|
GL |
DR |
Comments by DR, unless otherwise indicated |
|
80mm f4.5 AF | -- |
-- |
very early AF lens, with internal AF mechanism, may exist as prototype only |
80mm f2.8 AF | -- |
-- |
early AF lens for F3AF (1983); has a good reputation |
85mm f2.8 T/S Micro | -- |
-- |
tilt-shift macro lens, MF only, with push-button diapragm stop-down; goes to 1:2 |
85mm f2.8 PC-ED T/S Micro | -- |
-- |
tilt-shift macro lens, MF only; push-button diapragm stop-down; auto-diaphragm possible with D3 and D300; goes to 1:2 |
85mm f2 | -- |
4.8 |
several samples; performance declines at wide stops near minimum focus; otherwise excellent even wide open |
85mm f1.8 non-AI | -- |
4.8 |
2 samples; very good wide open; excellent siopped down slightly; flares easily with backlight in non-multicoated samples |
85mm f1.8 AF | 5/4 |
4.9~5.2 |
2 samples; one sample slightly better in corners wide open near minimum focus distance than near infinity; other sample excellent to the corers wide opem; excellent wide stop close focus performance |
85mm f1.4 | 5/5 |
4.8 |
4 samples; good wide open, floating element maintains good performance down to minimum focus distance ; doesn't have quite the "snap" of other 85mm Nikkors tried |
85mm f1.4 AF | -- |
-- |
-- |
90mm f4.8 Soft-Focus | -- |
-- |
part of limited-offering "Fun Lens Set"; fixed aperture; converts to 120mm f4.5 macro |
100mm f2.8 E | -- |
4.8 |
3 samples; light and compact; exellent performance even wide open |
105mm f4.5 UV | -- |
-- |
lens designed to pass ultraviolet |
105mm f4 preset | -- |
-- |
normal focus range; same optics (3/3) as the 105mm f4 from the rangefinder era (LV) |
105mm f4 Micro | 4.5/5 |
3.5 |
3 samples; not great at wide stops, though others report much better results with this lens than I found; goes to 1:2; the 105mm short mount version has the same optics |
105mm f2.8 MF Micro | 4/5 |
4.4 close, |
2 samples; excellent center to corner performance at infinity at f2.8; note that the 180mm AF, 135mm f2 MF, later 105mm f2.5, 100mm f2.8 E, 85mm f1.8 AF, and the latest-version 35mm f2.8 PC are also performing unusually well at infinity-focus at f2.8; goes to 1:2 |
105mm f2.8 Micro AF | 5/5 |
4~4.5 at infinity, 4.8 close |
3 samples; too difficult to focus manually near infinity - focus is too fast, and alignment problems have been noted in two samples near infinity; excellent stopped down; goes to 1:1 |
105mm f2.5 early | -- |
4.4 |
several samples; small rear element (early non-AI with silver front); very good performance at all stops |
105mm f2.5 later | -- |
4.8 |
several samples; performance declines at wide stops when near minimum focus (DR); serial #500.001 and up; a great portrait lens; the very reason I bought my first Nikon body (LV) |
105mm f2 DC AF | -- |
-- |
permits shifting the areas of under/over-corrected spherical aberrations relative to the plane of focus |
105mm f1.8 | -- |
4.5~4.6 |
many samples; performance wider than about f4 can be good, though disappointing compared with other Nikkors in this range; excellent stopped down somewhat |
120mm f6.3 Micro | -- |
-- |
one of four high-magnification micro lenses, with manual diaphragm and no focus - with 39mm thread mount (1/3X - 4X on 35mm, 1X - 4X on 4x5) |
120mm f4.5 Macro | -- |
-- |
part of limited-offering "Fun Lens Set", fixed aperture, only two fixed magnification ratios, converts to 90mm f4.8 soft-focus |
120mm f4 Medical | -- |
-- |
needs power pack for built-in ring flash |
