Category Archives: Nikon bodies

About Nikon DSLRs

Nikon 80-200 Zooms

Nikon lenses

Old and recent.

Nikon has been making 80-200 zooms for the F mount camera bodies since 1969. Indeed, my mint example of the 80-200 f/4.5 Ai manual focus, single ring (meaning trombone zooming) lens is oft credited with putting this focal length on the map, for its performance is outstanding.

I like separate aperture rings on my lenses, because I grew up supporting the lens with my left hand and holding the camera body in the right. Once the latest G Zooms with silent internal focus motors came along, this opportunity was lost for such optics have no aperture ring. Apertures are changed with a thumbwheel on the camera’s body. Not for me.

With long zooms autofocus is nice to have and the penultimate version of the 80-200 Nikon Zoom, which has an f/2.8 maximum aperture, has its own aperture ring and uses the ‘screwdriver’ type focus mechanism found on the non-amateur grade bodies. A small drive in the bayonet mount (a Bowden cable, for techies) engages a like receptacle in the lens to confer AF. As with the f/4.5 MF version, focusing is internal and the length of the lens remains unchanged as it is zoomed. In the AF lens two rings are used – one for focus, the other for zooming. I’m happy with either engineering approach, though it has to be said that the trombone zooms tend to get sloppy with age, although optical quality remains unaffected.

Having recently acquired the AF version I though it would be interesting to compare the two.


The AF lens is larger and heavier – 46 vs. 27 ounces. It is also twice as fast.

Here you can see the mechanical AF coupling in the newer lens:


Male end on camera bayonet, female on the lens.

The AF speed is decent, not blistering. Fine for my purposes but if live action is your thing you may want to spend (a lot) more on a current G series 70-200mm Zoom which also adds Vibration Reduction and will run you $2-3,000 new, depending on the VR version. Alternatively, if you like aperture rings, seek out the AF-S version of the 80-200mm for more than the AF-D, which uses an internal silent motor and is hard to find on the used market. This was the last version of the 80-200 Nikon made, which is why I referred to the screwdriver versions as ‘penultimate’ above. However, the only version of the AF 80-200 which remains available new is the f/2.8 ED IF screwdriver version illustrated here, and it retails for a hefty $1,100. Mine, made in November 2015 cost me $476 in absolutely mint condition with original hood, UV filter and caps. A tremendous bargain for an optic built to incredibly high standards with an all metal, tough, crinkle finish barrel and wonderfully smooth controls. The two switches on the lens control AF or MF, as well as the focus limit when you want to reduce AF ‘hunting’ and know that you will be focusing within a narrow range of distances.

Why does Nikon continue marketing this lens? It has the slower screwdriver focus than the AF-S which replaced it, yet that replacement is discontinued. I would like to tell myself that too many photographers insisted Nikon keep this one in the line but suspect that the reality is that they simply made too many and are selling off new old stock.

Whatever the reasons, poor performance is not amongst them for the lens is an optical stunner.

My MF f/4.5 lens invokes my related lens correction profile as I have fitted the lens with a CPU, so LR knows which profile to use. You can download it from that link and I recently re-generated it, making for even better results. The profile for the much newer AF lens comes bundled with LR and is also automatically invoked in you turn lens corrections ‘on’ in the Develop module. Both profiles correct for mild vignetting at the two largest apertures and for modest barrel distortion.

I illustrate 40x enlargements (Nikon D700) at the common apertures of the f/2.8 AF. The f/4.5 MF (labeled ’80mm’, on the right), and the new lens is better – meaning better resolution and contrast – in each case, though the differences are small by f/8, which is another way of saying that the MF lens, which can be had for very little, is very good indeed.


Adobe lens correction profile in LR for the f/2.8 ED IF lens.



At 80mm f/4 and f/4.5


At 80mm f/5.6.


At 80mm f/8.


At 200mm f/4 and f/4.5.


At 200mm f/5.6.


At 200mm f/8.


How much better is the AF lens in the center? 1-2 stops better and ultimately it resolves finer detail than the MF lens at any aperture. The older MF lens is also a tad warmer when it comes to color rendering, and of lower contrast, clearly visible above.

The story with corner and edge performance is similar and I have not included test images here for the sake of brevity. The issue with the older lens is that it has far greater curvature of field, so objects behind the point of focus in the corner are rendered very sharp, but that’s of little use in practice.

