A Lens Can Simply Be a Curved Piece of Glass
Nikon Lens Technology
This advertising-free website's biggest source of support is when you apply any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which y'all live. Purchase only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, render policies and choice. Thanks for helping me help yous! Ken.
Autofocus Technology
| AF | 1986 |
| AF-n | 1990 |
| AF-D | 1992 |
| AF-I | 1992 |
| AF-S | 1998 |
| AF-P | 2016 |
Mechanical & Electronic Innovations
| F Mount ("not-AI") | 1959 |
| AI | 1977 |
| AI updated | 1977 |
| Nikon Series E | 1979 |
| AI-s | 1981 |
| AI-P | 1988 |
| Chipped Lenses | 1995 |
| Grand (Gelded) | 2000 |
| PC-E | 2008 |
Optical Innovations
| Micro and Macro | 1959 |
| Reflex Lenses | 1961 |
| Variable Aperture | 1961 |
| CRC: Close Range Correction | 1967 |
| PC: Perspective Control | 1968 |
| Aspherical Elements | 1968 |
| NIC and SIC Multicoating | 1970 |
| ED Drinking glass | 1975 |
| IF: Internal Focusing | 1976 |
| RF: Rear Focusing | 1988 |
| DC: Defocus Control | 1990 |
| VR: Vibration Reduction | 2000 |
| DX Lenses | 2003 |
| Nano Crystal Coat | 2006 |
| Fluorite | 2016 |
| ARNEO coat | 2018 |
| SR | 2020 |
Nikon Lens Compatibility
Nikon Arrangement Compatibility
Jan 2020 Nikon Reviews Nikon Lenses All Reviews
Introduction
Nikon is the leader when it comes to compatibility amidst cameras and lenses of unlike decades. Near of today's lenses are compatible with ancient cameras, and near ancient lenses can exist fabricated to work fine on today'southward digital cameras.
The key is to empathize Nikon's alphabet soup. Each time they add a new lens feature they commonly retain the previous lens features, and then the newest lenses take long lists of letters behind them. Ane usually can ignore the earlier letters, fifty-fifty though they still apply. Every bit nosotros will see, today's AF lenses are nevertheless AI-south and F mount, even though they don't e'er list that.
The only two gotchas in l years have been in 1986, when AF lenses lost the prong needed to couple to pre-1977 cameras. No big deal, even today you can have prongs added. The merely existent gotcha has been with Yard lenses, which are just about useless on transmission focus cameras. More at Nikon Lens Compatibility.
Some Nikon designations are mechanical, like F, AI, and AF; while others are optical, like ED and IF. We'll embrace al of these.
Autofocus Applied science
AF (Autofocus): 1986 top
Nikon'south traditional AF lenses are focused with a mechanical coupling betwixt photographic camera and lens. There is a screwdriver thing that pokes out of the camera like the Alien and couples with the slotted rotating coupling shown below. It rotates to motion the lens in and out for focusing. Today it's archaic compared to the Canon AF organization, all the same back in the 1980s it allowed Nikon to retain compatibility with the transmission focus lenses.
Fig. 3.) The slotted spiral in the middle of this photo is turned by an AF photographic camera to focus the lens mechanically
All AF lenses are AI-due south, and work great on manual focus cameras. Yous'll need to install a meter coupling prong for use on pre-AI cameras.
Aperture Calibrations top
Manual focus lens' diaphragms are usually adjusted correctly at the manufacturing plant and ordinarily more than accurate enough for life. Only if you take had the lens serviced are you lot always probable to meet a problem. The discontinuity you select on the ring is usually the aperture you get.
AF cameras control the aperture past varying the precise position of the spring-loaded automatic diaphragm pin that pops out of the dorsum of the lens. The correlation betwixt this pivot's position and the opening of the diaphragm also needs to be adjusted correctly. This is a divide adjustment from the the correlation between the aperture ring and diaphragm noted above. Whatever slight variation in this internal aligning volition vary the exposures you become with that lens. Therefore, some lenses may give slightly unlike exposures than others. This is a limitation of the Nikon AF system with which Nikon is stuck because they base their AF organisation on compatibility with transmission lenses. Canon controls all this electronically.
I say "stuck" because the mechanical tolerances are quite tight and tin pb to a third finish variation hither and there.
Y'all can try looking at this yourself. Await through the lens on an AF camera. There ought non exist any aperture blades visible. Now go to One thousand or A modes and select different apertures. Printing the DOF button on a modern AF camera and encounter what happens. When you set the maximum aperture of the lens you ought non see whatever blade motion. At the start 1/3 finish down setting you ought to see a trivial chip of bract motion. At the next 2/iii stop downwardly yous ought to run across twice as much.
For instance, with an f/2.8 lens set at f/ii.8 you should run into no motion of the diaphragm when set to f/2.eight on the camera. Set the photographic camera to f/three.2 and you ought to come across them motility a little fleck when pressing the DOF button. Now fix f/3.v on the camera and you should see twice every bit much motion.
If you lot see a lot of motion, even at the lens' maximum aperture, you may tend towards underexposure.
If yous come across no motion unless the camera is fix to a couple of third stops downward from maximum you lot may tend towards overexposure.
Unless you lot are a photographic camera designer don't fret over this. A far improve way to test this is to go photograph on slide film with 2 or more than lenses you wish to compare.
The diaphragm ought to be in the same place when set to the same aperture on the lens, or on the camera.
Many zooms move the diaphragm while you zoom. It is oft normal to see a bit of diaphragm even when fix to maximum aperture at some ends of the zoom range.
AF-n (AF-new cosmetics): 1990 top
This is simply a way to distinguish between older and newer versions of some of the primeval AF lenses.
The very first AF lenses of the mid-1980s had thin, hard transmission focus rings that everyone hated. Nikon presumed no ane would ever touch them, and then why bother to make them big and grippable when that would just make them get in the fashion when the AF motor rotated them?
It turned out that photographers preferred conventional wide, rubberized focus rings.
Therefore AF-n was often used to delineate the deviation between an earlier lens with no real manual focus ring (AF) and a version from the late 1980s with a safety focus band that felt like one from a manual focus lens (AF-n).
Fifty-fifty though all of today's AF lenses are certainly newer than the AF-n from the late 1980s, the designation isn't used, unless a major redesign happens. I recollect the only AF-D lens that has been updated recently is the 28mm f/two.8D AF, which around 1998 was updated from the original old Serial Eastward design of 5 elements to a modern half dozen element pattern.
