This is the legendary NIKKOR✱ED 180mm f/2.8 AI-s, a superb manual focus lens often considered among Nikon's sharpest lenses of all time. It's ultra-sharp and works brilliantly on today's newest state-of-the-art 50 megapixel cameras.

It was introduced in 1981 to supersede the non-ED version. Its exotic ED extra-low dispersion glass reduces secondary chromatic aberration so its images are sharper and cleaner than the older non-ED 180, and offered what at the time was previously unseen performance in a very fast tele.

Today this is a superb lens for portraiture, nature, landscape, architecture and any other kind of precision photography.

If you've never shot with one of these masterpieces and only have shot with autofocus lenses, you're in for a treat. This lens is from back in the day when Nikon ruled the world of sports and news photography, and back when we still had real professional photographers who knew what pro gear felt like and demanded that it handle well and be built like a tank. Presuming you're using a nice sample like this one, it's a solid ingot of mechanical precision with optics to match, completely unlike the offshored plastic rubbish people accept today.

On DSLRs its fast f/2.8 aperture gives a much brighter viewfinder than the slower 28-300mm VR.

It is not an internal focusing (IF) lens. It focuses conventionally by moving the entire lens assembly in and out as you turn the focus ring.

5 elements in 5 groups.

One big ED extra-low dispersion element, which reduces secondary axial chromatic aberration.

Unit focusing, the whole lens moves in and out on big helicoids.

Nikon Super Integrated multicoating (SIC).