NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => What the Nerds Do => Topic started by: richardHaw on July 24, 2017, 18:19:05
-
https://richardhaw.com/2017/07/22/repair-rf-nikkor-p-c-8-5cm-f2/
Happy 100th birthday, Nippon Kogaku! :o :o :o
Repair of the RF-Nikkor-P.C 8.5cm f/2 lens!!!
-
Thanks Rick!
Quite a nostalgic look at an old warhorse :D
-
Thanks, I was surprised at the images it produced :o :o :o
very smooth despite the age ::)
it reminds me of the pre-war 5cm sonnar. sonnars are known to give out this characteristic smoothness 8)
at the expense of some contrast wide-open. maybe this is due to coatings...
-
Nice job as always and pleasing sample images!
-
https://richardhaw.com/2020/04/29/repair-nikkor-p•c-8-5cm-f-2-late-version/
black label :o :o :o
-
Aha, I have one of those and love it. Much nicer than the previous chrome version (which I also have). It's great on my Z50 and the Nex-5N Monochrome.
Wait -- after reading through your detailed repair story, I noted my lens serial is just 124 units away from your 85/2 !!
-
Aha, I have one of those and love it. Much nicer than the previous chrome version (which I also have). It's great on my Z50 and the Nex-5N Monochrome.
yes, it is lighter, too :o :o :o
-
A few curious details about this lens:
The dot in "NIKKOR-P.C" is always low like a full stop. On almost all other Nikon rangefinder lenses (and later in F-mount lenses) the dot is mid height, eg "NIKKOR-P·C". Early NIKKOR-S.C 8.5cm 1:1.5 lenses also have the low dot, but somewhere around no.264xxx the dot changes to mid-height. There are three batches of the NIKKOR-P.C 10.5cm 1:2.5 with the low dot, roughly between 817312 - 818144, another batch from 819834 - 819908, and the last batch from 912501 - 912800 (based on information collected so far). All the rest of production have the mid-height dot. The NIKKOR-P.C 8.5cm 1:2 is the only lens where all lenses use the low dot.
Somewhere in the mid-1950s, Nikon dropped the "·C" designation, because coated lenses by then had become standard. The 8.5cm 1:2 was the only lens to carry the ".C" mark right to the end, even though it continued to be made through to the late 1950s and early 1960s.
At the same time the "·C" designation was dropped (or a little after on some lenses), Nikon changed the font for the engraving on the lens. For example, the old font has a "3" with a flat top, the newer font has a rounded top. The newer font continues to be used for F-mount lenses right up to AI-S lenses still made today. However the 8.5cm 1:2 lens uses the old font even for the latest black series that Ric reviewed, except for a few very late lenses such at the one shown here: http://kevincameras.com/gallery/v/nikon_rf/lens/85_2/black/497666/ (the latest serial number I have seen). Even this one has the front ring engraved with the old style, but new font on the focus and aperture scales!
Many late production lenses with black barrel and modern styling are often engraved "J. PAT. 188,481" near the base, but it is often missing, with no clear pattern that I can see.
It seems that whoever engraved the parts for this lens was somewhat removed from the rest, they continued to use old styles even after the rest had changed. A unique lens :)
-
It's all about the details ;D Thank you all! 8)
-
With its dedicated lens hood, the 8.5 cm f/2 Nikkor is a true Black Beauty :)
Here on a Millennium Nikon S3.
-
Beautiful pairing of lens and S3.
Looks to have the same width of strap as my Nikkormats - I would personally hate to go back to such narrow unyielding straps.
With its dedicated lens hood, the 8.5 cm f/2 Nikkor is a true Black Beauty :)
Here on a Millennium Nikon S3.
-
The strap suits the camera + lens combination.
-
I just updated the page with Roland's inputs :o :o :o
Roland has such a keen eye nothing ever misses him ::)
I am itching to use this lens again but I have nothing to take photos of since every festival had been cancelled :'(
-
Can someone explain the version I have in my hot (actually cold) hand now? There is an extra ring at the front with an unknown filter thread (around 54mm) onto which the hood attaches.
SN: 396954
The only place I have seen a version of the lens is here:
https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/RF-Nikkor/RF85mm/index2.htm
Edit: I forgot to mention there is an unthreaded filter between the hood and the lens. It fits perfectly, held in by the hood. First time I seen un unthreaded front filter! SERIES VII KODACHROME HAZE FILTER
-
Can someone explain the version I have in my hot (actually cold) hand now? There is an extra ring at the front with an unknown filter thread (around 54mm) onto which the hood attaches.
SN: 396954
The only place I have seen a version of the lens is here:
https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/RF-Nikkor/RF85mm/index2.htm
Edit: I forgot to mention there is an unthreaded filter between the hood and the lens. It fits perfectly, held in by the hood. First time I seen un unthreaded front filter! SERIES VII KODACHROME HAZE FILTER
Apparently, your sample is one right before Nikon changed its design to the black & silver version:
http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html#RF_Tele
The filter ring to accommodate the series VII is not the part of the lens but the part of the dedicated lens hood. See the seventh paragraph of this page:
https://www.cameraquest.com/852black.htm
-
Thanks Akira!
It seems to be an odd fish.
-
Enjoy the lens. It is an optical surprise in many ways.
I own the same version, plus the one in black finish. They have come to life again on the Z cameras.
-
The hood is a curious thing. From the outside it appears to be one piece, but from the inside seems to be made of several parts glued together.
-
I have two different hoods. one like yours acting as a holder of a Series filter. The other is a more traditional lens hood in old Nikon style.
-
Do you know the filter thread of the one like mine? 50 something is the closest I can guess.
-
It's conveniently 48mm, thus I can mount my Baader U filter directly for UV photography.
The W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/1.8 also has the same thread. Plus the CV Skopars 21/4 and 25/4 which came out much later.
-
The 8.5cm f/2 is such a nice lens. Its heft is unbelievable from just looking at it, because you cannot "see" the heavy materials used in its construction.
A fe pictures of it to enjoy. This is the black version with the more "modern" hood. On my '2000 S3, plus together with the 3.5cm f/1.8 and the Z fc.
-
It is nice. So much so that it inspired me to buy this on impulse ;)
-
You need a focusing system for it on anything else than an S-mount camera. They are not that difficult to hobble together. Use a short helicoid and a flat Z adapter (or any required mount, I have for sony E and Nikon Z).
Thre 5cm f/1.4 is pretty sharp at least in the central area. Flare control is so-so thus have always the hood on. The front glass is very soft and will easily show cleaning marks if not proper care is applied.
Filter size is 43mm and the lens is good for IR.