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Nikon Micro-Nikkor-P.C MF 55mm f/3.5 Non-AI (Samples)
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:53 am    Post subject: Nikon Micro-Nikkor-P.C MF 55mm f/3.5 Non-AI (Samples) Reply with quote
So I haggled my local Pawn shop down from $69.95 to $40.00.
I told the pawn shop owner that I have seen this lens sitting there for 6 months collecting dust, and showed him the $40 in my hand Smile

Taken on my Canon 20D, with a Nikon adapter.







PostPosted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 12:15 pm    Post subject: Micro Nikkor Reply with quote
$40 ? I should emigrate to wherever you live Exclamation

Very nice find, and good pictures too - I like number 3 especially.


PostPosted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 12:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Excellent quality.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
They have a Nikkor-UD AI 20mm for $40
I tested it on my camera and it is super tack on. Nothing wrong with it but some scratches on the body.
Glass is perfect.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Razster wrote:
They have a Nikkor-UD AI 20mm for $40
I tested it on my camera and it is super tack on. Nothing wrong with it but some scratches on the body.
Glass is perfect.


One of the best ultrawide what I ever had. Quiet rare common market price above 200 USD even if awful looking.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
Razster wrote:
They have a Nikkor-UD AI 20mm for $40
I tested it on my camera and it is super tack on. Nothing wrong with it but some scratches on the body.
Glass is perfect.


One of the best ultrawide what I ever had. Quiet rare common market price above 200 USD even if awful looking.


I guess I should have bought that before the micro Smile
It will be ok, I hid it behind some old CTV lenses they had.

They also have a 300mm Super Tak M42 for $50
Is it worth a look?


PostPosted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Razster wrote:
Attila wrote:
Razster wrote:
They have a Nikkor-UD AI 20mm for $40
I tested it on my camera and it is super tack on. Nothing wrong with it but some scratches on the body.
Glass is perfect.


One of the best ultrawide what I ever had. Quiet rare common market price above 200 USD even if awful looking.


I guess I should have bought that before the micro Smile
It will be ok, I hid it behind some old CTV lenses they had.

They also have a 300mm Super Tak M42 for $50
Is it worth a look?


Micro is a great lens as you know already, 300mm Tak also. Market value is around 200 USD too . You must be leave on moon Wink or in a rich American colony Wink


PostPosted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Attila wrote:
Razster wrote:
Attila wrote:
Razster wrote:
They have a Nikkor-UD AI 20mm for $40
I tested it on my camera and it is super tack on. Nothing wrong with it but some scratches on the body.
Glass is perfect.


One of the best ultrawide what I ever had. Quiet rare common market price above 200 USD even if awful looking.


I guess I should have bought that before the micro Smile
It will be ok, I hid it behind some old CTV lenses they had.

They also have a 300mm Super Tak M42 for $50
Is it worth a look?


Micro is a great lens as you know already, 300mm Tak also. Market value is around 200 USD too . You must be leave on moon Wink or in a rich American colony Wink


Pawn/Loan shops my friend... They have baskets full of these lenses sitting in a locked cabinet collecting dust.
I was introduced to them yesterday by the woman who runs the shop - she said they have been there for years collecting dust and that she wants them out!

Smile

There are 100mm Nikon AF macro's for $50 with clean glass and a bunch of 28/105 nikons, 35/140's etc
I just don't have the time to sit and test them all.

I will be headed to Reno in order to explorer all the Pawn/Loan shops for lenses in a month Smile
But I see these lenses all the time go for dirt cheap.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 1:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have a 1974 PC diamond grip version and could not understand why it did so well at infinity.

Supposedly the 55/2.8 shoots better at infinity than the 3.5--that's what I thought--In fact in my case the opposite is true--the 55/2.8 is better close in----but not better than the OLD ones.
centers 100% @ f/8
55/2.8:

below the 3.5 @ f/8


the 3.5 is a bit shorter and fatter: 237 grams 60USD
the 2.8: 291 grams 85USD

well according to bjorn and MIR there are at least 4 verisons of the 55/3.5 which have significant differences.

Mine has been reworked for good distance performance, while it is NOT as good for macro as the older ones.

the first F mount actually went 1:1 without a tube. That thing is worth some money Smile very few made.

anyway, from MIR
"55mm f/3.5 Micro-Nikkor-P Auto

The first significant change in the physical appearance of Micro-Nikkor lenses may have been occurred between 1974-1975. It was in line with a common Nikkor lens updating program which covered many other lenses as well. The most distinguish difference is the focusing grip where a diamond-ridged design was adopted and a scalloped aperture was still retained. There are two scales for the reproduction ratio, one with the lens alone and another when an Extension Tube is used, were engraved on the distance ring. But above all, this lens has an entirely optical composition in a new 5 elements in 4 groups design instead of 5 elements in 3 groups design used on previous version"

This fact is utterly overlooked by nearly everyone--no mention in nikon tales, rockwell does not mention it, and far and wide a 55/3.5 is a 55/3.5 with only coatings and grips changing.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
my 55/2.8 is sharp at infinity AND at close-up even wide open Wink


PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cograts Razster, nice samples, you find a bargain shop!


PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 5:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The Pre-Ai 55mm Micro-Nikkor F3,5 is one of the best lenses I know, without any limitation and compared to the best lenses of all brands.

Ah, I almost forgot: The adress of this shop, please. I am just checking flights... Razz


PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 6:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Razster wrote:

Pawn/Loan shops my friend... They have baskets full of these lenses sitting in a locked cabinet collecting dust.


And what about feeding the LBA of the "poor" members of this forum sharing the address of the site (or, even better, the listing of the lenses and their prices) Wink ?

BTW, the Micro-Nikkor 55/3.5 you found is a really fine lens, i currently use it on my K10D with a Nikon-to-M42 adapter Wink ...


PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
This rapidly became one of my fetish lenses but after looking at some macro M42 hardware, I doubt I will be investing in one of these.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
BenediktW wrote:
The Pre-Ai 55mm Micro-Nikkor F3,5 is one of the best lenses I know, without any limitation and compared to the best lenses of all brands.

Ah, I almost forgot: The adress of this shop, please. I am just checking flights... Razz


Which pre-AI 55/3.5?
There are basically five versions, and two formulas.

The original preset 1:1
The early non-comp
The compensating aperture version---best as macro--not good at infinity
The diamond grip: new formula--now great at infinity, not quite as good macro.
The diamond PC: now multicoated.

These are all pre-AI

Mine is the last mentioned, took it out tonite:


this version seems frankly superb at infinity








all handheld, most wide open Smile

image of my version
http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/c5535.jpg

Again, Bjorn does not consider this one worth using professionally for macro work.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
uhoh, yours looks like a great lens to me!
Do you know the history of the 55/2.8 Micro?


PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 9:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Kram wrote:
uhoh, yours looks like a great lens to me!
Do you know the history of the 55/2.8 Micro?


just what I read here:
http://imaging.nikon.com/history/nikkor/26/index.htm

My understanding is there is only one version, one formula. Fantastic lens plauged by terrible choice of lubricants.

Bjorn had his cleaned three times and gave up.

Mine is now sticky Sad

here some samples




now another infiinity shot and crop from the 55/3.5 PC



100%

crop is from upper right of original

to me it acutually looks slightly better than the 2.8, but anyway it's obviously no slouch at inifinity.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 9:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks again uhoh! I love my 55/2.8 but am currently trying a Zeiss 60/2.8 which I feel is better. This is a bit of hair-splitting though as both are very good.

Last edited by Kram on Sun Aug 21, 2011 9:29 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Enjoy it! It's a fabulous lens and an excellent bargain.

I have one of these gems, a compensating version. I got it from eBay, including the 1:1 ring, for $45. It's in excellent condition, with glass as clean as my recently serviced 25-50/4 Zoom Nikkor. I guess no one was watching ebay that day.

This is one of the lenses on my "must keep" list.


PostPosted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 5:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I acquired a compensating type Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 recently. First walk with the lens, and I feel it's good at macro, mid-, and far distance.


Macro-distance by Brian Zhou, on Flickr


Mid-distance by Brian Zhou, on Flickr

Far-distance by Brian Zhou, on Flickr


PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nice shots everyone. These were taken with a non-AI version of the 55mm Nikkor Micro: specifically, this is a “K” version. All shots were taken @ f/4 or f/5.6. Best jt


#1


#2


#3


#4


#5


PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
are these model houses, or why did you use a micro Nikkor? Twisted Evil

joke aside, it is still a great series of lenses these 55 Nikkors and your pics are showing it for one of them in a perfect way


PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Like 1


PostPosted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 10:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
About the house pictures, are you pressed up against a fence? Just wondering why we don't see the whole house... Very Happy
It feels like it has this tension between an almost complete house, and a detail shot, I quite like them as they are.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lightshow wrote:
About the house pictures, are you pressed up against a fence? Just wondering why we don't see the whole house... Very Happy
It feels like it has this tension between an almost complete house, and a detail shot, I quite like them as they are.


Your intuitions are good, sensing something restrictive, though “tension” might be replaced with a better word. That day, I had nothing wider than 55mm. So, while it varies from home to home, there were situations where backing up, (more), was not possible. Sometimes, I’m on the edge of the sidewalk, other times, backed into the street (not recommended btw) to get a particular composition: perhaps the tension you sense is my dodging cars while I’m trying to discern focus & grab the shot. Smile LOL More seriously: the observations expressed in your comments are thought provoking & welcome.

But, where did you ever see any one shot where an entire home is encapsulated in the composition? Wink Though your point, that an entirety of one side of the home is incomplete, is understood. However, this has the advantage of being ably to more fully fill the frame: there is a school of shooting which preaches always “Fill the frame!” Anyway, I strive to challenge myself & to not fall into limited ways of seeing the world--the net effect is to promote learning.

Here are a couple more with 55mm (on APS-c, so effectively 82.5mm) where freedom in which to move was not an issue--from the High Peaks region of New York & the Presidential range of New Hampshire, respectively. Best, jt


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