The AF lens goes 1.5 stops faster fully open, so here are images at f/2.8 at 80 and 200mm:




AF lens at f/2.8 at 80mm and 200mm.

Bearing in mind that these are 40x enlargements, the results are perfectly usable at full aperture, though it’s clear the lens is resolving less detail than at f/4 and smaller.

And if you think 46 ounces is heavy, check out these data:

  • 80-200 f/2.8 AF ED IF with screwdriver focus motor and aperture ring – 46 ounces – the lens profiled here, and still available. Rotating, non-removable tripod foot.
  • 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S ED IF with internal focus motor and aperture ring – 56 ounces – discontinued. Rotating, removable tripod foot.
  • 70-200 F/2.8 G ED IF VR with internal focus motor, no aperture ring and Vibration Reduction – 52 ounces – discontinued.
  • 70-200 F/2.8 G ED IF VR II with internal focus motor, no aperture ring and improved Vibration Reduction – 54 ounces – current, $2,300.
  • 70-200 F/2.8 E FL ED VR with internal focus motor, no aperture ring, VR, improved optics sandlots of buttons – 50 ounces – current, $2,800.
  • 70-200 f/4 G ED IF VR with internal focus motor, no aperture ring and Vibration Reduction – 30 ounces, one stop slower – current, $1,400.

Looking at the results above and at the prices it’s clear that a good, used 80-200 f/2.8 AF ED IF Zoom Nikkor with screwdriver focus motor and aperture ring is an outstanding lens optically and a bargain financially. It lacks VR but its weight will conquer all but the worst cases of the DTs.

And if that’s outside your budget and MF works for you, the older f/4.5 MF lens is highly recommended for both your pocket book and less back pain! Just be sure to get the last version, distinguished by the rectangular rear baffle.

Rooftop car

Nikon lenses, Photographs

Downtown SF.


Nikon D700, 80-200 f/4.5 Ai Zoom Nikkor.

I just redid the lens correction profile for this outstanding optic, and it can be downloaded here. Absolutely mint examples can be had for $80, which is top dollar. Most of these sell for around $50, and the lens delivers outstanding definition at all apertures, with slight vignetting at f/4.5 and minor barrel distortion, all corrected by my profile.

The Nikon D700 revisited

Nikon bodies

An old flame.

Back in 2012 when I was racking out my Nikon D700 I wrote:

“It’s large, noisy, crass, threatening, bulky, heavy and few need it. Like an SUV, its owner is likely a poseur. One who extols off-road capabilities when he will never leave asphalt. The other boasts of professional gear quality when he would get better results with a point-and-shoot. For most, the D700 fulfills “wants” not “needs”. And while the SUV is a pain in the neck when you cannot see past one in traffic, the D700 with a “pro” zoom is quite literally a pain in the neck after you have schlepped it around for a few hours, as I did yesterday.”


Fitted with a classic era 50mm f/2 HC Nikkor and period correct HS-2 hood. Crass strap will go.

All of this remains true yet, having sold mine when the D3x came along, I now find another in my hands! Looking at the Metadata in my LR catalog I find that I have more images saved from the D700 than from any other camera. There’s a reason for that. While no miniature, it is much smaller and lighter than the D2x/D3x and its modest 12mp sensor delivers tremendous dynamic range and very low noise. 40″ x 60″ prints from the full frame Nikon sensor are par for the course when used with good lenses.

Now a quick word of advice. You really want to buy a legal USA import version, not a grey market camera. The reason is simple. Nikon USA will not service grey market bodies. Yes, that’s asinine, but that’s their stance. It’s not possible to recognize USA imports by number as the serial number ranges were never published. But there are two easy ways.

First, look for the ‘Nikon USA’ sticker disclosed when the battery door is open and the battery removed:


‘Nikon USA’ sticker inside the battery compartment.

Second, if your body came in the original box, looks for the ‘(U)’ on the label and the matching serial number:


Eye watering original sticker price and all!

If neither of these two methods yields an answer, call Nikon USA with the serial number and ask before plonking down your hard earned cash. Yeah, and good luck with that. And the amount you plonk down today is modest indeed. Mint bodies sell for under $600. Again, as with lenses, saving a few dollars on a beater is senseless. I paid $575 for mine, USA import, with two brand new Nikon EN-EL3a batteries (a $100 value), and stated by the seller to have been recently refurbished by Nikon. That compares with the similar used first D700 I owned, sold in 2012 for $1600. Digital bodies are most certainly not a storehouse of value.

