carl19
Contributing Member
Posts: 39
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Post by carl19 on Jun 2, 2012 11:46:11 GMT -5
Hello, I would be very interested to know if anybody here has any experience of the Nikon 25-50mm 'ais' zoom lens.
I tend to favour fixed prime lenses generally speaking, but I had heard this particular zoom was optically extremely good quality, and I may be in a position to buy one from a former member of my photography club.
Any opinions would be gratefully received. Thank you.
Regards,
Carl.
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daveh
Lifetime Member
Posts: 4,696
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Post by daveh on Jun 3, 2012 3:55:56 GMT -5
Carl, I wouldn't know as my Nikon collection is limited to one 5cm lens in Leica screw fit.
p.s. I suppose it depends how much is being asked for it.
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Post by nikonbob on Jun 3, 2012 5:47:50 GMT -5
Carl
No experience, unfortunately, with that lens but I have also read good things about it. I don't know if that is any help to you.
Bob
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carl19
Contributing Member
Posts: 39
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Post by carl19 on Jun 3, 2012 6:13:52 GMT -5
Thank you Dave and Bob. I haven't actually seen the condition of the lens yet, and he hasn't stated a price either. He's quite happy to let me see it first and to make him an offer if I'm still interested, but I have only ever seen these lenses for sale at Gray's, and we all know about their high prices if in 'mint' condition.
All my current wide-angles are prime lenses, but I often thought of a zoom just for those occasions when I didn't want to carry a bag full of lenses around. I'll see what condition it's in first and then take it from there I think.
Thanks again.
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Post by nikonbob on Jun 3, 2012 8:07:47 GMT -5
Carl
Just a thought, have you checked eboy completed sales for that lens to get a rough idea of current price for condition? I find zooms very convenient especially if they don't weigh more than the primes they replace and I can live with the slower apertures.
Yea, Grey's prices are high but anyone who is in London owes it to themselves to have look in the store. Very old style and posh much like Holland and Holland. Just love the ambiance in those places. You pay for all that but the products stocked are top notch. Felt like a country bumpkin, which I am, in there.
Bob
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2012 9:35:44 GMT -5
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carl19
Contributing Member
Posts: 39
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Post by carl19 on Jun 3, 2012 11:00:36 GMT -5
Carl Yea, Grey's prices are high but anyone who is in London owes it to themselves to have look in the store. Very old style and posh much like Holland and Holland. Just love the ambiance in those places. You pay for all that but the products stocked are top notch. Felt like a country bumpkin, which I am, in there. Thank you both Bob and Wayne - and thanks Wayne for the mir.com link, it appears to rate it well. Bob, I haven't come across any on ebay but I checked Gray's prices and they have one at just under £200 which is the older 'ai' version according to them, so at least it gives me something to work on. You're right about the shop, it has an old fashioned feel about it. Living up here in Cheshire I only get to visit London every now and again, but I have been to the shop in the past. To their credit, what they describe as 'mint' really is like new and have bought various lenses from them over a period of many years. I've always found their service to be excellent too. However, there are some manual-focus bodies whose prices are jaw-dropping. |
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Post by nikonbob on Jun 3, 2012 14:08:00 GMT -5
Carl Here is another link www.naturfotograf.com/lens_zoom_01.html#MF25-50 to some thoughts on that lens. When you add up mostly good reports and only being in production for about 4 years you got a recipe for high prices. Then there are always the collectors to throw into the mix. Hope it works out for you. Bob |
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carl19
Contributing Member
Posts: 39
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Post by carl19 on Jun 3, 2012 15:05:58 GMT -5
Carl Here is another link www.naturfotograf.com/lens_zoom_01.html#MF25-50 to some thoughts on that lens. When you add up mostly good reports and only being in production for about 4 years you got a recipe for high prices. Then there are always the collectors to throw into the mix. Hope it works out for you. Bob That's excellent Bob, thanks very much for that link. I haven't come across that website before, and yes it does give the lens a good write-up. Well I think that's decided then - I shall have a chat with the guy and ask to see it and then I'll make him a fair offer. I do know he has recently changed his cameras over to digital but just happens to have this lens and a couple of other manual-focusing lenses left over. Although they could be used on his new cameras, I get the feeling he'd prefer to change them to auto-focus versions. |
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Post by belgiumreporter on Jul 16, 2014 12:47:33 GMT -5
Carl, i have such a lens and i must admit i rarely used it, it's a beautifull lens wich was VERY expensive when new but for my kind of photography it lacked two things : a wider max aperture and a close(r) focusing distance. I've heard nothing but good things from people who used it and mainly it's lack of distortion is well appreciated. Nowadays a 25 to 50 mm lens seems a bit silly but in 1979 when nikon introduced this lens it was nothing less than spectacular because it broke the 28mm wideangle barrier for zoom lenses and did it with sheer quality. here's a pic of my precoious   |
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