Nikon Ai/AiS also can......

[nivek]

With the introduction of DSLR and the affordability of these equipment, more and more of us are now taking up photography as a hobby. A lot of newbies have started to learn and appreciate what good lenses can produce. However the cost involved in obtaining prime lens might not be feasible and as such they will continue to use the kit lenses which came with the DSLR purchased.

Nikon being a company who pride themselves in backward compatibility has made using the latest DSLR with the oldest Nikon lenses possible. Here 3 of us took to the task of demonstrating how Ai/AiS lenses produced in the 70's/80's are able to work perfectly with your latest DSLR to produce excellent quality pics. These lenses can be easily found in 2nd hand market at a very very reasonable price that would not hurt your pocket.

Over the coming weeks, we shall update latest pics taken with these lenses and show you what they are capable of. 3 DSLRs were used being the D50, D200 as well as the D2X. The lenses involved are AiS 35mm/f2.8, Ai 85mm/f2, AiS 50mm/f1.8 S and Ai 105mm/f4 Micro. Testers were Noruazumi, GTYe0H and nivek. Do note that this pics shown here have been compressed for the web and all were shot in RAW.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/test-lenses.jpg

[nivek]

To start the ball rolling, here's the first picture taken at the Kuan Yim temple. No flash was used and shot was taken in ISO100 and white balance set to Auto using the AiS 35mm/f2.8.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/35mmKuanYimTemple.jpg

This pic was taken as we walked along the heritage trial.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/35mmLock.jpg

This car has been beautifully restored by its owner.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/50mmCar.jpg

[nivek]

Door handle on one of the Kongsi buildings.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/50mmDoor.jpg

Somebody must have really liked their Hokkien Mee.. :)

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/50mmBowls.jpg

Here's the last one for tonight. Taken at one of the flower shops along the heritage trial.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/35mmFlowerShop.jpg

[HCN]

Beware of this Nivek, very poisonous. :0

[nivek]

Ok here are the shots from Noruazumi.....

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/beggar.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/85mmCandle.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/35mmDog.jpg

[nivek]

And these from GTYe0H.....

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/105mmButterfly.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/105mmFlower.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/105mmLock.jpg

[limecity]

damn now i want an AIS lens !

[Norm]

Waaa.... very nice!...

But everything in manual for D70s...sigh..
no metering as well... :(
back to old school techniques then,:?

[HCN]

Holy mama... 105mm AIS gone... :run_away:

Love the butterfly and flowers pictures :)

[noruazumi]

thanks to nivek for loaning me his 85mm/f2 Ai and 35mm/f2.8 AiS the other day. :)

it was a great experience as i never use manual lenses before.
quite tricky to adapt to manual lenses behavior, but i managed to get used to it.

the color was superb. really pop! and the amount of details too.
all the onboard-camera enhancement settings were set to normal (meaning ZERO).
the sharpness also impressive. at f4, it seems like razor sharp.
but it all depends on your manual focusing too.

using manual lenses, makes me appreciate "moments" more.
meaning, you have to work real hard to get the shot.
i did missed some precious shots due to MY slow focusing.
missing those shots make me work harder to get better shot.
waiting for the "moment", and finally got it, it was the greatest feeling.

i was using 85mm most of the time. i find the range is just nice.
i just use my feet to zoom in and zoom out. :P
35mm also good lens. give you more space in composition.

anyway, i can't find any flaws about the lenses.
they are just too good.
the price is cheap, but the quality of the photo that u'll get, worth every cents.

[karheng]

Amazing shots! The shots not made by the lens nor the camera, it's the eye of the photographer.....But of course, the lense makes it even better...:cool:

[ZhenMing]

The poison is so hard to resist...

[nivek]

One more taken just now with Ai 85mm/f2 while having kopi :)

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/nivekd200/85mmTin.jpg

In summary, all 4 lenses were fun to play with and the most beautiful part is the ability to focus anywhere I like without having to change the focus point as it is all manual focus. Picture quality was good and images were sharp beating the normal kit lens any day. For those on a budget but looking for prime lenses, the Ai/AiS series will prove to be quite a good trade off as compared to the AF series. Having said that bear in mind that focusing moving subjects might prove to be a challenge but not impossible for some.

