Nikon series E lenses

[Nikkor AIS]

Has anyone got any experience with Nikon series E lenses?
(28 2.8, 35 F 2.8, 50 F 1.8, 100 F 2.8, 135 F2.8, 75-150 3.5)
Made to go with the nikon EM they where realesed to be a more affordable alternative to the Nikkor AIS.

 

[ronnies]

I have the 100 f/2.8 and like it a lot. I've also heard good reports about the 75-150.

Ronnie

 

[Tosh]

I also have the 100 2.8 e ais and like it a lot. It's really tiny for what it provides.
Imagewise, it seems every bit as good as the higher end 105 2.5 ais that I had, but I never owned them simultaneously such that I could conduct any direct comparison.

My test shot dummy (postprocessed) with the 100 2.8e wide open:

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I owned the 75-150 3.5e ais briefly and it was good as well.
It seemed to give me very nice colors.

75-150 3.5e, 1/160 at 3.5 (wide open):

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75-150 3.5e, 1/2000 at 8.

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[mood]

I had the 75-150
very nice lens...was like a tank, E series or not
great colors, alas my MF skills were lacking and sold it

may acquire another at some point though

 

[fks]

i have the 50mm. a really tiny lens, used to be my choice when i had a D100 and wanted a light, compact kit. IQ is comparable to the 50mm f/1.8AF, but i didn't test flare resistance. i also have the 75-150mm, another lens with good IQ. the zoom is really loose, but it's to be expected of an old lens.

i haven't played with the MF lenses on the D3 too much, but it seems to be easier to MF on the D3 than on the DX bodies.

ricky

found some recent 75-150mm shots at f/3.5 with the D3:

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[Spectre]

I have a Series E 135 f/2.8 it's very contrast compared to my other lenses. I'm happy with it. I got it when I had my FM2n. See images taken with this lens here.

 

[Nikkor AIS]

Glen: Stunning shots. WOW. I knew heard that little zoom was good, but I had no idea:biggrin:. The fly on the fall leaf is killer. What is that red bulb on the end of his face? What camera did you use? Thanks for the input from everyone else.

Gregory

 

[Tosh]

Gregory,

The 75-150 3.5 is extremely good and extremely cheap.
My posted 75-150 shots were from a D200. I'm not sure what that red thing is that the fly seems to be feeding upon.

I sold my 75-150 to my good friend, The Clam. I wanted something a little more compact. I now have that in the 100 2.8e, but the fact is that I almost never use it.
If you're interested in the 75-150, it couldn't hurt to send The Clam a PM and see if he still wants or needs it. Ya never know. :wink:

 

[Nikkor AIS]

Tosh: Its like that triangle sign I saw at a key cutting place. I thought it was so good, I even took a picture of the sign. It read.

You can have it good
You can have it cheap
You can have it fast

Pick any two:biggrin:.

Do I need a 75-150 .
Since when has that ever mattered? Especially around this place.:tongue:

 

[Tosh]

Keh.com has some 75-150's in stock from $25 to $254, with an EX condition one with loose zoom for $76.
Nothing that a little gaffer's tape (or even electrical tape if you're not in hot environs) on the underside of the barrel won't fix.

As indulgences go, this one needn't be costly. :wink:
(Yes, I am an enabler.) :biggrin:

 

[Nikkor AIS]

Tosh: Your not helping one bit ,thats for sure:smile:. You know I got to handle one of these cheap and good 75-150 3.5 lenses in my favorite used camera store and I actually took a couple of capture's. But on the my D2H it was really hard to tell the IQ, but chimping it looked "really sharp" . I think I shot with flash in the store. That combined with the owner's hate for all things nikon (Zeiss Snob) and he talked me out of buying, what he called "that nikon peice of crap". But even with him sweet talking dirty nothings in my ear the whole time. I really liked the handling, focus, weight and price of that little zoom. And Im picky I only own one other zoom and it the 80-200 2.8 ED AIS and it's amazing. It's also as heavy as a brick and huge. Im going to go down tomorrow and see if the little zoom is still there. Thanks for posting sample photo's.

Gregory

 

[blw777]

I have the 50/f1.8 E; it's a fine lens. Hard to tell its results from the 50/f1.4 AI and 50/f1.8 AFD, but very small and mine at least is almost jewel-like in its smooth focusing ring.

