Can anyone explain Nikon's model numbers?

Can you determine by looking at the model number of a Nikon lens much
about it? Ignoring focal length and aperture, which is easy to sort out,
I'd like to know what the other bits are, if they are used consistently.

I'm looking for some lenses to use on an F6, but some things strike me a
bit difficult to understand.

I will buy some lenses either used or from eBay, but want to know
exactly what I am getting. (The focal lengths of lenses listed below is
just used to indicate what I mean, rather than an intention to buy a
particular lens.)

1) Why is the AF 50mm f/1.4D so much cheaper than a manual focus 50mm
f/1.4? The prices on the f/1.8's are similar. I assumed it might be the
AF model is produced in larger numbers now, but perhaps there are other
reasons. Is the non-AF f/1.4 version optically better than the AF one?

2) What's the difference between an AF and an AF-S lens? i.e.
AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED
and the
AF 18-35 mm f/3.5-4.4D ID-ED


3) Does the 'DC' in the
AF DC 105mm f/2D
indicate 'defocus control'?

4) Does the 'Micro' indicate a lens is basically designed for macro
work, and so optimised for close focusing - e.g.
AF Micro Micro 70-180mm f/4.5-5.6D ED

5) Is 'D' better than 'G'? The salesperson in Jessops said that on
decent body such as an F6, it would be foolish to put 'G' lenses and
instead 'D' ones should be used. But somewhere on the Nikon site, I see
it mentioned the difference between G and D was one has an aperture
ring, so could be used on a manual camera, whereas the other must have
the aperture set by the camera, as you can't set it on the lens.

6) Is the IF in a lens such as
AF 85mm f/1.4D IF
indicate the filter ring does not rotate as the lens is focused?

7) Is a lens such as this "28-105mm f3.5/4.5 AFD IF" on Jessops
http://www.jessops.com/search/viewpr...RD_SEARCH =N&
incorrectly described as an 'AFD'? I can see no mention of an 'AFD' lens
on Nikon's site, but there is an
AF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D IF
which I assume is what this lens on Jessop's site refers to. It's a bit
confusing at times.

8) Do Nikon themselves uses numbers inconsistently? For example, this lens
http://www.europe-nikon.com/details....46 &catId=117

shows an AFS lens, whereas I have seen an AF-S lens of the same focal
listed as being compatible with the F6. Is the AF-S and the AFS just the
same thing?

11) Is the 'VR' vibration reduction lenses - e.g.
http://www.europe-nikon.com/details....86 &catId=117
really designed for digital cameras, and will give no vibration
reduction on a normal 35mm film SLR?


I know ED means Extra-Low Dispersion glass. Would it be reasonable to
assume Nikon only use that on good lenses, or are there any ED lenses
that are best avoided.

I guess what I am really looking for is a way to interpret lenses based
on their part numbers if that is possible.

Also, any pointers for what types of lenses (G, D, IF, IF-ED) to get the
best from an F6? Clearly an autofocus lens is best (but AF, AFS, or AF-S
or AF-xyx?). It has already been pointed out old glass is best avoided.
I will also avoid things such as the really cheap zooms that seem to
cover everything.

Dave wrote:

1) Why is the AF 50mm f/1.4D so much cheaper than a manual focus 50mm=20
f/1.4?

I think the manual focus and auto focus 50 mm lenses are
optically identical. I think you're probably right that the AF
lenses are cheaper because Nikon makes so many more of them. On
the other hand, you can probably get a used MF lens fairly cheap
if you'd like.

2) What's the difference between an AF and an AF-S lens?

The AF-S lens has a built-in motor for autofocus. The AF lens
relies on the motor in the camera body. The AF-S will generally
focus faster.

3) Does the 'DC' in the
AF DC 105mm f/2D
indicate 'defocus control'?

Yes.

4) Does the 'Micro' indicate a lens is basically designed for macro=20
work, and so optimised for close focusing - e.g.
AF Micro Micro 70-180mm f/4.5-5.6D ED

Yes.

5) Is 'D' better than 'G'?

All "G" lenses are also "D" lenses. The "D" means the lens
supports a Nikon flash mode that takes the subject distance into
consideration in calculating flash exposure. The "G" means that
the lens does not have an aperture ring, and aperture must be set
by the camera body. Many older Nikon AF and all MF camera bodies
do not support these lenses, although "G" lenses can often be
used in Program or Shutter-Priority modes. Some of the first "G"
lenses were cheap entry level zoom lenses, and it would be a bit
silly using them with a top of the line body. But some of the
newer "G" lenses are high quality lenses that would be perfectly
appropriate for an F6.

