The cityscape image below was captured using a Nikon 105mm f2.5 Ai-s lens. It is considered one of the best mid-telephoto and portrait lenses in the world and was made famous when it was used to shoot what is arguably one of the most recognizable images of the 20th century - the National Geographic cover photo of the Afghan girl in 1985. It is a spectacular super sharp lens.
Nikon Ai and Ai-s series of lenses from the late 1970s and early 1980’s are a beautiful combination of simple, manual mechanical build quality and beautiful vintage glass. Despite the improvements of today’s newer autofocus lenses, some of the best built and sharpest lenses Nikon ever made are these metal-bodied manual focus lenses. Nikon’s reputation as a great camera company was built in large part on the quality of these lenses.
When autofocus lenses were introduced, these mechanical focus lenses were soon replaced and largely forgotten for these digital wonders that made focusing so much easier and promised that every image would be in perfect focus. While it is certainly possible to still take photos out of focus, there is no question that it is much easier to photograph a fast-moving subject with an autofocus lens.
I have no intention of selling my newer high quality autofocus lenses. They are amazing lenses that are convenient and produce incredibly sharp images. But I do keep my eyes open for good deals on mint condition Ai-s lenses and pick them up when I can, and despite the inconvenience of manual focus, I won’t hesitate to use them under the right circumstances.
