It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for – an intricate Nikon camera lens guide, specifically focusing on manual-focus lenses. As a photographer, you’ll know how important it is to match your camera with the right lens – it can make all the difference. At Grays of Westminster, we are experts in every type of Nikon lens, so we wanted to share some tips for finding the right one.
Whether you’re a beginner embarking on a new journey of photography or a seasoned professional seeking to expand your creative horizons, we can guide, support and advise you on the best lenses for your style of photography and needs. In this Nikon camera MF lens guide, expect to delve into a selection of the variants we stock at Grays and better understand their uses, capabilities and why they are recommended by photography enthusiasts worldwide.
Understanding Nikon Lens Terminology
If you’re a beginner, navigating photography equipment is impossible if you don’t understand the terminology. So, to ensure that our Nikon camera manual focus lens guide makes sense, we have outlined some key terms you need to know below before we delve into the Nikon camera lenses.
Focal length: This determines the field of view, while the aperture controls the amount of light entering the lens. You’ll be met with prime lenses that offer a fixed focal length, as well as zoom lenses that allow you to manipulate the focal length.
Depth of Field: This term refers to the distance between the nearest and furthest objects to give a focused image.
Composition: The composition is the name given to the placement of subjects within a frame. The arrangement of visual elements determines the aesthetic and style of your photographs.
Aperture Setting: Aperture refers to a hole in your lens that determines how much light feeds into your camera. It is crucial for exposure purposes but also depth of field. Whether you decide on a shallow depth of field or a photo with a wide-ranging focus, you can tell a range of stories using the aperture setting.
Types of Focus: Did you know that there is a wide range of camera focuses that you can play around with? Below are a few:
Deep Focus- Use deep focus when you want everything in the frame to be in focus.
Shallow Focus- Shallow focus is the opposite of deep focus. Instead of the entire picture being in focus, the area around your subject is generally less sharp.
Rack Focus- A key camera move for photographers is the rack focus. The practice involves changing the focus of the lens during a shot.
Soft Focus- Soft focus affects the entire image by creating a “soft” blur or glow around a subject.
Tilt-Shift- When you use tilt-shift, the lens manipulates the perception of an object or subject.
ISO: Similar to the aperture, the ISO increases the light information captured by the sensor on a camera. This setting directly affects the exposure and digital noise, which you’ll want to tweak or avoid.
White Balance: Controlling the white balance allows you to master any image’s lighting. You’ll be able to remove unrealistic colour casts so that objects that are white in person will look white in your photographs.
This is just a first glimpse at the terms that will help you make an informed decision when purchasing a Nikon lens that suits your needs.
Nikon Manual Focus Lens Categories and Their Uses
At Grays of Westminster, we offer a diverse selection of NIKKOR manual focus lenses that cater to various photography styles and preferences. Below, we have outlined our favourite lens collections.
Prime Lenses
Prime lenses are much more compact, lighter and overall, easier to transport when enjoying some on-the-go photography. They also tend to be a lot faster, offering wide apertures of f/2.8, f/1.8 or even f/1.4, allowing for more light, which is beneficial for several reasons, including capturing motion.
A couple of our favourite prime lenses are the 8mm f/2.8 Fisheye-Nikkor AI and the 24mm f/2 Nikkor AIS. The Fisheye-Nikkor AI captures everything in front of the camera, while the bright f/2.8 aperture makes it a lot more convenient to view and focus, even in dark lighting. On the other hand, the 24mm Nikkor AIS offers a wide 84 degrees picture with extra depth of field, which makes it very versatile in capturing a range of subjects, including candids,street and landscapes.
Special Purpose Lenses
Special purpose lenses, also known as perspective control lenses, allow you to offset the perspective in shots, especially within architectural photography. You have complete control of where the focal point is in any composition.
When it comes to special purpose lenses, we’d like to highlight the 105mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor AIS, which offers a picture angle of 23 degrees with an aperture range of f/2.8-f/32. This lens has an overall excellent optics and mechanics set-up and is almost as good as today’s newest 105mm. Secondly, the 24mm f/3.5 D PC – E – Nikon is another manual focus lens we love at Grays. It achieves exceptional quality with a tilt and shift system, one of the greatest Nikon camera lenses for capturing architecture and cityscapes.
Zoom Lenses
As the name says, zoom lenses allow magnification of images, as well as the ability to crop out unwanted elements of a photo. These lenses are fantastic for various subjects, especially if you want sharpness in your imagery and the ability to change focal lengths on the go.
We have chosen the 50-300mm f/4.5 Zoom-Nikkor ED AIS to speak about today. This beauty is an all-around great lens with an immaculate zoom ranging from 50mm normal to 300mm telephoto. We recommend this lens for sport and photojournalism photography.
Achieving Depth of Field with Nikon MF Lenses
If you are starting out in the world of photography, learning how to master depth of field will immediately diversify your offering. The depth of field impacts the sharpness and focus of your photographs; by experimenting with your aperture settings, you can either emphasise your subject against a blurred background or keep everything clear and concise.
A completely in-focus aesthetic is ideal for landscape photography, while a shallow depth of field is best suited to portraits or product shots. When hunting for your Nikon camera lenses, remember that different Nikon lens types offer varying depths of field, making them versatile tools for your creative expression.
Expert Tips for Lens Selection
While the above gives you a clear indication of the manual-focus lenses that would best suit your needs, it’s also crucial to consider the photography style you want to achieve. The right lens will complement your unique photography style, so this decision should be made thoughtfully.
For instance, assessing your needs and understanding the impact of focal length on composition will aid you in making the right decision. Lastly, be sure to check that the lens is compatible with your camera model.
Frequently Asked Questions about Nikon Lenses
Purchasing camera equipment is never a quick click-and-exit process. It requires you to think about your ultimate vision, as well as get some helpful advice. With that in mind, we have addressed some common queries from beginners and professionals so we can give you the clarity you need when committing to a lens:
Do all Nikon lenses fit all cameras?
As mentioned above, not all Nikon lenses will be compatible with every Nikon camera body. Talk to our photography specialists if you’d like to learn what models work with your current equipment.
What is the best Manual Focus Nikon lens for landscapes?
There is always an element of personal preference, but for us, the Nikon 24mm f/2 AIS is one of our highest-performing manual focus lenses for wide-angle perspectives. With a focal length of 24mm, you’ll be sure to capture scenic views with detail and craft impressive landscape compositions.
When should I use filters on my Nikon lens?
Each type of camera lens is designed to enhance an element of a shot. Whether it’s to minimise flare and reflections, improve specific colours such as blue tones or reduce the light intake, it depends on your desired outcome.
Ask Our Experts Today
If you still require further guidance on which manual focus Nikon lens will best suit your abilities, style and vision, get in touch with our photography experts today. We want to support you in unlocking your creative potential, and with our extensive collection of Nikon lenses and wealth of knowledge, we can assist photographers of all abilities.
Email us today at info@graysofwestminster.co.uk to discuss manual focus lenses or any of our Nikon camera lenses for sale, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. We guarantee you’ll be capturing breathtaking moments in no time at all.
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