Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

With rain yesterday and looking the same today I was in "Sarah's" room looking at and holding/cleaning some older lenses.
Perhaps it is being nostalgic but I found that the old non-AI Nikon lenses have a special feel that is hard to describe.
They are well crafted and a pleasure to hold an use. Yes, they have weight being all metal but focus so smoothly and make one want to go out and take photos.
Newer lenses, for me, just lack the magic, regardless of the brand and maker.
All, weather permitting, just go out and shoot today and be glad to be alive and try one of those old lenses.

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

I am also enjoying and accumulating older Nikkor lenses8 from the eighties and nineties and Nikon DSLRs from 15-20 years ago. Maybe not as old as yours. And I especially enjoy the magic of shooting with them instead of them just sitting on the shelf.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Mine get used a bit.
They were not collected, rather they were used, but not disposed of when I upgraded the system. I don't have a lot of lenses, just a few. A wide angle, normal and telephoto as I could afford them, used.
Yes, they are used much less now because I like AF so much more to actuality use.

tcthome Loc: NJ

tcthome Loc: NJ

pendennis

Those older Nikkors were, indeed, special. The precision in which the metal parts came together provided that solid feeling because that built-in resistance was needed to help keep manual focus where you needed it. That's not to say they weren't very slick, because they were.

That feeling was lost when Nikon (and all the others) went to auto-focus. And as plastics replaced the brass and bronze alloys, you just didn't have that sense of solidness you had with the manual focus.

But, as they say, that's progress; for better or worse.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

You must remember that Nikon created a reputation manufacturing excellent optics. Nippon Kogaku was a lens manufacturer, even for Canon cameras, before it became a camera maker. Today we know them as Nikon Incorporated.

I agree, the lenses made in the past and many of them with depth of field scale and all manual were of excellent quality though heavy, as you said, due to the use of metal. They lack all of the modern technologies of today and I am sure you remember that shooting against the sun was a nightmare because they were in a majority of cases single coated. Changing apertures was quite an experience due to the use of ball bearings. Those lenses competed with Ernst Leitz in quality at a fraction of the price.

I still keep some of them like the 105mm f2.5 from the late 60's or the 35mm f2 and 24mm f2.8, the latter a favorite of the late Galen Rowell. I do not use them now as much as I did with film. Modern lenses use plastic, excellent quality plastics many of them come the space program and they do not suffer of the changes induced by different temperatures like metal does. Multicoating, aspherical optics, low refraction, rare earths, low dispersion glass, nano coating and the list could go forever make modern lenses superior.

I still enjoy those rare moments when I use my old lenses.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Just think how great they are when trying to do vintage portraits. A more modern lens cannot reproduce that look in my opinion. So for specific projects they are another tool that has a unique quality to take advantage of.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I have an areay of current and older Nikkor lenses. I find that the older ones universally display the characteristics you mention. Some of the newer ones do also, some do not. My 24-70mm f/2.8 (non VR) is visually stunning. And its movements, both zoom and focus, are like a skate on freshly groomed ice. My 14-24 and 70-200 f/2.8 zooms are the same.

Perhaps the most interesting comparison to me is that of the 24-120mm f/4 FX zoom with its 16-80mm f/2.8-4 DX little brother. These two lenses are functional equivalents when used on native camera bodies. I've been using the 24-120 as a default lens on both FX and DX bodies for about four years and really like it in both applications. The 16-80 came with a camera I recently bought with the intention of giving away, but I'll probably keep the lens if I can find another to send along with the camera.

Anyway, these lenses look strikingly similar, with the 16-80 being only a tiny bit smaller and aboug 5 ounces lighter. But the 24-120 conveys a feeling of precision, smoothness, and durability that the 16-80 just can't match. Its not like those three lenses in the prior paragraph, but it's pretty good. The 16-80 feels more plasticky, doesn't move as smoothly, and has a much shorter throw for the same 5:1 zoom.

It's not really possible to know if the differences just discussed are driven by customer feedback, design constraints, or organizational cost goals. I do know that the minimum resale price for the two lenses is the same, and has been for quite a long time.

But overall, I appreciate and like what Nikon has built for me to use. It functions well and feels good to use. I'll be keeping and using it.

Martys Loc: Lubec, Maine

I hear you,...I primarily shoot manual and rugged old glass Nikkors and a couple other manual beauties,...have never used auto focus,...for this ol' coot I love the manual feel for all my shooting,...keeping and always working on the manual feel and techniques and related skills I learned back when,......as you,.....I love the feel of them that resonates back to my beginning,...have selected ones that work superb on my digital camera,...still old friends,...still teaching this old dog new tricks,...lol.....they have become family over the years.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

So we read page after page and post after post here on UHH about how heavy gear is and where oh where can we find something lighter to carry all day! Now we are celebrating old, heavy lenses! Will the irony never end!!??

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Duplicate!

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

When I was younger a "heavy" camera was a Hasselblad or a Bronica. I could, and did, carry my Nikon F with a Nikkor 200mm all day with no problem. Now a couple of hours in the field with my D7200 and Nikkor 200-500 is about my limit.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

What's wrong with celebrating them?