Soft Focus Nikkor-S 105mm 1:2.8
In August 2018 a number of prototype Nkkors were listed on Yahoo Auction Japan. The seller cancelled before the listing completed, but a number of images were saved.
The lens shown here is a prototype Soft Focus Nikkor-S 105mm 1:2.8 lens.
- The lens uses an aspherical lens to produce spherical aberration in order to create a soft focus effect at every aperture value. A detailed description is found on Nikon 1001 nights tale 51 (scroll down to section VII: The Soft Focus Nikkor-S 105mm f/2.8).
- Like many lenses from the mid 1960s, the serial number is taken from lens parameters. In this case number 281052 is taken from the lens aperture and focal length followed by a sequential number. Lens no 281053 was shown at the The Nikon Museum Special Exhibition "Prototype Lenses". This suggests at least three prototypes were made.
- The overall appearance is similar to other lenses from the mid 1960s, rather more bulky than the Nikkor-P 105/2.5 from the same time.
- The style of the focus ring is a bit different, with 20 "scallops" around the circumference instead of the usual 12, and no finely knurled grip on the raised parts (maybe left off on the pre-production lens?)
