Zoom Nikkor 43-86 mm

I guess these questions are as much for Bob Atkins as anyone, but I

would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows.

 

I have had a late model lens for some years, and have been

reasonably satisfied by its performance. I have been forever

puzzled by its zoom range of 43-86 mm. There are five versions of

the lens, the focal length range was never changed, and no third-

party manufacturer copied it(?) The lens was discontinued, and

replaced by a 36-72 mm per Peter Braczko in "The Complete Nikon

System."

 

What is the design magic of this lens; why did no one else find this

same magic? Its maximum focal length is twice its minimum (as is

the FL of its successor); what does that have to do with anything?

The zoom range is a very limited convenience improvement over a 50

mm prime lens and not as sharp, so why bother?

 

Can anyone shed light on this?

A lot of the reason for the lens has to do with history. This was the first consumer grade zoom lens that covered the "normal" focal length from Nikon. I can't say exactly why 43-86 was chosen but it was probably a decision based on the optical technology available and the manufacturing costs. Also, remember that zoom lenses did not really get wide until the designs could be done with the aid of computers. It is most likely a lot easier to design an 80-200 zoom than it is a wide to mid tele lens. 43mm was probably as wide as they could go at the time. It was also the first zoom lens that most Nikon F and Nikkormat owners ever purchased and many of them fell in love with the convenience, despite the questionable sharpness. So many of these lenses were sold that it became a "Trademark" lens for Nikon, so much so that I have always been surprized that Nikon never made an AF version. During this period the most common print size was 3 1/2 x 5 and at that small of an enlargement the sharpness of the 43-86 was perfectly adequate. What all this adds up to is that the lens built a loyal customer base and Nikon, wisely, decided to keep it in production so as not to upset all those who wanted one. One other point is that 43mm is a focal length well suited to landscapes and 86mm is quite good for portraits. I know of several photographers who swear by early versions of this lens for portraits because the flare and soft focus are very flattering. The good news is that the lens got better with every generation and the last, AIS versions, had decent sharpness and was very well made.

Hi, you may be interested to read this <a href="http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/society/nikkor/n04_e.htm"> Nikon article on the 43-86 zoom</a> which gives some background to the lens, and may answer some of your questions.

<p>

This lens was one of the first zooms made for 35mm photography. It was designed well before the widespread use of computer aided design, all calculations were done manually, so you can appreciate the challenges facing the designers. They were really breaking new ground with this lens, so you can forgive them if the lens a little soft. Some considerations facing the designers:

 

<ul>

<li>The lens had to be compact, light weight, easy to use and inexpensive. The standard 52mm filter size was used.

 

<li>Zooms with a small range are easier to design, yet the range had to be large enough to be useful, so a 2x zoom was chosen.

 

<li>During the early 60s, cameras were all manual, so a variable aperture zoom would have been very inconvenient. The lens needed to have a constant aperture.

 

<li>The lens needed to be fast enough to be useable for general photography, given that fast films in those days were very poor. Yet fast zooms are difficult to design. The aperture of f3.5 was chosen as a good compromise.

 

<li>Wideangle lenses are more difficult to design than standard and telephoto lenses. It was not possible to design a good wideangle zoom in 1960 (the first true wideangle zoom and did not appear until 1975 - the Nikon 28-45/4.5). The medium-wide to medium-telephoto range is the most popular for photography, so the focal length was made as wide as possible. Perhaps 43mm was the limit. Interestingly, 43mm also equals the diagonal of the 35mm format, which is the definition often used for the "standard" lens.

</ul>

 

After over 10 years of production the lens was remodelled with a new optical formula. The new lens is sharper but the specifications remain very similar - same speed, focal length, close focus and one-touch design. One might have expected more from the new model. Given the popularity of the earlier model, perhaps Nikon decided to stay with a winning formula.

<p>

The last model, the AI 43-86/3.5 ended production in 1982, when zooms with shorter focal lengths and greater zoom ranges were coming onto the market. Successors include the series-E 36-72/3.5 with a wider focal length but otherwise similar specs (and similarly strange focal length). Also, the AIS 35-105/3.5-4.5 with gives up the constant aperture for increased zoom range in both directions.

 

, when it was replaced by the series-E 36-72/3.5 offering similar specifications with a wider, more popular focal length; and the AIS 35-105

43mm is the diagonal length of the film.

sqrt(24^2+36^2)=43.3 (mm)

Thanks to you all. I knew I could count on you for sound information. Thank you Roland for the link.

I would not give up my other Nikkors and live only with the 43-86mm zoom, but after years of not being used, mine is getting a lot of use these days for people photography... specifically real people with real complexions and real flaws. I have three 85mm Nikkors of various incarnations and speeds, but the results with the 86mm end of the zoom are more flattering for subjects that would never make it onto the cover of magazines that display perfect models. At f/3.5, I get pretty good selective focus, and a decent sharpness, but not enough sharpness to reveal imperfections in the skin.<P>

 

For those that might not be able to tolerate the scrutiny of a modern Nikkor, this old lens could be one way to get shots that people who hate to have their picture taken actually like. I look at the results with a technical eye, and see the softness. People I shoot only see pictures that they like.<P>

 

Mechanically, I would put this old Nikkor against any consumer Nikkor zoom being put out today. It might have been conceived as a "consumer" lens, but it is a real Nikkor when Nikon didn't know how to build down to a price.<P>

 

A few shoots: <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation.tcl?presentation_id=231154"> 43-86mm zoom shots </a>