Nikon Lens Terminology Explained.....

Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus, and other lens manufacturers have their own ways to explain what features/technologies are used in their lenses.  Often times I have no idea what they mean nor care.  All the numbers most of us care about are focal lengths and f stops.  Since I'm an owner of Nikon gear, below are list of term used in Nikon lenses.

• Nikkor - It's simply name used for Nikon lenses.
• AF - Autofocus with built-in motor inside camera body. This means that it will not autofocus with basic SLRs without built-in motor.
• AF-I - Autofocus with built-in internal motor.
• AF-S - Autofocus with SWM (Silent Wave Motor) which means that it will work with all DSLRs.
• AF-D - Autofocus with built-in motor inside camera body.  This means that it will not autofocus with basic SLRs without built-in motor.  "D" designation means that the lens will communicate with the distance of focused subject for better flash exposure.
• DX - Designed for APS-C sensor size and not suggested to be used in full sensor, FX, bodies.
• VR and VR II - Vibration Reduction technology to compensate shaky movement that let you handhold at a slower shutter speed than normal.
• "G" - Without aperture ring and it relies on camera to change the aperture.  Omission of the aperture ring will not let you use the lens on old film bodies.  However, some have tried using a hack.
• ED - Stands for Extra Low Dispersion element that helps reduce/elimiate chromatic aberration or color fringes.
• IF - Internal Focusing means that lens barrel does not extend or retract when focusing.  It is all done inside the lens within it's given length.
• "N" - Nano Crystal coating is anti-reflective coating applied to increase lens' performance.

I am sure I am missing some but above are more common terms used by Nikon to describe their lenses.  I hope this helps you when you are shopping for a new Nikon lens an sales people are throwing bunch of these terms at you.

Nikon Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.4 Lens Review

Overview

This lens is one of the fastest lens Nikon makes and is a must have lens for low light/indoor shooter without flash. As you can see from the video above, it focuses fast. Accuracy of the autofocus is excellent as well and because of shallow depth of field at f/1.4, accurate focus is very important.  Also, for the same reason of depth of field at f/1.4 you have to keep in mind not to move after the focus is aquired because you may end up with softer picture.
The version I have relies on built-in camera motor for autofocus so it will NOT autofocus on Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D3000, and D5000. New version of this great lens has been released with improvements such as internal focusing, better coating, and built-in SWM (Silent Wave Motor) so I am sure you can find the older version at a bargain price if your camera can autofocus.


Performance

It is a bit soft at f/1.4 but if you don't want useless blurry pictures at limited light, it is a must have lens. Professionals love this lens because of its fast f stop compared to other zoom lenses they have in their bags. Fast pro zoom lenses have f/2.8 at the widest aperture and they are EXPENSIVE. If you observe test shots, sharpness starts improving as you stop down and everything looks fantastic starting at f/2.8. Of course if you stop down to f/16, it looks softer due to diffraction.


Bottom Line

If you are on tight budget, consider its small brother Nikon Nikkor AF-D 50mm f/1.8 or new Nikon Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8 DX.  Otherwise, it is worth the investment for low light shooting and portrait sessions.  None FX format DSLR (D3, D3X, D3S) users should keep in mind that its equivalent focal length is 75mm due to crop factor but it will make a wonder portrait lens.

Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 AI Manual Focus Lens for Nikon

I found this old lens on sale at a local thrift store for $10 (normally $20). I picked it up to see how well it does with my digital Nikon SLR and have fun with it. The lens was in pretty bad shape when purchased. The focus ring wouldn't go past a certain point making it useless unless the subject is at a certain distance and the threaded part of the lens barrel was exposed because it couldn't be screwed in all the way.

After much fiddling, disassembly and reassembly the lens is back to working condition again and this time it does focus to infinity (∞) covering the entire focal range as it should. Below are shots taken at f/4.0 after the repair.

It is difficult to tell from above pictures, however, photos taken with this lens on my Nikon D300 are sharp and like most lenses out there, stepping down a f-stop or two improves performance. Only reason pictures wouldn't come out sharp is because you can't keep the camera steady since when it's mounted on a cropped sensor camera such as D300, the equivalent focal length becomes 203mm. I don't know about you but hand holding at this focal length without good lighting is tough.

I can't say how practical this lens is these days but if you like the feel of old manual focus lens with all metal construction and is capable of giving you sharp pictures with your modern camera, I think it is a bargain at $10 or even at $20.