Going Old School - Purposefully Working In Manual Focus Lenses

Nikon Df / Nikon 20mm f/3.5 AIS
1/320, f/8, ISO 800

I've done a lot of soul searching over the last 31 days.  Starting Oct 1, 2018 I purposefully disconnected myself from social media sites, forums and a bulk of the internet for 31 days.

I kept my business posts going by using schedulers and had all that I wanted to publish ready to go.

Over that 31 days, I've learned a lot about myself, where I want to go and who I want to be going into the future.

Let me start of by prefacing this with one thing.   I'm so sick and tired of the know it all pundits, click bait articles and YouTube videos.   I've not missed the online forum arguments where the trolls come out and pick fights or those that don't have a clue claim to be experts.

I'm one person with an opinion sometimes.   Opinions are good as they give you perspective into the way that others think.  Opinions about anything can be done respectfully or they can be represented in absolute douche-baggery.   Not going to lie, I've fallen into all those traps before - either victim to them or perpetrated them myself.

Those days are over, my friends!   After the last 31 days, I know that I am going to divest my life from the noise and find that awesome, low level under current of fellowship and knowledge.   I'm going to seek that out and offer it up.

Olympus EM5 Mark II / ZhongYi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/125, f/1.2, ISO 500

With that being said, the title may have you wondering.  No, I'm not going to tell you that working with manual focus lenses is the "only way to learn" or that "doing everything manually" is "true photography".   Too many judgments are associated with those kinds of thinking.   I'm going to share with you my journeys and experiences and allow you to glean from them what you will.

Also, along the way, we may not always agree.  I make this pledge that even if we disagree, that I will disagree respectfully.  We can have debates and disagreements - but we should never let anything that we disagree upon put us in a position that we cannot have a civil discourse about it.  This is, after all about photography.  It is about an art form that can be at times very scientific in how it is approached (objective) and at the very same time very subjective and up to the likes, dislikes or biases of the viewer.

Nikon Df / Nikon 105mm f/2.5 AIS
1/125, f/8, ISO 2000

Alrighty...soul bearing stuff out of the way, lets talk about manual focus lenses.   Yes, you've read it right - I purposefully decided to work one full day making images with only manual focus lenses and prime lenses at that as well.

I'll get into more of that detail later.  This article is also going to discuss manual focus photography in general.

Olympus PEN-F / Nikon 55mm f/3.5 Macro
1/320, f/4, ISO 200

Starting off, the WHY.

OK, why??   Why not!

Let's look at price.  I've had the good fortune of having 2 very well respected camera stores near me.  they have great selections in vintage SLR lenses.   Having Nikon f-mount cameras and adapters for our Micro Four Thirds cameras, I can take advantage of some great values.

My most expensive purchase on a manual focus lens so far has been $270 on a Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS lens.   My least expensive lens has been $30 for the Nikon 55mm f/3.5 macro lens.

Olympus PEN-F / Mitakon Creator 85mm f/2
1/500, f/4, ISO 200

Even for pixel peepers, the Nikon 180mm and 55mm macro are superbly sharp and worth the money even looking at them against modern lens designs.  If you are shooting macro or portrait, you can often get great images without the need of auto focus.

Now, let's get into desire.  Why would I want to work in this way.  Honestly, for me it is another way of approaching photography.   We already have so much automation, of which I am very thankful for, that sometimes I find the whole process very sterile.  Camera picks the exposure, you place the AF point over the subject and click the shutter.  Lather, rinse, repeat.   Did that sound like I was complaining?   On the contrary!!   Again, perspective.  If I am working a shoot for a client, I may only have a certain amount of time to work and the automation helps keep things moving along.   It makes getting the images that make me money easier to get.

Olympus PEN-F / Nikon 55mm f/3.5 Macro
1/400, f/5.6, ISO 200

Thinking different sparks imagination.  It makes you solve problems in other ways beside what you are normal.  All these things cause you to grow as a person and a photographer.  Growth is life, stagnation - death.

Image quality and rendering are another aspect we can look into.   I find that there is just something about the rendering of images from these lenses.  Could be the older coatings on the glass elements or the lack of coatings that make a difference.   Optical design is another consideration we do not want to leave out of the equation.   Some lenses just have a certain look to them, and if you find them appealing it is usually much easier to get what you want at the time of capture than trying to reproduce it in Lightroom or your post processing programs of choice.

Olympus PEN-F / Mitakon Creator 85mm f/2
1/500, f/4, ISO 200

If adapting these lenses to Micro Four Thirds systems, you also get the benefit of being able to use the in body image stabilization!

Now, let's get into the HOW.