You also want a body with a low shutter count. Nikon’s stated mean time between failures for the D700’s shutter is 150,000 exposures. Mine had just over 35,000. Here’s the quickest way of determining the shutter count – tell your seller and have him put it on the record so you do not get cheated. Shutter replacement costs money, around $300. Load an image into Apple’s Preview App, then go to Tools->Show Inspector, then click on the Nikon tab, and you will see the shutter count. Shutter count has nothing to do with frame number which can be reset manually:


Shutter count – exactly as advertised.

So I got a mint, boxed, factory refurbished D700 USA import body for $550 with some 75% of its life, or over 110,000 exposures left on the shutter, a limit I will not be threatening in my lifetime. And two new Nikon batteries! Avoid after market batteries. There are too many stories of jams and fires to risk your camera.

Pictures from the D700 will be cropping up in this journal again. I splashed out $18 on a SanDisk 16GB Ultra CF card which store 606 14-bit, lossless compressed RAW images (the battery is good for over 1,000 images a charge – Panasonic, are you listening?) and a further $8 for a tempered glass rear LCD protector to replace the ghastly, grainy translucent plastic one provided by Nikon with the BM-9 model number. My host of Nikkors, both MF and AF works perfectly on this high quality, rugged body which does everything I need. It will not take videos which is fine with me, and the small, built-in pop up flash does a nice job of filling in shadows on bright days. Yes, there’s a motor drive attachment (MB-D10) to be had for under $100 used, but then you are back to D2x/D3x bulk and weight. Do you really want that? As a poor man’s D3 that works, for the sensor is identical. I don’t need one.


Tempered 0.3mm protective glass replaces the ghastly Nikon plastic version.


Ghiradelli Square, December, 2012. D700, 28mm f/2 MF Nikkor.

Here are the key settings from the Import dialog in Lightroom – a tad more sharpening than stock is just what the doctor ordered for the D700’s sensor:


File import dialog for D700 images.

Nikon 43-86mm f/3.5 in use

Film, Nikon bodies

An excellent mid-range zoom.

For an index of all my Film related articles, click here.

Technical considerations underlying the use of the Nikon Zoom Nikkor 43-86mm f/3.5 single ring zoom are addressed here.

In field use I found the lens has a relatively long focus throw, making critical manual focus using the focus confirmation light in the finder of the Nikon D3x a simple matter. Balance on the big D3x body is just fine, the lens presenting a very solid, yet compact, bundle in the user’s hand.

The Village at Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale is over 25 years old and was the only construction at the time in what was undeveloped desert. It’s absolutely gorgeous, an unspoiled expanse of Spanish architecture, beautiful to behold. I racked out the 43-86mm there.



The contact sheet. All have my lens correction profile applied
and minor shadows/highlights tweaks. No sharpening used.


Click the image for the map. At f/11.


At f/8. Rare clouds in the Arizona sky.


19th century ox cart. At f/11.


Cloisters. At f/11.


Staircase. At f/16.


Fountain. At f/16. There is no diffraction fall off at small apertures.


Roof. At f/11. McDowell mountains in the background.


Bird bath. At f/3.5.


Geometry. At f/8.


Ox cart/test target. At f/8.


Display plaque on above, greatly enlarged.


Stucco. At f/8.


This is a wonderful walk-about lens and highly recommended. Heck, at $30-60 a pop, get several!

Nikon 43-86mm f/3.5 zoom lens – Part II

Nikon lenses

CPU installation, lens correction profile and tests.

In Part I I looked at the early history of zoom lenses on 35mm film cameras and at the Nikon Zoom 43-86mm f/3.5 optic, noting how the poor reputation for performance of the Mark I design had affected resale values of the improved Mark II version, which we are looking at here.

In this posting I address the installation of a CPU, examine the need for a lens correction profile to fix this optic’s barrel distortion and chromatic aberration, and provide some test images.

CPU installation permits the recording of EXIF data and automatic invocation of the appropriate lens correction profile when images are imported to Lightroom.

First the lens mount has to be removed, 5 screws. This will disclose shims both above and below the aperture ring. Be careful not to lose these and note how many are above and below the aperture ring.


Alloy will have to be removed in the area denoted.


Bayonet mount removed for grinding. Note the relatively fragile claw which mates with the aperture
follower deep in the lens’s barrel. Replace this mount incorrectly and you will lose aperture control.