Will I buy it? Yes if I have the need to take those types of photos posted here. However current interest lies in birding...hahaha

[limecity]

More moreeeeeeeeee I wan see more of 105mm ! moreeeeeeee plsssss

[HCN]

Attaching AIS len with my D80 just like blindfold myself on metering measurement. Everything comes back to basic without any clues. The most interesting part is the learning curve that I'm roller-coasting on :)

The poison is getting stronger and stronger to do lot of testing and histogram reading activates lot of curiousity on experiments.

Root cause? blame the one who suddenly "activate" the demand of AI/AIS lens with photo example. Holy mama...:0

[karheng]

wah lovely pic...

[ZhenMing]

After do some testing on the lens... both have the similar/equal sharpness... but the colour temp and contrast have some differences.

The pictures below are the comparison where the left is 85mm and right is 35mm

(Note: Don't complain about the sharpness of 35mm... just jugde from the contrast and colour temp...)

[ZhenMing]

This show the sharpness of the mighty 35mm.. can be as close as about 15mm from the object

[HCN]

50mm AIS shot. Struggling on manual setting, darn slow indeed :redface:

[HCN]

The darker part is the shadow from house roof and the standing pillar. Shot during bright morning sun at around 0930.

[HCN]

took shot while stuck in the long traffic jam due to severe flood at kampung road to Jeniang. :)

[ZhenMing]

hi bro.. you have to add Nikkor AiS 50mm f/1.4 at your signature liao.. fun shooting har?

I'm having full day on my 85mm f/2 and the output is super sharp... wow... very song...

[nivek]

hehehehe good one HCN and ZhenMing :) By the way 35mm f2.8 available :run_away: muahahahahahahhaa :P

[HCN]

hehehehe good one HCN and ZhenMing :) By the way 35mm f2.8 available :run_away: muahahahahahahhaa :P

Financial recovering is in progress... just "something" happened unexpectedly :P

Hold on... AiS is killing... :run_away:

hi bro.. you have to add Nikkor AiS 50mm f/1.4 at your signature liao.. fun shooting har?

I'm having full day on my 85mm f/2 and the output is super sharp... wow... very song...

My AiS len only f1.8, not f1.4.
Not manage to have long while to shoot, thus learning how to shoot in between waiting time. Good one. Must tackle.:)

[noruazumi]

hahahhaha.... :D

[albert8112]

Hi guys,

Just for your info, I seem to notice that there is a Nikon AI 50mm f1.4 for sale at click n snap at penang.

Hope it will help.

[ZhenMing]

the next is AiS 28mm f/2.8

[HCN]

Hi guys,

Just for your info, I seem to notice that there is a Nikon AI 50mm f1.4 for sale at click n snap at penang.

Hope it will help.

Albert,

Thanks for this poisonous message :P I just got my precious :)
I leave this poison to others to join. :P

[nivek]

There has been a sudden revival of manual lenses (calling acidict..hehehe) so bringing up this review for those getting into this :)

[beyond]

I ll post a few of mine once I get my camera. :)

[noruazumi]

There has been a sudden revival of manual lenses (calling acidict..hehehe) so bringing up this review for those getting into this :)
haha... i will post some sample photos from my 24mm f/2.8 AIS. :P

[acidict]

There has been a sudden revival of manual lenses (calling acidict..hehehe) so bringing up this review for those getting into this :)

You are poisonous!!!!! Just u wait til i get my hands on one of these :mad:

[beyond]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/2685044284_56877e429c.jpg
my Mom. Shot using 105 mm f2.5 AIS. THis was done wide open with a D300

[Satindolls]

AiSes are SIAO POISON indeed.........even thru a classic Nikon D50 lerr.........drool on........Great job, Nivek and Azmi and the Penang Kia's!!!!!

[Jamesf]

I like Nikon's old lenses. Tad sharp, light and cheap.

This was taken with my cheapo 50mm/1.8 E wide open on D60 without flash:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2693919795_38fef0132f_o.jpg

[pengster]

Pardon me :P

These are shot with the Nikkor AI 50 F/1.4 hand-mounted on my 40D. it was a quick & dirty test, just for fun ;)

Common settings : 1/60s, ISO 200, flash fired.

F1.4
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn80/eVoWei/IMG_2751.jpg

F2
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn80/eVoWei/IMG_2749.jpg

F2.8
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn80/eVoWei/IMG_2753.jpg

Not bad for a 30 year old lens :D haha.

[Alan]

You got such surreal bokeh! I wonder if it is caused by the extra distance the lens was from focal plane.