AF-D, "D Type" (Distance Information): 1992 superlative
"D" means these lenses let the photographic camera know the distance at which the lens is focused. All lenses introduced since 1992 have been "D."
This can assist the photographic camera ready flash exposure more accurately if the discipline occupies only a small role of the frame, or if you're shooting into mirrors or very light or nighttime subjects. With not-D lenses the camera is more likely to go tricked into the wrong exposure in these odd cases.
On digital SLRs introduced since about 2010, they tin can frequently right lens distortion, but just with D lenses.
If you lot are buying used lenses on a budget yous tin can get the earlier non-D versions cheaper, and if you lot are considering updating a non-D lens to D, don't bother unless yous shoot a lot of fill-flash.
In fact, the instruction transmission of the 105mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor cautions that the D feature of the lens can atomic number 82 to the Wrong EXPOSURE unless you keep your flashes at the same distance from the discipline equally the moving-picture show, which is a real obstacle to creativity.
At that place are a couple of ways to signify a "D" lens: Nikon ordinarily marks its lenses as "50mm f/ane.4D AF" every bit opposed to "50mm f/1.4 AF-D," merely it all ways the same thing.
Most AF-D lenses are AF and AI-s, and work great on manual focus cameras. You'll need to have a coupling prong added for use with the meter on ancient pre-AI cameras.
The D feature has no directly relation to autofocus speed, however as Nikon introduced newer D versions of existing lenses they sometimes sped upwardly the autofocus speed, too. The Nikon 70-210mm f/4-5.half-dozen is an example of this; the D version focuses several times faster than the earlier one. The speed comes from a change in mechanical gearing inside the lens; not the D feature itself.
Focusing speed has null to practise with whether or not a lens is D. Of course newer lenses are D and newer lenses tend to focus more quickly, merely the focus speed is adamant by the gearing between the AF coupler and the focus band, not the D feature alone.
All the newest AF lenses, especially every AF-S, AF-I and especially G, are likewise D. Nikon doesn't carp to marking information technology anymore on the newest models.
AF-I (AF-Internal Motor): 1992 top
These add an internal motor to focus the lens. At that place is no mechanical AF connection betwixt camera and lens, it'south done electronically.
Nikon introduced these in their super-telephotos in the early 1990s, which is the only sort of lenses you'll find as AF-I.
All Canon AF lenses accept been this way, even the cheap ones, all along.
Not all Nikon AF cameras tin autofocus with these lenses, make sure to investigate if yous are ownership an AF-I lens. AF-I lenses are usually $10,000 super-teles, and so Nikon rightfully didn't go to the expense of calculation this ability to the low-terminate cameras that would not be likely to be used with these lenses. In other words, why add $10 to the price of every N60 when none of them would likely to exist used on a 600mm f/4?
AF-I introduced a sloppy A/Grand, or automatic switching between AF and manual focus operation. Information technology'south a kludge; you accept to keep your finger on the AF button (unremarkably the shutter on the camera) while you take hold of the focus ring and it does eventually klunk over to manual focus. Squeamish try, but however years behind Canon's organization introduced years ago. Nikon's AF-S lenses are much better this fashion.
The 300/two.8 and 600/4 AF-I lenses are non very fast. They sort of grind while focusing. The 400/2.eight AF-I is newer and much better. The 400/2.eight AF-I motor is super fast and very quiet, with but a hint of a very high-pitched whine that sounds like an AF-S lens. The 400/ii.8 AF-I is as fast equally the AF-S version, simply the A/One thousand switching is nevertheless primitive.
AF-I lenses usually offer several very prissy focus concord buttons on the lens itself. The AF-I lenses are built like the tanks yous should expect, dissimilar the plasticy AF-S lenses.
All AF-I lenses are AF and AI-s, and probably AF-D. They work peachy on manual focus cameras, as well, giving y'all all features. Y'all may need to take a coupling prong installed for pre-AI cameras.
I take measured that AF-I lenses depict the same amount of bombardment power from an F100 as do ordinary AF lenses.
AF-S (AF-Silent Wave Motor): 1998 top
These, and the AF-I, are the only lenses that autofocus on the Nikon D40.
These lenses have magical motors congenital into them to focus. The primary advantage is not speed, but that most of these lenses allow one to catch the focus ring and turn information technology fifty-fifty in the AF fashion to get instant manual focusing, without having to mess with any switches.
The AF-S motor is driven by the electronics of your camera. All Nikon digital SLRs work with them. Some of the oldest crappier motion picture cameras can't autofocus with these. All the pro picture cameras from the f4 (1988 on) work great with them.
AF-S showtime came out just on Nikon's $1,500 lenses, and today AF-Southward can exist found on $99 kit lenses.
All AF-South lenses are AF-D. They however work great on manual focus cameras, likewise, unless they are G. The S in AF-S has nothing to do with the s in AI-s. You lot may demand to accept a coupling prong installed for metering on pre-AI cameras. Watch it, AF-S M series lenses are not AI-s and will not work on transmission cameras.
I have measured the power drain from the F100 camera to focus these lenses. They take the same ability that conventional Nikon AF lenses do.
The cheapest AF-S lenses, like the xviii-55mm II, don't allow instant transmission focus override. Most other AF-s lenses do.
AF-P: 2017 (won't work on cameras earlier than 2013) top
Nikon AF-P lenses use stepper motors to focus the lens. This works brilliantly, giving instant or virtually-instant autofocus, and it'southward usually completely silent.
Even the cheapest AF-P lenses offer instant manual-focus override simply by moving the focus band.
The only take hold of is that these lenses won't work at all on camera models introduced earlier than 2013. On old cameras you can't fifty-fifty focus the lens manually, so these lenses are completely worthless.
See compatible cameras.
Mechanical History
F (likewise called pre-AI and non-AI): 1959 meridian
Nikon Nikkor-H 50mm f/2. (circa 1969)
Non-AI, Pre-AI (also called NAI) refers to the original Nikon F bayonet lens mount and lenses introduced in 1959 for the Nikon F photographic camera.
These lenses have an aperture coupling prong just below f/5.vi. When used on cameras made before 1977, you had to "index" the lens to the camera'southward meter by mounting the lens and and so remembering to rotate the lens to its largest aperture and back (f/2 in this case) and so that the meter was properly calibrated. Forget to do that and your exposures could be way off.
You can recognize these first lenses from:
1.) Solid coupling prong.
1.) No coupling ridge on the lesser of the aperture band.
2.) No second set of tiny aperture numbers on the aperture band.
