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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Nikon mount and Nikon lenses...

Jeffrey Loewe

Jeffrey Loewe

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I thought this would be the best place to put this to keep from staggering up the other parts of the board. I first heard that RED was going to make a Nikon mount for the DSMC system about a year ago, and just heard about it again recently. I've been looking into lenses lately and was just wondering what experiences people had with them. I'm particularly interested in the Nikkor Manual Focus lenses.

There is an aperture ring on theses lenses correct? Would these work on the Nikon mount? The images I've seen from them around the web have been beautiful. Also was wondering if anyone had any samples they'd like to share? The Manual focus lenses seem fast and inexpensive compared to some other lenses out there. Just wanted to gather some thoughts from those who may have used them on a R1 or plan to use them on Epic/Scarlet.
 
Jeffrey,

I've got a fairly complete set of Nikon AIS manual primes, and yes, they all have an aperture ring. Personally, in terms of bang-for-the-buck, I don't think you can do better than these lenses, especially if you get them cine-modified by RP Lens or Duclos. They're not PL glass, but size and weight is a concern of mine, and these really deliver beautiful images at a good cost/size balance. Here are the lenses I've got…

- Nikon 24mm f2
- Nikon 35mm f1.4
- Nikon 50mm f1.2
- Nikon 85mm f1.4
- Nikon 105mm f1.8

It took a bit of time to assemble the kit, but it was worth it. I don't have any footage I can share at the moment, but when it's cleared, I'll send you a PM.
 
Stephen Mick said:
Jeffrey,

I've got a fairly complete set of Nikon AIS manual primes, and yes, they all have an aperture ring. Personally, in terms of bang-for-the-buck, I don't think you can do better than these lenses, especially if you get them cine-modified by RP Lens or Duclos. They're not PL glass, but size and weight is a concern of mine, and these really deliver beautiful images at a good cost/size balance. Here are the lenses I've got…

- Nikon 24mm f2
- Nikon 35mm f1.4
- Nikon 50mm f1.2
- Nikon 85mm f1.4
- Nikon 105mm f1.8

It took a bit of time to assemble the kit, but it was worth it. I don't have any footage I can share at the moment, but when it's cleared, I'll send you a PM.
Click to expand...

Excellent! Thanks for the reply. Do you mind me asking how much it costed you to cine-mod the lenses? I've heard of Duclos before and have looked into them a little. Weight and size is also something of a concern for me which is why these particular lenses interested me. I saw some stills from the 85mm that blew my mind!
 
The 18mm f/2.8 is a great lens too...

Mike
 
I believe both RP and Duclos charge $250 per lens, and RP offers a 10% discount on the 5th lens.

And if you want your mind to be fairly blown, check out the 105mm f1.8. It's ridiculous.
 
24/2.0
28/2.8 ais
35/1.4
50/1.4
85/1.4
180/2.8
Really good solid lenses for a reasonable price.
The new G-serie is also something to consider. The 24/1.4 for example. Or the 14-24/2.8
If the Nikon mount from Red arrives and are functional, I'm staying Nikkor:)
 
I don't like the AIS 35mm f1.4, as it is both soft and suffers from a lot of chromatic issues, but the 50 and the 85 are absolutely wonderful. (I actually preferred the 50mm f1.4 to the f1.2.) That 105 is also a great lens. And don't forget the 135!

We switched to Canon to be able to use the Birger, but the Nikon AIS lenses are just terrific for the dollars. The Sigma 30mm f1.4 is also a terrific piece of glass for the dollars. It's a much better lens than the old AIS 35mm Nikon.

Stephen
 
Stephen Mick said:
Is that an AIS manual focus Nikon 18mm, or is it the more recent AF version?
Click to expand...
18mm manual focus. Used it on Red One a couple of times. And per another post, the 35 f/1.4 is soft... Too bad. My Zeiss 35 is much better.
 
Totally agree on the Ais 35 1.4. At 2.0, I find the Ais 35 2.0 actually better.

Consider the Nikon G, especially if you want to use the forthcoming Red Nikon Electronic mount; If you want manual lenses don't bother buying the electronic and get the Optitek Pro Lock.

in G you have the
14/24 2.8
24 1.4
35 1.4
50 1.4
85 1.4

And I'm pretty sure nikon will release the 105 1.8 and the 135 2.0 in G during the year too.
These primes G are all crazy lenses, they blow away every other manufacturers.
 
