AF Nikkor 180mm f/2.8D IF-ED for Macro Work?

I used the 180AF version on a PN-11 extension ring for over a year to do the same thing you're talking about. I liked it and it handled nicely on the tripod but somehow found the results a wee bit soft. The slides went well up to 5X7 prints, but I'm not sure I'd trust them to page-size.

I've tried my old 180/2.8 pre-AI Nikkor with the M2 extension tube from my 55/3.5 Micro-Nikkor. Works just fine, no loss of image quality.

Ditto the same tube with my 105/2.5 AI Nikkor. Again, excellent results.

Not very handy tho', and I have a Vivitar Series 1 70-210/2.8-4 true close focusing zoom that's just as good up close between 100-150mm with the same magnification and much handier. (I tested every lens and combination I own using TMX, so this is a reasonably well qualified opinion.)

The cheaper alternative is the manual-focus Ai-S Micro-Nikkor 200 mm f/4, which goes to 1:2 without accessories.

The 180 f/2.8 is a wonderful lens, one of the all-time great Nikkors for general shooting. I have used the Nikkor 180 mm AF lens with the Canon 500D close-up diopter (with a 72>77 adapter ring) as part of a light-weight kit while traveling and had very good results. Haven't compared them directly to slides taken with my 200 mm Nikkor macro, but preliminary results look quite positive. The major drawback is the lack of a tripod mount on the 180. I use an L-bracket on the body to facilitate switching from horizontal to vertical format. Works OK, not as neatly as the 200 mm macro but fine when traveling.

I've been interested in the Nikon 180 f2.8 AF-D IF (N) for quite some time now and I've been looking at used prices and for some reason they seem really quite low. Is there any reason this lens would be relatively less expensive than other used Nikkors (in general)? Is there that many of them out there? Are people dissapointed with some aspect of the lens? Is the autofocus too slow? Or is it just that everyone and their grandma's own the 80-200 f2.8?

Hey Jason, could you tell me where you see the cheapo 180/2.8s? I checked KEH but the prices there for the non-D version are $415 in E condition. The new D-type is $635 at B&H (grey market). That doesn't look very cheap to me, though every little bit helps..

I'm asking because I am also interested in getting a 180/2.8.

Jason, the 180mm focal length for 35mm format is just a sleeper. This seems to be the case in every camera brand that offers or offered such a focal length, including Olympus.

I think it's regarded as neither fish nor bicycle by many photographers, too long for portraiture (it's not, it's ideal for portraiture), too short for wildlife or action (again, not necessarily).

Originally its target was photojournalists needing a top notch, fast telephoto (see the Nikon Japan website for history: http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/society/nikkor/). When first introduced there were no commonly available zooms of equivalent focal length, speed and quality.

Since then, however, zooms have taken over and the 180mm is a niche product, appealing mostly to connoisseurs who appreciate a good value.

Greg, you can pick up a grey market AF 70-180mm Zoom Micro for around $600...perhaps that's an alternative?

Bests, Duncan

The 180 mm is relatively inexpensive on the used market but it's quite expensive new (at least where I live). This has to do with the past. The 180 was priced noticeably lower than the 80-200 and I suppose since it's an excellent lens it sold quite well. Now, however, there are features such as AF-S and VR available for the zoom, so people trade it for the zoom. Consequently also the price of the 180 has gone up probably due to reduced sales.

Today I often just photograph with a set of primes: 35, 50, 105 and 180. I'm very happy with this kind of a setup although I have other choices in my closet gathering dust. I just love the low weight of the 180.

Just a recent sample from my elderly pre-AI 180/2.8 Nikkor. TMX at EI 250 in Diafine (I'm still tweaking the correct EI for this film/developer combination), 1/1000 @ f/2.8. No extension tubes or close up diopters, just the unadorned lens at near-minimum focus.

I bought a used non "D" AF Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 IF-ED not too long ago and the image quality is outstanding. The minimum focusing distance is about six feet, which is longer than I thought (my cheap 70-300 zoom focuses at about five feet at 300.

I think the 180 prices are depressed because all things being equal, people seem to prefer the 80-800 2.8 zoom. Also, the 180 is well constructed and I've seen some really beat-up copies that are still fucntional. Lastly, the aperture blades have no element cover them in the back, which could lead to some damage, I think.

I haven't tried this lens for macro, but my experience with other lenses is that a true macro lens is much easier to work with on fine adjustments.

Just my $.02.

M., I'm pretty sure that only certain variations of the 180/2.8 Nikkor had the exposed rear aperture blades. Mine aren't exposed (the last of the pre-AI 180/2.8 Nikkors made a year before the switch to AI).

My AF version does have the blades exposed, but I don't know when it was made. They are not damaged at all, but when you lock the aperture at f/22, as required for AF, the blades are exposed when you take off the lens, and it seems like they might be.

Thanks everyone for your detail responses.

I am certainly considering the MF 200 Micro as an option. Although I liked the idea of have a nice AF tele for non macro work... trying to be versatile.

The 70-180 Micro I thought was out of my price range but perhaps I'll check again...

Lex, I love the pic of scraps. The depth of field (or lack thereof) is wonderful to me.

I'll probably head into one of the stores on the weekend and see if they have one in stock I can look through... something else I found yesterday though... seems Sigma does a 180mm that goes 1:1 although I haven't got a price on that locally to know if its a viable option yet.

Thanks again!

Yup, the combined factors of impressive sharpness wide open with concurrent surrealistically shallow depth of field make the 180/2.8 Nikkor a truly impressive lens.

I hadn't used this lens wide open at minimum focus for quite a while and was startled to see the effect - I'd bet some folks would swear I'd used Photoshop to blur the area around the dog's head. But a fraction of a second shutter speed with a great lens trumps hours in the digital darkroom trying to mimic the same effect.

I bought the 180 instead of the 200 Micro because I just felt that f/2.8 was needed for general purpose photography. And the 200 mm manual focus Micro-Nikkor isn't a good choice for general purpose work (so-so optical performance at long distances). Conclusion: you (and I) need both! :-)

True about the MF 200/4 micro nikkor's poor performance outside the closeup range but the AF version is amazing.

Gosh, the AF 200 Micro is that good huh? Hmm I guess I better start saving. :-)

Thanks again for all your tips folks!