Category Archives: Nikon lenses

Some of the best optics ever

Leica SL2-S with the Nikon PB-4 bellows and 80mm El Nikkor lens

Leica, Macro, Nikon lenses

A versatile bellows and lens pair.

For an index of all Leica-related articles click here.



The 80mm f/5.6N El Nikkor on the PB-4 bellows and the Leica SL2-S.



The reversed 80mm f/5.6N El Nikkor on the PB-4 bellows and the Leica SL2-S.

Bellows variations and history:

My macro hardware journey continues apace, with the Leitz Focusing Bellows II being replaced by the Leitz Bellows-R with the fine 100mm Macro-Elmar-R lens head.

But when it came to bellows it was Nikon who knocked it out of the park. After earlier simpler versions they came up with the PB-4 which is not just a bellows but rather a bellows system. The lower rack provides a large 152mm/6″ movement range, the bellows extension range is a huge 43-185mm/1.9-7.3″ and, wait for it, the front stage offers both tilt/swing and shift movements! With some of the attributes of a 4×5 field camera in a 35mm bellows device, this not so little hummer weighs in at 2lbs 12 ozs. By contrast the lower rack movement of the Bellows-R is 68mm/2.7″.

A bellows system:

System, you ask? There were two film holder attachments, one for rolls (PS-4), the other for mounted slides (PS-5). There was the E2 extension ring with an aperture opening device for ease of focusing back in the bad old film days, and there was the Extension Tube set K if the 6″ maximum bellows extension proved insufficient. There was a repro copy stand for copying of flat subjects, the Model PF, and a waist level finder for the Nikon F body along with a special purpose focusing screen. Last and not least there was the reversing ring BR-2 (later BR-2A for lenses with CPUs) which has a 52mm thread on one side and a Nikon F bayonet in the other. This allows the lens to be reversed on the bellows for best definition when the reproduction ratio is life-size or larger. There was a host of other BR rings for reversing lenses and controlling the aperture.

Additionally my PB-4 came with a Nikon M2 extension tube which provides 27.5mm of extension. Handy, if hardly essential.

Later versions:

Nikon made two more bellows following the PB-4. The simpler PB-5 which dropped the tilt and shift function and removed the lower rack (boo!) and the PB-6 which adopted a monorail design in lieu of the four rails of the PB-4, but also dropped the tilt/shift front stage, while retaining the lower rack. The PB-6 had one advantage in that the rear stage was even more elevated, allowing clearance for camera bodies which had a motor drive attached or are simply very tall, like the D1/2/3/4/5/6. Further a bellows extension could be attached to the front for a truly gigantic extension range.

Why yet another bellows?

My reason for this acquisition is that I find I am regularly frustrated by the relatively short lower rack fore-and-aft movement range of the Leitz Bellows-R, especially when subjects with significant depth are involved where you want to focus stack to get everything sharply defined front to back. With the PB-4 almost tripling the lower rack range that issue goes away. Further the relatively high stand-off between the rails and the camera mount means that fore and aft movement of the rails is unimpeded (both front and rear standards can be moved independently) and the camera body can be rotated through 90 degrees on the rear standard without impediment.

Optimizing the use of the tilt/shift function – the 80mm El Nikkor:

How best to exploit the handy tilt/shift front stage? Well, normal lenses need not apply as their image circles are too small. Tilt and/or shift that front stage and you quickly start impinging on the edges of a regular lens’s image circle, where definition is poor. No, what is called for is a lens with a large image circle, and none is finer than the 80mm f/5.6 El Nikkor of May 1966 which was computed as an enlarging lens for coverage of film up to 6x7cm. Nikon made a large range of El Nikkors all the way up to a 360mm f/5.6 monster, used to enlarge images on 11″ x 14″ film. Wow!

The 80mm f/5.6 is a six element design, an improvement on the 75mm f/4 four element variant. The 80mm lens comes in M39 Leica Thread Mount and the image circle is a large 65mm, meaning no edge issues even at full tilt and/or shift. Further, in the absence of tilt or shift you are using the center of the image circle, which is the sweet spot. The lens is an optical unit only, meaning it has no focusing helicoid. The 1966 design was revised in 1980 for yet better performance, now named the 80mm f/5.6N EL Nikkor.