Marcos Montenegro said:
AIS are great, but so is the "TRILOGY":

14mm-24mm/2.8
24mm-70mm/2.8
70mm-200mm/2.8

Where's the love?? and the RED Nikon Mount update???
Click to expand...

Amen; that has been my standard kit for three years now. I love them all but the 14-24 is an outstanding piece of glass. So much so that I've purchased a Canon mount adapter to use them on my Canon mount Scarlet until such time as the Nikon mount is available... I too would like 1. an update on Nikon TI mount release and 2. confirmation there will be an AL Nikon mount for Scarlet!

Exalt the primes but don't disdain the high-end G zooms.

Mike
 
I personally love Nikon glass on my Red One MX. I have both AIS , D, and G lenses, and I am thrilled with the Optitek Nikon mount for the Red One. It has a superior "positive lock" compaired to the standard Nikon one, and I can adjust the iris from the mount. Optitek also makes a mount for the Epic at this time with similar features to the Optitek Red One mount. With the Optitek mount you do not have to "declick" the iris, which is a feature I like. The AIS series were the latest of the manual Nikon lenses and I chose to standardize on them because they all have similar coatings for color matching purposes. I will agree with all on the 35mm f1.4 as being soft looking at f/1.4, however I think the soft look is due to so much internal flair. Cleans up nice by f/2.8, but then why spend the extra bucks when the 35mm f2.0 is cheaper and just as goodat f/2.8. The newer lenses with Nanocoat are nothing short of spectacular for the price. Nikon lens focusing barrels turn in the opposite direction from other lenses, but this can be addressed by using a reversing gear on the follow focus or get the light weight FF from Petroff. I think Zacutto sells the Petroff FF under their brand. It may be the higher end Zacutto that reverses. Hope this helps.
 
I don't generally use zooms, but I'm sure they are great. The trouble is that they are so darn slow! We're constantly starved for light in our night available light shoots.

Stephen
 
Lens on my R1 & Epic most of time is 18-200.....i try hard to find a reason to remove it....and very rarely does it come off, but usually for a wide shot when i put the 14-24.....the 80-200 sharp though it may be just never seems to make it to the mount. And yes, the 18-200 suffers from a bit of vignetting on the epic, but zooming a bit takes care of that or just bumping to the 14-24.
 
I love the look of Nikon glass. It's the way it transitions from sharp to out of focus. Just beautiful. And so much of photography is about that transition from sharp top soft. I once did a direct comparison of the Zeiss ZF 85mm to the Nikon AIS and sent the Zeiss back. It was no sharper than the Nikkor, but it was busier when it went out of focus. Distracting.

There are a couple of very special Nikkor lenses: the 105mm f2.5 gauss design is superb. Sharp as a tack, reasonably fast, beautiful bokeh. The 28mm f1.4 (the old one) is a work of art. I had a chance to buy one from Evin Grant, but couldn't come up with the cash at that moment. I'm still sorry about that. The 135 mm f2.0 is surprisingly nice. It has a character that's a bit different from the others, I think, but it's a nice look. I love the 20mm f2.8. It is sharp and contrasty as can be. People seem to like the 18mm, but I'm not so fond of that one. For 2 mm, give me the 20! And I find I use the 70-200 vr a lot. It isn't the best full-frame lens, but Epic uses its center, so it looks damn good.

The new G series are some of the most beautiful lenses I've seen. I'm not sure Leica are better.

And a shout out to Jacek at OptiTek for making a mount that makes all these lenses as solid as PL mounts on both R1 and Epic.

Disclaimer: I've shot Nikkor glass since I sold all my Canon gear a very long time ago. To me, Nikon is the company that lives and breathes lenses. Canon does whatever it thinks makes money. It makes friggin' copiers!
 
The Nikons just love people. They are sharp without being harsh. When a new client sees the images from past projects, they hardly ever want anything else. The Nikon glass just makes pretty pictures.
 
Non G zooms like

17-35mm 2.8
28-70mm 2.8
80-20mm 2.8

Are all really nice glass and the set matches really well.

85mm 1.4 is sweet
105mm 2.5 is maybe my favorite of all time. The lens has a "quality" about it.

Im keen on that 14-24mm for sure.

David
 
Thanks for all the info everyone! Your giving me quite the list to go through and research. I'm pretty set for zooms on the Canon front. If you had to pick 3 Nikon Primes to start with which would they be?
 
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