NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: RonVol on January 24, 2017, 22:14:49
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There seems to be a lot of talk of late about fisheye lenses so I thought that some of you might be interested in some of the history behind the fisheye Nikkors.
Below is the result of some research I've been doing, most of it from a document in Japanese.
In short; it explains how the Japanese used a German design, that had been around since the mid to late 1930s, as the basis for the prototyping.
The photo of the Zeiss 1.6cm f/6.8 is quite likely the one that is mentioned in the article.
The Nikon SKY CAMERA.
In the 1960s, Nikon sold a special camera called the Fisheye Camera or Sky Camera. It was the first of its type and was built to enable meteorologists to take images of the full 180deg sky dome in one shot. The images were captured using the medium 6x6 format on 120 roll film. Other than the X-RAY Camera, it was to be Nippon Kogaku's only 120 format camera.
The device was sold as an 'all in one' package which included the camera/lens body, in built filters and winder, lens cap and a storage case.
Early sets were supplied with a wooden storage case, which on later sets, was replaced with an all metal case.
The lens in the package was a 16.3mm f8 fisheye with initial development by Nippon Kogaku going as far back as 1938.
Reports into the production period suggest June 1960 - April 1961.
Customers included the Japan Meteorological Agency, Defense Agencies and the NHK.
Tatsuo Shirai says that around 30 were produced with only 13 being sold.
Initially, the advertised price of the full kit was 120,000 Yen.
A contact from the Japan Meteorological Agency, who himself had used the camera, claimed that a total of 8 had been sold to the organization with 7 having been delivered to several weather stations around the country. The cameras were used to record cloud cover and were found to be very useful, however the high price was found to be a major drawback.
The camera's initial design dates back to a requirement by the Japanese Navy.
The Navy needed a device for recording cloud activity so Nippon Kogaku came up with a solution that was based on a Zeiss lens patent that was for a device used for the recording of thunder storm activity.
Tatsuhiko Arakawa (author of Nikon Story) says that, around the start of WWII, the Japanese Navy submitted a request to Nippon Kogaku to design and supply a camera of this type. Apparently it took Nippon Kogaku quite some time to come up with a solution with the final design and production drawings having been completed around Aril 1938.
This was to be Nippon Kogaku's first attempt at designing and manufacturing a fish-eye lens.
Tatsuhiko has seen the drawings of this early camera from 1938 and confirms that the early design is very similar to the 1960 design in specifications such as F value and the number of elements. He suggests that the early design was carried over into the 1960 Sky Camera.
Due to a high amount of chromatic aberration, only B&W film could be used with the Sky Camera.
On a side note; it's thought that design of the Fisheye-NIKKOR 8mm f/8 was based on the 16.3mm f/8. Major improvements in lens design and manufacture over the years leading up to the 8mm saw a significant amount of chromatic aberration being removed which would now allow the use of colour film.
From a discussion that he had with Mr. Masahiko Fukeda (designer of Nikon F, later vice president of Nippon Kogaku); Tatsuhiko says that the design of the body of the Sky Camera was based on the 19FB X-RAY camera (sometimes called the Regno Camera).
Specifications -
Film format: 120
Picture size: 50 mm dia. circular image in 6 x 6 cm format
Dimensions: (W x H x D approx.) 132.5 x 107 x 130.5mm
Weight: (approx.) 1,500 g (Body only 580 g)
Lens: Fish-eye-NIKKOR 16.3mm f/8
Filters: In built turret, three filters Y52, O56, and R60.
Construction: 5 elements in 4 groups
Picture Angle: 180 degree
Mount: Fixed
Minimum stop: f/16
Closest focus distance: Fixed focus
Finder: None
Focusing: Fixed focus
Shutter type: Seikosha SLV #0 lens shutter. Shutter speed from B(bulb), 1sec to 1/500sec.
Shutter speed settings: B, 1~1/500 sec
Flash sync. Contact: M, X contacts
WSelf-timer: Available
Film advance: Crank
Frame counter: Additive type
Film winding: By reciprocating stroke, approx. 335 degrees
Film rewind: None
Exposure meter: None
Accessories Wooden carrying case (later kits came with all metal cases) Filters (O56, R60 and Y52 in built-in turret)
Information was derived from various internet sources as well as from an article in Japanese text by Tatsuo Shirai 'Tracking Down a Dream Camera' that was sourced from the 'nikonfan' site.
