James Markus
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I got started on this rabbit hole by Scott's (mp356) impressively sharp copy of the Nikkor 55mm f3.5 AI
which turned out to be a non AI that was factory AI'd. Additionally, it was the "P" version. Then Ken (Ballard) came along with another sharp non AI that had the tab filed off to AI it. My copy of the 55mm f3.5 is a late copy and was manufactured as an AI. It does wonderfully as a macro lens - which is what I always thought it was intended to do by Nikon. However, I was wrong. Nikon intended the 55mm f3.5 to be a good walk around normal lens that could shoot occasional macro images due to it's allowing a vast focusing range (9.5"-infinity), and it's spherical element(s).
The issue with my first AI copy is that I thought it wouldn't focus to infinity (it was actually focusing past infinity) - which, from what I have read, is a "factory or lab" setting done by Nikon during manufacture. It is suppose to be a hard stop on the focus ring. Though multiple people claimed this; it is not true on all three of my copies of the 55mm. One thing mentioned repeatedly is that the 55mm f3.5 AI is one of the sharpest lenses Nikon ever made, and that modern design and manufactured lenses don't seem to be any better. Another thing I was unaware of is the 55mm f3.5 cult status. Since I only spent $40 on my first copy of the AI, I decided to get the factory AI'd "NikKor P.C." (originally a non AI) of the 55mm f3.5. This is the last of the non AI line, and the first to introduce Coatings (hence the "C"). Below is just a sampling of what I found on the web. It may be a massive pile of BS, but what if half of it is true? My $78 dollar wonder lens is in the mail... and now I have it. It is the sharpest of the three.
So why do I want this lens? Some of Scott's landscapes with his copy of the 55 demonstrate amazing sharpness, flatness of field, edge-corner-and across the frame resolving of detail (like leaves on the trees on the horizon) that is perfect for a good landscape lens. I don't care if it is a macro lens if I can use it as a landscape lens. When I was trying to find the right lens for digitizing my color negatives my $40 55mm f3.5 AI was too sharp. It accentuated the film grains - where the Schneider Companon S enlarging lens held the sharp edges, and smoothed the grain. I was surprised a $40, 50 year old lens did so well, and how sharp it was even compared to modern lenses.
Here is a sample of the cult status of Nikon's 55mm f3.5 AI Micro lens
Micro Nikkor P.C 55mm f/3.5 Macro 1:1 Lens Review - "Perfect lens" (2012)
LINK HERE
Quote: "This a perfect lens, very,very sharp, macro ratio 1:1 it has wonderful color rendering and one of the best bokeh what I ever seen, believe me I saw pretty much.Optically perfect I can't imagine better lens"
Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 AI Review (2016) A George Lucas Star Wars story far beyond the Kubrick's epic science fiction film 2001: "A Space Odyssey" using the Nikkor 8mm f8 as a prop.
LINK HERE
Quote:"Did you know that this was the lens used to film the battle cruiser in the opening scene of the original Star Wars movie? George Lucas was after the maximum quality he could get, and he got it. They moved the lens over the model of the ship on a motor-driven slide, instead of moving the ship past the lens. It was filmed by Richard Edlund, who also created the opening scene for Star Trek, where the starship Enterprise whizzes past, and he worked on Raiders of the Lost Ark as well. Richard got several Oscars in his career, and was always a big fan of Nikon."
Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 AI MTF Performance (2020)
LINK HERE
Summary quote: "A true classic, the Micro-NIKKOR Auto 55mm f/3.5 is a great performer even on the latest Nikon DSLRs like D800. Its center performance is outstanding and while the mid-frame and corners suffer from field curvature a bit at the largest apertures, stopping down the lens to f/5.6 produces superb results across the frame."
Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 AI - A Nice History (2020)
LINK HERE
Quote: "As a Standard Lens
The big trick with the 55mm Micro Nikkor, and indeed all macro lenses of a standard focal length, is its ability to function effectively as both a macro lens and a standard lens. The 55mm macro is a lens type that’s made for people who want to make macro photos occasionally (or often) but who don’t want to spend big bucks on a dedicated lens for macro-only shooting, or for users who need to be able to shoot macro shots and then quickly shift to standard photos without removing and replacing a lens. In this way, the 55mm Micro Nikkor excels."
Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 AI - Coin Photography (year ?) (wish I knew about this lens before)
LINK HERE
Quote: "This lens produces very sharp and detailed images across the typical macro magnification range. Very good performance that few lenses significantly better in this magnification range."
Edited on Oct 21, 2021 at 06:40 PM · View previous versions
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