APO EL Nikkor 105mm F5.6N and Nikon Z 6

[Michio Akiyama]

Hello Nikon friends,

A small but Big Optical Jet Engine
APO EL Nikkor 105mm F5.6N
https://redbook-jp.com/redbook-e/rfap/ap3.html

Please enjoy and have fun!! Thank you!

Michio Akiyama/JAPAN
A member of NikonGear and Nikon Kenkyukai Tokyo

[Nasos Kosmas]

Very nice thank you!

[Michael Erlewine]

Love this lens. I also had the 210mm version, but sold it as it was cumbersome and no better than the 105mm version. I have the later APO El Nikkor 105mm version and use it on the Cambo Actus Mini view camera, usually with stacking. \

Here is one taken the other day as to what i do with it.

[Michio Akiyama]

This big lens is also nice.
APO EL Nikkor 210mm F5.6
https://redbook-jp.com/redbook-e/rfap/ap4.html

[MEPER]

How would the above image of the yellow flower had looked like if the "normal" EL Nikkor 105/5.6 was used or one of the 105 Micro Nikkors?

[Erik Lund]

Thank you for sharing yet another lens set on the Redbook! It has turned into quite a library Very nice light in those images, crisp and clear!

[Michael Erlewine]

How would the above image of the yellow flower had looked like if the "normal" EL Nikkor 105/5.6 was used or one of the 105 Micro Nikkors?

Not as well corrected in my experience. And the APO El Nikkor 105mm F/5.6, IMO, has a certain style or quality that is pretty much unique IMO.

I have a good many APO lenses and, although each lens has it's qualities and use, few (if any) are quite as flexible and have the micro-contrast (or whatever we can call it) as this lens. And it is not even a fast lens!

[MEPER]

From my darkroom time I have a good collection of enlarger lenses but none are "APO branded". But you would expect an enlarger lens to be a kind of "APO".
I looked in a Nikon Product Guide 1996 - 1998 but among the EL-Nikkors only the "standard" 105/5.6 was present. Apart from the 75/4 which is a 4 lens desogm all other in the guide are 6 lenses in 4 groups designs (double gauss?)
I can see that the APO 105 has got some "hype" as prices are in the high end. I will test my enlarger lenses and see if I really need the "APO".......I hope not.....
During my web search it seems the Printing Nikkor 150/2.8 is also a popular lens for close-up work.

[Toby]

It's worth noting that there are two different versions of this lens with slightly different specs. Both are 8 elements in 4 groups, but the N (new) version is slightly shorter (104.8mm) and has a slightly different distortion characteristic. I have the N version (It was $1200 mint and I couldn't resist) but stupidly, I have never really taken it out for a good spin. It does have an amazing kind of rendition, clean and with great microcontrast.

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

Had the AEN 105mm old and new, sold the old one, kept the new.
Also had the AEN 210mm + 300mm, but sold both as too heavy and bulky.
The 105mm is a tack sharp lens and a pleasure to use...

[dickb]

From my darkroom time I have a good collection of enlarger lenses but none are "APO branded". But you would expect an enlarger lens to be a kind of "APO".

Well, Apo is mostly used to signify a better than usual colour correction, as ideally it should be corrected in a way that all colours focus in exactly the same plane. This is only needed for colour enlarging. I wouldn't expect most enlarger lenses to be highly colour corrected.

I looked in a Nikon Product Guide 1996 - 1998 but among the EL-Nikkors only the "standard" 105/5.6 was present. Apart from the 75/4 which is a 4 lens desogm all other in the guide are 6 lenses in 4 groups designs (double gauss?)
I can see that the APO 105 has got some "hype" as prices are in the high end. I will test my enlarger lenses and see if I really need the "APO".......I hope not.....
During my web search it seems the Printing Nikkor 150/2.8 is also a popular lens for close-up work.

The APO EL Nikkors were always in the higher price range, as they were specialist lenses, I wouldn't qualify that as hype. If you look for a Printing Nikkor 150/2.8, be aware there are several versions, some of which have an image circle larger than full frame cameras, some smaller.