Vintage Nippon Kogaku (Nikon) Nikkor Q Auto 200mm
f/4 PRE-AI Manual Focus Telephoto Lens. Exc++ Tested. See Test Images.
Key Features
See Hi Res images on Youtube:
This is an excellent and vintage example
of the classic Nikkor lenses from the mid 1970's when Nikon (or more
accurately, Nippon Kogaku - Nikon’s previous entity) didn't make anything
except high quality pro lenses.
This one, lens number 280285, was
number 9,939 in a manufacturing run of just 38,703 of the 200mm Q Auto lenses
made between 1967 and April 1969, so it was probably made about a quarter of
the way through the production run at some point around July 1967. It's a
collector's classic as well as being a fully functioning and excellent lens.
FYI, the ‘Q’ stands for Quad and signifies four lens elements.
It has fantastic optical and mechanical
performance. See the images on Youtube. It weighs 590g. It’s just metal and
glass. This 200mm lens is extremely well made, having far better optical and
mechanical properties than some of the more modern AF lenses Nikon makes today.
Look at the extendable built-in lens hood: solid aluminium with a knurled grip
ring. Just to actuate it is a pleasure. These lenses were built without
compromise to price.
See full review of this lens on
photographer and camera equipment reviewer 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: Exc++
Mechanical / Cosmetic: Exc++
The lens is in excellent mechanical and
very good cosmetic condition. The chromium plated lens body is has some fine
marks. The extendable hood has many fine scratches. There is some tarnishing on
the lens body and the chrome lettering ring. There are some fine scratches on
the focus ring and the black paint on the scallops of the solid aluminium focus
ring is also worn in some places. The aperture ring has a few rubs. The focus
ring action is buttery smooth with zero play in the action. The bayonet mount
is in superb condition. The aperture ring action is smooth and 'clicky' and the
aperture blades are free moving and free of oil.
Optical: Exc+++
There is some very fine pitting on the
front element. It’s not really visible without a magnifying glass and it has no
effect at all on image quality. There is almost no dust in this lens; remarkable
for a lens of this age. The optics are otherwise perfect. There is no fungus,
balsam separation, haze or mould. The black coating in the lens is in perfect
condition. The excellent overall condition of the optics is reflected in the outstanding
image quality. This lens produces punchy, contrasty and dead sharp images
straight out of the camera. The rear element is pristine.
Image quality
Image quality is remarkable. Despite it
being 57 odd years old, this lens is amongst the best of any 200mm Nikkor that
I have tested. I find the image quality to be indistinguishable from the later
AI and AIS 200mm lenses. It produces bright and contrasty images as you can see
from the test shots. The Ken Rockwell review explains the characteristics of
this lens in some detail. The attached images that I have taken with this lens
attest to the quality he sees.
The test images were shot in
Birmingham, UK using a 42.4MP Sony A7RII. It works flawlessly on my older pre
AI film Nikons, but I wanted to show you how the lens performs on a modern full-frame
high resolution camera.
Ebay Uploaded Images
The first image is of the northbound
tunnel entrance to the St. Chad’s tunnel. It was shot wide open at f/4. The
next two images are 100% centre and edge crops of the first. They are superb. The
next two images are of the same scene, but this time they are 100% centre and
edge crops at f/8. They are also superb. The next two images of Ludgate Hill in
the direction of St. Paul’s Square were shot wide open at f/4 and at f/8
respectively. I’ve cropped both images at 100% and again, both are excellent. The
next image is of the building going up on Great Charles Street. It was shot at
f/8. One can read the lettering on the security barriers. The next image of the
traffic camera shot at f/4 shows the superb DOF and Bokeh that this lens generates.
The final image is a 150% crop of an image shot at f/11. This lens produces
lovely 6 point Sunstars when shooting point light sources stopped down.
The Youtube Images
I've shot a complete sequence of the
tunnel entrance from f/4 through to f/22. I've cropped the images centre and
edge to 100% at various apertures. These old Nikkors do seem to be very good
right across the frame. Chromatic Aberration is very well controlled.
Performance summary
Overall, I would rate the image quality
is outstanding. It's as good as anything Nikon has made.
What's in the box?
Lens, front and rear lens caps.
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