6) Is the IF in a lens such as
AF 85mm f/1.4D IF
indicate the filter ring does not rotate as the lens is focused?

IF stands for Internal Focus. Among other things, that means the
filter ring does not rotate as the lens is focused.

7) Is a lens such as this "28-105mm f3.5/4.5 AFD IF" on Jessops
incorrectly described as an 'AFD'

It just means it's an AF, "D" type lens (see above).

8) Do Nikon themselves uses numbers inconsistently? For example, this =
lens
shows an AFS lens, whereas I have seen an AF-S lens of the same focal=20
listed as being compatible with the F6. Is the AF-S and the AFS just the=
=20
same thing?

Yes, someone just left out the hyphen.

11) Is the 'VR' vibration reduction lenses - e.g.
really designed for digital cameras, and will give no vibration=20
reduction on a normal 35mm film SLR?

I think VR works with all current Nikon AF film bodies, though
maybe not with the bottom of the line entry level bodies. (Most
people buying an entry level body can't afford a VR lens.) It
won't work with a lot of the older, out of production, AF bodies.


Mark Sieving

Dave wrote:

1) Why is the AF 50mm f/1.4D so much cheaper than a manual focus 50mm=20
f/1.4?

I think the manual focus and auto focus 50 mm lenses are
optically identical. I think you're probably right that the AF
lenses are cheaper because Nikon makes so many more of them. On
the other hand, you can probably get a used MF lens fairly cheap
if you'd like.

2) What's the difference between an AF and an AF-S lens?

The AF-S lens has a built-in motor for autofocus. The AF lens
relies on the motor in the camera body. The AF-S will generally
focus faster.

3) Does the 'DC' in the
AF DC 105mm f/2D
indicate 'defocus control'?

Yes.

4) Does the 'Micro' indicate a lens is basically designed for macro=20
work, and so optimised for close focusing - e.g.
AF Micro Micro 70-180mm f/4.5-5.6D ED

Yes.

5) Is 'D' better than 'G'?

All "G" lenses are also "D" lenses. The "D" means the lens
supports a Nikon flash mode that takes the subject distance into
consideration in calculating flash exposure. The "G" means that
the lens does not have an aperture ring, and aperture must be set
by the camera body. Many older Nikon AF and all MF camera bodies
do not support these lenses, although "G" lenses can often be
used in Program or Shutter-Priority modes. Some of the first "G"
lenses were cheap entry level zoom lenses, and it would be a bit
silly using them with a top of the line body. But some of the
newer "G" lenses are high quality lenses that would be perfectly
appropriate for an F6.

6) Is the IF in a lens such as
AF 85mm f/1.4D IF
indicate the filter ring does not rotate as the lens is focused?

IF stands for Internal Focus. Among other things, that means the
filter ring does not rotate as the lens is focused.

7) Is a lens such as this "28-105mm f3.5/4.5 AFD IF" on Jessops
incorrectly described as an 'AFD'

It just means it's an AF, "D" type lens (see above).

8) Do Nikon themselves uses numbers inconsistently? For example, this =
lens
shows an AFS lens, whereas I have seen an AF-S lens of the same focal=20
listed as being compatible with the F6. Is the AF-S and the AFS just the=
=20
same thing?

Yes, someone just left out the hyphen.

11) Is the 'VR' vibration reduction lenses - e.g.
really designed for digital cameras, and will give no vibration=20
reduction on a normal 35mm film SLR?

I think VR works with all current Nikon AF film bodies, though
maybe not with the bottom of the line entry level bodies. (Most
people buying an entry level body can't afford a VR lens.) It
won't work with a lot of the older, out of production, AF bodies.


Mark Sieving

"Dave" wrote in message ...
Can you determine by looking at the model number of a Nikon lens much
about it? Ignoring focal length and aperture, which is easy to sort out,
I'd like to know what the other bits are, if they are used consistently.

Lot of questions, some answered by Google searches. I'll tell you what I
know...

1) Why is the AF 50mm f/1.4D so much cheaper than a manual focus 50mm
f/1.4? The prices on the f/1.8's are similar. I assumed it might be the AF
model is produced in larger numbers now, but perhaps there are other
reasons. Is the non-AF f/1.4 version optically better than the AF one?

Optically identical, AFAIK. Production of AIS lenses is low-to-nonexistant,
and given the huge used equipment market for Nikon MF gear, the new
equipment sells pretty slowly (FM3a a case in point). The MF lenses are more
desirable to owners of older cameras as they are more pleasant to use
manually.