I didn't like the 35/f2.8 much when I tried it back 20+ years ago. Didn't have the same feel as the 50/f1.8, and I suppose I really wanted a 24mm but didn't have the moolah for the 24/f2.8 AIS, so I ended up with just the 50/f1.8E.

 

[rvink]

Has anyone got any experience with Nikon series E lenses? (28 2.8, 35 F 2.5, 50 F 1.8, 100 F 2.8, 135 F2.8, 75-150 3.5)

100E: Nikon's smallest and lightest telephoto - even smaller than the 85/2 - os is a great travel lens, especially where you don't want to risk more expensive lenses. Excellent sharpness, quite useable wide open, no noticeable distortion. Bokeh not quite as smooth as the 105/2.5, and flares more when shooting into the sun due to lack of multicoating. Overall a highly recommended lens

50E: Same optics as the current AF 50/1.8 but in a much smaller barrel. Therefore sharpness and bokeh are similar, but contrast is not as good due to less effective coatings applied. Focus limited to 0.6m, vs 0.45m for other versions. The chrome ring version is better made. The late AIS 50/1.8 N is really a series-E clone with a similar barrel and optics, but multicoated. Overall a good lens if you want something cheap, compact with good performance. I prefer the AI 50/1.8 for its better build, slightly better optics and close focus limit of 0.45m.

28E: with a simple 5 element design, it can't really compete with the 8 element AIS 28/2.8. Good performance when stopped down though. The early AF 28/2.8 versions have the same optics. Not one of the best designs.

35E: optical design similar to the AIS 35/2.8 but more compact. Decent performance and good when stopped down. I guess a good option if you want a compact 35mm lens, but the 35/2 and 35/1.4 are more special.

135E: I've heard good things about this lens, it seems to be well liked. Close focus limit is a rather long 1.5m. I'd go for the AI or AIS 135/3.5 or 135/2.8 instead, since they are the same size and much better built (heavier though). They also have better coatings and focus closer.

75-150E: excellent telephoto zoom. Small, relatively fast, good close focus range, and a useful range. Performance is good at wide apertures, improving when stopped down. Add a 3T or 4T closeup filter to get a very good macro zoom. One of my favorite lenses.

There is also the 36-72/3.5 and 70-210/4 zooms, which are fairly good.

 

[VPT]

I have all 8 Nikon Series E lenses.

The 75-150mm is the best. Constant f/3.5 and very sharp at wide-open apertures. It can focus down to it can only focus down to 39".

The 36-72mm is the worst. Constant f/3.5 but very soft at wide-open apertures.

Other lenses are OK. Many people like the 50mm and the 100mm but I prefer the 50mm f/1.8 AIS and 105mm f/2.8 AIS.

 

[Cool_Change]

I have the 50/1.8 and it is a nice small piece of kit. It was beaten up a bit when I got it but I can't fault it optically (when it gets the chance to get on the Camera, the beast has taken over permanently:biggrin: ).

 

[The Clam]

If you're interested in the 75-150, it couldn't hurt to send The Clam a PM and see if he still wants or needs it. Ya never know. :wink:

". . . from my cold dead hands". First time out, on a D50 metering off the histogram:

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For the same cost as many filters, keeping this lens is a no brainer.

 

[Antonius]

i haven't played with the MF lenses on the D3 too much, but it seems to be easier to MF on the D3 than on the DX bodies.

ricky

Surely it's due to the larger viewfinder, non?

 

[digi.film]

I have the 75-150mm and 28mm E series. They came with a parts FE2 I got off eBay. Both are pretty well fungus'd up, but the tech at Havel Camera Repair said that they could be cleaned out.

 

[Tosh]

". . . from my cold dead hands".

Don't tempt us. You know I know some people . . . . :biggrin:

"
For the same cost as many filters, keeping this lens is a no brainer.

Ahh, so it works for you. :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Sorry bud, couldn't resist. Guess Im punchy before my jjjjjolt of coffee. Got any details for next Sat yet?

 

[Nikkor AIS]

Clam: Im good..... You keep your lens:smile:. Wow, great shot.
Im impressed at the sharpness wide open of that 75-150 3.5 E. And the tonal quality of the capture is very nice.

Gregory