donweiner Loc: Boston

Found a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 manual focus w/original L37UV on ebay for about $60. Will it work with my D3100? Not AF so I am not sure if that will be a problem. Your thoughts, please

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

It should. Check the Nikon website for whether it needs to be of the AI era or can it be earlier vintage. Your post didn't give enough information on the lens-If pre "AI" it might be problematic with the mount needing modification.

craggycrossers Loc: Robin Hood Country, UK

Have no fear - that lens will manual focus on your camera. If it's Ai, Ai-s or pre-Ai it will mount, but not meter. There will be a switch on your camera to change the focus setting (don't have your camera so don't know exactly where it is) - make sure it's switched to M.

The ONLY lenses which will auto focus with your camera are Nikkor lenses with the designation AF-S. Those lenses have their own (S)ilent Wave Motor for focusing. Your camera, and all the Nikon D3000/D5000 series cameras, as I'm sure you know, do not have an internal focus drive motor.

This should help you for future reference ......

http://www.bythom.com/lensacronyms.htm

If you know the serial number of a Nikkor lens and it's focal length you can quickly discover what kind of lens it is here ....

http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html#135

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Buy it and have some fun with it... I have a lot of old lenses that I use on my Canon DSLR one of my favorites is an old Sears 55mm f/1.4 that I used to take this pic...

My nice new shiny expensive zoom lenses will not take this pic, I also have a new Sigma 50mm 1.4 but believe it or not, these lenses have different characteristics... for the $20 that I have in that old Sears lens... well I will never let it go.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

The question is more, do you need it and /or will you use it? It will be a slow Lens to use, if you have the time and the kind of shots that that it can be used for.
A nifty fifty will cost you $40(?)more and give almost the same bokeh/OOF, and be AF and infinitely more useful and versatile.
But nothing feels as precision and as smooth as an old MF lens. ;-)
Good luck
SS

346pak Loc: Texas

Wow, I remember when Sears sold photo equipment....... That has been a while. I'll bet they were made in Japan, not China.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Yes, it is an old M42 I believe that it was made by Ricoh, really old big fast glass, and a blur making machine... My Sigma is really nice too, 9 curved blades so small out of focus light sources remain very nice little circles even when stopped down... but like I said, the two lenses are different and there are times when you would prefer one over the other.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

That sounds VERY low for an f/1.4. Get the S/N and make sure of its age and condition. This lens goes back 65 years or so and has been made in many configurations. I would especially be concerned about two points:

1. Did someone convert a non-AI lens and was it done properly?

2. What is the condition of the coating?

Dave B Loc: Ramsey,Cambridgeshire UK

That's a cracking shot for an old, cheap lens. I wonder who manufactured the lens.

LLL68 Loc: Alberta, Canada

I love that picture. That background is amazing. Makes the flower even more beautiful.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Thank you, and that is one of the primary advantages of a fast lens, the ability to isolate your subject and make it stand out against a blurred background... low light shooting is another consideration. To further help the OP understand his original question, another poster suggested a newer f/1.8 and his suggestion worthy of consideration, there are a lot of positives in using auto focus and apertures, and an f/1.8 lens will certainly produce quality background blur and also shoot in low light. My response was more to the fact that he was considering a f/1.4 lens for $60, in my mind he can't go wrong, just because the glass is old does not mean in any fashion that it is not quality glass... Old glass does not have the modern coatings and is more susceptible to flare and fringing, but it can be otherwise of very high quality. Old manual glass will also teach you a lot about using your camera as well as you have to take the time to understand your manual settings and how they effect your images...

Personally I have both, old glass and new glass, I will have to admit that the old glass that I have is more out of the love of old lenses, they are incredibly built, generally all metal and glass with very long and precise focus throws, they are just fun to use, but if you are going to be shooting a lot of different pics and need to be quick with your camera... well then the older glass does take a few moments before you can take that shot.