2) What's the difference between an AF and an AF-S lens? i.e.
AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED
and the
AF 18-35 mm f/3.5-4.4D ID-ED

"S"= Silent Wave, Nikon's answer to Canon's UltraSonic Motor (USM). Fast,
quiet AF.

3) Does the 'DC' in the
AF DC 105mm f/2D
indicate 'defocus control'?

Bang on.

4) Does the 'Micro' indicate a lens is basically designed for macro work,
and so optimised for close focusing - e.g.
AF Micro Micro 70-180mm f/4.5-5.6D ED

Yup.

5) Is 'D' better than 'G'? The salesperson in Jessops said that on decent
body such as an F6, it would be foolish to put 'G' lenses and instead 'D'
ones should be used. But somewhere on the Nikon site, I see it mentioned
the difference between G and D was one has an aperture ring, so could be
used on a manual camera, whereas the other must have the aperture set by
the camera, as you can't set it on the lens.

"D" refers to a chip in the lens that relays "D"istance information to the
camera body, mostly for flash exposure control AFAIK. "G" lenses lack an
aperture ring, and hence rely on the body for diaphragm settings. Means old
manual camera owners should steer clear, and old AF body owners should
consider their needs. Until a couple of years back, G-type lenses were
limited to a few substandard samples, i.e. 28-100 kit lenses, 28-200
LoComDenomZooms. The latest incarnation of the press photogs favourite, the
f2.8 tele zoom (70-200 in this instance) is a G lens, so the Jessops (spit)
employee is generalising based on old information.

6) Is the IF in a lens such as
AF 85mm f/1.4D IF
indicate the filter ring does not rotate as the lens is focused?

Yup. "I"nternal "F"ocusing, uses rear elements to focus instead of front
elements.

7) Is a lens such as this "28-105mm f3.5/4.5 AFD IF" on Jessops
http://www.jessops.com/search/viewpr...RD_SEARCH =N&
incorrectly described as an 'AFD'? I can see no mention of an 'AFD' lens
on Nikon's site, but there is an
AF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D IF
which I assume is what this lens on Jessop's site refers to. It's a bit
confusing at times.

Since some point in the 90s, the fact that a new Nikon lens has a D-chip is
a foregone conclusion. D or Non-D is useful to a) ascertain the age of an
older lens, and b) determine which of the current 70-300 Nikon zooms you're
buying. The D-type has ED elements and an aperture ring, the G type has
neither. Neither lens is a "serious user"

8) Do Nikon themselves uses numbers inconsistently? For example, this lens
http://www.europe-nikon.com/details....46 &catId=117

shows an AFS lens, whereas I have seen an AF-S lens of the same focal
listed as being compatible with the F6. Is the AF-S and the AFS just the
same thing?

Yes.


11) Is the 'VR' vibration reduction lenses - e.g.
http://www.europe-nikon.com/details....86 &catId=117
really designed for digital cameras, and will give no vibration reduction
on a normal 35mm film SLR?

VR works on most recent Nikon SLRs, film or digital, from F5 onwards. It
will not function on older AF SLRs or any MF SLRs.

I know ED means Extra-Low Dispersion glass. Would it be reasonable to
assume Nikon only use that on good lenses, or are there any ED lenses that
are best avoided.

Yes. Nikons best zooms in their lineup are constant f2.8, and few others are
worth much merit. Consider your lenses before your body, and don't be afraid
to buy used- Jessops (spit) and Jacobs (yay!) offer 12 month warranty on
used gear. You can save an absolute sodding fortune- I have two f2.8 zooms
giving me a f/l range from 20mm up to 70mm, which cost me £700. For another
£300, I can take that up to 200mm- or I could have used that £1000 to buy a
couple of bog-standard new AF lenses with f4 max apertures.

Also, any pointers for what types of lenses (G, D, IF, IF-ED) to get the
best from an F6? Clearly an autofocus lens is best (but AF, AFS, or AF-S
or AF-xyx?). It has already been pointed out old glass is best avoided.

Like I said, ignore the labels, just the quality. Check out
www.nikonlinks.com for reviews, check Google to see if your specific
questions have come up before, and if in doubt, ask!

(BTW, the old glass thing is ********- most of Nikon's best glass doesn't
zoom or autofocus, and will meter well enough on an F6 or F5 to give you
adequate functionality- certainly better functionality than HCB or Capa had
when they were defining photography. If you find a manual focus 105mm f2.5
AI or AIS lens cheap on your travels, buy it and keep it)

--
Martin Francis http://www.sixbysix.co.uk
"Go not to Usenet for counsel, for it will say both no, and yes, and
no, and yes...."