Construction of the 1966 80mm f/5.6 El Nikkor.



Construction of the 1980 80mm f/5.6N El Nikkor.
40.5mm filter thread replaces the 34.5mm of the original
and apertures are illuminated for darkroom use.

Note the increases in the entrance and exit pupils in the later design. This is much more than an exercise in ‘badge engineering’.

As regards the illuminated aperture dial, Nikon states: “N-type EL-Nikkor lenses have a window that lets light through to the aperture value when the lens is mounted on an enlarger. While this mechanism is very convenient for darkroom work, it causes light leak when used as a photographic lens, and must therefore be covered.”



The arrow indicates the illumination pass-through window for darkroom work.
A small piece of black electrical tape takes care of the light leak.

You can read Nikon’s amusing history of this lens here. The article primarily addresses the redesigned late ‘N’ version.

Adapters required for use with the Leica SL2-S:

The PB-4 has Nikon F mounts front and rear so a Nikon F-to-Leica L mount adapter is required at the rear of the bellows and an M39-to-Nikon F adapter for the front stage, where the rear of the lens is attached.



The 80mm f/5.6 El Nikkor. On the left (rear) the M39 LTM-to-Nikon F ring.
On the right a 40.5mm UV filter, the 40.5mm-to-52mm step-up ring
and the Nikon BR2A reversing ring. This setup allows the lens to be mounted
either way on the PB-4 bellows.

One especially neat feature of the 80mm El Nikkor is that it has a second set of click stops which allows the lens to be rotated once mounted so that the apertures are optimally visible. Neat.

How about the 135mm Elmar lens head?



The fairly rare 16580L Leitz adapter is required to convert
the 135mm f/4 Elmar lens head to M39 LTM, which can then
be screwed into the M39-to-Nikon F adapter for bellows use.



The 135mm Elmar lens head on the PB-4 bellows with
ring light attached. Note the clearance between the camera’s body
and the ring light from the bellows’s rails.

With the 135mm Elmar mounted in the 16580L adapter the magnification range with the PB-4 bellows is from infinity (bellows collapsed) to 1/2 life size (bellows fully extended). Thus the combination of the 80mm and 135mm lens heads yields a range from infinity through 2.5 times life size.

Cost:

It pays to be patient as prices are all over the place. I paid $156 for the PB-4 with the M2 ring and $76 for the 80mm f/5.6N El Nikkor. The ‘N’ denotes the later redesigned version of the lens which is reputed to be the finest optically. The filter thread size is 40.5mm, an improvement on the quirky 34.5mm on the original 80mm El Nikkor lens. Good luck finding a step-up ring or UV filter in that size.

Alternative lenses with a large image circle:

The German manufacturers Schneider (Componon) and Rodenstock (Rodagon) also made fine 80mm f/5.6 enlarging lenses during this era, both 6-element designs and covering a large image circle. Mint samples can be found for around $100. Schneider Componons are frequently plagued with element separation so check carefully before purchase. The likely causes are use of incorrect balsam and the considerable heat generated in a traditional film enlarger.

The Scheimpflug Principle:

For maximum depth of field with subjects which are not plane to the camera you want plane lines for the digital sensor, the lens and the subject to coincide at one point when the front stage of the bellows is tilted. This is known as the Scheimpflug Principle. In practice, with the outstanding EVF in the Leica SL2-S, trial and error, aided by the finder magnification function to check focus, is the quickest way to go. As the front stage is tilted the shift function can be used to restore centering of the subject in the viewfinder.



The Scheimpflug Principle illustrated.
This is how focus is optimized when the subject is not parallel to the sensor.

Using the tilt/swing front standards can greatly reduce the number of images required for a sharp overall focus stack. For example, where a flower stem leans away from the camera, the tilt feature, the sensor and the stem are aligned using the above illustration.

Tilt or swing?

When mounted normally on a tripod the front panel swings about a vertical axis. To confer tilt, which is arguably more useful, the whole rig – camera body and bellows – must be turned through 90 degrees whereupon the front panel now tilts about a horizontal axis.

A first result:

The El Nikkor on the PB-4 offers a magnification range from approximately 1/3rd life size when fully collapsed to 2.5 times life size when fully extended, in either regular or reversed lens mount. This image was taken at 1/3rd life size:




Click the image for a larger version.