This primitive form was used through 1977, when the completely compatible AI series was introduced. All modern Nikkor lenses, except the Grand, are however completely compatible with the very first Nikon cameras, given a little machine work in some cases.
These lenses today can mountain merely fine on today's cameras if you lot first have them converted to AI by a machine shop, although you won't get matrix metering on the FA or F4 or AF cameras. Come across the AI section for more info. John White does dandy conversions and his site provides lots of background on AI lenses.
Near all of these lenses had automated diaphragms. The diaphragm is held open against spring force per unit area while you lot are viewing the image. When a photo is taken that lever in the camera releases this pin. The lens very quickly stops down to the aperture you have set on the lens (or gear up past the camera's automation), until the pin again is pushed by the photographic camera to open the diaphragm after the photo is made.
Fig. 1.) Automatic diaphragm pivot
For meter coupling an AF lens to a pre-1977 photographic camera you will accept to have Nikon add a prong to the aperture ring. You'll see two little airplane pilot holes around the f/5.6 position for the screws!
Nikon's later cameras were notwithstanding able to arrange pre-AI lenses. Nikon's Fe, FM and F4 bodies had special aperture coupling rings that permit these lenses mount, but metering was via stop-down.
Every bit a testament to Nikon, my new 2007 Nikon F6 can be retrofitted with one of the special rings that lets it too use these lenses from most 50 years ago, and the F6, with stop-down metering and the AE-Lock button, still meters and gives aperture-preferred automation. Bravo Nikon!
These lenses too mount on the cheaper digital SLRs similar the D40, D40x, D70 and D80, merely have to be used by guessing the exposure since the meters don't couple.
A I (Automated Indexing): 1977 top
Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/i.iv AI. (circa 1979)
This was a existent advance in 1977. For once you could mountain lenses with one twist, and NOT have to twiddle the aperture ring separately each time. Since indexing was now automated and foolproof, it was called automated indexing or AI.
An AI or (AI converted) lens still works wonderfully today on Nikon's newest D300, D3 and F6 cameras. Mount these lenses on a D300 or D3 or D2Xs etc., enter the lens' data manually, and y'all now go matrix metering and EXIF information!
You can recognize AI lenses by:
i.) Coupling ridge on lesser of aperture ring. (look near f/8 on the 50mm lens in a higher place.)
2.) 2d set of tiny aperture numbers which, on better bodies, immune yous to meet the discontinuity in the viewfinder with a set of tiny lenses that looked out at them. This finder readout is called ADR, for aperture-straight readout, and the scale of minor numbers is chosen the ADR scale.
3.) Ii extra skeleton holes in the coupling prong to let light hit f/8 and f/iv so they are easy to read in the viewfinder.
All AI lenses are also F mount lenses and fit onto every Nikon SLR camera ever made. The cheaper AF and digital cameras lose metering ability with these manual focus lenses.
Used AI lenses are bargains. They are generally the same as the newer AI-s versions made today, but you can become them less expensively. Today AI lenses tin be bought very cheap, and they are often far better made mechanically than many of even the "professional" AF lenses of today. At that place are no dissimilar pregnant features available between AI and AI-due south lenses. The only functional divergence is if you lot have an FA camera, on which only AI-s lenses of 135mm and longer volition automatically trigger the high-speed program. AI lenses will all work on the standard program, which I prefer anyway.
All AI lenses requite matrix metering but on the F4 and FA, as well as all Manual, Shutter-preferred (South), Aperture-preferred (A) and Program (P) modes on the FA. Forget information technology on any other modern AF cameras.
These manual focus lenses only give give center weighted and spot metering in transmission and A modes on most AF cameras.
The AI mount even includes (to this day) mechanical lugs that tell the camera the focal length of the lens. Nikon snuck that in there for futurity cameras that may take taken advantage of that, but none of those cameras were ever congenital. Today all this information is coupled electronically to the AF cameras by AF lenses.
The AF cameras do not read these lugs, because it costs more to put mechanical feelers in the camera. That is the reason you lot can't get matrix metering with transmission focus lenses on any AF camera except the F4. Information technology'southward also the reason some AF cameras tin can't fifty-fifty meter with manual focus lenses. Information technology'southward just considering Nikon cheaped out, preferring to have you have to buy new AF lenses instead.
To Nikon's credit, newer lenses usually always work with older cameras, but newer cameras don't ever work with older lenses.
Come across more than about employ on AF cameras here
AI Updates, Conversions and Hacks: AI'd or Assistance superlative
Correct Manufactory Upgrades
Back in the tardily 1970s and early 1980s, Nikon would upgrade pre-AI, too chosen non-AI, lenses for about $xx each so they would work with the new AI compatible cameras. Nikon did this past designing brand-new aperture rings dedicated to each lens. When yous sent a lens to Nikon, they replaced the former discontinuity ring with a brand-new factory part. These new parts were designed to match the cosmetics and color-coded apertures of each lens.
These factory upgrades piece of work perfectly.
An example of an quondam lens with a newer, factory retrofitted AI ring looks similar this:
Nikon Nikkor-S 35mm f/2.8, manufactory AI conversion. (circa February 1968, converted later on)
The manner to identify a manufactory AI conversion is to realize that this lens was from before the AI era, and note that the aperture ring has flutes to match the early focus band. Nikon did a class job. Except for the obvious anachronism of the AI ring on an older lens, everything else about the lens is original.
Nikon no longer offers these upgrades, but if you can detect the part for your lens, you tin have it installed and y'all're all set.
Converted lenses are factory-approved, and collector-approved, as well. Lenses converted this manner work great with the latest F6, D300, D700 and D3, which adds to their collectible, as well as user, value.
Home-Made Hatchet- Task Conversions
Since Nikon no longer does these conversions, some people become out their metalworking tools and hack away at the aperture ring to get some sort of crude functionality. This lets them work on newer cameras, but destroys any value they may take had to collectors. Any lens that's been converted has no collectible value.
To do this, people grind off some of the bottom of the aperture ring and perchance glue on an ADR scale. Here's what a good one looks like:
Nikon Nikkor-Q 200mm f/4, dwelling AI converted. (circa 1971, unknown conversion date)
Y'all tin identify the non-Nikon AI conversion by:
i.) The coupling ridge is really only office of the aperture ring, footing off.
2.) Glued-on newspaper ADR scale.
3.) Notwithstanding has solid prong with no holes for the low-cal.
Older non-AI lenses converted to AI will non requite matrix metering on the FA and F4 unless one adds the special absolute discontinuity coupling lug to the mount, something that is non function of the usual conversion. I did add this to a 200mm f/four Q and a 300mm f/4.5P, but these are probably the only samples of old converted lenses on the planet that give matrix metering with those cameras.
