Nice. 🙂 Looking forward to shooting with mine, I sent it to DAG so he could firm up the mechanism so it is solid when extended.
Nikkor 50/2 Collapsible early Tokyo Version
- Thread starter goamules
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goamules
Well-known
Took it out again yesterday on a hike. It's still a fine lens, this is stopped down to about 5.6.
Livesteamer
Well-known
I like seeing this thread. I recently got a Nikkor collapsible f2.0 from the big auction site and I'm anxious to use it. The aperture is quite stiff and it's a little loose when pulled out. It has a number on the back and I found out it is the build date. My lens is in the 807 series and the number on the back is 812426 which, I'm told, means it was built in December of 1948 and was the 426th lens of the series. The 50mm f2.0 Nikkor is one of my all time favorites and I look forward to having this one serviced and put to use. Joe
Mine was perfect in every way when I received it, except when extended; it was rather 'loose.' I sent it to DAG and he tightened it up (cost $25.) It looks and feels like it did back in 1948. 🙂
Garrett, one sharp lens, isn't it?
goamules
Well-known
It is quite sharp. Mine will flare if bright light is forward of it's glass, at open apertures anyway. I hold my hand up to make sure the front element is shaded and it goes away.
raid
Dad Photographer
I have the rigid version (two of them). The Nikkor is a wonderful lens, even the rigid non-Tokyo ones.
peterm1
Veteran
There is something about the look of the Nikkor images that remind me of Sonnar lenses. Its sharp but somehow smooth and (as described in old reviews "rounded") in its images. That is a trademark of Sonnar lenses. Anyone know if it is a Sonnar design? Course it could be my imagination. 🙂
raid
Dad Photographer
The 50/2 Nikkor is a Sonnar.
PAN F
Established
I have recently purchased R.Rotoloni's book "The complete Nikon rangefinder system"
and regarding the 708xxx batch lenses he says that of the 691 lenses in this batch
only 12 lenses in Leica screw mount are known to have been produced.
He says that Leica screw mount lenses in this batch are "rare" lenses.
and regarding the 708xxx batch lenses he says that of the 691 lenses in this batch
only 12 lenses in Leica screw mount are known to have been produced.
He says that Leica screw mount lenses in this batch are "rare" lenses.
PAN F
Established
Variations of optical glass used in the 4 early batches of 50/2 collapsible Nikkors.
Variations of optical glass used in the 4 early batches of 50/2 collapsible Nikkors.
This is not the case, the early 50/2 collapsible Nikkors have various changes in the optical glass used, and accordingly several re-designs and re-computations whilst in production.
The 4 early 50/2 collapsible Nikkor batches have different types of glass in their make-up and underwent many re-computations and re-designs as the glass was changed.
Batch 609 used German glass including the remaining stock of German Schott "barium" glass and was a direct copy of the Zeiss 50/2 Sonnar.
Batch 708 used German glass for all but the 5th element which used Japanese "Krown" glass for the 5th element instead of the German "Barium" glass which was no longer
available.The lens had to be re-computed and re-designed because of this change.
Batch 806 used a mixture of German and more Japanese glass elements and underwent re-computation and re-design due to this mixture of glass.
Batch 811 used all Japanese glass and was completely re-computed and re-designed due to it's full use of the new Japanese glass.
Variations of optical glass used in the 4 early batches of 50/2 collapsible Nikkors.
This is not the case, the early 50/2 collapsible Nikkors have various changes in the optical glass used, and accordingly several re-designs and re-computations whilst in production.
The 4 early 50/2 collapsible Nikkor batches have different types of glass in their make-up and underwent many re-computations and re-designs as the glass was changed.
Batch 609 used German glass including the remaining stock of German Schott "barium" glass and was a direct copy of the Zeiss 50/2 Sonnar.
Batch 708 used German glass for all but the 5th element which used Japanese "Krown" glass for the 5th element instead of the German "Barium" glass which was no longer
available.The lens had to be re-computed and re-designed because of this change.
Batch 806 used a mixture of German and more Japanese glass elements and underwent re-computation and re-design due to this mixture of glass.
Batch 811 used all Japanese glass and was completely re-computed and re-designed due to it's full use of the new Japanese glass.
PAN F
Established
Hello Stephen,
Please see the end of this well researched article which deals in particular with the early Nikkor "Sonnar" copies.It is in Italian but Google Chrome provides an English translation.
See:- www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/Sonnar_heritage/00_pag.htm
Here is part of the above article (TRANSLATED BY GOOGLE CHROME) for those that require a quick preview:-
After the war, the American administration reorganized the production of Nippon Kogaku as encouraging 35mm cameras, and optical type Sonnar made before the war were exhumed in production as already known and excellent; Saburo Murakami, then the father of the famous N-Nikkor 5cm f / 1.1, was responsible for managing to reorganize the production of these goals, but had to deal immediately with the partial depletion of stocks supplied by Schott glass and Decorative impossibility of Nippon Kogaku to re-melt the material in own: for the Sonnar-Nikkor 50mm f / 1.5 the missing glasses were too many, and the idea to put it back immediately in production was not realistic, while for the Nikkor HC 5cm f / 2 the question was different: in fact lacked only a type of glass, and Murakami recalculation slightly the original Sonnar scheme for use in a single-lens glass with slightly different characteristics. Since 1946 (when it was completed the first recalculation) to 1948 (when the optical glasses were again made "in house") this situation was repeated three times, then there are theoretically four slightly different optical designs for the Nikkor-H 5cm f / 2: the original 1937 (identical to Sonnar) the first recalculation of 1946, the second of 1947 and the third at the end of 1947 - beginning of 1948; however it is not completely true as stated officially by the House, which maintains that the objective has been calculated independently from Murakami since the first version of the mid '30s: the goal for Hansa Canon was virtually a Sonnar, including the same Schott glass , while the three versions were modified slightly from 1946 to 1948 were not a conscious choice but imposed ob neck twisted by the exhaustion of stocks of Schott glass.
