Nikon Zoom.....

[skip_converse]

I've recently purchased a Nikon Nikkor Zoom 43-86mm lens. Just

wondering what anyone familiar with the lens would have to comment on

it. Pros/Cons.....

Glen

[vivek iyer]

Historic lens. Since you have it, best to try it yourself!

[eric friedemann]

In the photo business, these lenses were ironically referred to as "43-86mm soft focus" lenses:

 

 

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/speciallenses/3672mmnikkor.htm

[bwcombs]

I had this lens and used it with my F2 and it was an okay lens.

But you'll enjoy it.

[bjørn rørslett]

All versions of this lens were beautifully made. Unfortunately, many were quite poor performers. The last version (from sn. 774xxx) had an improved optical design and can deliver decent results, though, but bokeh is not good by today's standards.

[douglas_green1]

IMHO, the last version of this lens is pretty good. The others are all way too low in contrast and soft to be useful for anything requiring critical sharpness.

[dean_tomasula1]

If you have one of the later ones, with the black filter ring, then you have a decent lens. The earlier versions, with the silver filter ring, as others have said, can be pretty soft. But even those are good performers, if you don't use them for critical applications.

[wayne_cornell2]

I had an early version which wasn't anything to brag about (few zooms in that period were) and a model from near the end that was really a pretty secent lens that had decent contrast and snappy colors.

 

I think the 43-86 was a lot like the ai 35-135mm --there were good ones and some that were pretty bad --inconsistent quality.

[lex_jenkins]

It looks really cool on an FTn.