Today John White does these conversions to update pre-1977 lenses for use on almost all of today's Nikon cameras.
Nikon Series E: 1979 top
Upward through the 1970s Nikon only made very expensive professional lenses. Normal people had to purchase disbelieve brands lenses if they wanted something they could afford. Ownership an off-brand lens was, and yet is, the worst of all worlds: spending a lot on a camera, and then getting a dinky lens. The lens is the merely part that affects the picture quality, so you are far better of with a crummy camera and good lenses.
To capture more of the amateur market Nikon decided to make a series of lenses called "Series E" which had not bad optical quality. They were built with well thought out, unproblematic to industry optics and cheaper mechanics that were more than good enough for amateur use. These cheaper mechanics are frequently better than what Nikon makes today in some of their cheaper plastic AF lenses.
The optics are all great. Nikon simply fabricated Serial E lenses in focal lengths and discontinuity ranges for which optics could be designed merely and still give smashing operation. For instance, I have the 100mm f/2.8E. A 100mm f/two.8 lens is very easy to make work very well for very little money. It is equally sharp or sharper than my expensive 105mm f/2.viii AFD micro and eighty-200mm f/2.8D AF-S especially at f/2.eight. An 80-200mm f/2.eight zoom has to be expensive considering it requires complex eyes, only a fixed 100mm f/ii.8 lens is easy to make inexpensively. Take these series Due east lenses very seriously.
The simplest Series E lenses were single-coated and others were multi-coated. Nikon's designers knew what they were doing: they used whatever they needed. The very simple classic designs of some of the fixed focal length Series Due east didn't demand multi-coating.
The first Series East were a little bit ugly. The first were mostly black (defective the chrome colored take hold of rings of the Nikkors) and used dorky big blocky nubs on the focus rings. In a few years Nikon updated the cosmetics and added the silver colored aluminum grab ring well-nigh the discontinuity ring and nicer looking nubs on the focus band rubber, making them look very similar to the Nikkors.
These bang-up lenses were never popular because Nikon was likewise honest.
Back and then Nikon admitted that they used a little plastic here or at that place in the Series E lenses, which at the fourth dimension was considered a crime. Remember everything is made of plastic today but back then everything was metal and weighed a ton. Nikon didn't use the Nikkor brand name because they were reserving the Nikkor brand only for what they considered professional lenses. Therefore everyone was afraid of the Series E lenses and few people bought them. Oddly, more people bought the crummier cheap brands that weren't equally honest about what they were selling. Too bad, because the Series E were peachy lenses and far meliorate than the discount ones. Today most Nikon AF lenses are far more cheaply made than the Serial E were, and they are called Nikkor. Heck, even some of the super-expensive AF-Due south lenses have PLASTIC filter threads, and the Series E were solid metallic.
From what I've seen Series East lenses typically had anodized black aluminum barrels and focus helicoids instead of enameled contumely barrels and brass helicoids as the manual focus Nikkors exercise. All Series Eastward had metallic mounts, although some had plastic focus helicoids. They had aluminum zoom cams. Today'due south inexpensive AF Nikkors have plastic mounts and very little metallic anywhere. The Series E have plastic aperture rings, a criminal offence in their time but standard on almost every expensive Nikon lens today. The series Due east were very precisely made mechanically.
Some Series E optical designs were used in newer AF-Nikkor lenses. For instance, I read that the first 28mm f/2.8 AF and AF-D Nikkor sold up until about 2001 was the Series E five element design, and that the 70-210 f/4 AF was the 70-210 Series Due east pattern.
The Series E retained Nikon'southward superior seven-bladed diaphragms.
All Series East lenses are AI-s, and likewise fit every Nikon SLR photographic camera, manual and auto focus. Some of the cheaper AF cameras and the D100 lose the ability to meter with the Series E as they practice with all transmission focus lenses.
See more than near apply on AF cameras here. The operation and compatibility of the Series E lenses is identical to the other manual focus AI-south lenses, which makes sense because they are AI-south.
In 2007, Nikon is re-using the E designation to refer to the electronic diaphragm of their PC-Eastward lenses.
AI-south: 1981 top
Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/two.8 AI-s. Note two orangish f/22 markings.
This was an incremental advance in 1981. It is the same as AI unless you accept an FA or F4.
You can identify an AI-southward, as opposed to an AI, lens, by:
1.) The smallest aperture (largest number, f/22) on the ADR scale (the second set of tiny aperture numbers) is in orange.
2.) You'll run across this half-circular cutout in the mount:
Fig. 2.) The gouge in the center of the photo tells some Nikon cameras that this is an AI-due south lens.
AI-s is over xx years old and still the version made today for manual focus lenses.
AI-s is the same as AI-S. I've seen it written both means.
The other two ways to place AI-s equally opposed to AI are:
ane.) AI-s lens' minimum aperture (usually 16 or 22) is marked in orange.
2.) Colour-coded depth of field index lines are engraved on a sparse chrome band, unlike on AI lenses where they were engraved on the black painted part of the lens.
The "southward" means that the actuation of the diaphragm was linearized with respect to the position of the automatic diaphragm pin. This is very important for AF cameras because they have have open-loop exposure control that depends on the aperture being exactly right or else your exposure volition be off. Information technology is not important to manual focus cameras. (meet "Aperture Calibration" below)
Some manual-focus, auto-exposure cameras like the FA use airtight-loop exposure control. That means that they make the actual exposure measurement in the instant Subsequently the lens stops down but before the mirror flips upward, and means that they will automatically recoup for any inaccuracy in the lens diaphragm actuation.
Adding linearization to the actuation made it possible for these cameras to work a little more quickly when you pressed the shutter. It allowed the photographic camera to get to the intended aperture a little faster, since it could guess pretty well where the diaphragm control pin needed to be and just go there, instead of having to release that pin a little more slowly while monitoring the light through the lens to arrive at the intended aperture past successive approximation.
All this happens in thousandths of a second, and I've never felt any speed difference on my FA between AI and AI-s lenses. The difference would be in the lag from when y'all pressed the shutter to when the motion picture gets exposed, and it all seems pretty instantaneous to me.
Today some people think that AI-due south lenses are required in order to go shutter-preferred (S) and programme (P) modes on cameras similar the FA. Nikon salespeople tried to suggest this casually as a ploy to become people to supercede their AI lenses with new AI-s ones, and this myth still exists today.