[pengster]

Yeah i think so :redface: Cause the lens was held to the body with my hands only. I haven't bought the adapter for it yet. :P

Later on I'm gonna try it out on nicer objects ;)

[pengster]

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn80/eVoWei/IMG_2758.jpg
F2.8, 1/800s, ISO200

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn80/eVoWei/IMG_2757.jpg
F2.8, 1/1600s, ISO200

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn80/eVoWei/IMG_2767.jpg
F4, 1/250s, ISO200

All shot with the Nikkor 50 F/1.4 Ai, straight out of the camera. :)

[HCN]

Nikon D80 | 1/100s | f/1.8 | ISO100 | AiS len 50mm with two 4x close up filters

Both have the same Exif info - in fact, there is no metering at all. I remembered the F value is 1.8 ;)

26453

26454

[noordin]

thanks to nivek for loaning me his 85mm/f2 Ai and 35mm/f2.8 AiS the other day. :)

it was a great experience as i never use manual lenses before.
quite tricky to adapt to manual lenses behavior, but i managed to get used to it.

the color was superb. really pop! and the amount of details too.
all the onboard-camera enhancement settings were set to normal (meaning ZERO).
the sharpness also impressive. at f4, it seems like razor sharp.
but it all depends on your manual focusing too.

using manual lenses, makes me appreciate "moments" more.
meaning, you have to work real hard to get the shot.
i did missed some precious shots due to MY slow focusing.
missing those shots make me work harder to get better shot.
waiting for the "moment", and finally got it, it was the greatest feeling.

i was using 85mm most of the time. i find the range is just nice.
i just use my feet to zoom in and zoom out. :P
35mm also good lens. give you more space in composition.

anyway, i can't find any flaws about the lenses.
they are just too good.
the price is cheap, but the quality of the photo that u'll get, worth every cents.


So, you poisoned yourself? Nivek didn't need to do much! :D :D :D

I still have some AiS lenses from my previous life! :D

[nivek]

So, you poisoned yourself? Nivek didn't need to do much! :D :D :D



Also known as committing suicide...muahahahahaha :D

[noruazumi]

So, you poisoned yourself? Nivek didn't need to do much! :D :D :D

I still have some AiS lenses from my previous life! :D
Yeah! Because of him, now I go 24mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.4 MF lenses.
Not to forget the FM2n. And a stack of Ilford. :D
...and if your AiS lenses can't fit your drybox anymore, I still have some spaces left in my drybox! hehe.

Also known as committing suicide...muahahahahaha :D
Yeah, you provided the rope and the rest you left it to me. LOL!
feeeeeeeeeety emm emm satu perpuluhan empat! haha.

[Alan]

Here's a photo of my daughter taken with AiS 105mm f1.8. I can't remember precisely the aperture but it was between f2.8 - f4. No editing, just mere re-sizing. I just love the colours.

26987

[pengster]

Playing around with the 105 F1.8 after getting the lens mount adapter. :redface:

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn80/eVoWei/IMG_3898.jpg
Shot at F2.8

[Alan]

Playing around with the 105 F1.8 after getting the lens mount adapter. :redface:

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn80/eVoWei/IMG_3898.jpg
Shot at F2.8

Lovely colours, ain't it?

[noruazumi]

Sample shots from Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AiS on D200.
No digital processing except for resizing.

27121


This one has been cropped.
27123

[pengster]

Lovely colours, ain't it?

Yup, and at F2.8, its very sharp. Love the bokeh too. ;)

[noruazumi]

Testing the capability of Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AiS at low light condition.

27263

[jameslow]

Testing the capability of Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AiS at low light condition.

exif shown 24mm? :?

[noruazumi]

exif shown 24mm? :?
Forgot to change the Non-CPU lens information on my D200. :)

[noordin]

haha... i will post some sample photos from my 24mm f/2.8 AIS. :P

You know what goes well with that?

















D700. FF lens go with FF body! :Poke:

:D :D :D

[noruazumi]

You know what goes well with that?
D700. FF lens go with FF body! :Poke:

:D :D :D
LOL!!!! Very very bad..... :P
Don't think that will happen anytime soon. :redface:

[Alan]

LOL!!!! Very very bad..... :P
Don't think that will happen anytime soon. :redface:

I have a cheaper solution.....















FM3a.... :run_away: muahahaha

[noruazumi]

I have a cheaper solution.....
FM3a.... :run_away: muahahaha
... And I assume you can provide that solution?
LOL!

[acidict]

... And I assume you can provide that solution?
LOL!

then i guess by that time u'll be able to provide me a solution to my problem as well !! :D