NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: RonVol on February 17, 2017, 22:11:59
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Here's a very rare photo from 1970 of the prototype Nikkor-N 35mm f/1.4 with serial #254003.
Nothing obvious stands out when comparing this example to a production version.
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Ah, this should be the one with the Thorium glass. Never seen the image of it. Thanks, as always, for sharing, Ron!
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Very vintage ;) Thanks for posting!
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Ah, this should be the one with the Thorium glass. Never seen the image of it. Thanks, as always, for sharing, Ron!
I have read that the first production Nikkor-N also carries the hot glass and that the Mk2 "K" revision eliminated it.
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I have read that the first production Nikkor-N also carries the hot glass and that the Mk2 "K" revision eliminated it.
You mean, all versions with the metal hill-and-dale focusing rings have the Thorium glass elements?
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According to Rolands DB mine is from early 1971 and it is the 9-blade thorium one. I guess second generation. Beautiful chipped by Erik. :)
It has a strong yellow cast but it's not always the same.
The examples are from the central square in Antwerp.
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that amber tint might come into handy with BW film :o :o :o
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You mean, all versions with the metal hill-and-dale focusing rings have the Thorium glass elements?
Yes, that is my assumption. The "C" version on Roland's list.
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You mean, all versions with the metal hill-and-dale focusing rings have the Thorium glass elements?
Yes that's right, the glass material changed with the New Nikkor (K) version, see http://www.nikkor.com/story/0027/ :
This lens has been used to date since its first introduction in 1971 through changes in the lens barrels and the adoption of what was then the latest super-integrated coating technologies; changes were also made to the optical system at the time when the lens barrel design was changed to the NEW-Nikkor. Though the basic lens construction remained unchanged, the glass material and the lens curvature were changed by Teruyoshi TSUNASHIMA, to improve the performance at open aperture.
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Chris, thanks for sharing the image of your lens.
Keith and Roland, thanks for the answer. I'm well aware of the 1001-night article, but the Thorium glass is not mentioned there. Probably because the Japanese people are in general too sensitive to anything radioactive, including me. :o