Leica SL2-S, 80mm El Nikkor f/5.6N at f/11, ISO400, three strobes. Composite of 37 images focus stacked in Helicon Focus. The long lower rack movement of the PB-4 is a real boon with this ‘deep’ subject. Looking at the enlarged version you can see where a bug explored various parts of the center between exposures!

At the bird box

Nikon lenses, Photographs

Bird photography for the lazy man.

I set the camera up with a long lens on a tripod on the patio, with a wireless shutter release fitted:



The Nikkor 400mm f/5.6 ED IF Ai-S lens on the Nikon D800.

Then I repaired to the office whence I have a great view of the bird box and banged away when the bird(s) arrived. Now if only I could get something better than a common sparrow ….



The view from the home office.

And here are a couple of happy results:



Common sparrow.



Common sparrow with prey.

Nikon D800, 400mm f/5.6 ED IF Nikkor at f/22 on a Linhof S168 tripod.

I made the box from odd wood scraps and it has been nothing but a joy.

Nikkor 200mm f/4 Micro-Nikkor IF

Leica, Nikon lenses

The last long macro lens with manual focus from Nikon.



The 200mm Micro-Nikkor f/4 IF.

Nikon made three versions of the 200mm Micro-Nikkor – the Ai (1978-82), the Ai-S (1982-2005) and the AF-D (1993-2020). The first two are optically identical (9 elements in 6 groups) while the last was reformulated (13 elements in 8 groups) with autofocus added. The manual focus versions focused down to half life size while the autofocus optic went all the way down to life size, albeit at a substantial weight penalty. At 800g/28.2ozs the Ai-S weighs 390g/13.8oz less than the AF-D version. All feature Internal Focusing, meaning the lens does not change in length as it is focused and allows the manual focus versions to sport the smoothest and lightest focus movement.

For the sort of contemplative, studio-based macro work I favor, autofocus is the very last thing you want or need. With focus stacking software manual focus is the order of the day.

At 200mm the lens affords a long lens-to-subject distance making for ease of lighting. Mine was made in 1999, one of 20,004 manufactured and arrived in mint condition from Japan. It came with the detachable tripod collar, a must-have for proper balance on a tripod. The collar is easily removed for handheld use and allows the rig to be rotated through 90 degrees on a tripod.

The lens has a reputation for being sharp at normal and close focus distances, and my experience confirms that this is so. Best resolution is at f/8, with little change through f/16. There is modest loss of resolution at f/22 and f/32, owing to diffraction. The lens is fully usable at f/4 and f/5.6. Mechanically it’s hard to imagine it could be improved upon, with everything machined at the highest quality level. I bought mine for a song, all of $168 with tax, duties and shipping from Japan.

This is what I think of as a ‘lazy man’s macro lens’. Unless extreme close-ups are required no attachments are necessary – no bellows, no extension tubes, and the generous working distance from the subject, even at the closest focus, makes for ease of lighting and use. The short lens hood is of marginal value and, as appears to be the case with all IF Nikkors I have used, flops about and is generally a nuisance.

As a walkabout 200mm, with the tripod collar removed, it’s a dream to use and with the tripod collar fitted it’s very easy to use for extreme close-ups.

Here is the result at f/4 at infinity focus, handheld, SOOC:




Click the image for a larger version.

And here is a close up of a Peony from my garden at the closest-focus distance:




Click the image for a larger version.

Leica SL2-S, Nikon F to Leica L adapter, 200mm Micro-Nikkor at f/11, ISO100, three strobes. 11 images focus stacked in Helicon Focus.

If you want simple, high quality macro gear at a bargain price the 200mm Micro-Nikkor IF is just the ticket.

Comparison with the 200mm Leitz Telyt:

Careful tripod base images taken with the Micro-Nikkor and Telyt show the two to be uncannily similar in performance at all apertures through f/16. At f/22 diffraction starts to take the edge off definition with both and the Micro-Nikkor adds f/32 at which aperture it is slightly worse than it is at f/22. The lens weights with adaptors and tripod mounts/Arca Swiss plates are also uncannily similar – 33.9oz for the Micro-Nikkor compared with 33.2oz for the Telyt. However, as you gain the macro focusing range with the Micro-Nikkor, and given that used prices are also extremely similar, the Micro-Nikkor would be the better choice. Both optics are made to the very highest mechanical standards and the Micro-Nikkor permits removal of the tripod mount for handheld use, saving a few ounces. The Micro-Nikkor also adds Internal Focusing which I find superior to the traditional helicoid design of the Telyt.

