You all need the Nikkor 85mm f2...

[merciful]

... I'm not sure I could get by without.

It's the most forgiving lens I've ever used; I can usually screw up just about any situation, but it seems to save my ass with regularity.

f2 @ 1/60, ISO 3200, Tri-X.

[Brian Sweeney]

One of the All-Time great lenses, I have a 1991 test of it where it holds its own against the "modern marvels". I use LTM version on the Canon 7. The 10.5cm F2.5 is also quite good, a little harder to find in LTM.

[SolaresLarrave]

And you get that much detail with the lens wide open?

Very nice, indeed, a very nice shot!

[FrankS]

Wow, that is spectacular! Great shot! I don't think it's just the lens though. Well done.

If you were going to print this up for a gallery (you could, it's good enough by far) you could just burn in his "hot" shoulder. IMHO

[rover]

That is a wonderful shot. How does the Nikkor compare to the 85/2 Sonnar it copies?

[back alley]

how does it compare to the 85/2 canon ltm?

nice shot andrew!

joe

[Stanton]

Great shot. I use the Nikkor nonAI version on my Nikon F2 and think it is the best there is for portraits.

[peter_n]

Very nice shot. And that pint looks bl**dy good and all! Now I'm thirsty... ;)

[Nikon Bob]

merciful

Like your style, great shot. The Nikkor 85mm F1.8 ai lens is a favourite of mine when using my Nikon SLRs. Wish I could coax that out of it though!


Bob

[bmattock]

Awesome shot - wow!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

[Doug]

Outstanding photo, merciful! And your focus is spot-on.

[Pherdinand]

Great picture, indeed. Shows alot of character, life experience (not of the lens, but of the subject.)

As to the title of the thread... I will be more than happy to receive such a lens from you. Don't forget a camera body that works with the lens, neither. Thanks alot! :D

[kafrf]

Great shot, merciful!

[merciful]

Thanks a lot, guys. He's an easy subject.

And that's good beer: 10.25% abv, but doesn't taste like it at all.

[taffer]

Late as usual, but fantastic shot !

[Gordon Coale]

Merciful -- I've seen some of your other pushed Tri-X pictures and keep meaning to ask: what developer(s) do you use to push Tri-X? Wonderful pictures!

[Honu-Hugger]

Beautiful, Merciful. Without taking anything away from your fine lens I wouldn't give too much credit to the equipment -- you could have probably made that shot even with my gear:D :D :D

Really nicely done!

D2

[merciful]

Thanks again, guys.

Gordon, I use HC-110B almost exclusively.

[RObert Budding]

Wonderful shot.

Anyone out there have a Nikkor 85/2 in a Contax rangefinder mount that they would like to unload?

[xayraa33]

Very nice photo Merciful! I agree the 85mm Nikkor is a fine lens, the Canon 85mm f 1.9 is very good too.

[lkgroup]

A very nice picture. I've had good success using Diafine and tri-x at ISO 1200. This pictures looks very nice at 3200.
How does the 85 mm Canon Serenar f2.0 compare? Also I am looking at a 50mm Serenar 1.9 lens and wonder about how it compares to lenses of that era.

[xayraa33]

The 85mm Nikkor is a little sharper at full aperture, the Canon 85mm 1.9 seems to a little better at portraiture in colour, at larger apertures.. seems to flatter the subject a little more. The Nikkor is a little shorter physically and a bit lighter than the chrome Canon 85mm. All in all , they are both nice lenses. The Nikkor was a Sonnar design type, where the Canon was a gauss type.

[wlewisiii]

Exquisite shot. Makes me want to grab my Kiev 4a & Jupiter 9 to go bar hopping :)

William

[Gordon Coale]

And my Jupiter 9 should be arriving any day!

[back alley]

i have the serenar 85/2 and find it to be very sharp.
some of the shots in my gallery were taken with it.
it is big & heavy though. (for a rf lens).
joe

[laurentvenet]

is it worth buying a jupiter 9 (85/2) as it's looks much cheaper and easier to find on ebay ?

[Brian Sweeney]

The Jupiter-9, one calibrated for the Leica 51.6mm standard, is well worth having. I sold mine after getting the Nikkor 8.5cm f2 in LTM. The Nikkor lens is sharper and has more contrast, BUT the biggest difference was the smoothness of the Nikkor vs the Jupiter. It also cost 6x as much.

One of my Favorite J9 Shots. (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/1287/sort/1/size/big/cat/539/page/)

8.5cm F2 Wide-Open (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/2237/size/big/sort/1/cat/539)

[laurentvenet]

thank you Brian, the Nikkor shot / butterfly is beautiful and sharp

[Designer]

A bit late. Marvellous shot!

[furcafe]

Pretty much the same IMHO. The only advantage of the Nikkor is that it combines the construction quality of the pre-war 85/2 Jena Sonnar w/the hard coated optics of a post-war Sonnar.

Originally posted by rover
That is a wonderful shot. How does the Nikkor compare to the 85/2 Sonnar it copies?

