I bought a used Nikon 180mm f/2.8 AIS which just came in yesterday. I didn’t get a chance to go out with it then, but today I took a jaunt around Bryant Park with it to put it through its paces.

I don’t own any other lens that looks nearly this beat up on the outside, but the glass looks brand new — without a scratch. Unfortunately, the focusing ring is stiff, not particularly surprising on something this worn.


Wishing for a better viewfinder at this point, fine manual focus control can be difficult on modern cameras wide open. This is a bit front-focused, but I couldn’t tell until afterwards.


I couldn’t pass by a girl with a Hasselblad without taking a photo. I hope her shot worked out.


The lens is certainly sharp enough at f/2.8, but there’s definite chromatic aberration here.


I like the lens so far, the poor person’s 200mm f/2, you can get a decently shallow depth of field from some distance. It should prove more useful on full frame, too once I get to using it with film or get a full frame digital.
Tiny link: http://taii.cc/2M