AI?

[peterqd]

Can someone explain for me what it means? I see lots of discussion about Nikon and Nikkor, with various designation letters, and it all means nothing to me I'm afraid.
I've never held a Nikon camera and only touched a Nikon lens for the first time last week when Carsten allowed me to try his 24 and 85mm lenses. And I have to say I was highly impressed. Due to the register distances and swapability, I've always owned only M42 and PK lenses and cameras, so I was never tempted by Nikon. I can't use Nikon lenses on any of my film cameras, but I might be tempted to buy one for the Canon.

What should I look for?

Ta

[ChrisLilley]

Peter,

start here for the nomenclature and then, go here, scroll down to the bottom for navigation links for specific Nikkor lenses by focal length, and read up.

But in brief, Ai stands for aperture indexing and is a set of mechanical ridges near the lens mount that communicates the focal length and aperture to the camera. AiS is a slight improvement that most cameras don't take full advantage of, but is fully Ai compatible. Pre-ai is a neologism to describe the older lenses before AI came out. They don't mount on many newer Nikon cameras (except the D40/D40x and D60).

As to which features communicate with Nikon-to-EOS adapterts, I wil let someone else deal with that part.

Sometimes an AiS lens is sen as better because of some other improvement (better coating, closer focus distance, etc) that was introduced at the same time for that model. But it depends on the specific model of lens.

[LucisPictor]

[peterqd]

Thanks for the advice. So I take it any Nikkor lens can be used on my 400D with a Nikon>EOS adapter, that's good news.

Now I have to work out which lenses I'd like, there are SO many!! I'm not really interested in ~50 lenses, at this stage anyway. I think you're right Carsten, the 24 and 85 would be great ones to start off with.

[LucisPictor]

Quick, Peter!

Click here to see on Ebay

[Attila]

This lens going generally around 100 GBP and best 24mm lens what I ever had, razor sharp with beautiful color rendering.

[ChrisLilley]

[Sandie]

How do you think about Nikkor 85/2 AI? Is it comparable with Jupiter-9 85/2, or better ?

[Attila]

Yes, same level not worst not better. I prefer Nikkor 85mm f1.8 above this lens even if non-ai.

[peterqd]

Well, I haven't bought a Nikkor 85 yet but Carsten allowed me to take some pics with his, and I was HIGHLY impressed. I do have the J9, it's a very nice sharp lens with traditional Russian colour richness, a bit awkward to use because the stopdown ring on mine is stiff and too close to the aperture ring, but its Achilles' heel is the strange bokeh on some shots.

[Sandie]

[Attila]

You can see samples with all lenses in mflenses.com/gallery.I rate highest Pancolar 80mm f1.8

[LucisPictor]

[Attila]

Try one times Pancolar 80mm you never take again Nikkor 80mm
I am sure. I had 80mm f2, 80mm f1.8 Nikkor I sold them and bought many Pancolar much as I can.

[ChrisLilley]

[Attila]

Yes, right. Pancolar 80mm f1.8 I beleive same good than those 1.4 lenses. One times I will compare them, price level is same.

[rick_oleson]

http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-153.html

[Attila]

http://www.mflenses.com/nikon-nikkor-2-85mm-lens-review-5.html

I rated in the past as same good than 85mm f1.8

[patrickh]

I would also put the 85/2 in similar league as the 1.8.


patrickh

[LucisPictor]

I only know the 1.8/85, but I have talked to a Nikon collector at the last Solms camera fair and he told me that there was a considerable difference between the 1.8/85 and the 2.0/85.
But I guess it is as we oftan have said: the 1.8/85 provides 95% of a perfect lens and the 2.0/85 "only" 93%. You know what I mean.

[maddog10]

I think 'considerable difference' is going to vary from person to person by a considerable difference.