Distortion. All AI, AI-south and AI-converted lenses work fine on the FA and similar transmission focus cameras from the 1980s. Ignore me, run into your photographic camera instruction book. They all, to this very solar day, have detailed charts that explain exactly which features work with which lenses on your camera. Yes, you can go total plan mode on the FA with a lens from 1959 that has been AI converted, even though you won't take matrix metering due to the conversion.
The sales brochures always cull to ignore telling you which features yous lose with certain lenses (similar the fact that new AF-S lenses can't autofocus on many popular cameras similar the 8008), however the actual manuals are always honest.
All AI-s lenses are besides AI lenses.
All AF, AF-I and AF-S lenses are as well AI-s.
All AI-s lenses fit on every Nikon SLR camera, including AF cameras. Some of the cheaper AF cameras will not meter with these manual focus lenses. Besides AF cameras don't do much with manual focus lenses. See your camera's instruction book.
Meet more almost use on AF cameras here.
AI-P: 1988 peak
This was a kludge invented around 1988 to allow Nikon to milk a little more than life out of some of its manual focus telephoto lenses before it could develop AF supertelephotos. In 1988 the longest AF lens Nikon made was a 300mm f/two.viii.
P lenses are manual focus AI-south lenses that have had the electronic contacts of an AF lens added to them.
There are just a few of these: the 500mm f/4 P from 1988, the 1200 - 1700 mm f/5.six-8.0 P ED and the new 45mm f/2.8 P.
They let Matrix metering and I believe the improver of all the automated exposure modes on AF cameras.
Over again, these are manual focus lenses that are unique in their ability to take advantage of exposure and metering modes normally reserved simply for AF lenses on AF cameras. You even so have to focus them by mitt.
AI-P are not D.
Nikon also, until about 1970, used letters on the front of a lens to delineate how many elements information technology had. The "P" stood for the Greek Penta, or five, elements. "Q" was quad (four) and etc.
Some people kludge older lenses to imitate P lenses by chipping them:
Chipped Lenses: 1990s peak
Nikon'south best AF cameras have ever worked with manual focus lenses. The autofocus F4 of 1988 gave full matrix metering automatically, and other cameras like the F5, F100 and N90 worked, merely merely with basic metering. (Encounter Nikon Lens Compatibility for exactly what works with what.)
Again, since 2004, Nikon's better digital and film cameras now piece of work great with manual focus lenses. The all-time ones, like the D3X, D300, D700, D3, F6, D200 and D3, give total EXIF data and color matrix metering if yous'll go into a menu and enter the lens' focal length and maximum aperture. If you do this, they work not bad in manual and A exposure modes, but not Programme or S modes.
Cheaper and older AF motion picture and digital cameras wouldn't meter at all with manual focus lenses. They required the electronics of the newer AF lenses for this.
Enterprising Americans realized that if we add electronic CPU contacts to a manual focus lens, that Nikon's cheaper cameras will then accept all the data they demand to give all the usual metering and exposure modes, even with old manual lenses!
Legacy2Digital.com can add a chip to your transmission-focus Nikon lenses and then they requite full matrix metering and Plan, Shutter, Aperture and manual exposure modes on all Nikons, including the cheapest digitals.
K (Gelded): 2000 (won't work on manual focus cameras) top
G is not a feature, G is a handicap. G stands for gelded.
Thousand lenses are lenses which accept been crippled past removing their discontinuity rings to relieve cost. This is a classic example of taking abroad features while making customers think they are getting something new. Thou eliminates many features with older cameras.
These newest AF lenses take no discontinuity ring. This means that they will not piece of work on manual focus cameras since there is no mode to set the aperture. Y'all can mount them, even so every shot will be fabricated at the smallest aperture and your metering will exist style off (probably about 6 stops underexposed) since the photographic camera has no way to know what the aperture volition be.
This is empty-headed, simply yous may get them to piece of work on closed-loop auto exposure cameras similar the FA in A way. Expert luck if yous want to waste material your time on this.
The G series work fine on all current AF Nikon cameras on which the manual aperture rings were a hurting. On legacy AF cameras like the 8008 and 6006 you may lose the A and M modes, you'll have to come across. I forget if for those modes if ane sets the aperture on the camera or on the lens aperture rings.
All the G series are also D. They are not AI-s.
This removal of the aperture ring is typical migration for Nikon: Nikon tends to make new lenses piece of work on all cameras for about 15-20 years afterwards they discontinue the camera. AF cameras take not needed aperture rings for most modes since they were created about 20 years ago! Of course collectors growl most this and the bright new G lenses won't work at all on the brilliant FM-3a, simply and so what; all the other manual and AF lenses fabricated today even so piece of work great on every camera they've made since 1977, and with a small modification to add an aperture prong volition work smashing (with all meter coupling) even on the original Nikon F from 1959. This is skilful, although G lenses are still useless on transmission focus cameras.
For an AF photographic camera to control the discontinuity on any non-G lens with an aperture ring you just turn the aperture ring to the minimum setting in orangish (usually f/22) and flick the lock then information technology stays there, so everything is done on the camera body. If for some reason the lens is fix otherwise the camera volition flash something similar " F - - " to let you know to set the lens back to the minimum setting.
PC-E and E (Electronic Diaphragm): 2008 peak
Nikon finally decided to practise what Catechism did back in the 1980s, and prefer electronic diaphragm control for Nikon'southward newest PC lenses, the 24mm PC-Eastward, 45mm PC-E and 85mm PC-Due east, as well every bit 2015's 300mm f/iv PF and some others.
These diaphragms only work correctly on cameras introduced since about 2007; run across Nikon Lens Compatibility for the list.
See too PC-E compatibility.
Optical Innovations summit
Micro (Macro): 1956 top
"Micro" is only is Nikon'south designation for their macro lenses.
Nikon has made microscopes since 1903. They've only made cameras since 1948.
When they made their showtime 50mm f/3.5 shut-up lens in 1956 for their rangefinder cameras, Nikon cameras had been around for simply eight years. Microscopes ruled the roost at Nikon in those days, and today, microscopes are still very important at Nikon.
In the 1950s, photographs fabricated through microscopes at larger-than-life sizes were chosen macrophotography. "Macro" meant larger than life size.
Since the new 50mm f/three.5 lens was intended optimally for utilize at somewhat smaller than life-size (ideally i:12 to 1:1), Nikon didn't desire to confuse their microscopy customers by calling this a "Macro" lens, since it didn't enlarge.
THerefore, Nikon chosen information technology a "Micro" lens, and still does to this day.
