![]() Azuma’s design resulted in a lens that is compact, relatively easy to manufacture, and well corrected in terms of the common optical flaws. A feature that is often mentioned in reference to this lens is that it used rare earth (radioactive) lanthanum glass known for its high refractive index, which allows optical elements to be lighter and thinner, and low dispersion, which helps minimise chromatic aberrations. It has also been noted that the overly large rear element together with the front element, which was large enough for f/1.4, were meant to decrease vignetting. It was based on a Xenotar design but featured an additional doublet at the back which was meant to flatten the field as well as improve the spherical aberration and coma, making it a 7 elements in 5 groups construction (a typical Xenotar features 5 elements in 4 groups). But more than that, its construction was so groundbreaking that a patent was filed in 1956 and approved in 1959 recognising this as a new type of lens altogether – a large diameter wide angle lens. As already mentioned, it was at that time the fastest 35mm lens. The design of the W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/1.8 was completed by Nikon Senior Manager Azuma Hideo in late 1955 and subsequently released in 1956. General purpose, practical, reliable, but definitely not boring. The lens has always been consistently praised not for its character or glow or bokeh monster traits but for solid optical quality and performance on par with the likes of Leica. But it was about more than just bragging rights. The other noteworthy attempt was the subject of this review, the W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/1.8, the fastest 35mm lens at the time. Thanks to these features it was considered the most advanced rangefinder camera of its era. Nikon SP deserves a mention as the first rangefinder with a motorised film advance and for having two viewfinders, a 1x magnification one for lenses 50mm and above and one for wide angle. And this resulted in some really interesting attempts. Back then Nikon had to push hard and go above and beyond because they still played second fiddle to Leica and Zeiss. However, at the time in the 1950s it was a milestone. W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/1.8 LTM mounted on a Leica M Monochrom typ 246Īnd yet one of the most interesting lenses Nikon has (arguably) ever released is also a modest f/1.8 one – the Nippon Kogaku W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/1.8. Then I totally lost touch with lenses made in this century. I remember there being a slightly newer full frame version as well. The Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 DX used to be a very popular lens back in my DSLR days and you could get a used one for around a hundred quid. Mostly associated with the nifty fifty but also often found in 35mm lenses, either those for crop sensors serving as normal lenses or moderate wide angle for full frame. It’s often a compromise between speed, size/weight, and affordability draped in plastic and aimed at budding photographers looking for their first prime or those wanting something light and inexpensive but still faster than a zoom. Nowadays, f/1.8 seems synonymous with entry-level.
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