Best lens for the buck?
 

Is there a true observable difference between the Nikon and the Canon lenses? The Canon seem to go for a little more money on Ebay, but this group seems to prefer the Nikon. Are they the same and price is the difference?

David, the consensus here is that they are basically the same.

I have to agree, both Nikon and Canon have excellent lens. One advantage to Nikon for 35mm adapter is all the old lens work on the same lens mounts.

There are more similarities than there are differences. But perhaps the differences will matter to you. Need a 200mm f2? Canon discontinued theirs, so Nikon wins there. 400mm f/2.8 IS? Advantage Canon. 24mm f/1.4? Canon only. Need a super-ultra-wide 12mm rectilinear? Sigma is the only game in town. (Luckily, they make both Canon and Nikon lens mount versions.)

You have to decide what's important to you before you can choose a lens system.

Most of the irises (iri?) on the Canon FD lenses don't work without something being wedged in there, whereas the Nikon AI irises always work fine. This is my experience, but can anyone confirm this?

All the Canon FD lenses I have are fully functional just by the sliding of a metal tab, no wedging needed.

In cost effective terms, my winner, a CIMKO f3.5 28mm-85mm zoom for Nikon mount which was $10.00 in Cashies discount bin. I wouldn't use it for serious work but you can do the wickedest fast crash-zooms with it.

- if you are using a 1/3" CCD and the lens that comes with a prosumer [Z1 / DVX XLH1 etc] camera, and are putting a ground glass in front of that, you will be hard pressed to see the difference with various still primes.

All adapters soften the image, and I don't know many people using really effective focussing apparatus [read: they use a 250 pixel flip out screen...]

So apart from some colour casts between lenses if you swing them on the same lighting setup - the Canon vs. Nikon question is irrelevant.

Buy a good Sigma. Cheap. Works.

thanks for all the responses. It seems to me the Nikon's are cheaper on Ebay. I already have Canon FD lenses, I just wanted to know if I got a Brevis or a SGpro, if I should go for the Nikon instead...thanks

Nikon 50mm f1.8 is only about $100 (NEW) - a pristine lens for a great price