The 85/2 Nikkor P
This was one of the range of Nikkors which made Nikon's reputation at a time when German cameras and lenses were still dominating the market. This reputation rests chiefly on the outstanding work of David Douglas Duncan, who discovered these lenses through his Japanese colleague, Jun Miki, shortly before the outbreak of the Korean War. Here (courtesy of the Nikon Mir site) is the famous shot of DDD at a light table taken by Miki with the 85/2 Nikkor, the quality of which impressed DDD so much that he went out and bought a slew of Nikkors for his screw-mount Leica:
Like many 85mm lenses of the period, the Nikkor P is basically a Zeiss Sonnar derivative. Expensive to produce, and surprisingly heavy for a relatively compact lens. It's worth a visit to Dante Stella's RF Nikkor pages where he covers them in considerable detail. The rest of his site is very entertaining too.
So how does a vintage lens like this perform? In the pages that follow I've posted a few shots from a day out by the lakes of Killarney, and it appears very crisp with a pleasant 'bokeh' which seems less clinical than modern Nikkors. Click here to see what this fine lens can do.
