Nikkor 8mm f/2.8 question

[Wally]

I have a question for the experts and Nikkor historians:
I am actively searching for a nice clean copy of this lens. Some lenses on the internet show a silver / machined retainer ring of the front lens instead of the usual black mat finish. This seems to be on lenses above S/N 242xxx only. Never saw that before. Any insights?
Thanks all!

[Roland Vink]

Can you point to any pictures showing the lens with the silver ring - websites, ebay auction etc? I don't recall seeing lenses like this.
Serial no 242XXX is very late in the AI series, or have you seen it also on the AIS series 243001 - 2474XX?

If the silver ring is outside the field of view it shouldn't make a difference, but because this lens has such a wide angle of view any reflections from a shiny lens rim could cause problems with flare and ghosting.

Any reason you are looking for the Nikon 8mm over the Sigma or Peleng 8mm circular fisheyes? The others are much more compact and cheaper. Following the recent threads on circular fisheyes I've developed an interest and would like to know your thoughts on them.

[pluton]

I had the Sigma 8mm/3,5 for a while;  The only strange thing was the focus ring:  It rotated under motor power when using the screwdriver AF from the body.  So you can't have your hand or fingers on the focus ring when using AF.

[Wally]

Hi Roland,
You are correct, these are Ai-s versions. I have enclosed a screenshot.
After I got the 16mm/3.5 last year and already have the more modern FX and DX variants I mainly want to complete my collection - hence it must be a Nikkor and not another brand

[Roland Vink]

I had the Sigma 8mm/3,5 for a while;  The only strange thing was the focus ring:  It rotated under motor power when using the screwdriver AF from the body.  So you can't have your hand or fingers on the focus ring when using AF.

That's normal for screw-driver AF lense which don't have an MF/AF switch on the lens.
I usually focus manually anyway, but AF might be useful ... the DOF is so big everything looks in focus in the viewfinder, so you can easily forget to focus it correctly. How did you find he Sigma performed? The Peleng looks generally ok, and cheaper, but from what I have seen  large expanses of sky produce a terrible arc of flare on the opposite side of the circle which would be a killer for me (if this is going a bit off topic feel free to send me a PM)

[Roland Vink]

Hi Roland,
You are correct, these are Ai-s versions. I have enclosed a screenshot.
After I got the 16mm/3.5 last year and already have the more modern FX and DX variants I mainly want to complete my collection - hence it must be a Nikkor and not another brand

That silver ring is strange, all the others I have seen are black ... have you seen several like it? It would be interesting to collect serial numbers to see if these were made in a batch, or is a one-off. I would think that ring could easily cause reflections into the lens causing flare. I suppose you could carefully apply a layer of matte black paint...

[Erik Lund]

Never seen that before,,,

[Wally]

I have now found 2-3 of these. Very strange indeed. One owner claims this version indicates an improved anti-reflective coating. hard to believe IMHO!

[RonVol]

I have now found 2-3 of these. Very strange indeed. One owner claims this version indicates an improved anti-reflective coating. hard to believe IMHO!

Wally, this is very interesting.
Could you please post some higher res images showing more examples of this.
Also, the corresponding serial numbers would be much appreciated.
I've been collecting these lenses for over 15 years and this is the first time I've seen it.
My first thoughts are that it is not a Nikon modification..............but I could be wrong.
Several movie-camera makers adapted these lenses to suit various formats, I wonder if that's what's going on here?

[pluton]

On the Sigma 8mm/3.5: I never did good tripod tests, and my camera at the time was a D3(12 MP). It gave the impression of being a good lens, but perhaps couldn't quite generate the fine detail resolution of my 16/2.8 Ais.
Flare and ghosts from the direct sun were extremely minimal.
On the silver-ringed Nikkor 8mm:  I feel comfortable, based on seeing numerous photos of samples of this lens for decades, with the thought that that lens didn't emerge from the Nikon factory with that silver ring.  There seems to be a gap or "trough" between the outer barrel and the front element that is not Nikon-like.

[Wally]

Ron,
I am attaching two screenshots. The first is an Ai version #240xxx, the second an AiS with #244231.
Given the difference of SN bigger than 4000 it seems unlikely thez came from the same batch. I would also agree with Pluton's statement that these lenses are not "original"

[Roland Vink]

There seems to be a gap or "trough" between the outer barrel and the front element that is not Nikon-like.

The gap is where the front cap screws in...

[Roland Vink]

Ron,
I am attaching two screenshots. The first is an Ai version #240xxx, the second an AiS with #244231.
Given the difference of SN bigger than 4000 it seems unlikely thez came from the same batch. I would also agree with Pluton's statement that these lenses are not "original"

Just saw #244231 for sale on ebay ... yes that ring is definitely bare metal. Could it be a replacement part which was not black-anodized before being assembled? Seems unlikely. I'd wait for another to turn up with the usual black ring...

[Roland Vink]

On the Sigma 8mm/3.5: I never did good tripod tests, and my camera at the time was a D3(12 MP). It gave the impression of being a good lens, but perhaps couldn't quite generate the fine detail resolution of my 16/2.8 Ais.
Flare and ghosts from the direct sun were extremely minimal.

Thanks, useful to know. At this stage I'm inclined towards the Peleng simply because it's so much more affordable, just to get a taste of this type of lens. If it doesn't work I can always upgrade later...

[RonVol]

Ron,
I am attaching two screenshots. The first is an Ai version #240xxx, the second an AiS with #244231.
Given the difference of SN bigger than 4000 it seems unlikely thez came from the same batch. I would also agree with Pluton's statement that these lenses are not "original"

Thanks for that Wally.

Well spotted!
It certainly is a coincidence that both have appeared on eBay at the same time. It might suggest that there may be more out there??
I've asked the seller of #240XXX for the full serial number.

As to the reasons why; the only things I can think of are;

*The factory hasn't anodized /painted the original aluminium retaining ring
*Someone has deliberately removed the black finish
*The ring needed replacing and, with no new parts available, new items have been reverse-engineered from original and the part re-manufactured. Once the machine is programmed, it would take a modern CNC Turning Centre no more than 20-30 minutes to turn-up one of those parts.

Below are an assembly view and a couple of section views.
As you can see; the ring, part #40 (highlighted in red), retains the entire front group-assembly. With the correct tool; it would be quite easy to remove the ring, by simply unscrewing it.