Few camera lenses helped to define a brand name more than Nikon’s NIKKOR 105mm f/2.5. Produced from 1959 to 2005, this portrait lens underwent five updates during the course of its production run, including a complete makeover, in 1977. Considered by many photographers to be one of the sweetest portrait lenses ever made, it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn it was the very lens used by Steve McCurry when he photographed the legendary “Afghan Girl” cover for National Geographic magazine.
Photographs © Allan Weitz 2020
Based on Nikon’s 10.5cm f/2.5 NIKKOR-P, the 105mm f/2.5 NIKKOR (5 elements in 3 groups, Sonnar-type) was designed by Zenzi Wakimoto, in 1949, as a fast Leica screw-mount telephoto lens for Nikon’s post-war Nikon S-series rangefinder camera. At the time of its release, it was the fastest lens in the 100mm focal range.
In addition to switching from Nikon’s original F-mount to a newer Auto Indexing (AI and AI-s) lens mount, a 1970s makeover included a refined optical design (5 elements in 4 groups, Xenotar-type), multi-coatings, a sleeker form factor, and a built-in retractable lens shade, which IMHO is far more convenient to use than the original snap-on shade. Image quality at close-focusing distances is slightly finer in the newer-generation design, but few will dismiss the original design as “lacking.” Fittingly, the person responsible for redesigning the new 105s optical formula was a student of Zenzi Wakimoto—Yoshiyuki Shimizu.
The 105mm f/2.5 NIKKOR-P used to illustrate this post is a second-generation standard F-mount lens that, according to the serial number, was manufactured sometime between 1971-73. It was the last non-AI/AI-s lens in the 105 f/2.5 series. Designed for use with the pre-mid-’70s Nikon F and F2, beginning with the Nikon F3, FM, and FE-series cameras, older lenses could be used by releasing a small silver tab located near the top of the lens mount. Once released, you can use pre-AI/AI-s lenses, but only in manual and aperture-priority metering modes.
The 105mm f/2.5 NIKKOR-P is an easy lens to adapt to mirrorless cameras. The photographs taken to illustrate this post were captured with two cameras—a Sony a7R III (color images) and a Leica M10 Monochrom (black-and-white images) using Novoflex lens adapters.
On a personal note—it was quite amusing to shoot with cameras that cost thousands of dollars and a lens that set me back maybe $79 at the B&H Used Department. And the lens holds its own with both of these 40-plus megapixel cameras.
Something that’s reassuring about 105mm f/2.5 NIKKORs is that, regardless of whether you are shooting with an older or newer lens, though there are differences in the way each version renders the scene, most people agree they are all wonderful to use.
What makes them special is that, unlike many modern lenses, which are designed to match the resolving power of 30, 40, 50, and 60MP imaging sensors, 105 NIKKORs are forgiving to skin tones similar to the way 1950s- or ’60s-vintage medium-format film cameras render skin tones—sharp but lovingly forgiving.
NIKKOR 105mm f/2.5 lenses typically display a slight vignette when wide open until about 5/5.6, where it becomes a non-issue. For portraits, the sweet spot is between f/5.6 and f/8, like many NIKKOR lenses of this vintage. Other specs for the 105mm f/2.5 NIKKOR-P include size (2.6 x 3"), weight (15.3 oz) and filter size (52mm). Included with the lens were front and rear caps, a bubble case, and an HS-2 lens hood.
Have you ever had an opportunity to photograph with a 105mm f/2.5 NIKKOR lens? If so, tell us about your experiences in the Comments field, below—we’d love to hear your stories.