Working in manual focus makes you think differently, we've established that previously.   No longer are you always placing the AF point on a subject, letting the camera track it and pressing the shutter with 99% success rates.

You need to pre-plan how you are going to capture the focus. Sometimes you can capture right on the subject, if they are not moving too fast for you to keep up.  Other times, you'll want to try and find a place in the area you want to capture the subject, pre-focus there and when they come into that area or zone, you actuate the shutter.  What also helps in this is using a sufficiently deep depth of field, so that there is a good size area for the subject.  Razor thin depth of field makes this technique a challenge.

Olympus PEN-F / Nikon 55mm f/3.5 Macro
1/100, f/3.5, ISO 1000

Manual focus assist systems are also another thing to consider.    Back when the norm was manual focus, camera makers would make the focusing screens/ground glass in such a way that helped you know when something was in focus.   With the advent of auto focus and it being the dominant method of focusing, less expense and time is placed on these focusing screens in SLR/DSLR cameras.

What you do have is auto focus confirmation systems that assist you.  Like on the Nikon DSLRs, there is a yellow dot in the viewfinder display that tells you when it thinks the image is in focus based on where the current focus square is located in the viewfinder.   If you have a higher end camera, you also get some assist arrows that let you know which way you should be turning the focus ring to get to proper focus.

Olympus PEN-F / ZhongYi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/8000, f/0.95, ISO 200

Using these lenses on adapted cameras, like Fujifilm, Sony or Micro Four Thirds, you get even more options.  You can surely try and eye ball the focus on the EVF.  However, knowing that the mirrorless cameras would be popular choices for adapting older manual focus lenses, there are other options.  The most popular are focus peaking and punch in zoom.

Focus peaking allows you to pick a color and when that color outlines items on your EVF, those are the sections that will be in focus.

Punch in zoom gives you the ability to select a section of the scene and zoom in, allowing you to see exactly what is in focus.  Some cameras have more than those and others allow multiple varieties at the same time.  For example Micro Four Thirds cameras allow for focus peaking and zoom in punch together.

Olympus PEN-F / ZhongYi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/6400, f/1.2, ISO 200

Finals Thoughts.

Not only do you get to try out many different kinds of legacy lenses and see what they are capable of...you also get to try something different.  There is something very satisfying to me about being able to use a lens made in Japan by Nikon from 1977 and dazzle people with the image.  Unbeknownst to them that the lens used may be older than they are!!

Personally, I like the workflow.    For me, photography is about the image...surely....but I often tell people that the journey we take is often just as, if not more so, important than the destination.  I enjoy the entire photographic process.  From selecting lenses, checking the cameras exposure and making subtle tweaks to editing selections and post processing.

Manual focus cameras and lenses are just another way to go about something.  Doesn't make it right or wrong.  It is just different.

Olympus PEN-F / ZhongYi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/800, f/4, ISO 200

Olympus PEN-F / Zhongyi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/2000, f/1.4, ISO 200

Olympus PEN-F / Zhongyi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/100, f/1.2, ISO 640

Olympus PEN-F / Laowa 7.5mm f/2
1/100, f/2, ISO 5000

Olympus PEN-F / Laowa 7.5mm f/2
1/1250, f/4, ISO 200

Olympus EM5 Mark II / Laowa 7.5mm f/2
1/200, f/4, ISO 200

Olympus PEN-F / Laowa 7.5mm f/2
1/100, f/4, ISO 1000

Olympus PEN-F / Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS
1/400, f/4, ISO 200

Nikon Df / Nikon 20mm f/3.5 AIS
1/500, f/5.6, ISO 100

Nikon Df / Nikon 20mm f/3.5 AIS
1/60, f/8, ISO 5000

Nikon Df / Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS
1/250, f/4, ISO 160

Nikon Df / Nikon 135mm f/3.5
1/500, f/3.5, ISO 100

Nikon Df / Nikon 200mm f/4 QC
1/500, f/8, ISO 4500

Nikon Df / Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS
1/800, f/4, ISO 100

Nikon 20mm f/3.5 AI/AIS Lens Review

Background

Not only do we want to look at lenses for use on the newly released Nikon Z series mirrorless cameras, but we can also use these vintage AIS lenses on the Nikon Df.  There are also some modern DSLRs that are capable of using these manual focus gems.

Looking for something on the wide end, one of our local camera stores had a nice copy of the Nikon 20mm f/3.5 AIS.  How does this lens, released between 1977 and 1984, hold up today?

Let's find out!

Olympus PEN-F
1/100, f/5.6, ISO 200

Handling/Size/Weight

This is a small lens.  Smaller than the newer Nikon 20mm f/1.8 AF-S.

