There's something about Nikon equipment, you pick it up and you're instantly aware of the seminal images of our lifetime,captured by this wonderful, cherished equipment. Never is this more apparent than when looking at a Pro level period piece of kit such as this.
A Micro-Nikkor 55mm f3.5 macro lens, by reputation, the sharpest lens Nikon have ever offered. this version was produced for just a couple of years, from 1971 to 1973, it is the last version produced with the classic 'armadillo' grip.
Contemporary to the seminal Nikon F and F2 SLR bodies, this legendary lens predates the AI mount by nearly a decade, but this superb example has been properly converted with the correct Nikon kit to Ai F Mount, so compatible with all Nikon SLRs made since 1959 right up to the gorgeous new Df and D750! It is the ideal companion to any of the excellent Nikon 35mm and digital bodies currently for sale in my OTHER AUCTIONS It will also happily work with all current Nikon DSLRs. I have had great fun with it mounted on a D7000, which offers all metering options with this lens. With adapters, It will be just as impressive on Micro Four thirds bodies from Panasonic and Olympus, Sony NEX, and Samsung NX bodies and even the fantastic new Full Frame Sony A7/r/s range.
A legend among Nikon fanatics, the Micro Nikkor 55/3.5 is capable of superlative, high resolution results on any Nikon SLR or DSLR and you can see some of my own shots in the slideshow at the bottom of the page. This is that rarest of things, a macro lens with all round ability, offering superb performance close up, while retaining excellent capability from middle distance to infinity. Have a look at the slideshow below to see what this amazing lens is capable of!
It is important to note that this is a very desirable, 1971 example of this classic design, which can trace it's ancestry back to the genesis of the F system. The 55mm 3.5 design was offered for the better part of 20 years, it is such a capable design, but after the introduction of AIS, it was superceeded by the 55/2.8 Micro Nikkor, which is a lovely lens, with the benefit of a slightly brighter viewfinder image when used on a Nikon SLR, but which has never quite garnered the following enjoyed by the 55/3.5.
This particular example is in lovely used condition, having obviously been looked after by its previous owners. The optics have a couple of cleaning marks, but are otherwise clear, reflecting a lovely bluish tint, there is no dust visible internally. Outer cosmetics are good, with just the usual finger wear to betray the passage of time with both barrel and grip maintaining a good finish. Both focus and aperture rings operate as smoothly as you would hope.
The images this lens produces are staggering, not surprising perhaps, it is by reputation, Nikon's sharpest production lens. It is capable of incredible closeup clarity out of the box, so imagine what you could do with extension tubes or bellows! I have had been fortunate to try out many 55/3.5's in my time, mounted on not just my current Olympus EP-5, but also my Lumix G1, My Canon 40D, Nikon D300 and D7000 and Olympus PEN F. Every single one I have used, on whatever body, has been simply staggering, the results being very close to bellows standard, but with the convenience of a self contained lens, which is famously just as capable taking street shots, in fact I have several times used one of these Micro Nikkors all day without thinking of changing it, its middle and long distance performance being as good or superior to many if not most 50mm lenses you will find!
The lens will be supplied as pictured, with Nikon caps, ready for you to get to work immediately!
So there you have it, A rare opportunity to acquire a lovely AI converted example of this very rare and desirable classic professional level lens in near mint original condition. This is that rarest of things, a lens which makes your photography both easier and more pleasurable, whilst improving your images greatly.
The current 55mm Micro-Nikkor, the arguably less desirable and certainly no more capable 2.8 is available new on Amazon for £612.99, which hopefully puts puts the asking price for this gorgeous vintage example in it's proper light. Further to this of course, Nikon equipment of this vintage takes us into the realm of the collectible, so it is more than likely that you will buy this lens, enjoy it, and part with it in the future for the same or more than you paid for it, making it effectively free or cheaper than free!
Hopefully, the description and photos will answer any questions you may have, but please feel free to drop me an email if anything needs clarifying further.
These are my own efforts with a 1971 Micro Nikkor 55/3.5 lens, mounted on my trusty Panasonic G1 in aperture priority mode. Most were taken at Highclere Castle, in Berkshire, hand held on an overcast September afternoon. The shots of the spider were taken with the lens on my Canon 40D with an extension tube, just as a quick test, wide open aperture, cloudy evening, about to rain. They are not cropped, it really does get that close!
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