Video Field Test: Legacy Lens | Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AI-S

One of our favorite ways to preserve the history of photography is to use vintage lenses. Creating images with older photography lenses to get more use from them in modern-day cameras is a tactic commonly used among both the creative and the thrifty. It’s also a great way to add some personal style to your process.

Here, I take a look at the Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 AI-S lens from Nikon. This fully-manual wide lens has had a much-beloved place in the camera bags of photographers for nearly fifty years, and after seeing how it looks in action, it’s easy to see why.

The lens is sharp but pleasing, at a wide but not unreasonable field of view. Lightweight and compact without any fisheye distortion, this lens feels right at home when blogging or shooting landscapes. It even works well as a macro lens when flipped around and used backward. The same awesome optics can be found in Nikon’s autofocus 24mm f/2.8 D lens today.

When adapted to the front of a mirrorless camera, you can easily get some pretty stunning video. Give this lens a look today, and share some of your favorite vintage glass in the comments below.

Who knows? You may see it in our next video.

Now get out there and start creating!

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