Please see the end of this well researched article which deals in particular with the early Nikkor "Sonnar" copies.It is in Italian but Google Chrome provides an English translation.
See:- www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/Sonnar_heritage/00_pag.htm
Here is part of the above article (TRANSLATED BY GOOGLE CHROME) for those that require a quick preview:-
After the war, the American administration reorganized the production of Nippon Kogaku as encouraging 35mm cameras, and optical type Sonnar made before the war were exhumed in production as already known and excellent; Saburo Murakami, then the father of the famous N-Nikkor 5cm f / 1.1, was responsible for managing to reorganize the production of these goals, but had to deal immediately with the partial depletion of stocks supplied by Schott glass and Decorative impossibility of Nippon Kogaku to re-melt the material in own: for the Sonnar-Nikkor 50mm f / 1.5 the missing glasses were too many, and the idea to put it back immediately in production was not realistic, while for the Nikkor HC 5cm f / 2 the question was different: in fact lacked only a type of glass, and Murakami recalculation slightly the original Sonnar scheme for use in a single-lens glass with slightly different characteristics. Since 1946 (when it was completed the first recalculation) to 1948 (when the optical glasses were again made "in house") this situation was repeated three times, then there are theoretically four slightly different optical designs for the Nikkor-H 5cm f / 2: the original 1937 (identical to Sonnar) the first recalculation of 1946, the second of 1947 and the third at the end of 1947 - beginning of 1948; however it is not completely true as stated officially by the House, which maintains that the objective has been calculated independently from Murakami since the first version of the mid '30s: the goal for Hansa Canon was virtually a Sonnar, including the same Schott glass , while the three versions were modified slightly from 1946 to 1948 were not a conscious choice but imposed ob neck twisted by the exhaustion of stocks of Schott glass.
PAN F
Established
Here is also an interesting write up on the internet about the early 50/2 collapsible Nikkors:-
Nikon’s Sonnar-derived 50/2 lens.
What is usually considered the earliest run, with serial number 609xxx, consisted of 80 lenses in Nikon bayonet mount. But these were for the earliest Nikon cameras, which, although only ready for production in 1948, had serials starting symbolically with 609xxxx (i.e. Sept 1946, the date of the first design). What is usually considered the second run (but may, in fact, have preceded or been contemporaneous with, the symbolic 609xxx run) had numbers starting 708xxxx (August 1947: this is more likely to be the date actual production started). According to Robert Rotoloni, 678 are recorded in Nikon mount, and only 12 in LTM. This was followed in 1948 by two runs (806xxx and 811xxx), the first mainly in LTM, the second with both mounts in equal numbers. This succession of short runs with distinct serial numbers reflects the difficulties experienced by Nikon in producing these Sonnar-derived lenses in the aftermath of the war. Before and during the war, from 1937, Nikon had produced Sonnar-based lenses for the early Canons and for the military, and appears to have done so entirely with German glasses supplied by Schott. After the war the stock of certain of these glasses was rapidly exhausted, and the original pre-war design had to be successively tweaked to allow for the progressive incorporation of locally-produced glass. The earliest run (1946/47) was produced with only one local element (the 5th) made of a Japanese Krown glass very slightly different from the original Schott barium Krown. Subsequent runs incorporated more Japanese glass, but it was not until the November 1948 run (811xxxx) that all six elements could be produced with Japanese glasses and that the 50/2 lens acquired its definitive formulation.
__________________
Nikon’s Sonnar-derived 50/2 lens.
What is usually considered the earliest run, with serial number 609xxx, consisted of 80 lenses in Nikon bayonet mount. But these were for the earliest Nikon cameras, which, although only ready for production in 1948, had serials starting symbolically with 609xxxx (i.e. Sept 1946, the date of the first design). What is usually considered the second run (but may, in fact, have preceded or been contemporaneous with, the symbolic 609xxx run) had numbers starting 708xxxx (August 1947: this is more likely to be the date actual production started). According to Robert Rotoloni, 678 are recorded in Nikon mount, and only 12 in LTM. This was followed in 1948 by two runs (806xxx and 811xxx), the first mainly in LTM, the second with both mounts in equal numbers. This succession of short runs with distinct serial numbers reflects the difficulties experienced by Nikon in producing these Sonnar-derived lenses in the aftermath of the war. Before and during the war, from 1937, Nikon had produced Sonnar-based lenses for the early Canons and for the military, and appears to have done so entirely with German glasses supplied by Schott. After the war the stock of certain of these glasses was rapidly exhausted, and the original pre-war design had to be successively tweaked to allow for the progressive incorporation of locally-produced glass. The earliest run (1946/47) was produced with only one local element (the 5th) made of a Japanese Krown glass very slightly different from the original Schott barium Krown. Subsequent runs incorporated more Japanese glass, but it was not until the November 1948 run (811xxxx) that all six elements could be produced with Japanese glasses and that the 50/2 lens acquired its definitive formulation.
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