On Wed, 16 Dec 98 14:31:07, Ruscello Claudio
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> asked about a 24mm f2.8 AF lens with the
small focusing ring:
>1. Have you ever seen or used this one ?
Hi, Ruscello,
Yes, this is the version of the 24mm f2.8 AF lens that I use. It was the
very first AF version of the lens. When Nikon first entered the AF market,
all AF lenses had this type of focus ring -- Nikon's philosophy seemed to
be that "if it's an AF lens, why would people need much of a manual-focus
grip?" These early AF lenses also had the push-and-twist aperture locking
mechanism you describe. Nikon soon upgraded its AF lenses to "AF-N", by
changing the cosmetics of the lenses to include a better manual focus ring
and a less cumbersome aperture locking mechanism.
>2. Year of production
The first AF 24mm lens was introduced in 1986, according to Walter
Pietsch's website. I seem to recall from Moose Peterson's book that it was
upgraded to AF-N (new cosmetics, no optical change) in either 1988 or 1989.
>3. Why the focus ring is different ? (may be replaced in the past or is
>original)
Just Nikon's first attempt at an AF lens. The ring is original.
>4. Have this one the CRC mechanism ?
Yes, it has CRC just like all the other 24mm Nikkors. In fact, it is of
the same optical design of the current AF-D 24mm lens.
>5. How many lens in how many groups ?
9 lenses, 9 groups
>6. And last but not least ... is it worth of 200 USD ?
Brand new AF-D 24mm f2.8's can be bought grey-market at B&H for about
USD265. I bought my early-AF sample of the 24mm used (mint) a few years
ago, before US prices for Nikon gear came down -- I paid almost USD260 for
it then (new AF-D ones I priced at that time were over USD400, so I
considered this a good buy). Recently I've seen mint 24mm AF-D's for sale
here in the USD230-250 range. I tend to hesitate to buy lenses with
scratches, but if the scratch doesn't bother you USD200 probably is just on
the high end of what I'd consider a reasonable price. Given that it's the
first version (still generally considered less desirable than the later
versions) and scratched, I'd probably try to negotiate another USD10-15 off
the price.
By the way, while like most Nikon users I don't care for the early-AF
lenses because of that slim focus ring, on the 24mm I really don't mind it.
I tend to use my 24mm lens for landscapes and scenics, where I'm not
worried about fast-handling. I usually just pre-set the focus, and I
hardly notice that little focus ring, even with gloves on.
Good luck,
Mark Peterson
Ames, Iowa, USA
