Five Frames With A Nikkor Ai 28mm F2.8, First Impression

Vintage Lens Test - Image test with a Nikkor Ai 28mm F2.8, Nikon's most popular wide-angle lens from '74 - '81.

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The next few posts of Digital Moments will feature images from a batch of Nikkor legacy lenses, shot in 1:1 image aspect ratio, in post-processed colors, or in black-and-white done on Olympus Viewer 3 (OV3).

Nikon Nikkor Ai 28mm 1:2.8

First up is the Nikkor Ai 28mm F2.8, a 7-element construction introduced in 1977, launched as a follow-up to the non-AI version which was available from 1987 to 1977. The 28mm f/2.8 was Nikon's most popular wide-angle lens from 1974-1981.

As Ken Rockwell wrote on his blog, the Ai 28mm F2.8 is a compact and lightweight unit, with image quality recognized as a top-class Nikkor performer. Sharp as it is, the lens's claim to fame was later overshadowed by its sibling, the Nikkor Ai-S 28mm F2.8, which is reputed to be Nikon's sharpest manual focus wide-angle lens ever.

Aside from the post by Ken Rockwell, a few other instances of discussion or posting pertaining to the lens includes:

• Nikon 28mm f/2.8 AI: Specifications and Opinions on JuzaPhoto,
• Wow! on FreMiranda.com,
• and a short review of the lens @ Canon Fast Reviews.

Using the lens was easy and fun, the balance was just right, and cradling the camera in the hand with the index finger on the focus ring and the middle finger of the aperture ring is as perfect as it can be.

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