Category Archives: Nikon

Nikon, Nikon, Review

Review: Voigtländer 55mm 1.2 SL IIs Nokton – The last F-mount lens?

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Introduction

voigtländer sl iis nokton nikon f 55mm 1.2 ai-s fast review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Voigtländer 55mm 1.2 SL IIs Nokton on Nikon FM2n

Cosina is always up for a surprise and when they announced this Voigtländer 55mm 1.2 SL IIs Nokton for the Nikon F-mount in 2023 – 5 years after Nikon transitioned to the Z-mount – that surely was a big surprise. Lenses as fast as f/1.2 are rare birds in the F-mount world because they are really operating at the limit of this bayonet. As I will show you in this review, Cosina’s engineers managed to create something that Nikon’s engineers were not able to achieve in over 60 years.

Sample Images

voigtländer sl iis nokton nikon f 55mm 1.2 ai-s fast review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Sony A7III | Voigtländer SL IIs 55mm 1.2 Nokton | f/1.2
voigtländer sl iis nokton nikon f 55mm 1.2 ai-s fast review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Sony A7III | Voigtländer SL IIs 55mm 1.2 Nokton | f/1.2
voigtländer sl iis nokton nikon f 55mm 1.2 ai-s fast review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Sony A7III | Voigtländer SL IIs 55mm 1.2 Nokton | f/1.2
voigtländer sl iis nokton nikon f 55mm 1.2 ai-s fast review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Sony A7III | Voigtländer SL IIs 55mm 1.2 Nokton | f/1.2
voigtländer sl iis nokton nikon f 55mm 1.2 ai-s fast review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Sony A7III | Voigtländer SL IIs 55mm 1.2 Nokton | f/5.6
voigtländer sl iis nokton nikon f 55mm 1.2 ai-s fast review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Sony A7III | Voigtländer SL IIs 55mm 1.2 Nokton | f/1.2

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Nikon, Nikon, Review

Review: Nikon Nikkor 105mm 2.5 Ai – The Portrait Tele Bestseller

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Introduction

nikon 105mm 2.5 ai ai-s f/2.5 tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Nikon 105mm 2.5 Ai via K&F adapter on Sony A7rII

Some lenses became famous because they are rare and/or expensive. Neither is the case for the Nikon Nikkor 105mm 2.5 Ai. In fact – from the early 70s to the mid 80s – Nikon made a lot of them, it was by far their best selling short tele prime. Why was that? And are there still good reasons to use this lens today? Let’s find out in this review.

Sample Images

nikon 105mm 2.5 ai ai-s f/2.5 tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Sony A7III | Nikon 105mm 2.5 | f/2.5
nikon 105mm 2.5 ai ai-s f/2.5 tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Sony A7III | Nikon 105mm 2.5 | f/2.5
nikon 105mm 2.5 ai ai-s f/2.5 tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Sony A7III | Nikon 105mm 2.5 | f/5.6
nikon 105mm 2.5 ai ai-s f/2.5 tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Sony A7III | Nikon 105mm 2.5 | f/5.6
nikon 105mm 2.5 ai ai-s f/2.5 tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Sony A7III | Nikon 105mm 2.5 | f/4.0
nikon 105mm 2.5 ai ai-s f/2.5 tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Sony A7III | Nikon 105mm 2.5 | f/2.5

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Nikon, Nikon, Review

Review: Nikon Nikkor 55mm 1.2 Ai – The first f/1.2 F-mount lens

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Introduction

nikon 55mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 pre-ai tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Nikon Nikkor 55mm 1.2 Ai on Nikon FM2n

The optical design of this Nikkor 55mm 1.2 dates back to 1965, which makes it Nikon’s first f/1.2 lens for the F-mount. Among Nikon’s three manual focus f/1.2 ~50mm lenses this is not exactly a fan favorite though and usually considered the worst of the bunch. Let’s try to find out in this review if that bad reputation is actually justified.

Sample Images

nikon 55mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 pre-ai tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Sony A7III | Nikon Nikkor 55mm 1.2 Ai | f/1.2
nikon 55mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 pre-ai tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Sony A7III | Nikon Nikkor 55mm 1.2 Ai | f/1.2
nikon 55mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 pre-ai tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Sony A7III | Nikon Nikkor 55mm 1.2 Ai | f/1.2
nikon 55mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 pre-ai tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Sony A7III | Nikon Nikkor 55mm 1.2 Ai | f/1.2
nikon 55mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 pre-ai tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Sony A7III | Nikon Nikkor 55mm 1.2 Ai | f/1.2
comparison nikon 55mm 1.2 ai nikkor voigtländer 58mm 1.4 nokton sl iis sliis f-mount slr dslr review sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting rendering CA resolution 42mp 61mp a7rv z8 z9 z7 z6 a1 a9
Sony A7III | Nikon Nikkor 55mm 1.2 Ai | f/1.2
nikon 55mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 pre-ai tele fast 1971 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait
Nikon FM2 | Nikon Nikkor 55mm 1.2 Ai | f/1.2 | Kodak Gold 200 | ECN-2

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Accessories, Nikon, Technical, The creative process

Using Speedboosters on Fullframe Cameras

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Introduction

Zhong Yi LensTurboII and Nikon AF 85mm 1.4D via Pixco Speedbooster on Sony A7rII

Speedboosters are still somewhat popular among videographers, but since these days used fullframe cameras are very affordable, this is not really the case for still photographers anymore. They can be used for some creative shallow depth of field photography on fullframe cameras though, and that is what we will have a look at here.

Sample Pictures

Sony A7r | Zhong Yi LensTurbo II | Canon nFD 85mm 1.2L | ©Simeon Kolev

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Nikon, Nikon, Technical

Nikon AF 180mm 2.8(D): Versions, Teardown and Repair Guide

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Introduction

nikon af af-d 180mm 2.8 ed if sharpness review contrast resolution 42mp 61mp 24mp vignetting coma bokeh build quality flare resistance
Nikon AF 180mm 2.8 D on Nikon FM2n

As you may or may not know there have been several different versions of the Nikon AF 180mm 2.8 over the years. Most notable was the addition of the “D” feature in 1994, allowing the lens to transmit distance information to the camera for more accurate usage of camera flash. As this lens was first released in 1986 some of the samples approach an age of 40 years. As with every product that old, there are some things to be aware of when you are looking to buy a used sample. One of our readers, Q. Xu, did a side-by-side teardown of both versions, so we get to have a closer look at the differences between these versions and what to watch out for.
Of course this article may also be of help if you are looking to perform some kind of repairs on this lens on your own.

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