AI'd 55m f/1.2 on a D70 at the moment
> trying to work out whether to add it to my collection of an
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> have flare issues, but is there anything a little more subtle
> I could try?

Hi Bruce,

I've owned a 55mm f/1.2 pre-AI Nikkor lens since purchasing it new with my
first Nikon F2 in the early 70s. It was chosen because at that time I was
working night shifts at Disneyland while attending college and I wanted to
record the dim, behind-the-scenes times I spent with my friends. (I also
own a 50mm f/1.8 AIS that is for general use where quality is more important
than speed.)

If you're interested, the following two SI submissions by me (one B&W and
one color) were both made using this original 55mm lens wide-open at f/1.2.
They are examples of "pushing it to various limits" and may be of some use
to you in your decision:

(Friday Night)
http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/30868043

One interesting thing to notice in the Friday Night photo is the blob of
light on the extreme left edge of the picture, sitting just above the white
fence. This was actually a point-source exposed halogen bulb illuminating
the drive-thru ticket booth. Even though there is a 12% crop from the true
left edge of the frame (meaning the bulb was not imaged at the extreme frame
edge) this light source exhibits severe coma. You can also see the general
overall softness of the subject elements as they were recorded during the
wide-open, one-second, tripod-mounted (w/MLU engaged) exposure.

(Heat)
http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/33170474

The Heat photo was a hand held 1/30 sec wide-open exposure (elbows braced on
knees while sitting). The interesting thing here is the extremely shallow
depth-of-field produced by this lens at such a close working distance. This
is quite apparent along the length of the foreground log and is always a big
challenge in dim light.

One final thought is that in my experience this lens (all lenses, but
especially so with this one) must be used with its respective lens hoods
attached. As you can see, the front element is huge and *very* exposed to
stray light. I have the very deep HS-3 metal screw-on shade and never fail
to attach it. You would do well to obtain the same, or a similar, hood, if
you can.

Hope this helps,
Ken

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Bruce Murphy - 28 Nov 2004 09:46 GMT

> I've owned a 55mm f/1.2 pre-AI Nikkor lens since purchasing it new with my
> first Nikon F2 in the early 70s. It was chosen because at that time I was
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> They are examples of "pushing it to various limits" and may be of some use
> to you in your decision:

Thanks for the pointers to images and to the comments. I'll probably
try a couple of other tests to see how it might bite me in shots I do
care about.

> One final thought is that in my experience this lens (all lenses, but
> especially so with this one) must be used with its respective lens hoods
> attached. As you can see, the front element is huge and *very* exposed to
> stray light. I have the very deep HS-3 metal screw-on shade and never fail
> to attach it. You would do well to obtain the same, or a similar, hood, if
> you can.

I don't have the precise lens hood available at the moment, but it'll
have to go on the list of things to acquire if I do end up getting the
lens. I wonder how commonly they turn up.

B

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Jonesy - 29 Nov 2004 18:36 GMT

> I'm playing with an AI'd 55m f/1.2 on a D70 at the moment trying to
> work out whether to add it to my collection of an AIS 50mm f/1.4 and
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> B>

The *50*mm f/1.2 AI-S lens is generally regarded as a step-up above in
image quality over the 55mm f/1.2. I would be more inclined to make
an "upgrade" along those lines versus buying a 50mm f/1.4. If you get
the 50mm f/1.2, make sure to get the AI-S version as it has a 9-bladed
diaphragm versus a 7-blade for the AI version.

I don't think that the out-of-focus blur is any better with the f/1.4
versus the f/1.2, so even on that level there really is no
improvement.

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