Nikon (Nikkor) 28mm f/2.8 AI Manual Focus FX Lens. Nr. Mint

 

This is a lovely example of one of Nikon's high quality AI lenses from the 1970's and 1980's: when Nikon didn't make anything except high quality pro lenses. Photographer and camera reviewer Ken Rockwell rates this lens as one of the best Nikon lenses made. He says of it.... "The 28mm f/2.8 AI is a sharp, fast, contrasty and easy-to-use lens. You won't appreciate its image quality and mechanical precision until you use one for yourself". See full review of this lens on Ken Rockwell's lens review page.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/28mm-f28-ai.htm

See test pictures taken with this lens

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1aiby5d9oswc0q3/AACp7Wn419woY9SVaoENFfxOa?dl=0

Key Features

  • Stunningly sharp right across the entire aperture range.
  • Bright, contrasty images at all apertures. f/2.8 as good as f/8
  • Lightweight and small. Ideal travel lens.
  • 42mm effective focal length on DX. The only lens you ever need?
  • 28mm wide angle on Full frame.

See pictures taken with this lens on Dropbox

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1aiby5d9oswc0q3/AACp7Wn419woY9SVaoENFfxOa?dl=0

This one: lens number 485601, was number 58,053 of a total run of some 186,134 of the 28mm f/2.8 lens manufactured by Nikon Japan between Jan 1977 and Sep 1981. We can, therefore, be fairly certain that this lens was made around May 1978.

Lens compatibility

Use on Digital Cameras

On the D810, D800,D800E, D750,D700, D610, D600,D500, D300s,D300, D200,D7200, D7100,D7000 series cameras, it can give full matrix metering and aperture-preferred auto (A) and manual (M) modes, and encodes the shooting aperture and focal length in the EXIF.

The Nikon 28mm f/2.8 AI works on the lesser cameras like the D80, D70 and D40, but without any metering - you'll have to use an external meter or guess using the LCD.

Use on Film Cameras

The Nikon 28mm f/2.8 AI is ideal for manual focus cameras like the FA, FE, FM and F2AS.

The F100 and most film cameras offer centre-weighted metering with this lens, while the F4, F6 and FA are unique among film cameras in offering matrix metering with it.

For further reading on the subject, please visit Ken Rockwell's most instructive website on the subject.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm

Overall Lens Condition: Near Mint

Mechanical: Near Mint

This is a pristine lens. There are no marks on the exterior surfaces of the lens. The aperture ring is smooth and 'clicky'. The focus ring is silky smooth with no play at all in the action. The Iris moves freely and is free of oil. The bayonet mounting is in excellent condition and is unmarked. The chromium plating is completely intact.

Optical: Near Mint

The optics in this lens are also in pristine condition.  There's a few specks of dust, but less than one would expect in a lens of this age. There is no balsam separation, haze or fungus. The excellent state of the optics is shown by the dead sharp and contrasty images that this lens produces.

Image quality

Image quality is excellent. The Ken Rockwell review explains the characteristics of this lens in some detail. The images attached attest to the quality he sees.

The lens tests attached were shot on a Nikon D7200. Used with a 28mm full frame lens like this, this DX camera renders the same image perspective that one would get from a 42mm lens in the 35mm world, making it ideal for landscape photography on a Nikon DX camera. It's also small and light, making it ideal for 'go anywhere' travel photography.

The Ebay Upload Pictures

The full frame picture of the Queensway Underpass in Birmingham was shot at f8, ISO 200. The crop image is at 100%. This is equivalent to a print of about 5 X 3 feet. It's very sharp to the point where you can see individual pixels changing tone! The other picture of the Bull Ring Market area was taken at f2.8. The crop image is at 100%. It's needle sharp. There's also an f/2.8 close up of a sign to give you an idea of the DOF this lens generates. There's also an f/2.8 close up of a flower. You can see the bee in the centre of it!

Note: I have uploaded  lower res images to the Ebay site as Ebay won't let me upload 18MP files! See Dropbox link below for the full res images.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1aiby5d9oswc0q3/AACp7Wn419woY9SVaoENFfxOa?dl=0

The Dropbox Images

I've taken a sequence of images of the Bull Ring area of Birmingham all the way from f/2.8 to f/22. there is also an f/2.8 collection file. It's as sharp at f/2.8 as it is everywhere else. This is an excellent lens.

Performance Summary

It's very sharp at f/2.8, but there is a tiny tiny bit of chromatic aberration. By f/4 where it's a tiny bit more contrasty. It's razor sharp all the way to f/16, and then there is a bit of falloff due to internal lens reflections (as you get with all lenses).

Overall, I would rate image quality as outstanding.

What's in the box?

Lens, front and rear lens cap.