Ever since my move to the Nikon Z system I have been regularly selling off most of my older Nikon DLSR gear. There are a few items, however, that I am still hanging on to as some of my F-mount lenses simply do not yet have an equivalent in the current Z-system. There are also cases where there is a functional Z-mount equivalent but I still prefer the image characteristics of the older F-mount version. Many of the newer lenses from Nikon and most manufacturers these days tend to emphasize edge-to-edge sharpness and optical perfection. I feel that it sometimes leaves them with a more clinical look and often a more “nervous” looking bokeh. Many of the older Nikon G series lenses, on the other hand, may not be as tack sharp optically but they do have a particularly natural look to them.
I also have to admit to a bit of nostalgia with the gear that I have retained. It is equipment that has faithfully travelled with me on many journeys. Whether on airplanes, boats, or on rough and dusty backroads, this gear has always held up. What I have left is basically a minimal set of some of that familiar gear that still fills a niche in my current photography. There is enough left to be a small standalone setup or for mixing and matching with my current Nikon Z-System Gear where needed.
Nikon D750 –
Even though I can use all these G lenses with Nikon Z cameras via the FTZ adapter, I decided to keep one DSLR mainly for the convenience of having a native F-mount body. I also really like the handling and performance of the D750. It just feels great in my hand. Image quality and color are, of course, always excellent with the D750. I sold my Nikon D850 as I felt that its speed and higher resolution was really not the best fit or necessary for this set of F-mount lenses. The D850 is also bigger and heavier than I like for a more minimal setup.
Nikon 20mm f/1.8G –
An excellent wide-angle lens that I have used mainly for nightscape photography. While redundant with my current Nikon 20mm f/1.8 Z-mount lens, I like to keep it around as it is my only ultra-wide-angle lens option in F-mount.
Nikon 24mm f/1.4G –
A big and heavy prime lens in perhaps my favorite wide-angle focal length. It is a natural for low light and has a short 9.8″ minimum focus distance (MFD). When focused up close, backgrounds just melt away with a nice and smooth bokeh. Wide open this lens is not necessarily super sharp but stopped down to f/2 things improve noticeably while still retaining excellent bokeh. Figures 1 and 2 below show identical shots up close at f/1.4 and f/2. This lens is also great for landscapes or tight indoor spaces.
This is also another big and heavy fast F-mount prime lens. Similar to the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G, it is great for low light. It too has great character and bokeh. I particularly like the 35mm focal length for its natural and realistic field of view. Figure 3 shows an image taken up close and wide open at f/1.4. Figure 4 shows the same image stopped down to f/2. Again, either aperture softens the background clutter nicely, rendering the scene with an almost 3D look.
This is probably one of the most underrated F-mount normal zoom lenses. It is reasonably compact, lightweight, and optically very good. For me it is an indispensable all-around lens for general shooting. When coupled with the afore mentioned Nikon 20mm f/1.8G, it makes for an excellent lightweight two lens DSLR setup.
When I picked up the new Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 Z-mount, I decided to hang on to this lens at least for a little while. It is absolutely excellent and there was really no reason to upgrade to the Z-mount version except for the fact that I hated always having to bring along the FTZ adapter. The adapter also made the whole combination longer and somehow more unwieldy. I will say that, like with the other F-mount G lenses, this lens does have better bokeh than the newer Z-mount version.
That is pretty much it for my specialist DSLR setup. While I don’t typically reach for these lenses a whole lot anymore, I do find them comforting to have around for special cases and the beautiful images they produce.