135mm f4 short mount | -- |
-- |
-- |
135mm f3.5 | -- |
4.5 |
2 samples; very good sharpness at all stops |
135mm f2.8 non-AI | -- |
4.5 |
3 samples; very good sharpness at all stops |
135mm f2.8 compact | -- |
4.8 |
4 samples; performance declines at wide stops when near minimum focus; otherwise excellent even wide open |
135mm f2.8 E | -- |
4.5 |
2 samples; very good sharpness at all stops |
135mm f2 | -- |
3~4.9 |
3 samples; 3 at minimum focus, 4.9 beyond about 10'; very sharp center to corner at f2 at mid to long distances, with some very slight field curvature just detectable at wide stops near infinity; performance is poor at wide stops when near minimum focus; otherwise excellent even wide open |
135mm f2 DC AF | -- |
-- |
permits shifting the areas of under/over-corrected spherical aberrations relative to the plane of focus |
180mm f2.8 non-ED | -- |
4.6 |
1 sample; good wide open, excellent stopped down slightly |
180mm f2.8 ED | 4.8/5 |
4.8 |
1 sample; good wide open, excellent stopped down slightly |
180mm f2.8 EDIF AF | 5/5 |
5.2 |
1 sample; this lens is wonderful at all stops, center-to-corner, all distances (even on a short tube) (DR); GL rates older, pre 1988 version 5/4 (LV) |
180mm f2.5 preset | -- |
-- |
adapted from rangefinder to SLR-camera |
200mm f5.6 Medical | -- |
-- |
uses 6 screw-in close-up lenses in various combinations of one or two in order to reach magnification ratios of 1:15 to 3:1, with no other focus adjustment; needs power pack for the built-in ring flash |
200mm f4 older | -- |
3.8~4.2 |
several samples; can be quite good even wide open |
200mm f4 compact | -- |
4.5 |
several samples; very good even wide open; can be great as a macro lens; the best auto-diapragm lens for about 3X that I have used (DR); serial #670.003 and up (LV) |
200mm f4 IF Micro | -- |
4 |
2 samples; slight sample variation, (one nice at infinity, but less so close; the other the reverse); goes to 1:2; compact, with internal focus |
200mm f4 EDIF Micro AF | -- |
3.8~4.5 |
1 sample; 3.8-4.5 at infinity (depending on f-stop), 4.5 close; rather large, heavy, and expensive macro lens with fine infinity-focus performance by f8 (but not much wider); goes to 1:1 ; see article on this lens: http://www.donferrario.com/ruether/70-180mm-200mm.htm |
200mm f3.5 EDIF AF | -- |
-- |
early AF lens for F3AF (has a good reputation) |
200mm f2 EDIF | 4.5/5 |
-- |
all of the fast EDIF Nikkors have good reputations |
300mm f4.5 | 3/4.5 |
3.6~4.2 |
several samples; some variation, often not wonderful at wider stops, not good with converters; fairly compact and light |
300mm f4.5 ED non-IF | -- |
4.8 |
1 sample; excellent sharpness at all stops; very good with converters; fairly compact and light |
300mm f4.5 EDIF | 4.8/5 |
4~4.4 |
3 samples; good to very good sharpness; good on tubes but not good with converters; fairly compact and light |
300mm f4 EDIF AF | 5/5 |
4.8 |
2 samples; compact and light compared with the f2.8 versions; excellent sharpness even wide open; good with converters (especially the TC14/14B/14C) |
300mm f4 EDIF AF S | -- |
5 |
1 sample; large for a 300mm f4, but well-balanced and not heavy; equally sharp at infinity-focus and minimum-focus which may make it useful with converters and achromats (neither were tried) for macro work; the sharpest of the Nikkor 300's wider than f8 |
300mm f2.8 | -- |
-- |
-- |
300mm f2.8 EDIF | 5/5 |
5 |
