Nikon Nikkor 35mm f/2.8 Ai-s

Excellent optics in a classic tough lens If you can handle the manual focus limitations, this lens will deliver delicious soft backgrounds and sharp content starting at f/2.8. ED glass means there's little CA to clean up, and it handles well with the large focus ring. Among my many manual focus Nikkors, this is one of the top lenses in image quality and overall performance. The focal length is great for lot of applications and it works well with a stack of close up rings to do macro work at a reasonable working distance. I bought a heavily worn 180mm with clean optics and its optical performance is excellent. no need to buy the mint and expensive collector lenses if you actually want to use it.

Great, fast telephoto option for film photographers I just got back into film photography, but an 85mm lens was the longest one in my bag. I wanted something with more reach that wouldn't add too much weight to my gear. The 180/2.8 came up again and again in searches, and I found a beautifully preserved one from a nearby seller. So far so good. It has great reach and speed for working primarily with 400 and 800 ISO films and delivers super sharp results for manual focus. The retractable hood is a feature I wish endured to digital telephoto lenses that often come with very clunky hoods.

Nine bladed wonder One review coming up! To sum up then. I can only use one word to describe this lens, and that is sublime. A rare pleasure in use with stunning results from an age old lens. High build quality, fast aperture, superior lens construction, with that ED glass front element. A tack sharp lens, with nine blades making bokeh to die for. In 1982 when these optics were introduced, the asking price was around £1500. Expect to pay around £200 and then some for a nice example.