Nikon's transmission-focus Micro lenses for SLRs focus up to half life size. Nikon'south autofocus Micro lenses focus all the manner up to life size.
The effective discontinuity changes on all AF and MF micro lenses every bit the magnification is varied. This requires exposure compensation if used with an external meter in some cases. See variable aperture lenses below for details.
Reflex (Mirror) Lenses: 1961 top
Yip, these are telephoto lenses that exercise it with mirrors! They are designed based on the same principle developed past the Russian optical genius Maksutov and used in huge telescopes for astronomy.
They have a clear front. They have a large mirror in the dorsum. They as well have a little mirror on the back of the articulate front element. Light comes in and bounces off the big rear mirror and is directed towards the petty mirror on the front chemical element. From at that place the light is bounced back to the moving picture through a hole in the large rear mirror. This helps keep downward the size.
These are not very good for photography, but they are very compact, light, focus close and are cheap. They do make nifty telescopes when used with the Lens Scope Converter since they do have great definition in their centers and trivial chromatic abnormality.
They are poor for photography considering they tend to:
1.) Accept low contrast
2.) Have uneven illumination. They tend to have a hot spot in the center of the image and get very dim at the sides
3.) Are slow. Even though they accept an f/ of near 5.6, because of the express transmission and the mirror in the center blocking some of the calorie-free, they are really near one stop slower than marked. This makes them likewise tedious to permit the fast shutter speeds that their high magnification demands
4.) Are besides light. They are and so light that they are extremely sensitive to any sort of vibration. Oddly plenty, they work better handheld than on a tripod because you tin couple your body mass to the system to clammy the vibration.
5.) Have no diaphragm. It is hard to focus because it is so tiresome, and so there is no added depth of field to assist you out because there is no stopping down.
6.) Have atrocious Bokeh. The out-of focus highlights are very distracting donuts of light.
Variable Aperture Zoom and Micro lenses: 1961 pinnacle
If a zoom lens lists a range of apertures, for instance a seventy-210mm f/4-five.vi lens, then the maximum aperture varies continuously as you zoom. This is washed to reduce size, weight and cost. Fixed-aperture zoom lenses are heavier and cost more to make.
The constructive aperture of the Micro lenses as well vary as you focus closely and change magnification.
On AF cameras the calculator figures all these changing f/stops by magic as you zoom. Whatever the camera says is automatically set correctly on the lens, regardless of zoom or macro setting. This causes no trouble except that you can't get some larger apertures at some lens settings.
On manual focus cameras using external meters you have to guess at the actual aperture when you are in the heart of the zoom range or at close distances with the micro lenses.
There are two colored alphabetize marks from which y'all read the f/stop on a variable zoom. The colors are coded to the colors of the focal length markings. Y'all have to approximate when in between the ends of the zoom range.
On Micro lenses the exposure bounty values for different magnifications are listed in your manual. I adopt to tape scales onto my lenses instead (meet 55/two.8 micro review for a picture of these scales)
This is unimportant due to TTL metering if yous are using the photographic camera'due south meter or TTL flash.
If you lot are using a manual focus camera with an external meter or the A mode of a flash and then y'all need to pay attending. The AF cameras right automatically, the MF cameras practice not.
CRC (Close Range Correction): 1967 top
"Close Range Correction," means the lens optimizes itself as the distance changes. This is done with "floating elements" that move in relationship to others during focusing. This is most needed on macro and fast broad-angle lenses similar the 35mm f/1.four AI-south and 105mm F/2.8 AF-D Micro. The benefit to this is that it allows broad-angle and macro lenses to focus closer than they could otherwise while retaining great sharpness.
For example, the 35mm f/1.four AI-s has CRC, while the 35mm f/2 AF-D does not. The AF version focuses very close, but does non have the sharpness at close distances, especially in the corners, that the older manual focus lens does. The AF lens is amend in merely about every other way, though.
Yous can see this working in the lens if you are observant. In a CRC lens some of the elements rotate when focusing while others practice not. For instance, most of the AI-s wide angle lenses have CRC and rotate the front elements while the rear ones do not, fifty-fifty though all the elements are moving forrard and back while focused. The reason some rotate and others don't is that some run on another gear up of helical threads while others run on the main set. In this way the spacing between groups varies equally intended by the lens designer.
Fig. four.) This is the 28mm f/2.eight AI-s lens. Information technology is focused at infinity. Fig. 5.) Focused at 0.2m.
Note how the front chemical element retracts slightly from the rest of the lens. In this lens the front elements rotate while focusing, while the rear ones practise non.
Nikon does not mark lenses that have CRC. You take to read the sales literature or await for yourself.
PC (Perspective Command): 1968 top
These are lenses with mechanical adjustments mimicking the movements of view cameras.
They are called TS, tilt-shift, by Canon.
They can keep parallel lines parallel in buildings or groups of trees while looking upward or downward. They also can exaggerate perspective. Without these lenses, parallel lines will converge if the camera isn't perfectly level.
PC lenses are a pain. They provide just limited manual metering, manual focus and ordinarily require a tripod.
Nikon has fabricated a 35mm f/2.eight PC, followed by the 28mm f/ii.8 PC, for decades. Each of these provides vertical and horizontal shifts, but no tilts.
Nikon's 85mm f/2.viii PC provides tilts, to allow enormous depth-of-field.
I sold my 35mm PC lens a decade ago. Photoshop provides much faster correction of converging lines. Today I apply the Photoshop's Lens Distortion Filter for that, in i mouse movement!
Aspherical Elements: 1968 top
All conventional lenses are spherical, meaning that all the curved surfaces are the same shape as a part of a sphere. Even if the lens is cutting into an odd shape as eyeglasses are, the curvature of the optical surface is still spherical.
Spherical surfaces are used because that'southward what's piece of cake to grind. To make any shape other than flat or spherical requires very expensive custom manufacturing procedures.
Spherical surfaces are non the optimum shape for lenses. In fact, "spherical aberration" is the phrase used to describe a lens defect that results when i only uses a single spherical element.
The ideal shape is a bend, but not a spherical one. One of the reasons lenses crave many elements is to attempt to simulate the platonic curvature with the clever utilize of many easy-to-manufacture spherical surfaces.
There are several means to make aspherical lens elements:
Precision Footing
The best and most expensive mode is to grind each 1 carefully by hand. Nikon calls these "precision ground" and are establish in very expensive and superb lenses like the 28mm f/1.iv AF-D, 58mm f/i.2 NOCT and twenty-35mm f/2.8 AF-D.