For this lens, installing a CPU is difficult as a fair amount of alloy has to be removed from the rear of the lens mount to ensure the CPU does not protrude too far and damage the camera’s contacts in the lens throat. There is no easy way to access the area to be machined and while, once removed, the mount can be further dismantled I did not have the tools to do this. If you are not comfortable using hand machine tools you should delegate the work, as it’s not that difficult to mess things up here.


Shims disclosed when the bayonet mount is removed.

Dremel to the rescue. I found a Dremel tool, #7144 in 1/8″ shank at Home Depot for $8. This grinding tool has a very fine pointed diamond encrusted cutting surface and is just what the doctor ordered for grinding away the alloy on the rear of the lens mount to accommodate the CPU.


With the lens mount removed – 5 screws – and securely clamped in a vise, the Dremel 7144 tool goes to work.
Note the ear protectors to avoid loss of hearing. Blue masking tape denotes machining limits.

The correct positioning of the CPU is addressed here and is marked beforehand on the mount. The blue masking tape denotes the machining limits. A super smooth surface is not essential as the J&B Weld two part epoxy used to glue the CPU in place will fill in any irregularities. What you do want on a test fitting is a CPU whose electrical contacts are concentric with the lens mount and do not protrude above the extremity of the bayonet mount.

After the requisite 24 hour period to allow the epoxy to cure, excess glue was carefully removed with a sharp knife and miniature Nicholson file and abraded areas touched up with black matte modeler’s paint.


Be sure to align the fragile shims with the screw holes.
Unusually for a Nikkor, the five screws are equally spaced.
There are six holes in the shims, only five accept screws.


The CPU is installed. About 2 hours of work. If you get any glue on the sprung gold contact pins, the CPU is toast.

The CPU is programmed in the usual way as explained here, conferring maximum and minimum apertures, minimum focal length (I used 42mm as 43mm is not available in the CPU) and transferring aperture control from the camera body to the lens to avoid non-linearity issues as explained in that link.


EXIF data correctly reported in Lightroom
after CPU installation.

Lens profile:

Well, this is a surprise. I found that chromatic aberrations and barrel distortion in this lens to be so low that even without a lens profile results are fine.

However, I developed a lens correction profile in the usual way and this is automatically invoked in Lightroom if you install a CPU. The CPU’s program data tell LR which lens correction profile to use, something which will be done automatically if your image import dialog checked the lens correction profile when you created it. You can download the profile here. The profile file contains corrections at f/3.5, f/8 and f/16. The closest to the aperture used will be invoked automatically.

Here’s the Develop dialog from LR:


The profile invoked in LR.

While developed using a Nikon D3x, this profile will work fine with any Nikon digital camera, FF or APS-C.

Performance:

I was very pleasantly surprised by the performance of this optic, finding excellent center and extreme edge definition at 43mm and 86mm fully open and even better at f/8 where the lens peaks. Thereafter, it’s just fine all the way down to f/22. It mystifies me what all those years of opprobrium and trash talk directed at this inexpensive lens are all about.

The images below were reproduced without invoking my lens correction profile (see above) and mild chromatic aberration (color fringing) is visible. This completely disappears when the lens correction profile is used.


Test scene, Nikon D3x, 43mm full aperture.


Center definition at f/3.5. 40x enlargement.


Extreme edge definition at f/3.5. 40x enlargement.


Extreme edge definition at f/8. 40x enlargement.

Compare these test images with those from the 50mm f/2 HC Nikkor, one of the best lenses ever made. Impressive, huh? Also note the gentle rendering of out-of-focus areas.

Conclusion:. If you want a mid-range, constant aperture Nikkor push-pull zoom for very little money, snap up the Type II version of the 43-86mm f/3.5. The results are excellent and the ergonomics, fit and finish are unequalled in any zoom lens I have used.


Gear used for the above, including a $6 Amazon Basics UV
filter and a Nikon HR-1 folding rubber lens hood.

On an APS-C format Nikon, where the extreme edges are not used, this makes for a fine all purpose 65-130mm, high definition optic. In fact I did the CPU programming on my D2x, which is APS-C, sporting a 1.5x magnification compared to the full frame D3x.

The story here is similar to the one for the 500mm Reflex Mirror which, were all those purported ‘experts’ to be believed, is not worthy of serving as an ashtray.