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GL | DR | Comments by DR, unless otherwise noted | |
| 6mm f5.6 | -- | 4 | 1 sample; no TTL viewing, no accurate view finder (VF), fits only on bodies with mirror lock-up, 220 degree circular image (the widest fisheye-perspective lens made for 35mm) |
| 6mm f2.8 | -- | -- | very large, heavy, and expensive; 220 degree circular image (the widest fisheye-perspective lens made for 35 mm) |
| 7.5mm f5.6 | -- | 4 | 1 sample; no TTL viewing (though the separate VF is remarkably accurate; fits only on bodies with mirror lock-up; 180 degree circular image |
| 8mm f8 | -- | -- | first 35mm version of 180 degree circular fisheye; no TTL viewing; no accurate VF (had only a centering finder); fits only on bodies with a mirror lock-up |
| 8mm f2.8 | -- | 4.4 | 2 samples; 180 degree circular image, equally good in B&W and color; not great at wide stops, excellent sharpness to edge of coverage by f11; physically big and heavy; works well with TC14A at f11-16 |
| 10mm f5.6 OP | -- | -- | orthographic projection, with most of the image curvature showing near the edge of coverage; no TTL viewing, no accurate VF (the fisheye finder is designed for the 7.5mm lens, and is inaccurate in perspective); fits only on bodies with mirror lock-up; 180 degree circular image |
| 13mm f5.6 | -- | -- | large, heavy, very expensive; 118 degrees diagonal coverage, the widest rectangular-perspective lens made for 35mm SLRs |
| 15mm f5.6 | -- | 3~4.2 | several samples; some sample variation; very low linear distortion, even center to corner performance, very even illumination (in common with all the Nikkor wides except the 18mm MF's, the 21mm, and the 35mm f2 MF at wide stops); slightly yellow color cast compared with other Nikkors; need to open 1/2 stop more than meter reading for correct exposure; corners improve slightly in B&W using yellow, orange, or red filter; best at f11-16 where sharpness is very good over the whole frame |
| 15mm f3.5 | -- | 4 | 2 samples; poor edge-to-corner performance in B&W, good in color; excellent sharpness short of the edges at most stops |
| 16mm f3.5 | -- | 5 | 3 samples; 170 degree diagonal coverage; full frame fisheye perspective; unusually low flare and ghosting; this is a wonderful lens, sharp to the corners wide open, very sharp over entire frame stopped down slightly; some samples show incorrect scale infinity focus; works very well with TC14A by f5.6 for a great people super-wide |
| 16mm f2.8 | -- | 3.5~4.4 | 3 samples; 180 degree full frame fisheye image; best samples equal the performance of the f3.5 at f11-16 (f3.5 version is better at wide stops); works very well with TC14A by f5.6; AF optics are the same |
| 18mm f4 | -- | 3 | 2 samples; poor edges and corners even stopped down; sharp center |
| 18mm f3.5 | -- | 4.5 | 2 samples; better in color than in B&W; good wide stop color performance (though with noticeable corner illumination roll-off at wide stops); very good sharpness stopped down |
| 18mm f2.8 AF | -- | -- | -- |
| 19mm f2.8 Micro | -- | -- | one of four high-magnification micro lenses, with manual diaphragm, no focus, and Royal Screw thread mount (15X - 40X) |
| 20mm f8 | 5/5 | -- | fisheye, 153 degrees coverage, part of limited-offering "Fun Lens Set", fixed focus and aperture |
| 20mm f4 | -- | 3.4 at infinity, 4.3 at medium distances | 2 samples; tiny; useable near infinity-focus when well stopped down; very good nearly wide open when focused closer |
| 20mm f3.5 non-AI | -- | 3.5~4 | 2 samples; 72mm filter version; good when well stopped down |
| 20mm f3.5 | -- | 3~3.5 at infinity, 4.4 at medium to close distances | several samples; 52mm filter version; some sample variation; tiny; useable when well stopped down for distant subjects; very good nearly wide open focused closer than about 15' |
| 20mm f2.8 | 5/5 | 4.3~4.7 | 4 samples; the best samples have excellent performance to the corners by f5.6, the worst by f8; relatively low linear distortion; AF optics are the same. |
| 21mm f4 | -- | 4 | 3 samples; no TTL viewing (though the separate VF is remarkably accurate); no linear distortion; very even and good center to corner sharpness; some tendency to flare; noticeable illumination roll-off toward the edges and corners; extremely compact when mounted on the camera; 3' minimum focus distance; will fit only the F and F2 bodies (the lens should not rotate while being mounted and only the F and F2 bodies have the necessary tab to prevent rotation) |