Leica SL2-S and the Nikkor 400mm f/5.6 ED IF Ai-S lens

Leica, Nikon lenses

A late Nikon MF long lens.

For an index of all Leica-related articles click here.



The Nikkor 400mm f/5.6 ED IF Ai-S lens on the Leica SL2-S.

History:

The previous version of this lens I owned in 2012 was the 300mm f/4.5 which proved to be a splendid performer, although mostly limited to static subjects. There is no auto focus.

Like the 300mm this 400mm lens includes Extra Dispersion glass elements for better resolution but, most importantly, also sports Internal Focusing, meaning that despite its considerable weight the focus collar – which moves selected internal elements only without changing the length of the lens – is lightweight and a delight to use. There is absolutely no binding.

Nikon made many versions of manual focus 400mm lenses as Roland’s exhaustive database discloses. Extracting from that list:



No fewer than eleven 400mm lenses to choose from.

The best version:

The best of the bunch are those with IF, for ease of focusing, with Nikon’s reputation for sharp, long lenses taking care of the rest. See the test images towards the end of this piece. While there were faster f/3.5 and f/2.8 versions of the IF lens, weight skyrockets with these, placing the f/5.6 version in the sweet spot. At 42 ozs/1200 grams the f/5.6 is the lightest of all, with the f/3.5 coming in at 99 ozs/2800 grams and the f/2.8 at a whopping 182 ozs/5150 grams. Can you say “tripod only”? Stated differently, the 400mm f/5.6 Nikkor weighs just 8 ounces more than the Leitz 200mm f/4 Telyt.

The lens was originally sold with a removable tripod collar and you really want this for proper balance on a tripod or monopod. Mine came with OEM front and rear caps, a Hoya 72mm UV filter and included the tripod collar. I paid a modest $215 for an optic in near mint condition, no haze, fungus or element separation, with butter smooth focus. Mine is s/n #294155 which makes it March 1997 vintage, a veritable youngster compared with some of the 60+ year old Leitz glass I often use on the SL2-S. I write ‘near mint’ as it is actually mint except for the floppy lens hood. See below.

My goal is to use it for architectural studies on the Leica SL2-S so I added a Fotasy Nikon F-to-Leica L adapter for $15. It’s perfectly machined and a tight fit, and permits infinity focus on the SL2-S.

The detent screw and the awful lens hood:

In addition to the aperture and focus collars there’s a chrome screw on the front ring, just rear of the lens hood. This provides a detent for a pre-selected focus position, allowing return to that position in the event the lens is focused elsewhere. Useful for motorsport or bird photography, it works beautifully. To disable it simply rotate the ring past either end of the focus range and lock it in place – as in the image above.

As with the 300mm f/4.5 the design of the lens hood is simply awful. It flops about, does not lock in the open position and is generally a nuisance. Quite why Nikon never got this right when they went to great pains to make a superior lens beats me. A long screw-in hood, something like this, is a better alternative. I have wrapped a length of black electrician’s tape around the periphery of the lens so the hood at least remains in the deployed position. You can just make it out in the image above.

Apertures and the tripod collar:

These range from f/5.6 through f/32 in (mercifully) full click-stops. No half-stop nonsense.

The tripod collar has helpful white dots for horizontal and vertical camera orientation. When the (captive) knob is unscrewed the collar hinges and can be removed for easier handholding. I have fitted the collar with an Arca-Swiss plate for use with the Artcise ball head on my monopod.

Focus and balance:

The closest focus distance is 13′ which is equivalent to a standard 50mm lens focusing down to 20″. Not at all bad. As with the 300mm variant the lens focuses beyond infinity to allow for thermal expansion in warm weather:



Focus beyond infinity. The orange lines denote depth-of-field at f/32.
The red dot is the infra red focus mark.

Fitted to the SL2-S body with the Nikon F-to-Leica L adapter the center of gravity is exactly below the tripod collar. Perfect.

