In article <33f1d964.2870287@news.one.net>, ehc@one.net says...

>I am in the need of a Nikkor 180mm f/2.8. I have found both a used MF
>ED for $225 and a used AF (non D) for $495.

Wow! Grab the MF, unless it is a wreck - you can use it as long as you
want, then resell it at a profit! ;-)

>I am going to be using this lens ONLY for portrait photography. I
>will be shooting a fare amount of backlite portraits with this lens.
>I noticed that the MF has 5/5 (groups/elements) and the AF has 6/8.
>Does anyone know if the fewer elements helps the MF from flaring in a
>backlite situation?

Neither lens will have the advantage/disadvantage with flare, I think...
(I never had problems shooting the AF version toward water-sun
reflections, and never found a flare problem in any other situation.)

>I know that I am going to lose the TTL matrix meter with my F5 if I
>buy the MF, but that I can live with right now. I don't have a need
>for Program or Shutter priority when I am shooting portraits so losing
>that feature isn't an issue. And I always MF while I shoot portraits,
>which eliminates that issue. Can anyone think of anything else I
>would lose with the MF over the AF?

The IF makes focusing the AF 180 a bit more pleasant - and the AF
close-focus optical performance at wide apertures is somewhat better.

>(A 80-200 f/2.8N is in my future, I much prefer primes for portraits,
>though...)

The zoom is unpleasantly heavy and awkward to use compared with
primes...
Hope This Helps
(David Ruether - http://www.fcinet.com/ruether )