A jewel, in quality and price
Written: Feb 12 '04 (Updated Feb 12 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Exquisite build quality, beautiful finish, excellent optics (with a few limitations)
Cons: EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE for a manual focus normal lens
The Bottom Line: I can't recommend it or rate it highly because of its poor value. Of course, I'll be buying my own shortly.
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| lawman67's Full Review: Nikon AI-S 45mm f/2.8P Lens |
I'll admit it right up front, I don't own this lens. A co-worker does and he did let me borrow it, but I have yet to go buy my own example (I just made an offer for one on Nikonians). The reason I don't have one of these is simple, they fetch between $200 and $300 used and almost $400 new, for a (extremely) slightly wider than normal lens with a comparatively slow f2.8 maximum aperture. Looking at the lens from an intellectual standpoint, it is a very poor value for an optically simple (100+-year-old Tessar design) lens that is less capable than most 50mm Nikkor lenses, including the almost as small, just as light and 1/10th the price Series E.
So, with all of those negatives, why do I want one so badly? Three reasons. First, while not as sharp or as fast as my 50mm Nikkor, it has color saturation, contrast and bokeh (out of focus rendering) that are visibly better than anything else in my bag. Second, while the Series E 50mm is just as light, the 45mm P lens is about 1/3 thinner, making my FM3a camera truly pocketable. Third, and probably most important, this thing is just a delight to behold.
The 45mm P lens is available in black and chrome, to match the black or chrome FM3a camera it was introduced with. Don't let that scare you, this lens matches any FM or FE series camera the way the collapsable Summicron match a screw-mount Leica. My FM3a is chrome, and so I covet the chrome version to mount on it.
The P lens also comes with a NC (no color) filter and an unusual-looking but very effective lens hood that conveniently doesn't prevent using the standard lens cap. With the hood in place the whole thing has a sort of 1930s appearance, but with modern Nikkor multicoating and the simple 4 element Tessar's few air to glass surfaces, flare control is equal to the very best available today.
The subjective quality extends to the feel of the controls. The focusing ring is a thin knurled metal ring, but the motion is smooth and well damped, while the also-thin aperture is solid with crisp detents. Everything you touch is high-quality metal, though it takes getting used to how small and close together the focus and aperture rings are.
This lens is listed as a "P" lens because of the CPU built-in which enables metering with all modern autofocus and digital Nikon cameras. While I'm glad the chip is there, this lens was clearly meant for the traditionalist shooting with a metal camera, not the plastic-fantastic crowd.
I cannot recommend this lens to others for the same reason I don't recommend Ferrari cars, poor value. I also cannot rate it highly as with few exceptions, most 50mm Nikkors that sell for less than 1/4 the price will outperform it under most circumstances. That said, if you do buy one, chances are you will love it. While its simple optics do impose limitations, they also provide rewards, and one touch of its controls or one look at its finish and you will understand the old addage "You get what you pay for".
Is it worth the price? No, probably not. Will I buy one? Yes, most likely.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
lawman67
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 in Computer Hardware |
 - Top 200 |
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Member: Andrew F
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Reviews written: 208
Trusted by: 63 members
About Me:
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl but she doesn't have a lot to say.
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