Lightweight zoom for SL 601

[Big John]

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Still shooting an SL 601, had it since it came out. Shoot with the 24-90 but much prefer the lighter package of SL with Zeiss ZM lenses.  I just put an old Nikon F mount 28-70D lens on the SL and it is a lovely light weight combo!  Manual focus of course but that’s fine, rendering is nice if total sharpness is not up to modern lens standard. But it is a slow lens so looking for recommendations of lightweight zoom, in the 28-70 range, with a decent max aperture, that can be adapted to the SL. Any suggestions pls?  Thanks. 

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[Olaf_ZG]

What about the panasonic 20-60 or 24-105?

[RexGig0]

If you would like to keep using your Nikon-to-SL adapter, with Nikon-mount lenses, here is a resource, on older lenses, that is quite good. Look in the column, along the left side, and click on “lenses.”

http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html

Here is another good source, on older Nikon SLR auto-focus lenses:

https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/nikkor.htm#af

And, the same sources write-ups on manual-focus Nikon lenses:

https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/nikkor.htm#mf

Both of these sources present material that is somewhat dated, as the material on these lenses was written in the past. Keep in mind that Nikon lenses that do not have a manually-controllable aperture ring, but do have an internal lever that is controlled by the Nikon camera body, will require an adapter that can move the internal lever. The even newer “E” Nikon lenses control the aperture totally electronically, so will require a “smart” adapter that can translate aperture commands across the systems.

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by RexGig0

[RexGig0]

I will add that my knowledge of older Nikon zoom lenses, that would adapt well, with non-electronic adapters, is quite limited. When I was adapting Nikon F-mount lenses to another system, it was Canon EOS EF, with the only zoom I bought being the amazingly good Zoom-Nikkor 100-300mm AI-S manual-focus lens. Later, I added the Nikon 75-150mm, that was famously used by Galen Rowell to capture iconic images in the mountains, around the world, but not to adapt to Canon, but to use in its own right, on Nikon SLRs, that I owned, by that time.

If a 28mm fixed-focal lens would be useful, the Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AI-S, with Close Range Correction, is a gem. This one is so good that it, alone, is enough to tempt me to acquire a Novoflex LEM/NIK or LEM/NIK-NT, to enable using it on M-mount cameras. There are beautifully clear distance and DOF markings, for distance/scale focusing. No need to wait for Leica to introduce an Elmarit 28mm with Close Focus. 😉

https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/28f28ais.htm

[RexGig0]

My wife* has liked using a Nikkor AF 28-105mm f/3.4-4.5 D lens, an auto-focusing lens which has legendary status, has notable close-range capability, and works well when manually-focused:

https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/28105af.htm

If this one is too “slow,” well, let us keep in mind that f/2.8 zooms have never been small or light in weight.

This is probably Nikon’s lightest-weight zoom with a constant f/2.8 aperture:

https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/3570.htm

I have no personal experience with the 35-70/2.8 lens. When I added an f/2.8 pro zoom, in 2015, it was the Nikkor AF-S 24-70/2.8G ED, which weighs 900+ grams, but fits my left hand so well, and balances so well on a semi-pro/pro DSLR, that it becomes “weightless.” This one remains a personal favorite. (The “G” in the model designation indicates that there is no manual aperture ring.) My wife prefers the lighter-weight 24-105 D, mentioned above.

*My wife is the mentor who originally persuaded me to become interested in using interchangeable-lens cameras. She used Olympus 35mm film SLRs, for years, until she was issued Canon and then Nikon DSLRs by her employer. She liked her employer’s Nikon D300s so much that she became a dedicated Nikon DSLR shooter, as long ago as 2008 or 2009. (It was that same D300s that felt so good, in my hands, that I became easily persuadable.) 

[Big John]

Thank you. That 35-70 2.8 looks v interesting. 

[RexGig0]

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16 hours ago, Big John said:

Thank you. That 35-70 2.8 looks v interesting. 

It is, indeed, interesting. Many have been used quite extensively, so, try to find one that has been really well-preserved.

[jaapv]

I am very much taken by the Vario-Elmar 35-70 4.0 R. Not really light but it  balances very well. IQ is excellent. 

[fstop11]

Check out the Sigma 28-70 f/2.8 Contemporary lens.  It’s tack sharp, small, light, and has great AF speed on both the Typ 601 and the SL2-S.  Well worth the price IMHO.

Edited October 1, 2023 by fstop11
Typo

[AZN]

On 10/1/2023 at 3:20 AM, RexGig0 said:

If a 28mm fixed-focal lens would be useful, the Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AI-S, with Close Range Correction, is a gem. This one is so good that it, alone, is enough to tempt me to acquire a Novoflex LEM/NIK or LEM/NIK-NT, to enable using it on M-mount cameras. There are beautifully clear distance and DOF markings, for distance/scale focusing. No need to wait for Leica to introduce an Elmarit 28mm with Close Focus. 😉

https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/28f28ais.htm

I used the Nikon 28mm ƒ2.8 AI-S for a few years.  Good lens which you could still buy new up to a 10 years ago (I bought mine in December 2013).

Up close – fantastic. At distance, not so good.

Hence the reason I switched to using a Leica Elmarit-R 28mm v2 lens in 2017.  Now we're talking.  Fantastic up close & at infinity.

BTW second the recommendation for the Leica Vario-Elmarit-R 35-70mm ƒ4.  Excellent image quality with minor distortion which can easily be fixed in post. With a lens R→L lens adapter, it isn't very compact though…

[jaapv]

It is long rather than bulky. It has some CA easily corrected in post. However it has very high resolution and excellent contrast. Real Leica character. 

(Yes, my SL is a workhorse  ) 

 

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