The Nikkor-Q 200mm f/4!

[Roland Vink]

Which page of the Handbook? I'd like to read that again as I have my doubts about this. To the best of my knowledge the multi-coating shows as green reflections from the rear. The earliest 55/1.2 lenses that I have seen like this are from around no.23xxxx, from the series marked "Nikon" starting at no. 220001, made during 1971-1972. This is well after the Nikkor-N 35/1.4 and 28/2 from 1970, which were the first Nikkors to be multi-coated on all glass-air surfaces.

[null]

I will have to look it up later, I read it just before  posting the information. It is in the 1975 Copyright edition of the manual, in the section talking about properties of lenses. The earlier edition of the manual does not contain this information. Nikon, like many others in the industry has made small, unannounced changes in product lines. I worked in a camera shop going through college, which is where I picked up the info on the 35/1.4 and 28/2. Funny what you remember after all those decades. Also where one of the salesman told me to get the later edition of the Handbook as it contained much more information regarding performance and background of the lenses. It had just come out.

I'll post a picture of my 20cm F4 Nikkor-Q next to the 200 F4 Nikkor-QC when I look up the page number. I keep a chrome ringed filter on the older lens, I like the shiny chrome collar on it. The optical formula was revised early on.

[chris dees]

From left to right:
Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-Q Auto 1:4 F=20.0cm (ca. 1962)
Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-Q Auto 1:4 F=200mm (ca. 1970)
Nikkor-Q·C Auto 1:4 f=200mm factory AI-d (ca. 1974)

[null]

Note the closer-focus of the newer lens, which would require a wider focus ring.

[null]

My Nikkor-Q 20cm F4 and and Nikkor-QC 200F4, along with Joseph D Cooper's Nikon/Nikkormat Handbook in question.

200f4S by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

[Roland Vink]

Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-Q Auto 1:4 F=20.0cm (ca. 1962)
Your 20cm is marked in feet and m, so it would be late 1962 at the earliest and depending on the serial number, as late as 1966.

Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-Q Auto 1:4 F=200mm (ca. 1970)
A slightly remodeled version was released early 1967. The focal length is marked in mm (200mm) and the upper chrome barrel is wider, tapering in at the top, compared to the narrow straight-through design of the first version. Stand this lens next to the 20cm, both focused at infinity and you'll notice the front element sits just a little higher inside the filter ring, which shows it has updated optics. This model was made until mid 1969, so the 1970 date is too late.

Nikkor-Q·C Auto 1:4 f=200mm factory AI-d (ca. 1974)
In mid 1969 the older chrome barrel version was replaced by an all-black version with closer focusing (to 2m compared to 3m). The optics were possibly updated again (not sure about this). There were a couple of minor changes to the design of the aperture ring and hood along the way but it stayed basically the same until production ended. Multi-coating was added around 1973.

[null]

I stopped collecting Nikon F-Mount by SN some 25 years ago. You can go crazy with it, so many lenses and bodies. I got the Rangefinder itch, and the last set that I put together are the Collapsible 5cm F2, 5cm F1.5, 3.5cm F3.5, 8.5cm F2, 13.5cm F4, and Variframe finder, all Leica mount with 1949 Batch numbers on them. The name ring of the collapsible 5cm F2 has a 1948 batch, but the focus mount shows a 1949 batch- one of the few Nikon lenses with separate SN's on the lens and mount. Zeiss did this with the wartime Sonnars, but you had to disassemble the mount to find them.

[Roland Vink]

My Nikkor-Q 20cm F4 and and Nikkor-QC 200F4, along with Joseph D Cooper's Nikon/Nikkormat Handbook in question.

Thanks Brian, I don't think I have this copy. This comment is interesting: "as a matter of continuing product improvement, the factory extended multiple coating to other lenses. This is done selectively, for not all lenses and not all components of a lens can benefit from multiple coating"
It seems Nikon first considered multi-layer coating like Nano Crystal Coat today, to be applied only to lens surfaces where it would be most beneficial. Yet the 55/1.2 is the only lens I know of which was partially multi-coated. Starting with the 35/1.4 and 28/2 the new coating was applied to all air-glass surfaces, and within a few years all other existing lenses were upgraded.

[Erik Lund]

Just a heads up that I am (and on behalf of the NikonGear team) really happy to have you guys posting these historical highlight here on NikonGear! A huge asset! Thanks.

[chris dees]

.........
Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-Q Auto 1:4 F=200mm (ca. 1970)
A slightly remodeled version was released early 1967. The focal length is marked in mm (200mm) and the upper chrome barrel is wider, tapering in at the top, compared to the narrow straight-through design of the first version. Stand this lens next to the 20cm, both focused at infinity and you'll notice the front element sits just a little higher inside the filter ring, which shows it has updated optics. This model was made until mid 1969, so the 1970 date is too late.
.........

Serial number: 316441
So yes, 1969

[null]

This lens is one of the earliest coated lenses made- from a 1936 Batch, does not have the "T" (transparent) of the later coated Sonnars. My 1938 Coated Sonnar has the "T" marked on it. Bought off Ebay, did not know it was coated until completely disassembled- that is how hazed over the surfaces were.

coated_sonnar_m9 by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

All paint intact on all retaining rings, and I had to use "Big Bertha" the spanner to get apart. An RFF member sent me a PM that another lens from this same batch with a slightly earlier SN was also recorded as being coated. The vacuum deposition equipment had been installed at the factory at about this time, and I suspect they were yanking some optics off the line and trying it out. The coatings are in very good condition.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Hm. It's getting difficult to follow the flow in this thread when widely different lenses are discussed under the same heading ....

[Bjørn Rørslett]

I purchased a 200/4 Q in the late '60s, but no further recollection of it except for the chrome barrel. Later I sold it off and got the new 200/4 6-element design instead. I have the AI and AIS versions.

Recently, in conjunction with the arrival of the Df, I aimed at recreating the various lens kits I started with in the '60s and '70s, at that time with Nikon F and F2. So I got a near mint copy of a Nikkor -Q from around '69/'70 (sn 446400). It was AI-modified with a factory kit and looked almost unused, a steal for USD 80,- plus shipping.

[null]

I have the Nikkor 200mm F4 Ai 5-element in 5 group lens, and the later Micro-Nikkor 200/4D ED-IF AF (I just looked at the Box) which is sharper, but cost 20x as much. These in addition to the two shown. I also have the 25cm F4 Nikkor-Q Manual aperture, Nikon's first long-lens, 600 made? It came with an N-> F adapter. $99 at the same antique store with the pair of Nikon M's.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The 25 cm f/4 is actually a very nice lens, apart from its pitiful small tripod mounting platform. I have CPU-modified my sample (using the NF tube)  so can use it on all my Nikons.

Otherwise I seem to have all the same 200 mm lenses as you do. Plus of course the AIS 200/4 Micro-Nikkor in addition to the AFD Micro, and 200 mm f/5.6 Medical-Nikkor. And the AIS 200/2 and the AFS 200/2 VR.

Apparently I like this focal length?