Nikkor Ai-s Vs AF-D Vs G lenses for video

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I am trying to decide on what lenses to get for my new BMCC + Nikon > MFT Speed Booster..

 

I have a few thoughts/questions running through my mind so I was hoping I could get some input, I'll try be as clear as possible.

 

I am leaning towards AF-D lenses.. AF-D lenses can be bought new for even less than Ai-s lenses and match if not outperform Ai-s lenses for IQ (though Ai-s are incredibly good) and they have an aperture ring (like Ai-s and unlike G lenses).. The downsides are that they don't match the older Ai-s lenses for build quality (plastic as opposed to metal construction) they don't have as smooth a focus ring (since they are really made for AF unlike the 100% MF Ai-s lenses) and they don't have hard stops (again like Ai-s lenses.

 

The main reasons I'm leaning towards AF-D lenses are the price (AF-D lenses can be several hundred dollars cheaper than the Ai-s equivalents, and neither are Zeiss CP.2's anyway) and the main reason being there are high quality AF-D zooms that should match perfectly with AF-D primes (as opposed to mixing the AF-D generation zooms with older generation Ai-s lenses.. I'm assuming the color/contrast should be closest when matching lenses of the same generation).

 

Ai-s lenses.. Obviously extremely high quality both in terms of IQ and build, nicest focus ring being MF only and best build quality. They cost slightly more than comparable AF-D lenses though and while they'd match well with other AF-D zooms they wouldn't match as well as a full AF-D set. The Nikkor 20mm f/2 does NOT work with the Speed Booster though so I'd have to be careful and do research on what lenses are compatible before I bought anything (while I could simply test most AF-D and G lenses at any store Ai-s lenses would have to be ordered from overseas).

 

G lenses, thought i'd throw these in since why not? Generally a slightly better build than AF-D lenses and cost more than both AF-D and Ai-s lenses they are the newest generation and SHOULD have the best IQ. They don't have a build in aperture ring however the Speed Booster is G lens compatible and has an aperture ring built into the adapter (I think this increases vignetting though?)

 

 

Sorry for long post, just wanted to see what others thought. I know it wouldn't matter too much mixing and matching any of these lenses but I figure why not just stick to 1 generation since they should match together really well. Are the downsides of the AF-D lenses really that big of a deal? (no hard stops etc) People love L glass from Canon and they don't have hard stops either. Slight bonus for having AF-D lenses is that I could buy a Nikon DSLR and have a whole set of AF lenses ready to go, however this isn't a factor when choosing what set to buy, just a small bonus if I go with AF lenses.

 

THANKS!

 

 

[dahlfors]

Actually, all the AF-D lenses I know of have hard stops, and I don't know of any lens being an exception to that. The AF-S G lenses lack a hard stop.

 

I agree on the build quality, I really love the solid feel of the AI/AI-S lenses. The AF-D and G lenses are very plastic, but at least they tend to be light-weight.

 

Color-wise, I would say that there is only one Nikkor lens that sticks out from the Nikkors I use - and that's my only AI lens, 200mm f/4. I haven't looked into what the difference is, but I have a feeling that the colors are a bit cooler, and that the lens is less saturated than other Nikkors that I use.

 

In the others, there might be subtle differences, but I haven't noticed any big difference in color between these that I use:

16-35 f/4 G  

50mm f/1.4 AF-D 

50mm f/1.8 AF-D 

85mm f/2 AI-S

105mm f/2.5 AI-S 

Same goes for the DX lenses: 18-55 VR I f/3.5-5.6 G and 35mm f/1.8 G

Neither can I remember noticing anything specific with the color on the 35mm f/1.8 E-series lens.

 

Nikon introduced multicoating on their lenses in 1970, http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/nikortek.htm#nic, and the majority of the multicoated lenses should render colors similarily. The AI-S lenses are from 1981 or newer and are all multicoated.

 

That said - I haven't shot these lenses on anything else than on my Nikon D200 & D800. At least D800 can perform certain lens corrections when shooting JPEGs, I'm not sure if there is any processing done depending on lenses when shooting raw.

 

And... Some AI-S lenses perform better than newer AF-S lenses regarding sharpness/distortion etc. Some AF-S lenses are better than the AI-S variants, it quite depends from lens to lens.

 

The G lenses in general are very sharp, the ones with nano-coating almost never give any ghosting or flares. The major plus with the G lenses are usually nano-coating (found on the better G lenses), the resolution & sharpness, sometimes but not always less distortion, and a few of them feature VR (image stabilisation/vibration reduction).

[JohnBarlow]

The hard stop issue with G lenses can be overcome with a Follow Focus with hard stops - Fotga make a really nice one and it is reasonably priced.

 

I have been NPS since God was a boy and I would definitely urge you to take a look at the G 2.8/14-24mm and if you like it then build your system up from there. Dont forget the Samyangs, especially the cine series with gears, the 1.4 versions of 24, 35 and 85 are all good.

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Thanks guys. I am still on the fence about which to buy but your comments have helped.

 

I am still leaning towards AF-D's but am now also considering the G lenses more than I was before. The main thing I am concerned about with the AF-D's is the focus ring being loose/sloppy and NOISY. Could one of you guys describe the focus ring on one of the AF-D primes for me? (24mm f/2.8D, 35mm f/2.0D, 50mm f/1.4D etc) I have used the 50mm f/1.4G lens in the past and remember it feeling quite good, so if they are at least similar to that I would be happy to get them.

 

Why are hard stops considered important anyway? Just curious, obviously I have never been in the situation where I wished one of my lenses had hard stops.

 

Does anyone know if there are any downsides to using the built in aperture control of the Speed Booster? Does it affect Vignetting? Thanks.