"Dave" wrote in message ...
Can you determine by looking at the model number of a Nikon lens much
about it? Ignoring focal length and aperture, which is easy to sort out,
I'd like to know what the other bits are, if they are used consistently.

Lot of questions, some answered by Google searches. I'll tell you what I
know...

1) Why is the AF 50mm f/1.4D so much cheaper than a manual focus 50mm
f/1.4? The prices on the f/1.8's are similar. I assumed it might be the AF
model is produced in larger numbers now, but perhaps there are other
reasons. Is the non-AF f/1.4 version optically better than the AF one?

Optically identical, AFAIK. Production of AIS lenses is low-to-nonexistant,
and given the huge used equipment market for Nikon MF gear, the new
equipment sells pretty slowly (FM3a a case in point). The MF lenses are more
desirable to owners of older cameras as they are more pleasant to use
manually.

2) What's the difference between an AF and an AF-S lens? i.e.
AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED
and the
AF 18-35 mm f/3.5-4.4D ID-ED

"S"= Silent Wave, Nikon's answer to Canon's UltraSonic Motor (USM). Fast,
quiet AF.

3) Does the 'DC' in the
AF DC 105mm f/2D
indicate 'defocus control'?

Bang on.

4) Does the 'Micro' indicate a lens is basically designed for macro work,
and so optimised for close focusing - e.g.
AF Micro Micro 70-180mm f/4.5-5.6D ED

Yup.

5) Is 'D' better than 'G'? The salesperson in Jessops said that on decent
body such as an F6, it would be foolish to put 'G' lenses and instead 'D'
ones should be used. But somewhere on the Nikon site, I see it mentioned
the difference between G and D was one has an aperture ring, so could be
used on a manual camera, whereas the other must have the aperture set by
the camera, as you can't set it on the lens.

"D" refers to a chip in the lens that relays "D"istance information to the
camera body, mostly for flash exposure control AFAIK. "G" lenses lack an
aperture ring, and hence rely on the body for diaphragm settings. Means old
manual camera owners should steer clear, and old AF body owners should
consider their needs. Until a couple of years back, G-type lenses were
limited to a few substandard samples, i.e. 28-100 kit lenses, 28-200
LoComDenomZooms. The latest incarnation of the press photogs favourite, the
f2.8 tele zoom (70-200 in this instance) is a G lens, so the Jessops (spit)
employee is generalising based on old information.

6) Is the IF in a lens such as
AF 85mm f/1.4D IF
indicate the filter ring does not rotate as the lens is focused?

Yup. "I"nternal "F"ocusing, uses rear elements to focus instead of front
elements.

7) Is a lens such as this "28-105mm f3.5/4.5 AFD IF" on Jessops
http://www.jessops.com/search/viewpr...RD_SEARCH =N&
incorrectly described as an 'AFD'? I can see no mention of an 'AFD' lens
on Nikon's site, but there is an
AF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D IF
which I assume is what this lens on Jessop's site refers to. It's a bit
confusing at times.

Since some point in the 90s, the fact that a new Nikon lens has a D-chip is
a foregone conclusion. D or Non-D is useful to a) ascertain the age of an
older lens, and b) determine which of the current 70-300 Nikon zooms you're
buying. The D-type has ED elements and an aperture ring, the G type has
neither. Neither lens is a "serious user"

8) Do Nikon themselves uses numbers inconsistently? For example, this lens
http://www.europe-nikon.com/details....46 &catId=117

shows an AFS lens, whereas I have seen an AF-S lens of the same focal
listed as being compatible with the F6. Is the AF-S and the AFS just the
same thing?

Yes.


11) Is the 'VR' vibration reduction lenses - e.g.
http://www.europe-nikon.com/details....86 &catId=117
really designed for digital cameras, and will give no vibration reduction
on a normal 35mm film SLR?

VR works on most recent Nikon SLRs, film or digital, from F5 onwards. It
will not function on older AF SLRs or any MF SLRs.

I know ED means Extra-Low Dispersion glass. Would it be reasonable to
assume Nikon only use that on good lenses, or are there any ED lenses that
are best avoided.

Yes. Nikons best zooms in their lineup are constant f2.8, and few others are
worth much merit. Consider your lenses before your body, and don't be afraid
to buy used- Jessops (spit) and Jacobs (yay!) offer 12 month warranty on
used gear. You can save an absolute sodding fortune- I have two f2.8 zooms
giving me a f/l range from 20mm up to 70mm, which cost me £700. For another
£300, I can take that up to 200mm- or I could have used that £1000 to buy a
couple of bog-standard new AF lenses with f4 max apertures.