3 samples; very sharp even wide open - contrast improves to f8; excellent with converters (good even wide open on matched converters); large, heavy, and expensive, as are all the long and fast teles |
300mm f2.8 EDIF AF | 4.8/4 |
-- |
marks by GL are for the 1st AF version (LV) |
300mm f2.8 EDIF AF I | 5/5 |
-- |
internal focus motor |
300mm f2.8 EDIF AF S | -- |
-- |
internal focus motor |
300mm f2.8 EDIF AF II | 4.8/4.8 |
-- |
lighter than earlier 300mm f2.8 Nikkors; internal focus motor |
300mm f2 EDIF | 5/5 |
-- |
came with the wonderful TC14C |
350mm f4.5 semi-auto | -- |
-- |
adapted from rangefinder to SLR |
400mm f8 | -- |
-- |
part of limited-offering "Fun Lens Set", fixed aperture, unusually comact when "telescoped", accepts 52mm filters |
400mm f5.6 | -- |
-- |
-- |
400mm f5.6 ED non-IF | -- |
-- |
-- |
400mm f5.6 EDIF | 4.8/5 |
4.8 |
1 sample; very good with converters, fairly narrow and light (and overpriced, as are most of the big, fast teles of all brands, in my opinion...); excellent sharpness at all stops |
400mm f4.5 non-AI (ED) | -- |
-- |
came as lens head that fit a standard focusing unit common to 400mm, 600mm, 800mm, and 1200mm lenses of the time (the 400mm, 600mm, 800mm, 1200mm heads were available as either ED or non-ED) |
400mm f3.5 EDIF | 5/5 |
5 |
2 samples; excellent at all stops; excellent with converters (good even wide open on matched converters) |
400mm f2.8 EDIF | -- |
-- |
-- |
400mm f2.8 EDIF AF I | -- |
-- |
Good lens, great boat anchor: 6kg vs 3kg for the f3.5; couldn't Nikon make the 400 f3.5 as an AF lens? (GL) |
500mm f8 mirror, early | 3.8/5 |
4 |
3 samples; good with TC14/14B; performs better near infinity than near minimum focus distance (4m); rate film speed 1/2 stop lower when using this lens; there is a moderate center "hot spot" (as there is with most mirrors); using the TC14/14B reduces this; fairly compact and light (DR); GL does not specify early/late version (LV) |
500mm f8 mirror, late | -- |
3.6 |
2 samples; very close focus (1.5m), best performance near middle of focus range; compact and light |
500mm f5 non-automatic | -- |
-- |
adapted from rangefinder for SLR |
500mm f5 mirror | -- |
3.2 |
1 sample; large, but surprisingly light; minimum focus 50' (15m); sharpness OK |
500mm f4 EDIF P | 5/4.5 |
-- |
MF, but contains AF electronics (DR); wimpy tripod mount (GL) |
500mm f4 EDIF AF I | 5/5 |
-- |
AF version is sharper wide open in the corners than the MF, but they both are quite good (GL) |
600mm f5.6 non-AI (ED) | -- |
-- |
(see 400mm f4.5 notes) |
600mm f5.6 EDIF | 5/5 |
-- |
-- |
600mm f4 EDIF | 5/5 |
-- |
1 sample; inconclusive results from a brief trial |
600mm f4 EDIF AF I | 5/5 |
-- |
internal focus motor |
600mm f4 EDIF AF S | -- |
-- |
internal focus motor |
800mm f8 non-AI (ED) | -- |
-- |
(see 400mm f4.5 notes) |
800mm f8 EDIF | -- |
-- |
-- |
800mm f5.6 EDIF | -- |
-- |
-- |
1000mm f11 mirror | -- |
3.3 |
1 sample; it is very difficult to use a lens this long beyond a few hundred feet because the air qualities greatly affect the image quality; OK to good scharpness; fairly light and compact for its very long focal length |
1000mm f10 MTO mirror | -- |
3 |
1 sample; remarkably even illumination; OK sharpness |
1000mm f6.3 mirror | -- |
-- |
very large - minimum focus 100' (30m) |
1200mm f11 non-AI (ED) | -- |
-- |
(see 400mm f4.5 notes) |
1200mm f11 EDIF | -- |
-- |
-- |
2000mm f11 mirror | -- |
-- |
very large, very heavy, very expensive |
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