Nikon's Earliest "F" Wide-Angle Lens: The 3.5 cm (Introduced August 1959)

All engineering drawing dimensions in mm.

For a while after the "F" was introduce, many serious photographers refused to embrace it enthusiastically for any of their wide angle applications. Many maintained separate systems for the different ranges, rangefinder for WA and the "F" SLR for near through long telephoto applications where the RF system is simply too encumbered in design to be a serious rival to the SLR. (BTW, the author still strongly prefers his 35Ti and 28Ti, a latter day rangefinder solutions which Nikon boasts [admits] sport the very sharpest wide angle lenses that it ever has designed, over any of Nikon's modern SLR wide angle lenses which Nikon chooses to admit are inferior by putting the most positive spin on its statements.)

Perhaps the best way to understand the problems that Nikon faced with it earliest WA lens introductions is to look at some physical dimensions and do some observations and perhaps a little rudimentary arithmetic. Note that the "S" bodies were about one inch from film plane to rear of their lens mounts. Also note that the "F" requires almost exactly one inch of linear space for its mirror to clear rear lens elements in its pivoted travel to cover the one inch of vertical projected focusing image. Also note that all of Nikon's rangefinder designs under 8.5 cm protrude significantly into that one inch camera body. The 5.0 cm "normals" employ a lot of glass behind their physical and optical centers. Coincidentally, the 2.5 cm F4.0, a perfectly gorgeous highly symmetrical early lens design, finds physical center almost exactly one inch from the film plane when focussed at infinity. Given that half of its elements and design dimensions fall behind its center, the problem emerges as an apparent paradox.

Early discussions between "F" design team and optical designers must have been something to observe. I would love to have been a conference room "fly on the wall" observer of some of those discussions. Less than the most orderly conduct might very well have been the order of the day some of the time. :)

The solution for wide angle lenses, of course, was to create initially highly compromised optical designs in which the optical center of the lens falls behind the rear element of the physical lens. HENCE, "retro" "focus" or "retrofocus" lens designs.

For normals the problem was more subtle. Rather than initially presenting almost an apparent paradox, the problems were merely extremely difficult. Since the first consideration in the design of these beasts went from sharpness and focal length utility to, NOW, mirror clearance and will be further discussed in that section.

There are two earliest versions of this lens starting with SN 90XXXX . The very earliest (Version 1) is characterized by "Tick Marks", a lacquered very bright multiple layered chromed finish, very wide exposed silver filter ring, finely ridged aperture ring, a nine blade aperture and a red "R" marking the infrared shift. Within a few hundred, the red "R" went to a red "DOT" for a second evolutionary step or version. The two earliest versions, though sporting an "S" designation, for seven elements, were optically and physically different from the later embodiments which had the same "S". The front element is further away from the remaining six rendering the physical lens longer and its coating is rosy rather than amber colored.

Version 1a





Version 3: The high luster lacquered chrome look was maintained in the early SN excursions above 16XXXX for a third version but the aperture blade count went to a more normal six blades and focal length is now specified in mm.



A fourth version (Version 4) onset with the dulling of the finish to an non-lacquered less bright brushed chrome look and the smooth lens mount surface went to a five bolt head array.

December 1965 with SN 255311, it got a scalloped aperture ring for a fifth iteration (Version 5).

Sixth version: For a while an evolutionary iteration was introduce with an early NIC (Nikon Integrated Coating) denoted by a "DOT" "C" after the "Nikkor-S" on the lens front inside the filter ring. The filter ring at this iteration went from brushed chrome to painted black.

Early 1975 the 35mm F2.8 got both a physical body and extensive optical update for a seventh version (and depending on how you choose to count the progressive iterations you could even call this the tenth or higher version). Above SN 773XXX the lens got an extremely updated lens formula now six elements. The front lens element was substantially reduced in size. A more advanced NIC family of lens coatings was employed. The body acquired a three row hard rubber RIFR.

Version 8: April 1978 saw the introduction eighth version of this lens with the introduction of the AI version which began with SN 350001.



A later optical design was introduced with five elements in five groups (5/5) for a ninth version

The tenth version, onsetting with SN 521001 was introduced September 1981 as the AIS version.

AF-D versions in the 1990s