Nikon 50/1.4 Photos

It's proper name, I believe, is the Nikkor-S 5cm f/1.4, a lens from the 1950s. Apparently the first 50mm f1.4 lens made for any 35mm camera (although of course Contax had the f1.5). It was made for Nikon rangefinders and had a Contax mount, so can also be used on old Contax rangefinders, and the new(ish) Voigtlander Bessa copies of the same
 
Speaking of which Jon, I know the 85/2 had a "C" version. The 50/1.4 didn't ? Never saw a reference.

Nice photos Nick, the Nikkor 50 is one of my favorites.

Roland.
 
Nick,

I particularly like the 2nd and 3rd shots - and agree with your comments about colour with the Nikkor lens.

Somehow I never seem to find graffitti like that.

John
 
ferider said:
Speaking of which Jon, I know the 85/2 had a "C" version. The 50/1.4 didn't ? Never saw a reference. Roland.
Click to expand...

Nikon never produced a 'C' version of the 50/1.4, although they did market such versions of the 85/2, 105/2.5 and 135/3.5 Nikkors. I am sure that Jon can tell us if there were any other lenses that were 'C' marked.
 
If you reduce the shim by about 0.5mm the Nikkor-S 5cm F1.4 will focus more accurately close-up and wide-open on a Contax mount camera. I have done the reverse, and increased the shim on a Zeiss Opton 50/1.5 and pre-war CZK 5cm F1.5 for use on the Nikon. You could also back the rear module out a little bit to increase the focal length of the Nikkor lens to closer to the Contax standard. Again- I did the reverse for a Helios-103 to work on the Nikon, reduced the spacing between elements by 0.4mm.

Nikon never did this, but better late than never.
 
ferider said:
Speaking of which Jon, I know the 85/2 had a "C" version. The 50/1.4 didn't ? Never saw a reference.
Click to expand...

There's also of course a "C" version of the 105/2.5 and 135/3.5, but I've never seen or heard of a "C" version 50/1.4 either. That's why I asked :)

It'll front focus by about 10cm at minimum focus distance, but the S-mount Nikkor-S 5cm f/1.4 should work well enough on a Contax body if stopped down a bit. Or, as Brian suggested, one could shim it for better close focus accuracy at the expense of decreased infinity focus performance.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
You could also back the rear module out a little bit to increase the focal length of the Nikkor lens to closer to the Contax standard. Again- I did the reverse for a Helios-103 to work on the Nikon, reduced the spacing between elements by 0.4mm.
Click to expand...

I know you did it with the Helios-103, but have you ever tried doing this on a Nikkor, Brian? AFAIK due to different construction its not possible...?
 
filmtwit said:
Are you thinking of the Nikkor-S.C. 50mm f1.4 ltm?
Click to expand...

Roland is well versed in the LTM Nikkors. In this case, he's referring to Nikkors that were made for the old Contax mount. They look indentical to S-mount Nikkors but are marked with a "C" on the barrel to indicate they are for Contax mount. The "C" on the barrel that indicates the lens is for Contax is a different marking from the red "C" after Nikkor-S (or Nikkor-P or whatever) that indicates the lens is coated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom