Nikon Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 NON-AI Manual
Focus Wide Angle Lens. Mint-. Tested. See Test Images.
This is a virtually
pristine example of one of Nikon's high quality lenses from the 1970's, 1980's
and 1990's when Nikon didn't make anything except high quality pro lenses. This
one, lens number 494648, was number 44,999 in a total manufacturing run of
around 70,855 units of the 'K' Series version of the Nikkor 24mm f2.8 lens made
by Nikon Japan between January 1975 and March 1977. We can, therefore, we can
be pretty confident that this lens was made just under two thirds of the way
through the production run around June 1976.
Key features
See Hi-res
images taken with this lens on Youtube:
It has
fantastic optical and mechanical performance (see the pictures attached and at
the Dropbox link further down) in a light, compact package. It weighs just
270g. This 24mm is extremely well made, having far better optical and
mechanical properties than the more modern AF lenses Nikon makes today.
See full
review of the optically identical 'full' AI lens on Ken Rockwell's lens review
page.
Lens compatibility
This lens is
PRE-AI, so it won't mount on post 1977 Nikon AI film cameras or any of the current
Nikon digital camera range except for the Z series (with an adapter). It works
perfectly with all Nikon film cameras made prior to 1977 such as the Nikon F1,
F2 and Nikkormats. It works brilliantly on Mirrorless cameras like the Sony A7R
II test camera and Nikon's Z series Mirrorless cameras using the FTZ or other
manual adapters.
For further
reading on the subject, please visit Ken Rockwell's most instructive website on
the subject
Overall Lens
Condition: Mint-
Mechanical: Mint-
The lens is
in almost pristine condition. It's unmarked apart from a couple of tiny rubs on
the focus ring near the 1Ft mark. They are invisible without a magnifying
glass. The focus ring action is buttery smooth with zero play in the action.
The painted lettering is bright, clear and completely intact. The aperture ring
is free moving and the iris blades are nice and snappy. The iris is in perfect
condition and free of oil. The bayonet mount is also in perfect
condition.
Optical:
Mint-
There is a
tiny amount of dust in the lens, but much less than is usual for a lens of this
age. The optics are otherwise flawless as evidenced by the test images. This
lens produces punchy, colourful and contrasty images straight out of the
camera. The front and rear elements are pristine.
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. I
took the images on a Sony A7R 42.4MP Mirrorless camera. It also works
flawlessly on my film Nikons, but I wanted to show off the astounding
resolution the lens is capable of and also to show its full-frame capability.
The 100% crop (when viewed on your PC screen at about 10" across would be
equivalent to a full-size print of about 8 feet by 5 feet.
The Ebay
Upload Images
The test
images were shot in Birmingham, UK. The
first image of the Malt House pub was shot wide open at f/2.8 and has been centre
and edge cropped at 100%. Look at the detail in the image. There's almost no
Chromatic Aberration on the high contrast areas wide open. The next two images
are of the same scene, but this time they are centre and edge crops at f/8. They
are excellent. This is a stunning lens. The next image of the Utilita Arena was
shot at f/5.6 and the crop is again at 100%. The final two images of the bridge
and the statue were shot at f/8 and show the great perspective and soft and
subtle Bokeh that this lens delivers.
The Youtube
Images
I've published
a sequence of the pub from f/2.8 to f/22 in the Youtube video. I have included
some 100% centre and edge crops at various apertures. It's almost as contrasty
and sharp wide open as it is everywhere else. Chromatic Aberration is very well
controlled; almost none in the centre but a bit at the edges. There's a tiny
bit of Vignetting wide open, but it's gone by f/4. By f/5.6, it's perfect. There
are other images taken at various apertures (including a lot at f/2.8) and
titled so you can see the aperture used.
What's in
the box?
Lens, Nikon
front and rear lens caps.
Please check out my other Nikon listings on eBay