photo:nikonfhistory
timeline of Nikon F camera system
timeline
the film years
1881
1937
1948
1950
1959
1961
1962
first medical Nikkor lens, the Medical Nikkor 200mm f/5.6 auto lense with built-in ringlite
Nikon PC-Nikkor 35mm f/3.5 shift lens
1965
Nikkormat FT & FS, two high-quality cameras with moderate price tags to supplement the professional Nikon F
28mm f/3.5-16 Nikkor-H Auto, 35mm f/3.5-32 PC-Nikkor-H Preset, 50mm f/1.4-16 Nikkor-S Auto, 135mm f/2.8-22 Nikkor-Q Auto, 135mm f/4-22 Nikkor-Q Short Mount/Bellows Preset, 180mm f/2.5-32 Nikkor-H Preset, 250mm f/4-32 Nikkor-Q Preset, 350mm f/4.5-22 Nikkor-T Preset, 500mm f/5-45 Nikkor-T Preset, 50-300mm f/4.5-22 Zoom-Nikkor Auto
1968
1970
1972
Nikon F-2 - better mirror locking method, 1/2000th shutter speed, Photomic meter prisms
the first Nikkor 35mm f/1.4
Medical-Nikkor 200mm f/5.6 auto updated
1974
1975
1977
AI (“automatic indexing”) lenses introduced to replace the F series lenses
now you could mount lenses with one twist, and NOT have to twiddle the aperture ring separately each time.
Olympus had introduced a simple bayonet mount in the early 1970's - Canon and Nikon's mounts were much more fiddly!
Nikon F2A, F2AS, Nikkormat FT-3, Nikon EL-2, the original Nikon FM SLR bodies to use the new AI lenses
1979
in response to the compact SLRs from Olympus and then Pentax and the Canon AE-1, Nikon introduced a new series of SLR cameras in the compact style starting with the Nikon EM, then Nikon FG, Nikon FG-20 but these lost compatibility with earlier non-AI lenses.
The new compact, lighter,
Series E lenses were also the first batch of Nikkor lenses that came with a revised specification of AI-S (Standardized aperture stop down action). The Series-E lenses is also the only batch of lenses produced by Nikon that is not stamped with a “Nikkor” trade name. These new updates resolved the complexity involved with enabling an SLR to provide Shutter Priority and full Programmed Auto exposure modes, since the aperture could now be controlled via the aperture stop down action.
1980
Nikon F3 - 1st SLR with viewfinder liquid crystal display digital data display and was the first automated F-series model entirely electronically controlled except for a sole mechanical backup shutter speed.
new version of PC-Nikkor 35mm f/2.8 shift lens
1981
1982
Nikon FM2 - shutter to 1/4000th sec. and 1/200th sec. flash X-sync with a vertical-travel FP shutter using honeycomb pattern etched titanium foil blades
Nikon FA, announced along with the Nikon FE2 was the first true multi-mode AE Nikon SLR camera.
It can provide Shutter priority AE in addition to Aperture priority AE, Program AE (normal and High Speed programed AE), and full manual control.
The various AE controls does not require an AI-S lens, but when a such lens is used instant stop-down metering is not required.
Nikon FA also introduced the innovative multi-segment evaluative metering developed by Nikon to be used for metering computation with the Nikon FA (The method is later called called 'Matrix' metering - it was also used in some of the higher-end P&S cameras such as the 35-Ti and 28 Ti).
Ai-Nikkor 18mm f/3.5
1983
Nikon F3 AF - added slow AF capability
Nikon FE2 - flash sync boosted to 1/250th sec
Nikon FA - 1st camera with multi-segmented (or matrix or evaluative) light meter.
AI-s lens mount introduced - an incremental improvement over AI mount
1986
1988
1992
Nikonos RS - 1st waterproof 35 mm system SLR for 100 m maximum depth, underwater diving use
AF-D lenses introduced which provided the camera with focus distance information to aid flash exposure calculation and allow “3D matrix metering”
Nikon F90x - the 1st SLR to utilise the AF-D distance data
1993
1996
the digital SLR years
1999
2000
2001
Nikon D1X 5mp 3fps
Nikon D1H 2.6mp 5fps
2002
2003
2004
2005
Nikon D200 10mp
Nikon D50 6mp 2.5fps
Nikon D70S 6mp
Nikon D2HS 4mp 8fps
2006
2007
2008
Nikon D90 12mp - 1st dSLR with 720p HD video
Nikon PC-E 24mm f/3.5D ED
Nikon PC-E Micro 85mm f/2.8D tilt-shift macro lens
Nikon PC-E Micro 45mm f/2.8D ED tilt-shift macro lens
Nikkor AF-S DX 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED
Nikon SB-900 flashlight
Nikon D700 12mp full frame 5fps
2009
Nikon upgrades to version II of AF-S 300mm f/2.8G ED VR, 70-200mmf/2.8 VR and to version III of its 2x teleconverter
Nikon D3s - 12mp 9fps full frame with 720p video
Nikon D3x - 24.5mp full frame very expensive
Nikon D300s - 12mp DX, HD video
Nikon D3000 dSLR
Nikkor AF-S DX 18-200mm VR II lens
Nikkor 10-24mm F3.5-4.5G ED lens
Nikkor AF-S 35mm F1.8 DX prime
Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 85mm F3.5G VR
Carl Zeiss launches ZF.2 lenses with CPUs for Nikon
18mm/f3.5, 21mm/f2.8 , 35mm/f2, 50mm/f1.4, 50mm/f2, 85mm/f1.4, 28mm/f2 and macro Planar T* 100mm/f2.
