Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AIS 'Pancake' Manual
Focus All Metal Standard Lens. Mint-. Tested. See Test Images.
This is a pristine
example of what Photographer and Camera Reviewer Ken Rockwell describes as
Nikon's best manual-focus 50mm f/1.8 lens of all time. Nicknamed
"Pancake," it has the same stellar mechanical and optical quality and
1.5 foot (0.45 meter) close-focus distance of earlier lenses, but in a much
smaller and lighter package. This is the sharpest 50mm manual-focus lens you
can get for your Nikon. It was only made for the Japanese market.
This is
quite a rare version of this lens as it’s marked with a ‘D’ on the focus ring.
I think this means ‘DEMO’ which may explain why it looks like it’s never been
out of a showroom! It’s otherwise absolutely standard.
Watch out
for the cheaper plastic version! Nikon made a cheaper plastic version of this
lens for the American market. It close focuses to only 2 feet and the serial
numbers begin with a '4' and not a '2' like the all metal ones- this one. There
are people selling the plastic ones for top dollar!
This one,
number 2161898, was number 111,855 in a total manufacturing run of 221,272
units of the AIS 50mm f1.8 lens made by Nikon Japan between 1980 and October
1982. This one was made just over half way through the production run and
therefore we can be pretty confident that it was made around April 1981.
See high
res images taken with this lens here on Youtube
Key
features
Ø
Close
Focuses to 450mm
Ø
Tiny
and lightweight. Ideal for travel.
Ø
Weighs
just 173g. Just 29mm from flange to barrel top at infinity.
Ø
Stops
down to f/22
Ø
Optically
and mechanically excellent
Ø
Brilliant
Depth Of Field
Ø
Excellent
edge sharpness at all apertures
Ø
Fast
f/1.8 aperture full frame standard lens.
Ø
Brilliant
for low light photography.
Ø
Takes
standard 52mm filters
It has
stunning optical and mechanical performance (see the pictures attached and at
the Dropbox link further down) in a compact package, weighing around 173g. This
50mm is extremely well made, having far better optical and mechanical
properties than the more modern AF lenses Nikon makes today.
See full
review of this lens on Ken Rockwell's lens review page
Lens
compatibility
Use on
Digital Cameras
It works
on all digital cameras with varying ease.
N.B. Most
modern Nikon digital cameras have an electronic rangefinder bottom left of the
viewfinder. One can use this with MF lenses to get precise focus
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 lens
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 lens
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
Overall
Lens Condition: Mint-
Mechanical
/ Cosmetic: Mint
The lens
is in pristine mechanical and cosmetic condition. It is unmarked and looks like
new. The focus ring action is premium Nikon: buttery smooth with no play at all
in the action. The filter ring thread is perfect. The painted lettering is
bright 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 as new.
Optical: Mint-
There is a
tiny amount of dust in the lens, but much, much less then would be expected in
a lens of this age. The optics are otherwise flawless. The lens produces
punchy, contrasty and dead sharp images straight out of the camera. There is no
mould, Balsam Separation, haze or fungus. The front and rear elements are
pristine.
Image
quality
Image
quality is stunning. 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 II 42.4MP Mirrorless camera. It also works
flawlessly on my Nikon D7200, but I wanted to show off the astounding
resolution the lens is capable of and also to show its full-frame capability.
The 100% crops (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 and around the Brindley Place area of Birmingham, UK.
The first image is of the Utilita Arena near the Malt House pub. It was shot wide
open at f/1.8. The next two images are 100% centre and edge crops of the first
image. It's needle sharp in the centre and very good at the edge. There is a
tiny amount of CA on the white painted bridge, but it's very well controlled.
The next two images are of the same scene, but this time it's a 100% centre
crop at f/4 and a 100% edge crop at f/5.6. They are super sharp and completely
free of aberrations. This lens is perfect edge to edge from f/5.6 onwards. The
next two images of the flowers were shot at f/1.8 and f/8 respectively. These
shots show the smooth Bokeh and DOF that this lens generates. The final two images
of the canal sign and the lock were shot at f/5.6 and the crops are again at
100%.
The
Youtube Images
On
Youtube, I have published a series of images of the Arena from f/1.8 all the
way through to f/22. Notice that there is a tiny bit of Vignetting and
Spherical aberration on the high contrast areas at f/1.8, notably on the white
bridge, but it's very well controlled. Look at the centre and edge crops. This
lens is as sharp as it gets from f/2.8 down. By f/5.6 it's just about perfect
across the frame.
I've
created a dedicated f/1.8 sequence so you can get a feel for how good the lens
is wide open. I've also included a couple of images shot at f/5.6 and f/8 with
100% crops.
The
small amounts of Veiling and SA are completely gone by f/2.8. It's razor sharp
all the way to f/16. This is a very good lens.
What's
in the box?
Lens,
front and rear Nikon lens caps.