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Nikon
50mm f/2 Nikkor-H Auto
Nikon Nikkor-H Auto 50mm f/2. enlarge I get my goodies at Ritz, Amazon and Adorama. It helps me keep adding to this site when you get yours from those links, too. I found this lens in the local classifieds; you can buy them online from Adorama's used inventory for about $40 - 60. September 2007 Top Specs Performance Recommendations I got this along with my Nikon F body for $75 in July 2007. I put this page here so I can reference and link to it in my other articles, and as you'll see, this page is still sparse. Top Introduction Performance Recommendations Name: Nikon calls this the Nikon NIKKOR-H Auto 50mm f/2. Auto means automatic diaphragm, which means the diaphragm opens and closes automatically as you snap the shutter. This was a hot feature back in the 1960s. The H in Nikkor-H means Hex, or six elements. Optics: 6 elements in 4 groups. Close Focus: 2' or 0.6m. Filter: 52mm. Coating: Single-coated mostly in blue. Diaphragm: 6 straight blades. Construction: All metal: metal mount, metal focus ring, metal filter threads, metal aperture ring. Engraved and filled lens name and serial number, engraved and filled aperture ring, engraved and filled colored depth-of-field markings. Size: 2.538" diameter, 1.520" extension from flange (64.46 x 38.59mm), measured. Note: Unlike AI lenses, the aperture rings of these pre-AI lenses extend a bit past the mounting flange. I made a differential measurement from the flange mounting surface, not the overhanging aperture ring. Weight: 7.265 oz. (205.9g), measured. Introduced: March 1967. (Nikon made a similar 50mm f/2 since January of 1964.) Discontinued: September 1972. Mine appears to be from July of 1972. (Other 50mm f/2s were made until March 1979 in both non-AI and AI versions.)
Nikon D40 and 50mm Nikkor-H. enlarge. Top Introduction Specs Recommendations Sharpness: Excellent! Distortion: Little to none. Ease of Focus: Extraordinary. The focus ring flicks with one finger, without play, slop, grittiness or any need for damping. Lenses like these make modern lenses, even off-brands like the Zeiss-branded Cosina-made lenses, feel like poop by comparison. AI Conversion Successful! As shown, I bought this 50mm Nikkor-H in its original non-AI form. I bought an AI conversion kit, which is simply a modern AI aperture ring. It was trivial to unscrew the mount (using specialized scewsdrivers), swap the old ring for new, and now my 50mm f/2 Nikkor-H from 1972 is fully compatible with matrix metering, auto exposure and full EXIF data on my D3. How's that for Nikon preserving long-term investment value in its lenses? I found an old, unused conversion kit; I don't think Nikon sells them any more. Nikon did these conversions for only about $25 each until the 1980s, when everyone who was paying attention should have had their old lenses converted. Top Introduction Specs Performance These pre-AI lenses don't mount to all modern Nikons. Get the AI version if you can since it will mount to everything. This lens will need to be AI converted to work on a D300 or D3. This is an extremely high performance, fast lens at a bargain price used.
PLUG If you find this as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone. Thanks for reading! Ken
Caveat: The all the ads below come from third parties. I don't see them before they appear on your screen. See more at my Buying Advice page. Personally I get my goodies at Ritz (the store, not the hotel gift shop), Amazon and Adorama. |
