LENS-DB.COM

Specification

Sources of data

• Manufacturer's technical data.
• Nikon Sales Manual (July 1977).
• Nikkor lenses booklet (1984).
• Nikkor lenses sales manual (January 1979).
• Nikon dealer notebook pages.
• Nikon Sales Manual (June 1978).
• Nikon dealer catalogue.
• Nikon Full Line Product Guide (1996-1997) (August 1996).
• Nikon F2 Photography Guide.
• Nikkor lenses for Nikon and Nikkormat cameras.

Manufacturer description #1

Incredible 40X magnification provides stunning photographs of sports, wildlife, or the night sky. Outstanding image quality. Simple operation via two built-in knobs - one for focusing and the other for filter selection. Easy filter interchange; 5 filters are built into a revolving turret inside the lens. Four 39mm filters bayonet onto the back of the lens.

Manufacturer description #2

Most powerful lens in the Nikon system, offers 40x magnification. Conventional design would require a length of 6 feet; Nikon catadioptric design squeezes it into just 23 1/2 inches. Grip handle embodies alignment finder to help locate subject. Closest focus is 60 feet. Built-in turret contains four filters: UV haze, yellow, orange, red. Weight is 38.6 lbs. Special mount is available which provides effortless rotation and elevation.

Manufacturer description #3

Reflex-Nikkor lenses-500mm, 1000mm and 2000mm in focal length - are a combination of mirror and lens elements. They are based on design principles used in large astronomical telescopes. Incoming light is reflected twice on the mirror surfaces, resulting in compactness of the lens barrel and light weight relative to their focal lengths. The physical lengths of these lenses are less than half of their focal lengths.

The 500mm f/8 Reflex-Nikkor weighs about 1kg, the 1000mm 1.9kg and the 2000mm 7.5kg.

These lenses are effective for scientific applications, sports, natural life and in isolating architectural details.

To adjust image brightness, neutral density or other filters are used, because the Reflex-Nikkor lenses are not equipped with diaphragms.

To compensate for minute displacement of focus caused by temperature changes, the focusing ring on each Reflex-Nikkor lens may be turned beyond the infinity marking.

Sharpness of the focused image is unsurpassed because of the use of reflecting surfaces which do not cause any chromatic aberration. This eliminates the need for the infrared mark on the focusing distance scale.

Taken with this type of lens, the subjects in the out-of-focus range may appear as blurred rings or separated blurred lines.

Manufacturer description #4

This Reflex-Nikkor has the longest focal length - 2000mm - among all Nikkor telephoto lenses. Magnification is 40 times that of a normal 50mm lens, with the angle of view 1° 10'.

It is of the catadioptric type, with two mirrors and three lenses, which accounts for its fairly compact size. The lens barrel is 598mm long.

Three rotations of a focusing knob will suffice to focus this 2000mm telephoto lens from infinity to 20 meters, the closest range. The focusing knob is located at the right-hand side of the rear end of the lens barrel. Distances appear in a glass-covered window above the knob.

This lens features four built-in filters - L39, Y48, 056 and R60 - which move into the optical path at the turn of the knob.

The carrying handle incorporates a peepsight to help the photographer pre-spot his subject.

The lens mount rotates with click-stops to permit selection of the vertical or horizontal picture format. Other features include a rubber-ringed lens hood built onto the lens and two tripod sockets (one for regular 1/4 in. and the other for 3/8 in. size tripods). A special mounting permits this heavy lens to be turned and tilted readily.

From the Popular Photography magazine (January 1971)

Photokina '70

The 2,000-mm Reflex Nikkor f/11 is a somewhat modified version of the huge front-cell focusing mirror-lens shown at photokina in 1968.

Typical characteristics of mirror (reflex) lenses

• Catadioptric system consisting of curved mirrors and optical glass;
• Much shorter, lighter and less expensive designs than conventional super telephoto lenses;
• Outstanding correction of chromatic aberrations;
• Since the aperture is fixed, neutral density filters are used to obtain a smaller aperture;
• Doughnut-shaped out-of-focus highlights.

From the editor

The Reflex-Nikkor 2000mm f11 had only ever been available to special order, and had the longest focal length of any Nikkor lenses. The lens alone weighs 17.5kg, which increases to 42.5kg when combined with its dedicated yoke shape mount.

·C (multi-coated) version of this lens was introduced in 1975.

Notes

• This non-AI lens was designed for Nikon F, F2, Nikkormat FS, FT, FT2, FTN, EL, ELW 35mm film SLR cameras.
• Non-AI lenses cannot be used on Nikon digital SLR cameras (except for the Df) or late (AI) film SLR cameras. However, non-AI lenses can be fitted to Nikon FM, FE, EL2, F3, F4 and Nikkormat FT3 cameras which used the AI metering system but allowed the metering coupling lever to be disengaged. The F5 could have this mechanism fitted as an optional extra. Non-AI lenses can be also fitted to the Nikon F2A and F2AS cameras because the AI mechanism was fitted to the removable metering prism.

Other super telephoto prime lenses in the Nikon F system