Nikon NIKKOR-H Auto 1:3.5 f=28mm Non-Ai Lens (f/3.5)
Review of the Nikon NIKKOR-H Auto 1:3.5 f=28mm Non-Ai Lens (f/3.5).
Overall Rating:
A deeper examination of the optics of this lens was done on the 1975 Pre-Ai "K" version, which is a lens with identical optics save for the multicoating.
In 1959, after the introduction of the Nikon F System, Nikon (Nippon Kogaku) needed a wide-angle lens for the new SLR camera. Understand that the camera market was dominated by the rangefinder, which do not have a mirror box between the lens and the film making it a much easier affair to create a wide angle lens for. Nikon needed a wide-angle lens for its new camera system.
Angenieux of France had earlier pioneered something called a retrofocus lens. This new technology was what was needed to overcome the 46mm distance between the F-mount flang and the focal plane and create a shorter f=28mm lens. Wakimoto at Nikon figured out how to adopt this technology to a wide angle lens and the Nikkor-H 2.8cm f/3.5 F-mount lens was born. Not only do retrofocus lenses overcome the flang distance, they also have less vignetting because the lens is farther from the focal plane.
The NIKKOR-H Auto 1:3.5 f=28mm lens was introduced to the market in March, 1960, or one year after the introduction of the Nikon F SLR camera. It was a huge success and many, many copies were made.
This is a Nikkor-H meaning it has six elements (H for Hex). It is a pre-Ai, or non-Ai, lens made in Japan. Actually, it was professionally modified by Nikon to be an Ai lens (using Ai kit #29). It has distance markers in feet and meters and an infrared focus index. It makes a great infrared lens with no hot spots and good contrast stopping down to f/16 using a five-bladed diaphragm. It is single-coated and the front element (52mm) does not turn making it easy to use with a polarizer. There are depth of field and focus scales.
On an DX/APS-C sized sensor, the 35mm/full frame equivalent focal length is around 42mm which is almost exactly normal.
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