2010
Nikon AF-S 24mm f/1.4G ED
Nikon 16-35mm f/4 G ED VR stabilized ultra-wide zoom
AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G lens
Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4 G
Nikkor 24-120mm F4 G ED VR lens
Nikkor 55-300mm F4.5-5.6 G ED VR lens
Nikkor 28-300mm F3.5-5.36 G ED VR lens
Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f/4 G ED VR
Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 ED VR II
AF-S Nikkor 200mm f/2G ED VR II lens
Nikon D7000 dSLR
Nikon D3100 dSLR
SB-700 flash
Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4
Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 radio controllers finally provide Nikon i-TTL flash support
2011
2012
AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G
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Nikon D3200 entry level dSLR - 24mp DX, wireless smartphone adapter, ISO 100-12800, 11pt AF, 1080p HD, 4fps, 505g
AF-S Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G, $699
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2013
AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR super-telephoto lens $US17,899
AF-S NIKKOR 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED wide-angle zoom lens $US749
AF-S NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G $US1699
Nikon D7100 - 24mp mid-range DX, no low pass filter, new 51pt AF, 6fps (7fps in 1.3x crop mode ie. 2x crop), new spot WB, weather resistant, 1080/60i, compatible with new WR-1 wireless remote
WR-1 wireless remote
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2014
AF-S Nikkor 35mm F1.8G (FX version) $US599
Nikon D3300 entry-level DSLR
24mp DX sensor, no AA filter; ISO to 25,600; 5fps; 1080/60p video; 1/4000th sec shutter; x-sync 1/200th; 430g;
$649 with collapsible kit lens
Nikon D5300 dSLR:
essentially a D5200 with 60P HD video instead of 30p, a slightly larger LCD screen, built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, and improved battery life
24mp DX sensor
EXPEED 4 processing
5fps burst
39-point AF system, 9 sensors cross-type
2016-pixel RGB metering sensor
1080p60 video recording, built-in stereo mic
1.04M dot 3.2“ vari-angle LCD monitor
Nikon D810 dSLR:
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cut down version of the D810
24mp FX with AA filter
optional
MB-D16 battery grip $485
improvements over the D810:
tilting LCD
improved version of the D810's 51pt AF system
autoISO in manual mode with exp. compensation
Highlight Weighted Metering for stage performances to avoid blown highlights
6.5fps instead of 5fps
internal WiFi
better battery life
smaller and lighter (755g vs 880g)
cheaper $US2299
main features of the D810 not available in the D750:
no AA filter free version
2SD slots on the D750 instead of 1 SD and 1CF
1/8000th sec shutter rated at 200K releases (D750 is only 1/4000th sec rated at 150K releases)
no Split Screen Display Zoom feature
AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED
SB-500 Speedlight
2015
2016
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12fps 20.8mp full frame pro sports; 153 points, 99 of which are cross-type; 4K video
touch screen LCD, radio TTL flash
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20.9mp, 10fps, 153 pt AF, 4K video but very limited WiFi functionality - requires Bluetooth LE and Snapbridge app (only available with some Android phones - not usable with current iPhones)
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Improvements over its predecessor include a complete optical redesign (22 elements, including six ED, one fluorite and one high refractive index element) and fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements
100g lighter than the VR II and easier to hold as with the shift in the center of gravity, with more weight moved towards the mount
the 'E' in '2.8E' denotes an electronic aperture actuator
closer focusing at ~1.1 meters
AF-L / Off / AF-ON switch as well as focus limiter switch and weathersealing and “4EV” VR
$US2800
PC Nikkor 19mm F4E ED
97° of coverage and can shift ±12mm and tilt ±7.5°
unlike existing PC-E designs, the mechanism for tilt can be rotated independently from the mechanism for shift, allowing the tilt to be set either parallel to or perpendicular to the shift and aperture is electronically controlled
three ED and two aspherical elements
$US3400
Nano Crystal Coating, close focus to 25cm
2017
Nikon D7500 DX dSLR with 4K video albeit in 2.25x crop factor from full frame
Nikon AF-S 8-15mm F3.5-4.5E ED circular full frame fisheye zoom
AF-P DX NIKKOR 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR
NIKKOR AF-S 28mm f/1.4E ED
Nikkor AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E VR lens
Nikon's 1st full frame lens with a stepping motor (hence the new AF-P designation)
4.5EV VR; stepless, smooth electronic diaphragm; close focus 1.2m giving 0.25x macro; 9 blades; weather resistant; 67mm filter; 24oz (680g); $US700;
2018
2020
photo/nikonfhistory.txt · Last modified: 2020/02/12 23:43 by gary1