Japanese to English translation by: Keiichi Kato & Ron Volmershausen.
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Ron, many thanks for this valuable documentation of early Nikon history :D
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Ron, many thanks for this valuable documentation of early Nikon history :D
You're most welcome Bjørn.
I will have more to add about the Ziess lens.
For instance, the example shown in the photo was 'captured' by the Americans when Ziess's factories were over-run shortly after Germany's surrender.
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very interesting, thanks Ron
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Very interesting.
Great job, looking forward.
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Thanks Ron! Super :)
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yes... i agree. quite interesting.
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Ron, I appreciate your effort!
The article about the Sky Camera and the fisheye Nikkor designed for it could be found on somewhere in Nikon's official website along with some interesting articles about various optical systems for special purposes, but after the full renewal, these articles seem to be removed. So, your write up should be valued more now than in the past.
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Thank you everyone for the positive feedback.
It encourages me (and others) to do more.
Akira - Some of the info from my article was sourced from the page you mention. Fortunately I was able to find it several years ago, before the page was taken-down.
There is still a little bit of info available on the Nikon site - http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/filmcamera/120format/fisheye/
Also this article (on the last page) from the 1990s - http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/pdf/gazette/gaz52.pdf
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Thank you so much for this article.
I'm a fan of fisheyes.
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Thanks for the background story, Ron. Very interesting !
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Very well doen Ron!
My good friend Marco Cavina has written extensively about them (beware, looong articles with many pics)...if your Italian is a bit rusty, use google translate...
http://www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/Nikkor_fisheye_story/00_pag.htm (http://www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/Nikkor_fisheye_story/00_pag.htm)
Here about what the Germans have done before:
http://www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/CZJ_Perimetar_Sphaerogon_Pleon/00_pag.htm (http://www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/CZJ_Perimetar_Sphaerogon_Pleon/00_pag.htm)
and here a comparison, showing how much engineers can "learn" from each other (was that PC enough? :LOL: )
http://www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/AEG_fisheye_1935/00_pag.htm (http://www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/AEG_fisheye_1935/00_pag.htm)
(https://nikongear.net/revival/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marcocavina.com%2Farticoli_fotografici%2FAEG_fisheye_1935%2F01.gif&hash=1fcb41a4676a708cf06885a8b930c0d71ac60454)
(https://nikongear.net/revival/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marcocavina.com%2Farticoli_fotografici%2FAEG_fisheye_1935%2F02.gif&hash=632ececf988df54f26d2278cc758ed446aa6034e)
Edit: corrected the first of the 2 references to be of the AEG lens.
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Ron, thanks for additional links. They are well worth checking out!
Klaus, this is a gorgeous page! Interestingly (and maybe also sadly) all prototypes of AF 16/2.8 used ED glasses whereas the production model didn't (to reduce the cost?). Thanks for sharing!
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Very well doen Ron!
My good friend Marco Cavina has written extensively about them (beware, looong articles with many pics)...if your Italian is a bit rusty, use google translate...
Thank you for the info Klaus.
I had forgotten about Marco's wonderful site.
After studying the info he has provided; I'm wondering if the original Japanese article may be incorrect when it states that the Nikkor was based on a Zeiss design.
Marco feels that it is an AEG design that Nikkor used rather than a Zeiss.
Looking at the AEG, it certainly looks more like the early Nikkor.
Marco suggests that the AEG is "the mother of all modern fisheye lenses".
I may have to amend my information.
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Yep, I thought you may like the results of the extensive research Marco has done (and a bit me, as I had re-discovered the ZEISS files from the liberated Zeiss lens collections which were brought to the US after WWII, which I subsequently donated to the Zeiss Historical Society).
A friend of mine had recently found one of the few remaining AEG Wolkencameras ("cloud cameras") and Marco also contributed to that research:
http://www.aeg-wolkenkamera.de/index-eng.htm (http://www.aeg-wolkenkamera.de/index-eng.htm)
(https://nikongear.net/revival/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aeg-wolkenkamera.de%2FUnbenannt-7.jpg&hash=7eae940eccb1e3eb7c77c2919390227c1c280d76)
The lens was sold off at a Westlicht auction later...
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Fascinating Wolkenkamera (apparently also called Himmelskamera)!
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Fascinating Wolkenkamera (apparently also called Himmelskamera)!
Arigato domo, Akira-San!
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Hai Akira san, nice german wording
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Wolfgang, these German names can be seen in the website Klaus linked. :)