| 24mm f2.8 non-AI | -- | 4 | 2 samples; one of the first "floating element" lenses, with reasonably good performance for its time and type |
| 24mm f2.8 AI | 4.5/5 | 4.2~4.6 | many samples; needs shade; some samples are not quite as crisp at the edges and corners near infinity focus as the slightly wider 20mm f2.8, but the best samples are exellent by f5.6; AF optics are the same |
| 24mm f2 | -- | 4.2 | 2 samples; low contrast at wide stops; good sharpness stopped down |
| 28mm f4 PC | -- | 4.6 | 3 samples; better off-axis performance than most 28mm f3.5 PC samples (all of the Nikkor PC lenses will illuminate almost the complete frame, even with the most extreme movement - i.e. beyond the recommended shift limit - but all then require f16-22 to sharpen the far edge of coverage); f11 is sufficient with this lens to sharpen the top corners of a horizontal frame with full rise applied; metering with all bodies except the F3 must be done with the lens unshifted |
| 28mm f3.5 PC | -- | 4~4.4 | 3 samples; better wide stop performance with no shift than the 28mm f4 PC, but off axis it is generally not up to f4, even stopped down; a good sample is useable on the TC200/1 for extreme shift effects; metering with all bodies except the F3 must be done with the lens unshifted |
| 28mm f3.5 non-AI | -- | 3.4 | 3 samples; vignettes with any filter; must be well stopped down for exceptable corner sharpness |
| 28mm f3.5 AI | -- | 4.8 | 4 samples; good wide open, very even center to corner performance |
| 28mm f2.8 early | -- | 3.6 | 3 samples; unusually resistent to flare and ghosts; poor corners until well stopped down |
| 28mm f2.8 AIS | -- | 4.8 | 4 samples; good wide open, short of far corners; excellent sharpness at most stops |
| 28mm f2.8 E | 4.5/4 | 2.8~4.2 | of several samples tried, two were good at smaller stops, the others were poor; one AF sample was quite good; E-series primes have plastic focus parts that wear fairly quickly (though even well-worn E-mounts are often tighter than new AF-focus mounts) and they are not multicoated; AF (non-D) optics are the same, but are multicoated |
| 28mm f2.8 AF D | -- | 4.2 | 1 sample; CRC (Close Range Correction), the D has a sixth lens element added with improved edge performance (though corner perfomance is still not great even well stopped down) |
| 28mm f2 | 4.5/5 | 4~4.6 | many samples; some sample variation; often not as good at wide stops as the f2.8 AIS 28mm - but often better than the f2.8 AIS by 5.6 where sharpness is excellent over the whole frame |
| 28mm f1.4 AF | -- | -- | see review article http://www.donferrario.com/ruether/28mm-f14.htm |
| 35mm f4.5 Micro | -- | 5 | 1 sample; one of four high-magnification micro lenses, with manual diaphragm and no focus - with Royal Screw thread mount (8X - 20X) |
| 35mm f3.5 PC | -- | 3.5 | 1 sample; poor off-axis performance; metering with all bodies except the F3 must be done with the lens unshifted |
| 35mm f2.8 PC non-AI early | -- | 4.2 | 3 samples; non-AI PC's generally fit AI cameras, though they nudge the coupling tab a bit (check the tab position after the lens is mounted to be sure the tab was not moved during mounting or exposures may be inaccurate); very good on-axis sharpness; fair when fully shifted; metering with all bodies except the F3 must be done with the lens unshifted |
| 35mm f2.8 PC AIS latest | -- | 5 | 3 samples; excellent to the corners wide open shifted up to about 3mm; the lens will illuminate the complete frame even with the most extreme movement - well beyond the recommended shift limit - but then requires f16-22 to sharpen the top far edge of coverage; f8 is sufficient to sharpen the top corners of a horizontal frame with full rise applied; it has the best performance of all the Nikkor 35's at f2.8; good on TC14A with about 5mm or less shift (effectively 7mm) when not stopped down beyond about f5.6; metering with all bodies except the F3 must be done with the lens unshifted |
| 35mm f2.8 non-AI | -- | 3.8 | 1 sample; OK performance, but surpassed by several later lenses |
| 35mm f2.8 AI | -- | 3.8~4 | 2 samples; this version has five elements; an earlier version has six elements (untried); the earlier 1975 six lens non-AI version is known as "type 4", from nr. 350001 on, and the 1978 six lens AI "type 5" version starts at nr. 773111 (LV) |