Molding
There are several more than economical ways to make aspherical elements. They don't perform quite as well as the hand-ground ones, only for a price affordable by coincidental amateurs they tin offer performance improvements for the same price as conventional spherical lenses.
Molded Plastic
One of these means is to just mold an aspherical element out of plastic. This is often used to correct distortion in point-and-shoot camera viewfinders.
Molded Glass
Another less expensive way is to mold the drinking glass elements in bulk instead of grinding each i individually. In this way the expense is in making the mold in one case, and then the elements are stamped out cheaply. This allows increased, merely not spectacular, performance at a reasonable price for loftier-volume lenses. Nikon uses this procedure in the 18mm f/2.eight AF-D, 28-200mm f/three.five-5.6 AF-D and 24-120mm f/3.v-five.6 AF-D. The 28-200 also uses hybrid aspherical elements.
Hybrid
Some other clever way is to glue a thin molded piece of aspherical plastic to a conventional glass element. This gives the reward of calculation mechanical stability to the plastic element since it'south glued to a glass substrate. This is too inexpensive and allows some performance comeback at the same time. Nikon uses this in the 28-70mm f/three.v-4.5 AF-D, 35-105mm f/3.five-4.5 AF-D and 28-200mm f/3.5-5.half dozen AF-D. The 28-200 also uses molded aspherical elements.
NIC (Nikon Integrated Coating): 1970 meridian
SIC (Nikon Super-integrated Coating) superlative
Nikon was among the start to introduce multicoating in 35mm camera lenses with the 1970 release of the 35mm f/1.4 lens. Truthful to the adept old days of Nikon, they just did it because it made for a improve lens, fifty-fifty though it was not very obvious to the casual observer or at the sales counter. I don't think Nikon promoted it much, if at all.
But about every Nikon and other brands of lenses today are multicoated. No one worries nigh it anymore. Every Nikon lens that needs information technology has it. This is standard today and it rarely is mentioned, except for very inexpensive lenses that claim "multicoated" and may only have one surface multicoated just to try to claim it.
Multicoating not only allows a reduction of lens flare and ghosting, but also increases light transmission. Information technology becomes difficult to design decent lenses with many groups of elements without multicoating. This is because with many groups of elements, as we notice in most zoom lenses, the calorie-free tin start getting lost and bounced around inside the lens without decent coatings.
Multicoating also allows careful fine-tuning of a lens' colour rendition. Lenses can impart slight color casts to the low-cal that passes through them. Even if lenses seem to look neutral to our eyes, bright color films like Velvia really amplify color differences. Carefully designed multicoating allows the lens designer to achieve the color rest he prefers.
You can look into your lens to meet what sort of coating it has if you are really that curious.
Wait into your lens. Await carefully at the reflections in the glass.
An uncoated lens, but institute on disposable cameras today and cameras made before West.Due west.II, will evidence bright white reflected images. You will recognize these reflections every bit identical to those yous run into in windows and in nigh people's eyeglasses.
A unmarried-coated lens has reflections that are usually tinted magenta, blue or amber.
A multicoated lens surface volition accept on many other colors. Most often you will see light-green, but every other color may also be seen, like deep red. The whole indicate of multicoating is to eliminate these reflections, then they may be very dim. If you see a myriad of colors reflected from the dissimilar elements y'all have a multicoated lens.
Each lens surface may have different sorts of coatings. Some filters are coated on simply ane side just and so they can exist sold claiming "coated filter," just as some discount lenses may have but i multicoated surface so they can claim "multicoated."
Unless yous are scraping the bottom of the disbelieve barrel don't worry nearly this with modernistic lenses. They all are coated however they need to be coated.
Here are what the coatings in some Nikon lenses expect like. The magenta color doesn't imply multicoating (fifty-fifty though information technology may be), but the dark-green reflections do signify multicoating.
Fig. eight.) 600mm f/5.six AI-s, green coating. Fig nine.) AF 20mm f/2.eight, green coating.
Fig. ten.) 200mm f/4 AI, dark-green and red blanket. Fig. 11.) AF 28mm f/i.4D, light-green and blue coating.
Fig. 12.) AF 28-85mm, dark-green coating. Fig. 13.) 85mm f/2 AI-s, green coating.
ED (Extra-low Dispersion) Glass: 1975 top
"Actress-low Dispersion glass." Nikon started using this only in their super speed super teles in the late 1960s. These lenses say "ED" on and accept a golden band around the butt. All ED lenses say so.
Since only the most expensive lenses used or needed this glass it acquired a cachet. Therefore Nikon started using the moniker on cheaper lenses, and today it seems everything says ED on it. Curt and normal lenses have no need of this drinking glass; it's do good is reducing secondary chromatic aberration, which is green/magenta colour fringes that used to plague lenses of 300mm and up.
ED glass is an improvement over the fluorite used by other makers at the time because information technology is hard plenty to use for outside elements, dissimilar the soft fluorite.
ED drinking glass helps eliminate secondary chromatic aberration (greenish-magenta color fringes) which is what previously prevented the design of applied super speed, super sharp super teles.
Discount brands now purport to use this glass. Ignore all these claims; they may or may not apply this glass, but at that place are far more important factors in lens design than just what sort of glass was used. Run into the reviews for specific performance tests.
ED drinking glass is less stable with temperature than conventional glass, and so the focal lengths of these lenses change slightly with temperature. Therefore there is no hard infinity focus stop on ED lenses because the point of infinity focus volition alter a bit with extremes of temperature.
ED glass also has a lower alphabetize of refraction so it requires more than securely curved elements for the same focal length.
The whole point of owning a Nikon is to use these super tele lenses, and so don't be a bone caput and waste matter your time with non-Nikon super telephoto lenses. You will discover that when you go to sell a Nikon super telephoto that you will sell it for what yous paid for it, so it's sort of free. If you lot accept a discount lens (Tokina, Tamron, Spooginar, Sigma, etc.) you will have to sell it for far less than yous paid, so the disbelieve lenses actually cost More to own.
IF (Internal Focusing): 1976 top
"Internal Focusing." In the quondam days, the unabridged lens had to move in and out to focus. Telephoto lenses had to be designed with huge focusing tracks just to let them focus at all, and they couldn't focus very shut because the helicoids just weren't long plenty. The long focal lengths meant that at that place were long distances the lens had to move to focus.
Nikon discovered that one could focus the lens by but moving some elements around inside the lens barrel.
IF lenses focus closer and faster than conventional telephoto lenses. IF was a fantastic innovation for telephoto lenses when Nikon invented it in the 1970s for the transmission-focus super teles. Today, most modernistic AF zooms, super teles and some macro lenses utilise this technique. It helps AF lenses focus rapidly because there is less glass to have to movement around.
