my new toy

[bressong]

Early AI lenses have 5 screw in the mount, but after about a year of production, most lenses up to 85mm reduced to 3 screws (probably to reduce production costs).

The AI 50/1.8 is one of my favourite lenses - background blur is smoother than most other 50mm Nikons. The 7-blade aperture gives blurs a nicer shape in most situations than the 6-blade aperture of the 50/2. Sharpness is about the same.

50/1.8 longnose no matter ai or ais are all good.

But the pancake 50/1.8 and plastic AIS 501.8and afd 50/1.8 they had the compact optical design which I think is not a good improvement on image quality including the bokeh

[bressong]

I checked another original Ai 50/1.8(17xxxxx), it's 3 screws too! amazed

[mxbianco]

thanks for joining this game, you are almost there, but not the correct answer

Well, except that I overlooked the absence of the AIS milling, I got both the focal length and max aperture of both lenses.

I had to take more time to scrutinize the photo to notice the absence of the milling, but still I'm satisfied!

It was impossible for the lenses to be 35, 28 or 24 mm, the rear lens element would have been much smaller.

Ciao from Massimo

[bressong]

Well, except that I overlooked the absence of the AIS milling, I got both the focal length and max aperture of both lenses.

I had to take more time to scrutinize the photo to notice the absence of the milling, but still I'm satisfied!

It was impossible for the lenses to be 35, 28 or 24 mm, the rear lens element would have been much smaller.

Ciao from Massimo

no doubt, you are one of the pro 

[MEPER]

It seems I have a few of the 50/2. They often followed a Nikkormat body when I collected those.
There may be a couple more 50/2 around. I also have a couple of the 50/1.8.
I wonder which of my 50/2 that are sharpest......it would require a test.

[bressong]

It seems I have a few of the 50/2. They often followed a Nikkormat body when I collected those.
There may be a couple more 50/2 around. I also have a couple of the 50/1.8.
I wonder which of my 50/2 that are sharpest......it would require a test.

wow, nice collection!

I am not sure if it is ture that Ai 50/2 is less to see on the 2nd hand market, compare with Auto 50/2 H/HC and pre-Ai(K) 50/2

yours are really in good condition.

and I find even the same Ai version, the coating/enlightening color is different

[MEPER]

Yes, there are pure purple coating for the single coated versions. Then the multi-coating seems to be a mix of purple and green.
I know there should be a rare version which is called "white-face" where the ring at the front (where Nikon, 50mm etc. is printed) is pure aluminium with black engraving.
I have only seen one which was a bit worn but price very high.

For the compare with Leica Summicon I will use a Kogaku version. I found one already mounted in a Z-adapter. I think it is from same period as the DR-Summicon. So will be fair to compare those.

[bressong]

Yes, there are pure purple coating for the single coated versions. Then the multi-coating seems to be a mix of purple and green.
I know there should be a rare version which is called "white-face" where the ring at the front (where Nikon, 50mm etc. is printed) is pure aluminium with black engraving.
I have only seen one which was a bit worn but price very high.

For the compare with Leica Summicon I will use a Kogaku version. I found one already mounted in a Z-adapter. I think it is from same period as the DR-Summicon. So will be fair to compare those.

Ai/AIS 50/1.8 were my favorite, and now Ai 50/2 comes, hard to tell which is ture love, but my don't use the AIS 50/1.4 often, full open is blurred

[Matthew Currie]

I have two copies of the 50/F2 AI, and got that the first is an earlier one, and the second not one, but had no others to compare with it.  I have the earlier version shown on the left, and a later, 3-screw version, which is essentially similar except for the flange screws, with the thicker upper boss (name not known) and the double-spanner threaded rear lens mount.

I've never had a factory-converted AI lens, only home milled conversions, but assume that those also did not have the lens speed post, since certain AI cameras like the F4 disallow all conversions from the matrix metering function.

I don't use these much these days since I'm using DX, and have the 16-80 which is grand for traveling, but back in film days this was a favorite, one of those lenses that's just inherently good at everything. I have not raced my two to see if there's a sharpness difference, but now that the subject is raised, perhaps I'll give it a try.

[bressong]

Yes, there are pure purple coating for the single coated versions. Then the multi-coating seems to be a mix of purple and green.
I know there should be a rare version which is called "white-face" where the ring at the front (where Nikon, 50mm etc. is printed) is pure aluminium with black engraving.
I have only seen one which was a bit worn but price very high.

For the compare with Leica Summicon I will use a Kogaku version. I found one already mounted in a Z-adapter. I think it is from same period as the DR-Summicon. So will be fair to compare those.

time to do the comparison test

[Matthew Currie]

My two are 3506433 (5 screw) and 3732756 (3 screw) and both have identical coatings, green and purple.  There's no discernible difference between them except for the flange screws and the fact that the first version says "lens made in Japan," and the second just "made in Japan" with no white paint.

[bressong]

My two are 3506433 (5 screw) and 3732756 (3 screw) and both have identical coatings, green and purple.  There's no discernible difference between them except for the flange screws and the fact that the first version says "lens made in Japan," and the second just "made in Japan" with no white paint.

I also see this difference on "made in Japan"


Seems the earlier AI was the most good built quality.
Later ai and AIS more or less reduce some cost from manufacturing.