You've go an all metal lens on your hands here.

It is easy to find the aperture ring and differentiate it from the focus ring without even looking at the lens.

I must say that there is something very satisfying when using a manual focus lens.  While the more modern Nikon AF-S, full time manual focus override, lenses are more convenient - there is something quite different about the way that Nikon made their AI/AIS lenses.  Manual focusing is satisfying, and just feels right.   The focus ring is dampened, but only really moves when you want it to.   It feels so smooth and the throw is such that getting precision and accuracy is almost effortless.

The aperture ring has clicks for each setting.  f/3.5 and f/5.6 are marked on the lens, but there is a detent you'll hit right after f/3.5.   That will put you on f/4.  That setting is not marked on the lens, but the Nikon Df indicates the aperture when used.

Speaking of the Df, the lens mounts perfectly and handles well on my favorite DSLR.

Since the size is so small, the Olympus PEN-F or EM5 Mark II can use this lens adapted with ease.

Nikon Df
1/160, f/8, ISO 100

Weather Sealed

Not on this guy!  An old AIS lens.

Nikon Df
1/320, f/4, ISO 100

Image Quality

While it probably is not up to speed in relation to the thousand dollar state of the art Nikon lenses, this one can perform quite well.

One thing I'd like to point out and I find this to be true for all Nikon manual focus lenses that I own:  There is a potential for the aperture ring to move slightly past the widest setting.  When this happens, it degrades a image quality quite noticeably.

So, for this lens, you can turn the aperture dial just to the right of f/3.5.  I first captured this example on the Nikkor 135mm f/3.5 Q lens.  That review is linked to the left and it is shown in the first set of images.

I mention this as it is easy to do accidentally.  I just want everyone to be aware if it.  It may be normal, but those may not know could appreciate the heads up.

IQ - In a word, it works very well to capture crisp images.  I find that wide open is not it's strongest suite, although it is by no means unusable.  Even going to f/4, you could shoot there all day long and be happy.   The lens is sharp, but I would not call it bitingly sharp.

It does fall off in sharpness from center to the edge at wider apertures.  Shooting this lens on the Oly PEN-F, you get a 40mm field of view and the sweet spot of the lens all the time.

Shooting on the Df, you'll appreciate using it sot between f/4 and f/11.

I did not notice any real distortion on this lens either.  There are plenty of brick walls in the sample images here and none of them were corrected.  This is straight out of the camera stuff here except for some exposure tweaking

As I usually do, here are images to let the lens speak for itself.

Nikon Df
1/500, f/5.6, ISO 100

Nikon Df
1/125, f/8, ISO 640  

Nikon Df
1/125, f/4, ISO 140

Nikon Df
1/125, f/4, ISO 320 

Focusing

This is manual focus all the way, but since it was made to be manual focus, working the ring is a satisfying experience.

On the Df, the AF confirmation point worked well...better when using the middle point, especially if shooting at f/5.6 or smaller apertures.   You can always start shooting wide open,then close down the aperture after you got the focus nailed down.    I found that I did not need to do that much and is not how I generally shoot.

On the Oly PEN-F, focus peaking worked well with this lens and made it super easy to dial in.  You may be asking why the dual testing?  Simply put, I wanted to see how this lens might feel in use when I get the Nikon Z6, which should be in our hands come sometime November 2018.

The focus throw is good and you can go from close focus to infinity with not much movement.

What you also have going for you is that 20mm depth of field is generous, even at f/3.5, that when shooting further away subjects that say, 3 ft, you can just put the lens to infinity and shoot away!

Bottom line here, is that if you've ever used a Nikon manual focus AI/AIS lens, you know what to expect here.  It is all good!

Nikon Df
1/60, f/4, ISO 450 

VR

No VR in the lens, but used on adapted cameras like the Olympus PEN-F with IBIS, you do now have the ability to take advantage of it.  Even the new Nikon Z mirrorless cameras have in body image stabilization that will work with this lens.

We are looking forward to testing this lens out on the Z6.

With our time using it on the Olympus PEN-F, we set the focal length for the IBIS to use and off we were.   No issues, whatsoever.

Nikon Df
1/60, f/8, ISO 5000 

Bottom Line

Not much is thought of manual focus lenses in this age, but i think people forget how easy it is to work with them once you give them a chance.  The 20mm is helped by having a generous depth of field to help get things just right.

Another reason to give these older lenses a chance is the newer technology in the camera bodies.  Here, we have punch in focusing and focus peaking when adapted to either a Micro 4/3, Fuji, Sony mirrorless camera as well as the newly released Nikon Z cameras.