The 50mm F1.2 Nikkor

The onset of production of this lens July 1978 marked another triumph, though almost an overdue one, in Nikon lens design. Since the earliest "F", the primary consideration in in adjusting lens parameters, which would primarily aimed at sharpness and contrast, had to be compromised for considerations of reflex mirror clearance. It is an indisputable fact that none of the original rangefinder "normal" and "wide" angle lenses could be adapted to the "F" without compromises in design. The original 5cm f2.0 was the easiest and was redesigned from scratch in time to be co-introduced with the "F". The 5.0cm f1.4 was more of a challenge. Nikon, with its industry leading rangefinder lens, had inadvertently set objective bar sufficiently high that matching it would take years of evolutionary steps. Even the first f1.4 "normal" was 5.8cm and the subsequent 50mm's enjoyed a number of formulaic evolutionary steps before Nikon's lens designers seems to be able to take any rest.

Production of the 50mm f1.2 was to be the closest approach Nikon was to make to the 5.0cm f1.1 first sold a little over two decades prior for the rangefinder. It was produced in only two versions with only one variation to the earliest.

Version One: "AI" Version; the earliest variation had a black line marking the center of focus on the depth of field scale which changed to a black dot.

Version Two: "AIS" Version as shown.