Nikon AF 50mm 1.8 N lens

[dale_murchison]

<p>Can anyone tell me what the N means on this lens<br>

Will this lens work with my Nikon D90<br>

When was this lens in production</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

[chuck_fry1]

<p>I believe it means a new version..........<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F-mount">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F-mount</a></p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>You need D lens sometimes described as AF-D, or get G lens. Or say it differently AF lens or AF-S lens.<br>

Some advertiseers use "N" to designate a Nikon lens, or a Nikkor lens.<br>

Some even use "N" for designation of a 3rd party lens that has Nikon camera mount.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/2137/AF-NIKKOR-50mm-f%252F1.8D.html">http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/2137/AF-NIKKOR-50mm-f%252F1.8D.html</a></p>

<p>See:<br>

<a href="http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html">http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html</a></p>

<p>Also our beloved Ken Rockwell has simpler and good explanation of lenses, but for some reason his link is banned from the photo.net site.</p>

 

[chuck_fry1]

<p>or lens coating</p>

[jose_angel]

<p>To the best of my knowledge the "N" refers to the "new" version that followed the <em>original</em> AF 50/1.8 lens. It`s also a non-D model, that features an improved ruberized focus ring.</p>

<p>It doesn`t mean it is the latest, but the second version (well, not actually, there are also <em>sub-versions).</em> Looks like this one was originally made in Japan, and later in China.</p>

<p>I suspect it will work on your D90 with certain limitations refered to advanced metering, but still usable sucessfully (others should confirm this, I don`t have that camera). I`ll advice you to check <strong>Roland Vink</strong>`s site for more info. The serial number will tell you an aproximate production date.</p>

[akira]

<p>There were two different versions of "non-D" AF 50/1.8 lenses. The initial version had a narrow plastic focus ring and a push-and-rotate button for locking the aperture ring to f16, whereas the "N" (standing for "new") version had a wider focus ring with rubber-band grip and a slide switch for the same function.</p>

[Michael R Freeman]

<p>As others have indicated, the "N" in this instance indicates an original (as in circa 1986) AF Nikkor that was cosmetically updated from the narrow hard plastic focusing ring to the wider rubber focusing ring found on all AF Nikkors today. The aperture ring lock was also updated from the fragile pop-up button design to the current simple sliding lock tab.</p>

<p>The original AF 50mm f/1.8 (circa 1986) ...<br>

<img src="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/50mmnikkor/AF_Nikkor50mmf18_MK1_A.jpg" alt="" width="440" height="401" /></p>

<p>and the "new" AF-N 50mm f/1.8 (circa 1990) ...<br>

<img src="http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/afn5018.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="600" /></p>

<p>Optically they are identical, although minor improvements to multi-coatings may or may not have occurred. For this particular lens (and a few others) the focusing scale was also changed from a display under a plastic window to numbers printed on the actual focusing ring.</p>

[Michael R Freeman]

<blockquote>

<p><em>Will this lens work with my Nikon D90</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Yes. See the table on page 229 of your D90 manual. This lens would be "Other AF Nikkor (except lenses for F3AF)".<br>

-</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p><em>When was this lens in production</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Jan. 1990 to approximately Nov. 2001. Originally made in Japan, production was shifted to China for the latter part of the production run (s/n 4500001 and higher). The production split was roughly 75% of units made in Japan (300,000) with the last 25% (100,000 units) made in China.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>You won't get 3D color matrix metering with this lens, but you will get "ordinary" matrix metering and all other functionality. Personally I think that's a good thing, as having the exposure change with the point of focus is one of the stupidest ideas that Nikon have yet come up with, and can give you unexpected and erratic exposures.</p>

[purplealien]

<p>I've got one and it works fine on my D90. Took this with it at the weekend.....</p><div></div>

[jose_angel]

<p>Looks like "D" type lenses are also recommended for optimal White Balance control in auto mode... (don`t ask me why... !)</p>

[randy_tate]

<p>I've used the old style 50mm f/1.8 on a D90, N90s, and a D7000. Works perfectly. It's milky wide open but becomes great at f/2.8. <br>

If you ever need to know what type of lens you're looking at, try to get the serial number and reference it at:<br>

<a href="http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html">http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html</a><br>

They have a comprehensive list of Nikon lenses by serial number range, most with links to photos. If you really want a great prime for a DX format camera, also check out the AF-S 35mm f/1.8 DX. Although it's twice the price, it's a very nice lens and has great contrast and sharpness totally wide open.</p>

<p> </p>