In article <35368C42.409B@clarityconnect.com>, chriss@clarityconnect.com says...
>Ilkka Nissil{ wrote:
>> In article <6h0bn1$k7q$1@news02.btx.dtag.de>,
>> Thomas Kretschmer wrote:

>> >does anyone have experience with one of the aboves lenses ? Which one would
>> >you prefer for the normal, daily use ?

>> It depends on the use. Obviously the 60 is a macro lens,
>> and takes excellent pictures in the macro range. However,
>> at distances >1.5 m, at wide apertures, it is not that
>> good. I have not used the 50/1.4, but at least the
>> 50/1.8 is much better at long distances & wide apertures
>> than the 60, and still very very good down to its closest
>> focusing limit, at least when stopped down (which is how
>> close-ups are taken anyway). However, the 60 is excellent
>> at all distances *when stopped down enough* and has a very nice
>> built-in shade. The 60 is twice as heavy as the 50/1.4 though,
>> which is a consideration for normal use. The older 55 mm
>> manual focus Micro Nikkors were excellent for both macro
>> and normal use, and much lighter (since they only went to
>> 1:2 magnification).
>> I would take the 50/1.4.

>I owned a 60 2.8 micro and observed very excellent results from
>close-up all the way to infinity. Are these comments on diminished long
>performance based on actual use?

Um, one of the 60's I tried was, uh, yours....;-)
Many people are not critical of edge/corner performance (I am!),
and while your 60 was excellent at infinity-focus over most of
the frame by f5.6, and over all of the frame by f11, I regard
this as relatively poor performance for a normal FL prime (unless
you don't care about edges/corners, never use the lens at infinity,
or always use f11 or so...), especially since the lowly 50mm f1.8
is quite good from around f2.8-4, and not at all bad even at f1.8.
The 60 is a first-rate macro, and also excellent for mid-distance
shooting, but like the 50mm f1.2 Nikkor (which is also an excellent
mid-distance lens, even at f1.2), I would try not use it at
infinity-focus at even mid stops. (I think Ilkka Nissil covered it
well in this and a later post...;-)
David Ruether
http://www.fcinet.com/ruether