Nikkor Lenses
image © John Clements
Every time we fit a Nikkor lens to our camera, we are utilising the optical and manufacturing knowledge of a company that over the generations, has created for want of a better term a lens ‘dynasty’. And Nikkor’ has been the chosen brand name for the vast majority of these products.
When I first became interested in photography there was an often heard statement that was there were a greater number of Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses in use with professionals around the globe, than from any other system, maybe all others put together in the 35mm format. That may not be the case today. But as a statement it suggests an awful lot about what the company has achieved at the cutting edge of professional photography over the last 50 years in part due to Nikkor optics. This may sound strange to those relativly new to SLR photography, but to more established shooters they can probably recall numerous Nikon/Nikkor advances over the years that others gave followed. ED (Extra Low Dispersion) glass is one that imeadiatley springs to mind, but many others also.
In 1959, the now legendary camera the Nikon ‘F’ SLR camera was introduced, and with it the ‘F’ mount. This is essentially the lens same mount that we still use today, even though the technological advances now used could only be dreamed about back then. It is interesting to contemplate that while others have changed lens mounts Nikon has managed to keep bang up to date technology wise with this now time proven design.
And the good news is that the majority of the Nikkor lenses made down the years can be used on the pro end Nikon D SLR’s of today, even many manual focus only ones. However as the options have grown and that pace has certainly increased in recent years, it can be confusing to say the least knowing where to start and what the differences are between them. The technology also needs some clear explanation in order to know how to get the best from it. So to help here is a guide to some of the main terms that are used and what it all means. As time passes we will be adding material about lenses to this site so please check back.
The Language Of Nikkor Optics.
Let us start with the common optical and electronic technology that the latest lenses use and what it all means:
VR Technology, Extra Low Dispersion Glass, Distance Technology
