New Camera and New but OLD Lens

rmpsrpms

Got a Nikon D7000 for Xmas. What a nice camera! It allows me to use my many older Nikon lenses and meters properly with them. Also got a real gem of a lens, the elusive APO-EL-NIKKOR 105/5.6. It's old but good, in fact supposedly the best macro lens you can buy, period. We'll see, but so far it is superior to all my many other lenses in the photo comparisons I've taken. Here's an example photo of my favorite subject for toner photos, photo straight out of the camera (other than resizing from 4928x3264 to 1232x816):

Bochiman

Wow! Very nice!

lcoopie

that camera has great reviews

coinman420

fantastic photo. gigantic hit on the cheek

rmpsrpms

<< <i>fantastic photo. gigantic hit on the cheek >>



Thanks...I got a whole OBW roll with this type of toning and picked out one coin I could use as a reference for setting up lighting for toner photos. I know this coin well, it's an old friend at this point. I like to think of the cheek hit as a knife fighting scar...

mgoodm3

That there's a mighty nice (and $$) enlarging lens you got there. Should hold its price well as they are very uncommon. I would love to test it out sometime and see how it compare to various 100mm enalrging lenses and bellows lenses.

rmpsrpms

<< <i>That there's a mighty nice (and $$) enlarging lens you got there. Should hold its price well as they are very uncommon. I would love to test it out sometime and see how it compare to various 100mm enalrging lenses and bellows lenses. >>



Thanks Mark, I'm very pleased to have it. It came with the original wood box and signed quality certificate. It's the older version, but I think the newer one is optically the same. I did an informal shootout against other lenses I own and it is superior to all of them in both central and edge sharpness, contrast, and color definition. My "top 10" according to my tests was as follows:

1) APO-EL-NIKKOR 105/5.6
2) EL-NIKKOR 63/2.8
3) Micro-NIKKOR 105/2.8VR (central sharpness only, edges are quite a bit less sharp and CA is poor)
4) EL-NIKKOR 105/5.6 (old model, new model is not as sharp)
5) Schneider-Kreuznach APO Componon HM 90/4.5
6) Vivitar Series 1 90/2.5 (sharpness only, contrast is poor)
7) Bellows-NIKKOR-P 105/4
8) Bellows-NIKKOR-Q 135/4
9) Micro-NIKKOR 105/4 AIS
10) Bellows-Takumar 100/4

I've heard good things about the Micro-NIKKOR 85 PC lens, but don't own one. It only goes 1:2 and I'm not sure of compatibility with extenders like PN11, so have never been too interested in getting one.

If you are serious about testing the APO lens I'd just ask one thing in return: reference photos of my 57-D with the knife fighting scar. Would love to have them to compare my work with.

MikeInFL

Very nice photo!

You should try the Nikon 200/4 Micro. While I've not used the lens you have now (nor the 85 T/S Mark uses), I have used a few on your list, and I prefer the 200.

Broadstruck

Are you using a F-mount adapter?

rmpsrpms

<< <i>Are you using a F-mount adapter? >>



I use a modified Vivitar 2X Macro Converter (with the optics removed) as a focusing helicoid, then mount an el-cheapo NikonF-M42 adapter, then Vivitar M42 AT-1 extension rings, then an M42-M39 adapter ring, then the enlarger lens. One of the nicest things about the enlarger lenses is they are really small in diameter, so you can get the lights at a really high angle.

rmpsrpms

<< <i>Very nice photo!

You should try the Nikon 200/4 Micro. While I've not used the lens you have now (nor the 85 T/S Mark uses), I have used a few on your list, and I prefer the 200. >>



I own an AI version of that lens and use it as my telephoto kit lens. The ED version is supposedly much better, but with my small, tabletop, microscope-stand-based macro setup it has too much working distance. I can work with lenses in the 63mm to 135mm range with my setup. If I try hard I can mount 150mm, but 180mm or 200mm are too long. I do love the 200 Micro as it is a super flexible lens. Nikon has discontinued the 200/4 ED, and I am hoping they are going to come out with an AF-S version of it soon (how about within my useful lifetime?). Til then I'll stick with the AI version but mainly for spiders and such. I'm super happy the D7000 allows me to use it with metering again!