Leitz alternatives – pass:

Why not opt for a long Leitz optic? Well, they simply never got it right. The early 400mm f/5 Telyt uses a regular focus collar and is very heavy at 70 ozs/2000 grams plus a raft of adapters for the L mount, and not especially sharp by modern standards. Like the 280mm f/4.8, which I once owned, the weight of the glass causes the focus collar to bind unless the front of the lens is well supported. The f/5 can be found for under $500.

The later f/5.6 Telyt lens head requires the trigger focus pistol grip attachment, is a simple so-so sharp two element achromat, and weighs in at 65 ozs/1850 grams for the kit. Reckon on $750-1,000 and get the R-mount version which requires just the R-to-L adapter for the SL2-S.

The even later 400mm f/6.8 Telyt, 67 ozs/1830 grams, also a simple achromat, has a push-pull focus trombone released with a side button. I owned one and definition was reasonable, but the first thing you will want to do is get the movement re-greased – probably an additional $200. Unless it’s perfectly smooth nailing focus becomes an exercise in (jerky) frustration. $500-750 and try to get a complete kit which includes a handy shoulder stock. Also look for an R-mount.

Both the f/5.6 and f/6.8 lenses are long-focus, not telephoto, designs and very long and unwieldy in use. So, in terms of ease of use, light weight and optical quality the Nikkor is a bargain, and that’s before you pull out your wallet. By contrast with the Leitz offerings, the Nikkor protrudes just 285mm/11.2″ from the camera’s bayonet flange with the Nikon F-to-Leica L adapter in place.

Disassembly:

Fancy dismantling a beater 400mm Nikkor to clean oil off the iris and re-lubricate the focus movement? Be warned. This is a very complex piece of mechanical engineering as this instruction set reveals. There are several lacquered screws to remove and careful marking of helicoid positions is essential if you want the lens to focus properly on reassembly. Not a job for the inexperienced or faint of heart. Better to search out a mint example than risk destroying a beater.

Tele-converters:

These came in 1.4x and 2.0x versions, making the lens a 560mm f/8 or 800mm f/11. The 1.4x version is the TC-14B (Ai-S), with the 2.0x version being the TC-201 (Ai-S). While I have used neither they have a good reputation for maintaining the prime’s optical quality. Reckon on $50-75 each. With high quality modern digital sensors I would expect that simply cropping in post will yield results every bit as good as using a teleconverter, and it means one thing less to carry.

IBIS on the Leica SL2-S:

What does use on the SL2-S mirrorless body offer with this long manual lens that is not available on a DSLR film or digital body? In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) is the most important feature. You get up to 5 stops of stabilization on a long lens which is prone to camera shake. Further, owing to the EVF, when using aperture priority auto exposure mode the image brightness is constant at all apertures, making for much easier use. Finally, the image magnification option in the SL2-S makes correct focus a breeze.

Two settings are required for IBIS to work:

  • Menu->Page 5->Image Stabilization->On
  • Menu->Page 6->Camera Settings->Lens Profiles->R lens->Choose any 400mm lens
  • OR
  • Menu->Page 6->Camera Settings->Lens Profiles->Other lens->400mm

It’s essential to dial in the correct focal length of the lens (the lens’s name is not important) so that IBIS can properly compensate for camera shake. So if your lens’s name does not appear on any of the many choices, choose a lens of identical focal length and all will be well. The EXIF data can be changed using an LRc plugin such as CaptureTime to EXIF.

Test results:

IBIS, along with the relatively light weight of the Nikkor, makes handholding a realistic possibility. The delightfully smooth and light IF focus technology makes nailing focus easy, aided by the EVF magnification feature of the SL2-S body.




Click the image to download the 4mb zip file.
Apertures used are in the file name, so ‘f56’ means f/5.6, etc.

There is just a hint of diffraction, meaning loss of definition, at f/32, but it’s not a big deal. Also, AutoISO elected ISO1600 at f/32, which will take some definition away. These were all handheld with focus on the registration plate. I have AutoISO set for a minimum shutter speed of 1/250th second. That, and IBIS, take care of any camera shake.

Conclusion:

A fine 400mm optic with delightfully smooth manual focus at a bargain price.

Out-of-focus rendering? Talk of smooth!



At f/5.6 and 18 feet, through the window of my office. Handheld @ 1/250 second.