The optical trick is that the internal elements move slightly to shorten the lens' actual focal length every bit i focuses closer. This lets these lenses focus very shut. It also means that when compared to a traditional lenses that the IF lens volition appear to have a slightly shorter focal length than marked at close distances. This discrepancy disappears at infinity.
RF (Rear Focusing): 1988 top
"Rear Focusing." Same every bit IF, except just the rear chemical element or group moves.
Fig. vi.) AF 28mm f/1.4 lens focused at infinity. Fig. 7.) Focused at 0.35m.
The rear chemical element retracts every bit the lens is focused closer.
DC (Defocus Control or variable bokeh): 1990 pinnacle
These lenses are NOT soft focus lenses. They are super sharp.
They are for advanced users who want to make very subtle variations in the appearance of the out-of-focus areas. The adjustment does not touch on the in-focus part of the paradigm.
This baffles most people; the effect is very subtle and simply affects the out-of-focus areas.
These lenses do this by varying the nature of the correction of spherical aberration. This allows adjusting the bokeh, or appearance of the out-of-focus areas of the image.
See the bokeh for more explanation.
Yes, these lenses are superb for portraiture. Y'all need yet need to provide whatsoever soft-focus or improvidence effects by putting things in front of the lens, since they are incredibly abrupt at the in-focus areas.
VR (Vibration Reduction): 2000 summit
This is the same as Canon's IS Prototype Stabilization. Information technology stabilizes lens and hand vibration to avert the need for a tripod.
It is a very helpful feature for shooting handheld in dim light, as I often do. I dear information technology. It doesn't cure all or every shot. Information technology greatly increases the per centum of sharp shots you get at longer shutter speeds handheld.
Information technology doesn't stop action. It's non for sports, although it does assistance smooth out slow pans.
It saves you lot from having to comport a tripod, a huge aid. If yous apply a tripod call back to plough information technology OFF, since if you lot get out it on while on a tripod it will blur your image!
I'grand addicted to VR. See Why VR Matters.
DX: 2003 top
These lenses have small image circles which only can cover the smaller DX (16x24mm) frame.
Run across Nikon DX Lenses and Crop Factor.
Nano Crystal Coating: 2006 top
This is a magical new anti-reflection coating which surpasses the multi-layer blanket that's been pop since 1970. Nano Crystal coating was invented past Nikon'south semiconductor manufacturing division. It uses a layer of zillions of sub-microscopic particles just x-20 nm (smaller than the wavelengths of low-cal itself) to bend low-cal rays gradually into the drinking glass. This prevents them from bouncing off at a difficult angles as they do ordinarily.
The particles are packed with air betwixt them so the effective index of refraction is less than the index of the particles themselves. They are packed more closely closer to the glass, so that their index of refraction varies gradually. Therefore these coatings are effective regardless of the bending of incidence, and more effective across a broad range of wavelengths considering they are not working on the principle of interference and fractions of wavelengths.
As of 2007, Nikon'due south camera lenses accept only one internal surface with this coating. Information technology's merely another alphabetic character for Nikon to apply to push button new lenses on people. Information technology means nothing to photographers all by itself.
A lens' ghost, flare and contrast operation depend on many, many many factors. Information technology depends more than on the wisdom of the lens designer than a coating on one surface of i chemical element. The other zillion surfaces take Nikon's traditionally fantabulous Super Integrated Multicoating (SIC).
Nano Crystal coat is, and will be, specially effective on the inside surface of the kickoff chemical element of ultra-wide and fisheye lenses, considering it is this surface which begets almost ghosts in these lenses. The nano-crystal coating is especially effective here because information technology is effective regardless of the angle of incidence.
Traditional coatings have a very difficult time in ultrawide lenses because they one.) depend on their layers' thicknesses beingness related straight to the wavelengths, and therefore incident angles, of light, and 2.) the ghosts in these lenses happen because light comes in from the top, is strongly bent by the front element, hits the within surface of the strongly curved front element on the lesser at some weird angle. These weird angles lead to a lot of ghosts in ultrawide lenses, and traditional coatings are ineffective at these angles.
I wish Nikon offered a retrofit to nano-crystal coat this item surface in older lenses that need it, similar the 15mm f/3.5 AI-s.
Nano is most frequently utilise on the within surface of the first element in ultrawide and fisheye lenses.
More information on Nano Crystal glaze from Nikon in Japan: General Information and Technical caption.
Fluorite Elements: 2016 summit
Fluorite is an optical cloth used first by Canon since at least the 1970s for making large elements in fast telephoto lenses. Nigh Canon long teles and L-series telephoto zooms accept used fluorite since the 1970s, and Nikon simply started to in 2022 for the aforementioned reasons.
ARNEO Blanket: 2018 height
This is another magical anti-reflection coating, newer than Nano.
Nikon claims ARNEO is even better for high-speed lenses.
SR: Short-wavelength Refractive: 2020 top
"SR" (Brusk-wavelength Refractive) is a high- and specialized-dispersion drinking glass that significantly refracts light with wavelengths shorter than blue. It's the aforementioned idea every bit Catechism's Blueish-Refractive Compound and is used to reduce southward p h due east r o c h r o g a t i s m, also called "color bokeh" past laymen.
S p h e r o c h r o m a t i south m, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration, is an advanced grade of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral chromatic abnormality. It happens in fast lenses when spherical aberration at the ends of the spectrum are corrected differently than the eye of the spectrum. S p h e r o c h r o thousand a t i southward m tin can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, unremarkably seen equally light-green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. S p h east r o c h r o m a t i southward m is mutual in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at total aperture. It goes away as stopped down.
Video Version of this page
Subscribe for more videos.
© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Help Me Help Y'all
I back up my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
The biggest help is when y'all use any of these links when you get anything. Information technology costs you lot aught, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of back up. These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since earlier this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
If you discover this page as helpful as a volume yous might have had to purchase or a workshop yous may have had to take, experience free to aid me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. Information technology'southward great people like you lot who let me to go on calculation to this site full-time. Cheers!
If yous haven't helped yet, delight do, and consider helping me with a souvenir of $v.00.
Every bit this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, specially in the form of printouts for personal use. If yous wish to make a printout for personal utilise, yous are granted one-fourth dimension permission just if yous PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Cheers!
Thanks for reading!
Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.
Source: https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/nikortek.htm
Post a Comment for "A Lens Can Simply Be a Curved Piece of Glass"