Best 50mm Lenses for Nikkormat FT3

[Oculus]

Hey everyone!

So I'm looking for a 50mm lens for my Nikkormat FT3 and I was wondering which one is the best one for such an old camera. From what I have read so far, the Nikon 50mm F1.4 AF is one of the best lenses Nikon has ever produced. Obviously, the FT3 doesn't have AF, but would that lens still work with my FT3? And would the light meter still be functional? I saw a few Nikon lens compatibility charts, but none of those had the FT3 in it.

If this lens doesn't work with my camera, are there any other lenses you guys would recommend?

Also, if you have any suggestions for a good 35mm lens that would work with my FT3, I would love to hear them!

P.S. I hope this thread is in the right forum.

 

[nerwin]

I believe it would mount and work fine, just wont have autofocus obviously.

Of course, you can always buy the 50 1.4 AI/S for not much money. The 35 1.4 AI/S are still pretty expensive around $500 used. However, you can get the 35 f2 AI/S for rather cheap and it's still good quality glass.

The best 50mm manual focus lens from Nikon has gotta be the good ol' 50 1.2!

There are lots and lots of classic vintage manual focus lenses available, it will be hard to choose what to get. But I'm slightly fond of the Series E lenses from Nikon, especially the 100mm 2.8 & 135 2.8 and they are quite cheap. Also the 105 2.5 AIS is amazing and optically just as good as any Nikkor lens produced today.

Other awesome AIS lenses are the 28 f/2.8, 55 2.8 Micro (super sharp) and the 180 2.8 are worth checking out as well.

 

[dasmith232]

The best 50mm?

Meyer Optik just announced an f/0.95 for only US$3000. At that price, it must be good. At the moment, it's only Sony's e-mount. Or how about Leica's latest f/1.4 for only US$5295? (Sigh, still the wrong mount.) But really, well over five grand for an f/1.4 on a "general purpose" lens?

Nope. At 1/10th of the price, and a 5-star rating, it's hard to do better than the Nikkor f/1.2, even for serious users. (And at (almost) 1/10th of that price, you can get a Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 for Canon that gets better ratings than the Canon version...) I've not used a Leica, so maybe I'm just not experienced enough to appreciate the difference. But I still have a hard time imagining that it's 10 times or 100 times better than the alternatives.

 

[Oculus]

The best 50mm manual focus lens from Nikon has gotta be the good ol' 50 1.2!

Wow! I didn't even know about that lens! It sure looks amazing, but it is a bit too expensive for me.

Series E lenses LACK the meter coupling buckhorns, so skip those on a vintage filmie like the FT3. THat is of course if the FT3 needs a meter coupling lens system; I cannot recall its palce in the lineup, if it was old-style indexing or AI indexing on the FT3 body: I am assumning it was old-style pin-and-buckhorn indexing for the lenses on the FT3.

I currently have the 36-72mm 1:3.5 Series E on the camera. The FT3 has Automatic Indexing on the body, or at least I think it does. Is it the little metal "pin" that sticks out at the top of the lens mount? The lens also has the coupling ridge, and that pin gets pushed by the ridge.

I've not used a Leica, so maybe I'm just not experienced enough to appreciate the difference.

I think you can notice the difference once objects are farther away. Of course I might be completely wrong.

 

[cgw]

The OP should bookmark this page and the site--near-encyclopedic on Nikon film gear.
The E series is worth checking out, especially for the 50/1.8 and the sleeper 100/2.8.

Nikkormat FT3 Camera - Index Page

 

[Derrel]

The Nikormat FT3 has the then-new Automatic aperture Indexing or the "AI coupling" system; it has the "better kind" of it too, with the ability to press the tiny round button, and then flip up and lock the Ai-coupler follower mechanism in its "UP"position, which will allow fat-barreled lenses and regular non-AI lenses to clear the AI coupler. This allows the camera to use non-AI lenses, by flipping up the AI coupler, and metering stopped down. This system was used on other,early cameras, like the FE and FM, but NOT on the FE-2 nor on the FM-2; it was also used on the F2A Photomic porisms, and the F3, and likely other bodies.

I liked the 50/1.8 Series E, but it is not as flare-resistant as better-coated Nikkors and ones which have a more deeplky-recessed front element, like the aforementioned 50/2. The 100/2.8 Series E had a great reputation; the 135/2.8 Series E was only so-so in my ownership experience. The 36-72 is a neat lens; works surprisingly well reverse-mounted too. I like the 75-150/3.5 Sereies E zoom as well, and the 70-210 Series E zoom was prettry darned good.

The FT3 can be used with many,many lenses, such as pre-Ai, Ai models, Ai-S,AF,AF-D, AF-S, so it's a good film camera for using old and newer lenses with.

 

[fmw]

Click here.

 

[jcdeboever]

I have the 50-135 AIS, what a lens and works great with a Nikkor close up lens). I got it for next to nothing because it has lens creep so I put a piece of gaffers tape and it's fine. I couldn't find any felts for it. I also have the 35-70 AIS (72mm filter) and it's a keeper too. I use my pre-AI 50mm 1.4 on my Nikon F but recently threw it on the NIkon FM, that has that lever coupler too so you can stop down meter. I think I paid no more than $30 for any of the three, all clean inside.

 

[jcdeboever]

Click here.

That's too much. You can get them under $50 easy, all day long.

 

[Derrel]

Click here.

That's too much. You can get them under $50 easy, all day long.

But there's no reason to buy this lens. It has low image contrast when shot toward the light. It's a second-tier 50...I'e owned two over the years...not as good as a multi-coated 50 with a recessed front element. Hell, buy a used 50mm f/1.8 AF for the same money, and get a better performing lens. If you use a 50 as your main lens, no need to accept the Series E when you could own a real Nikkor.

I tested the 50/1.8 Series E out against the Canon 50 EF-II and the Nikkor 50/1.8 AF in the summer of 2007; when shot out in the sunlight near a large wall being hit by the sun, the Series E flared; the Canon 50 EF-II flared a bit; the Nikkor flared not a bit. Loss of contrast to a thin veiling fog over the image when shot into backlighting...that is the compromise Nikon made at the wide f/stops on the 50-E and the 135 Series E.

The sharpness of the 50mm Series E is acceptable, but the lens does have some design compromises compared to the higher standards of the concurrent and earlier Nikkor lenses. If you want a lens that will not perform well when you want or need to shoot toward the light, the Series fits the bill. But since a 50mm is such an important lens for many people, I see no way this lens belongs on the list of "best 50mm" for any Nikon...it's nowhere NEAR the best 50mm NIkon has made, in any era.

If you want a guide, at Ken Rockwell's 50mm comparison.Nikon 50mm Lens Comparison

 

[Oculus]

Wow, I thought I'm going to be able to decide on a lens by the end of the week, but you guys managed to not make that happen! Well done!

I guess I will just keep looking. Or I might just save up for the 1.2 because I'm completely blown away by it, and it seems well worth the money.

 

[Derrel]

Whoa,whoa,whoa...why in the heck do you want an f/1.2 normal lens? The vast majority of your best images will likely be made at f/5.6.

 

[jcdeboever]

This guy is great to deal with, honest, and has reasonable prices. I would grab this if I was in your shoes.

Nikkor 3510553, 50mm f/2 AI normal lens

 

[snowbear]

I use this one on mine:

 

[epatsellis]

Optically, the 50 f2, hands down. Bested only by the 55 2.8 micro nikkor. I have everything from a 55 1.2 to a 55 3.5 micro, including every version of the 50 from pre Ai to the AiS. Personally, I keep a 55 2.8 micro on the D3 almost permanently.