[existrandom]

Merciful,

this is a great pic, which reminds me of the nikkor 85/2 in my closet, its bulkiness and its slow focusing ring, and the hassle of an auxilary finder often stop me from bringing it out... but i WILL bring it out shooting tomorrow

thanks for the reminder!

lee

[merciful]

Thanks again, guys.

Lee, what body are you using your 85/2 on, that you need the extra finder? That would indeed be a hassle.

[taffer]

The Jupiter-9, one calibrated for the Leica 51.6mm standard, is well worth having. I sold mine after getting the Nikkor 8.5cm f2 in LTM. The Nikkor lens is sharper and has more contrast, BUT the biggest difference was the smoothness of the Nikkor vs the Jupiter. It also cost 6x as much.

One of my Favorite J9 Shots. (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/1287/sort/1/size/big/cat/539/page/)

8.5cm F2 Wide-Open (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/2237/size/big/sort/1/cat/539)

My Canon 7 is really proud to be now the platform for Brian's Jupiter 9. This shot was taken at f/2.8.

[peter_n]

Nice capture Oscar!

[existrandom]

hi merciful,

i am using the nikkor 85/2 on my Canon L-1, which is my only RF body; it has 35/50 and RF (roughly 135) frame;

i wish i have a M3 just for this lens, ha! or at least a leica brightline finder but it is expensive

regards,

lee

[zeshootist]

This thread has been 6 feet under and growing flowers for some time now, but I just got one of these lenses and am excited to see if anyone has new shots with it!

[gilpen123]

Where is the picture? Can't find anything to click.....

[Tom A]

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2339/2258214375_77f80f57a9_z.jpg?zz=1

Nikon SP, Nikkor 85mm f2.0 black version. Kodak XX @ 320 iso (or thereabouts) developed in Adox MQ for 8 min.
It is a great lens, the 105f2.5 is a bit better in my opinion - but even heavier than the 85f2.

[raid]

It is a great lens, the 105f2.5 is a bit better in my opinion - but even heavier than the 85f2.

I also feel that the 105 is a better lens.

[ferider]

Well, at f2 the 85 is better. And about half the size.

[philipus]

I hope to receive mine today...very much looking forward.

[baffosRF]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/7374635942_7a7d2318ea_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/75728280@N07/7374635942/)

Nikkor 85/2 in LTM mount, Leica M8

Best to All.

[raid]

I am expecting mine any day now. It is in the mail.

[Spicy]

I was looking for an LTM one for months, but eventually settled for the canon 100/3.5. Haven't ran too many rolls through it, but it certainly is tiny. Aperture ring is annoying, though.

[yossarian123]

I bought one yesterdat from KEH - a BGN chrome for $215. It just shipped today so I won't have it until next week. Does $215 sound like a decent price? Their EX copy is selling for over $400.

[raid]

You got a BGN ..... It is a bargain. Cheap.
I paid more for a beautiful shiny LTM one with lens hood.

[Contarama]

I don't know if anyone has noticed but I think there has been a jump in price on certain old Nikkors...the 85/1.8 K version seems to have doubled in the past year.

[raid]

What is a K Version Nikkor?

[Contarama]

The very last of the non Ai lenses made between approx 75-78. Many were the old formulas with coatings and they are all made up in the "modern" rubber barrel fashion...they look like Ai and Ais lenses but they are non Ai. They are called K's. When they made the 85/2 it was an Ai replacement for the venerable 85/1.8 (which was THE fashion portrait lens for many many years or so I am told) so the last 85/1.8's are K versions. You could buy them for 100-200 dollars a couple years ago. They are a lot higher than that now. KEH has an Ex one for like 400 right now I think. Crazy! The 105/2.5's are still pretty flat especially the older ones. The 28/1.8 is another one that despite being still made brand new the older lenses are still bringing all the chili. The Ais is superior to the K in this FL however. Probably one of the cheapest Nikkors you can buy period is a 28/3.5 K and it is a decent lenses too. Famous Nikkor metal barrel build quality I paid 30 bucks for mine!

[raid]

Thanks for the clarification.

[DanOnRoute66]

Hope to get another one soon. I had to sell my 8.5cm f2 along with a 13.5cm Nikkor following an extended bout of unemployment, along with a lot of other gear for various other cameras. I don't miss most of it, but I certainly miss the lenses for my Nikon S2, which has become my favorite film camera over the past couple of years. Thankfully, my wife and I were able to get back to work before I had to sell the camera itself and the 5cm f1.4 lens.

[DanOnRoute66]

The Jupiter-9, one calibrated for the Leica 51.6mm standard, is well worth having. I sold mine after getting the Nikkor 8.5cm f2 in LTM. The Nikkor lens is sharper and has more contrast, BUT the biggest difference was the smoothness of the Nikkor vs the Jupiter. It also cost 6x as much.

One of my Favorite J9 Shots. (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/1287/sort/1/size/big/cat/539/page/)

8.5cm F2 Wide-Open (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/2237/size/big/sort/1/cat/539)The Jupiter isn't bad but the Nikkor blows it away, in my experience.