| 35mm f2.5 E | 3/4 | 3.2~4 | 3 samples; very small and light; the small front element makes effective shading easy; best samples are good by f5.6 |
| 35mm f2 | 3.5/4 | 3.5~4.8 | many samples; some sample variation; most AIS are about 4.5, with one 4.8; many pre-AI samples drop to the 3.5-4 range, and the non-multicoated ones flare easily with backlight; the best are sharp wide open short of the far cormers, and are very sharp by f4; all show noticeable illumination fall off wide open |
| 35mm f2 AF | 5/4 | 4.4 | 2 samples; small front element makes effective shading from sun, rain, and snow easy; very good but not exceptional performance; some report problems with oil on the diaphragm leaves of early D samples |
| 35mm f1.4 | 5/5 | 4.2~4.4 | 4 samples; good sharpness wide open at middle distances, reasonably good contrast and reasonably even illumination wide open; very good stopped down, but without the "snap" of the 35mm f2 AIS |
| 45mm f2.8 GN | -- | 4 | 1 sample; aperture can vary with distance setting for use with manual flashes (guide number is set on lens); excellent performance stopped down, though not as good as the 50's at wide stops |
| 45mm f2.8 P | -- | -- | optics probably similar to the GN (but with larger, and multicoted rear element); MF but with AF electronics; overpriced for what is offers |
| 50mm f2 | -- | 4.6 | several samples; very even center to corner performance at all stops; good wide open; excellent stopped down a bit |
| 50mm f1.8 AIS metal | 4/5 | 4.8 | many samples; very even center to corner performance at all stops; good wide open; excellent stopped down a bit |
| 50mm f1.8 E, plastic AIS, compact metal AIS | 4/4 | 3.8~4.6 | many samples; very small and light; small front element makes effective shading easy; usually good wide open, no linear distortion; the E is not multicoated, but other versions versions are; some sample variation; AF version is the same, but is multicoated, and has a longer barrel; excellent sharpness stopped down a bit |
| 50mm f1.4 non-AI | -- | 4~4.2 | many samples; low contrast wide open, though excellent image quality at middle and smaller stops; wide stops can be sharpened with a red filter in B&W, though illumination fall-off shows until about f4 |
| 50mm f1.4 AIS | 4.5/5 | 4.6 | many samples; very good by f2, short of corners; excellent stopped down a bit; the AI version may be slightly different optically; AF optics are the same |
| 50mm f1.2 | -- | 3.6~4, but 5 at about 4-14 feet | several samples; excellent center to corners wide open near optimum focus distance, with declining quality at edges as infinity focus is approached; shows severe coma at infinity wide open with point light sources near the frame edges |
| 55mm f4 UV | -- | -- | may exist only as prototype |
| 55mm f3.5 Micro | 5/5 | 3.8~4.5 near infinity, 4.8 close | many samples; noticeable field curvature near infinity with some samples; excellent sharpness nearly wide open with the best samples; earliest version had preset diaphragm; the next version had an auto diaphragm that opened with closer focus to compensate for extension exposure loss; the later version did not have the compensating diaphragm; goes to 1:2 |
| 55mm f2.8 Micro | 4.5/4.5 AF 4.5/4 | 4 close, 5 at infinity | many samples; the MF version tends to acquire oil on the diaphragm leaves; goes to 1:2; AF has the same optics but goes to 1:1 |
| 55mm f1.2 | 3/5 | 3.5 | 3 samples; reasonably good at mid distances (DR); a true dog (GL) |
| 55mm f1.2 CRT | -- | 4.8 | 3 samples; Leica thread, no focus, f11 minimum aperture, 8-elements in 6-groups, optimised for 363mm focus distance; wonderful reversed on tubes/bellows for around 5X magnification |
| 58mm f1.4 non-AI | -- | -- | first "speed" lens for Nikon SLR (1959) |
| 58mm f1.2 Noct | 5/5 | 3.8 | 1 sample, possibly defective; wide stops relatively poor, though performance excellent by f5.6 |
| 60mm f2.8 Micro AF | 5/4 | 3.5 at infinity, 5.2 close | 2 samples; poor at infinity at corners at wide to mid stops, though excellent by f11; the best of the Nikkor macro lenses tried in macro range, works very well with converters in macro range; goes to 1:1 |
| 65mm f4.5 Micro | -- | -- | one of four high-magnification micro lenses, with manual diaphragm, no focus; 39mm thread mount (3.5X - 10X) |
THE R&L NIKKOR TABLES |
Wides & Normals |