Joint effort to describe the classic Ai-S 1.4/35mm

[Roland Vink]

I hear there are many incarnations of the 1.4/35 Nikkor and different
 versions
too. Chris Dees who sold me his replaced it with an older version.

Can someone elaborate on the history? Roland? Bjørn?

I'll take the bait . In a nutshell, all manual focus 35/1.4 lenses have more or less the same optics: a 9/7 element lens with CRC. All are fully multi-coated.

The NIKKOR-N 35/1.4 Auto was released in 1970. It has an all-metal scalloped focus ring and 9 aperture blades. The aperture range is from f1.4 - f22, the largest range of any Nikkor (compared to the 35/2 from the same period the aperture extends a stop in both directions). Early models are marked "Nippon Kogaku Japan", later changing to "Nikon". The last in the early series is marked "NIKKOR-N.C" where the ".C" acknowledges the multi-coating which was there all along. The number of aperture blades reduced to 7 at this point - maybe the large number of aperture blades in combination with the large aperture range made the diaphram too slow in high-speed photography.

At the end of 1975 the "New Nikkor" or "K" type was introduced with modern styling. The optics were also tweaked at this point. Though the basic lens construction remained unchanged, the glass material and the lens curvature were changed to improve the performance at open aperture (the earlier models uses some slightly radioactive high-refractive glass which turned yellow over time)

In 1977 the lens was updated to AI with no changes to the optics. The aperture range reduced slightly, the minimum setting is now only f16.

In 1981 the lens was updated to AIS with no changes to the optics. The barrel has new styling and the focus throw was shortened.

There were also improvements to the NIC multi-coating over this time, and somewhere around serial no 479xxx the coatings changed to the yellow-green SIC coating.

The 35/1.4 is one of the few AIS lenses that is still in production.

[chris dees]

I hear there are many incarnations of the 1.4/35 Nikkor and different
 versions
too. Chris Dees who sold me his replaced it with an older version.

.......

I like the scalloped older lenses very much.
Almost all my MF lenses are scalloped versions.
I sold the 35/1.4 AI-s to Frank and got myself a Nikkor-N 35/1.4 factory AI-d (from 1971).
It's a 9-blade version with the thorium (yellow cast) coating. Serial number 360861, so probably the first Nikon batch.

These examples are from last weekend in Antwerp

[Frank Fremerey]

I did manage get better focus in another image though, again at f/1.4 though with a little less glow. 

Very cool shot, only minor edit I would apply if it was mine: some dirt on the street. Without it I guess this wold look quite outworldly / David-Bowie-Style.

[Frank Fremerey]

Thank you. Only one question: The Ai-S according to your site all have 9 blades again? I got Chris's version manufactured in 2006.

I'll take the bait . In a nutshell, all manual focus 35/1.4 lenses have more or less the same optics: a 9/7 element lens with CRC. All are fully multi-coated.

The NIKKOR-N 35/1.4 Auto was released in 1970. It has an all-metal scalloped focus ring, 9 aperture blades and an aperture range from f1.4 - f22, the largest range of any Nikkor (compared to the 35/2 from the same period the aperture extends a stop in both directions). Early models are marked "Nippon Kogaku Japan", later changing to "Nikon". The last in the early series is marked "NIKKOR-N.C" where the ".C" acknowledges the multi-coating which was there all along. The number of aperture blades reduced to 7 at this point - maybe the large number of aperture blades in combination with the large aperture range made the diaphram too slow in high-speed photography.

At the end of 1975 the "New Nikkor" or "K" type was introduced with modern styling. The optics were also tweaked at this point. Though the basic lens construction remained unchanged, the glass material and the lens curvature were changed to improve the performance at open aperture (the earlier models uses some slightly radioactive high-refractive glass which turned yellow over time)

In 1977 the lens was updated to AI with no changes to the optics. The aperture range reduced slightly, the minimum setting is now only f16.

In 1981 the lens was updated to AIS with no changes to the optics. The barrel has new styling and the focus throw was shortened.

There were also improvements to the NIC multi-coating over this time, and somewhere around serial no 479xxx the coatings changed to the yellow-green SIC coating.

The 35/1.4 is one of the few AIS lenses that is still in production.

[Chip Chipowski]

Charlie - love the Lincoln shots, especially #1.

[Roland Vink]

Thank you. Only one question: The Ai-S according to your site all have 9 blades again? I got Chris's version manufactured in 2006.

Yes I forgot to mention that, the AIS 35/1.4 returns to 9 aperture blades like the very first version. But unlike the pre-AI models it still only goes to f16, not f22. The aperture blades are straight, not curved.
In the AIS line, all the fast aperture lenses 35mm and up have 9 aperture blades (35/1.4, 50/1.2, 58/1.2, 85/1.4, 105/1.8, 135/2), compared to 7 blades for the slower models.

[Mike Wallace]

35mm is one of my favorite focal lengths.  I find the Nikon 35mm 1.4 Ai-S's rendering quite appealing.  On the list!    TY so much for posting!

[John Geerts]

The 35/1.4 AIS is one of my favourite lenses as well, but I used it so intensively during a few years, that a change was needed.  Perhaps time to pick it up again

[Frank Fremerey]

Very cool.sun star picture and great graphics. Impressive portait of these sculptures.

[Jakov Minić]

John, I like the sun!
Who are these people holding the cross and why?

[Frank Fremerey]

Jakov: Iconographically the one is Jesus Himself the other some local hero "helping the Lord"

[John Geerts]

These are different stages of the Calvary.

Peerke Donders is a Saint, and has a special park with a house, a church and a museum and a garden with the unique Calvary-statues, depicting the last hours in the life of Jesus.

The Statues of the different stages of the Calvary were made between  1937 and 1961 by the specialised firm Verbraak and paid for by the Tilburg people themselves. Local Tilburgers stood model for the different side-figures, apart from the obvious Jesus. In 2004 the statues were restored.      During Easter and Good Friday there are special processions in the park, praying at each stage.

More information can be found here: http://www.peerkedonders.nl/het-park/kruiswegstatie/ Unfortunately in dutch only. 

[Fons Baerken]

the old Carlsberg brewery, Copenhagen, april 1st, 2016

Df 35/1.4 ais

[Frank Fremerey]

Yes, Fons. Thank you for joining. You have tens of thousands of wonderful examples with this lens!

[John Harkus]

Some great images fellas!
I quite fancy one of these lenses - any comments on the autofocus version? It looks like the wide open performance could be similar to the Ai/AiS

tia

John