Thursday, November 30, 2017

Nikon 200mm f/4 QC Lens Review

Image © KEH.com

Background

Another lens picked up for a little bit of nothing.   I figure, why not check it out.  For the price let's see what this very light 200mm f/4 lens can do.

Handling/Size/Weight

Long and slim, this 200mm f/4 QC lens may look a bit odd when compared to modern lens standards.  Heck even compared to the legacy Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED lens, it looks way different.   It does handle relatively well, with everything you'd want in very familiar places.

Given it's relative size, you'd expect this metal lens to weigh more than it feels like it does.  It is very deceptive in that way.

Image Quality

One would hope that the wide open performance of this lens would be acceptable.   What great find it would be to have a 200mm f/4 on a DSLR or even a 400mm f/4 field of view on a Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera.

How does the lens perform?  See what we were able to pull from it below.

Some samples of the lens adapted to the Olympus PEN-F and Fotodiox adapter.  We are looking at a 400mm field of view.  Processed in Lightroom.

1/400, f/4, ISO 200 

1/160, f/4, ISO 200

1/160, f/4, ISO 200
Now, let's look at what it can do on the Nikon Df.
1/500, f/4, ISO 100

1/400, f/5.6, ISO 100

1/200, f/4, ISO 560

1/400, f/4, ISO 100

1/500, f/8, ISO 4500

1/500, f/8, ISO 5000

1/500, f/8, ISO 1800

1/500, f/5.6, ISO 5600

Focusing

I found the manual focusing of this lens to be a bit better than that of the Nikon 300/4.5 AI.  It is similar in feel to the Nikon 105/2.5 and the 135/3.5 Q.

It gets the job done for you with a decently dampened focus ring, and at the end of the day that is a testament to the Nikon build quality.

Bottom Line

If prime lenses are your thing, like or don't mind using manual focus lenses check this one out.  For the price you pay, you still get one heck of a lens that will probably still be working long after most of us are no longer breathing.  

Monday, November 27, 2017

Nikon 135mm f/3.5 Q Lens Review

Image © KEH.com

Background

The deluge of manual focus lenses continues!  This time with the Nikon 135mm f/3.5 Q.  Another pickup of the older legacy lenses.  It is generally well regarded in its capabilities.  Perhaps not as legendary as the Nikon 105/2.5 AI lens, but let's see where it fits into the mix.

Images shot on the Nikon Df or Olympus PEN-F(Fotodiox adapter) were done in aperture priority.

Handling/Size/Weight

Slightly larger than the Nikon 105/2.5.  It has similar styling to the Nikon 200mm f/4 QC lens.  It is not a heavy lens, nothing like the 180mm f/2.8 ED, but very similar to the smaller metal primes of the era.

Image Quality

Right off the bat, I'm thinking that I am going to see how it fairs against my much loved 105/2.5.  The 105mm does have a faster aperture, but not by much. 

I really like the rendering of this lens.  I did notice that it is possible to shift just past f/3.5.  Below is an example of what the lens renders when you click just past the f/3.5 mark.

1/4000, f/3.5, ISO 100
Nikon Df
Clicking the aperture ring to the right of f/3.5 causes some sharpness issues

This one is right on the f/3.5 mark.  You can see the haze is gone.
1/4000, f/3.5, ISO 100
Nikon Df
This causes a lot of haze in the image.  Just something to keep in mind.  Shooting at f/3.5 produces excellent IQ(as you can see from the sample image immediately above), so you are getting a good image to start.  Stopping down a little bit enhances the sharpness, as you'll see in the following images.

1/640, f/5.6, ISO 100
Nikon Df
1/400, f/5.6, ISO 100
Nikon Df
1/640, f/5.6, ISO 100
Nikon Df
1/160, f/3.5, ISO 220
Nikon Df

Focusing

The focus confirmation dot on the Df was spot on from what I could tell.    Hitting focus at f/3.5 seemed just as easy as shooting at f/8.

Very similar to the 200mm f/4 in feel just a little stiffer.  On my copy, I noticed that the focus ring is smooth when going toward infinity, but when going to close focus the zoom ring has more resistance.  Not sure if this is normal or there is an issue with the focus ring.

1/500, f/3.5, ISO 100
Nikon Df
The Infamous "Umbrella Girl" of Schiller Park
1/400, f/8, ISO 100
Nikon Df
1/320, f/3.5, ISO 200
Olympus PEN-F / Fotodiox lens adapter

1/100, f/3.5, ISO 1000
Olympus PEN-F / Fotodiox lens adapter

Bottom Line

One could make a case for the 135mm if you did not already have the 105mm, or you could reverse that last sentence.  If I were buying these lenses to have a kit, then I doubt I would buy and have both.   Since these cost very little now, getting, having and enjoying both is not a big deal.

I do believe I give the edge to sharpness and fun to use to the 105/2.5.

On the Df, the lens handled ever so slightly better, but that is to be expected as this is the kind of lens the Df was designed to work with.

If you can find a used copy of this lens for a good price and are looking for something in this focal length/field of view it is definitely worth your consideration.