Also, any pointers for what types of lenses (G, D, IF, IF-ED) to get the
best from an F6? Clearly an autofocus lens is best (but AF, AFS, or AF-S
or AF-xyx?). It has already been pointed out old glass is best avoided.

Like I said, ignore the labels, just the quality. Check out
www.nikonlinks.com for reviews, check Google to see if your specific
questions have come up before, and if in doubt, ask!

(BTW, the old glass thing is ********- most of Nikon's best glass doesn't
zoom or autofocus, and will meter well enough on an F6 or F5 to give you
adequate functionality- certainly better functionality than HCB or Capa had
when they were defining photography. If you find a manual focus 105mm f2.5
AI or AIS lens cheap on your travels, buy it and keep it)

--
Martin Francis http://www.sixbysix.co.uk
"Go not to Usenet for counsel, for it will say both no, and yes, and
no, and yes...."

In article , Mark Sieving wrote:
Dave wrote:

1) Why is the AF 50mm f/1.4D so much cheaper than a manual focus 50mm
f/1.4?

I think the manual focus and auto focus 50 mm lenses are
optically identical. I think you're probably right that the AF
lenses are cheaper because Nikon makes so many more of them. On
the other hand, you can probably get a used MF lens fairly cheap
if you'd like.

The difference between the MF and AF lenses is the focusing on the MF lenses
done by a helix (a screw type mechainism on the outside of the lens), the AF
lenses focus by a rack and pinion (gear) drive.

The rack and pinion drives are cheaper to make, far more forgiving of
"slop" and much faster.

IMHO the hight of Nikon lens manufacture was the middle of 1977 when the
metal focusing rings were still being used, but the lenes had AI diaphragm
rings and multi-coating.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem Israel
IL Voice: 972-544-608-069 IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
I may be an old fart, but I'm a high-tech, up to date old fart. :-)

In article , Mark Sieving wrote:
Dave wrote:

1) Why is the AF 50mm f/1.4D so much cheaper than a manual focus 50mm
f/1.4?

I think the manual focus and auto focus 50 mm lenses are
optically identical. I think you're probably right that the AF
lenses are cheaper because Nikon makes so many more of them. On
the other hand, you can probably get a used MF lens fairly cheap
if you'd like.

The difference between the MF and AF lenses is the focusing on the MF lenses
done by a helix (a screw type mechainism on the outside of the lens), the AF
lenses focus by a rack and pinion (gear) drive.

The rack and pinion drives are cheaper to make, far more forgiving of
"slop" and much faster.

IMHO the hight of Nikon lens manufacture was the middle of 1977 when the
metal focusing rings were still being used, but the lenes had AI diaphragm
rings and multi-coating.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem Israel
IL Voice: 972-544-608-069 IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
I may be an old fart, but I'm a high-tech, up to date old fart. :-)

"Martin Francis" wrote in message
...
"Dave" wrote in message
...
Can you determine by looking at the model number of a Nikon lens much
about it? Ignoring focal length and aperture, which is easy to sort out,
I'd like to know what the other bits are, if they are used consistently.

This may help: http://www.aiconversions.com/history.html

"Martin Francis" wrote in message
...
"Dave" wrote in message
...
Can you determine by looking at the model number of a Nikon lens much
about it? Ignoring focal length and aperture, which is easy to sort out,
I'd like to know what the other bits are, if they are used consistently.

This may help: http://www.aiconversions.com/history.html

Dave wrote:
Can you determine by looking at the model number of a Nikon lens much
about it? Ignoring focal length and aperture, which is easy to sort
out, I'd like to know what the other bits are, if they are used
consistently.

This is an indirect answer, but you also need to look into compatibility.
The following is for the D2h, but likely applies to the F6 as well:

Nikon D2H

Compatible Lenses: AF Nikkor (including AF-S, DX, VR and D-/G-type): All
functions possible; D-type Manual-Focus Nikkor: All functions except
autofocus and some exposure modes available; AF Nikkor other than D-/G-type:
All functions except 3D Color Matrix Metering and 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced
Fill-Flash possible; AI-P Nikkor: All functions except 3D Color Matrix
Metering, 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash and AF possible; Non-CPU AI
Nikkor: Usable in [A] or [M] mode with Matrix-Metering, Center-Weighted and
Spot metering available. Indication of aperture number, after user inputs
the aperture f/stop and focal length f=mm by multi-selector operation.
Electronic Rangefinder usable with maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster.