W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/1.8 - vintage vs. 2005 reissue

[WJJ3]

Thanks Will. Nikon S cameras tend to do that, so I suspect one might just miraculously appear in your dry cabinet one day 😉

The 50mm lens that Nikon included in the Nikon S3 Limited Edition kit is a reissue, just not the sonnar optical version first released in the early 1950s (and engraved in cm). Instead, Nikon reissued the Nikkor 50/1.4 lens (engraved in mm) affectionately nicknamed the "Olympic Nikkor". This lens was first released in 1962-3 just before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, so came out at the tail end of the Nikon rangefinder era. Its a gauss optical formula so is bigger than the sonnar optical formula lens.

なるほど！ I didn't know about the Olympic Nikkor. I see the reissue S3 kits around and notice that the lens is bigger than the old S mount 5cm 1.4 lenses. I'll bet the Olympic Nikkor is far and few between...

haha, yeah an S2 might sneak into my camera cabinet one of these days, if it can find room in there😱

 

[uhoh7]

Nice shot and thanks for the helpful info. I happen to like the added contrast from my built in yellow filter. Perhaps that is why the concences is that the older lens has a bit more contrast.

Also know I somehow stumbled into a deal of a lifetime and bought another Nikon 35/1.8 in LTM. The pricing was right so I couldn't walk away. I pulled out the plastic card with the magic numbers. Realize only about 1700 were ever made in LTM and I currently own two.

There is a little oil on the blades, and there are mild scratches in the coating on the front element, but for the price I purchased my second 35/1.8 I can get the front element recoated by John at Focal Point and have a perfect lens at a still remarkable price. Meanwhile the scratches in the coating are so minor that I have no problem just using the lens as is. How is $999.00 for a price?

BTW the Nikkor 35/1.8 in LTM is a match made in heaven on my Monochrom. Also I love that the distance scale is only in feet for that simple and uncluttered look.

Cal

You deserve it, Vince. 🙂

This is a wonderful thread for me, because though I love the Nikkor RF history and have 5cm 1/4, 85/2 and two 105/2.5, 135/3.5 all in S or Contax, and use them, I was not really more than vaguely aware of this lens, which is pretty impressive. 7000 copies, so they will always be around. The Canon 85/1.5 and 85/1.8 both were under 2000 I think.

The Nikkor Article on the Lens is very nice

I see that Jonmanjiro has been using it a long while and I hope he does not mind if I post his image:

This shows how the 1.8 will hit the RF lever if used with amedeo, which is a shame. No easy work around?

Also I must ask which body for the tests, as M seems a problem?

My second body is kolari thin-filter A7 shown here with an external S adapter that I use with the +5cm lenses. It appears I could just plug this 35 right in, no? The is no helicoid in the adapter.


Entanglement by unoh7, on Flickr

 

[BillBingham2]

Unho7,

Enquiring minds want to know (ok, so I live in the middle of no-where camera store-wise these days. Tire kicking is very limited (read none available)).....

How do you find focusing classic glass on the A7? Not that prices on A7s have dropped I'm been debating about using a sony FF body rather than a Nikon, but I'm worried about focusing.

Thanks.

B2 (;->

 

[jonmanjiro]

BTW lanthanum only yellows in storage. Put them back in sun they clear up.

A UV flashlight will clear them up too.

I see that Jonmanjiro has been using it a long while and I hope he does not mind if I post his image:

This shows how the 1.8 will hit the RF lever if used with amedeo, which is a shame. No easy work around?

Also I must ask which body for the tests, as M seems a problem?

* No problem.

* I don't see how it would be possible to modify an S-mount W-Nikkor 3.5cm F1.8 to work on an Amedeo adapter/M-mount body. I know Shintaro of camera painting fame modified his S-mount Voigtlander lenses to fit (scale focus only), but they all have a large metal piece around the rear elements that can be machined down. That's not possible with the W-Nikkor.

Down size. by Shintaro Yaginuma, on Flickr

* This:

Nikon SP Limited Edition - 1 of 2,500 by Jon, on Flickr

 

[jonmanjiro]

Here's some photos of two reissue W-Nikkor 3.5cm F1.8 lenses - one standard S-mount lens, and one lens permanently modified to M-mount by Miyazaki-san at MS Optics. On the modified lens, you can see that Miyazaki-san removed the rear optical group from its original metal shroud and placed it in his own much thinner shroud. He also added a sloped focus cam on the modified lens (piece of plastic tubing around the optical cell). Miyazaki-san did a pretty haphazard job with that focus cam, and it was a major hassle modifying its slope to fix severe back focusing :bang:

 

[hiam]

Here's some photos of two reissue W-Nikkor 3.5cm F1.8 lenses - one standard S-mount lens, and one lens permanently modified to M-mount by Miyazaki-san at MS Optics. On the modified lens, you can see that Miyazaki-san removed the rear optical group from its original metal shroud and placed it in his own much thinner shroud. He also added a sloped focus cam on the modified lens (piece of plastic tubing around the optical cell). Miyazaki-san did a pretty haphazard job with that focus cam, and it was a major hassle modifying its slope to fix severe back focusing :bang:

Hi, Jon..inspired by your posts, I was lucky to hack a S-mount 3.5cm/1.8 to be RF coupled on M-mount body. I reversed and filed the original S-mount coupling ring to be the new RF cam to M-mount. Took me weeks of trial and error to make the focus right...

 

[jonmanjiro]

Hi, Jon..inspired by your posts, I was lucky to hack a S-mount 3.5cm/1.8 to be RF coupled on M-mount body. I reversed and filed the original S-mount coupling ring to be the new RF cam to M-mount. Took me weeks of trial and error to make the focus right...

You're a brave man, Jin! Congrats! Can you show us some photos of the conversion? Would love to see how you managed it.

 

[hiam]

You're a brave man, Jin! Congrats! Can you show us some photos of the conversion? Would love to see how you managed it.

THANK YOU! I got this much-used lens at very good price...your info about MS-Optical's conversion convinced me to give a try...I followed the picture with similar methods: file the original rear element shroud thinner; remove the spring and reversed the S-mount coupling ring (the narrower end facing the lens) and shimm it so this component is enabled to act on the RF roller. Note a notch is made (see the 2nd pic) to “lock” the ring at the set screw on the rear lens tube. Then next was the fun part of correcting the cam for focus alignment…Of course an S to LM adapter is also required…I’m happy with the result thus far!

 

[music_healing]

I ve been following this thread from beginning,

I wonder ... I ve read that Hexanon LTM 35 f2 (chrome esp, and UC hexanon with more modern coating)...
some source said, the design of this Hexanon resemble the Nikkor W 3.5 cm 1.8

from picture here, I feel like seeing the hexanon esp in BW,
Hexanon UC 35 and Hexanon Chrome LTM 35 is my daily walkabout lens

Could this two lens , comparable to Nikkor 3.5 cm 1.8 (in drawing and characteristic?)

its quite hard to find a good LTM Nikkor 3,5 cm 1.8 nowadays, so I use the Hexanon a lot

Thank you
William Jusuf

 

[jonmanjiro]

THANK YOU! I got this much-used lens at very good price...your info about MS-Optical's conversion convinced me to give a try...I followed the picture with similar methods: file the original rear element shroud thinner; remove the spring and reversed the S-mount coupling ring (the narrower end facing the lens) and shimm it so this component is enabled to act on the RF roller. Note a notch is made (see the 2nd pic) to “lock” the ring at the set screw on the rear lens tube. Then next was the fun part of correcting the cam for focus alignment…Of course an S to LM adapter is also required…I’m happy with the result thus far!

Very informative photos of the lens surgery and very nice photos taken with the lens too. Amazing work. Thanks for posting!

I ve been following this thread from beginning,

I wonder ... I ve read that Hexanon LTM 35 f2 (chrome esp, and UC hexanon with more modern coating)...
some source said, the design of this Hexanon resemble the Nikkor W 3.5 cm 1.8

from picture here, I feel like seeing the hexanon esp in BW,
Hexanon UC 35 and Hexanon Chrome LTM 35 is my daily walkabout lens

Could this two lens , comparable to Nikkor 3.5 cm 1.8 (in drawing and characteristic?)

its quite hard to find a good LTM Nikkor 3,5 cm 1.8 nowadays, so I use the Hexanon a lot

Thank you
William Jusuf

On paper, the optical formula diagrams of the W-Nikkor 3.5cm F1.8 and UC Hexanon 35mm F2 certainly look very similar.

menos has compared both lenses here. i would add to this that the uc hexanon seems to have stronger field curvature and softer corners wide open than the w-nikkor, and also has some barrel distortion whereas the w-nikkor has practically none.

 

[hap]

I vote Lens #2 the reissue. Better micro contrast to my failing eyes.

 

[brusby]

Original W-Nikkor 3.5 cm f/1.8 LTM

L1001271 1 by Brusby, on Flickr