Nikkor 28mm f3.5 LTM (SM)

[romualdo]

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Very nice score today (locally here in Brisbane) with a beautiful (close to pristine - I personally hate using this terminology) 28mm f3.5 LTM Nikkor (Nikon called them SM ie. screw mount), includes original lens cap, leather case & small booklet. These come from circa 1952 & onwards. Have been looking for a 28 Summaron (original) for  a while now but nothing like that has turned up here in Australia. I couldn't resist this when it appeared on Gumtree yesterday. Have taken a comparison shot with my Summaron 35 (first LTM version) - the feel/ergonomics of the Nikkor is very similar to the Summaron - the Nikkor is slightly shorter & lighter. I don't have a 28mm viewfinder but the closest in my CV 21/25 - do you think that will suffice. Would love to find a TUVOO 28mm adapter for my VIOOH but they are always so expensive.

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[Ecar]

What a beautiful pair. Mmm... but now you'll *need* a Nikkor 35/3.5 LTM to make a proper comparison with the Summaron.😉

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[Pyrogallol]

A very nice find, with the front cap, case and paperwork.

I don’t have a Nikon 28mm but do have three of the 35mm screw lenses, a earlier all chrome f3.5  “Tōkyō” model, a later “black belt” f3.5 and an f2.5 model.

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[Ecar]

Both your f/3.5 (the NKT and the "black belt") have become increasingly hard to find and/or expensive - although not quite as much as the f/1.8, which availability and prices are now speculation-driven (as good as the lens is).

[Pyrogallol]

I do have two Canon 28mm lenses, similar vintage to the Nikons, an f3.5 and an f2.8

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[pippy]

Very nice lenses, everyone! I agree that the OP finding one with the case, cap and booklet is very sweet indeed.

Co-incidentally I've been considering three LTM Nikkors - one 28mm f3.5 and a pair of 35mm f3.5 - which are currently for sale with a well-known London-based dealership. I really don't need any of them but still......

This thread isn't helping my resolve much either!...

Philip.

[pgk]

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2 hours ago, Pyrogallol said:

A very nice find, with the front cap, case and paperwork.

I don’t have a Nikon 28mm but do have three of the 35mm screw lenses ..... and an f2.5 model.

The 35/2.5 remained in production until 2001 in the guise of the Nikonos amphibious version (1963-2001). I think that the later examples were probably multicoated and I have seen the odd one which has been converted to Leica M. Given that it was a 1950s design, this must be one of the longest production runs for a 35mm lens, if not the longest. 

[Pyrogallol]

1 hour ago, pippy said:

Very nice lenses, everyone! I agree that the OP finding one with the case, cap and booklet is very sweet indeed.

Co-incidentally I've been considering three LTM Nikkors - one 28mm f3.5 and a pair of 35mm f3.5 - which are currently for sale with a well-known London-based dealership. I really don't need any of them but still......

This thread isn't helping my resolve much either!...

Philip.

I’ve seen those three.

[romualdo]

I presume these LTM 28mm nikkors didn't come with a viewfinder - the case is too small to fit a viewfinder a la some Canon LTMs that came with a viewfinder (there was room in the case for them)

[IanH]

Hi @romualdo,

How did the little Nikko lens work out? Did it render like you hoped? I too am looking for the classic Summaron rendering. Thanks 

[LocalHero1953]

I also have the Nikkor 2.8cm f/3.5, as well as the Nikkor 3.5cm f/2.5, which I use on film. I have previously owned a Summaron 35 f/2.8, but not at the same time, and I used it on digital. My gut feeling is that the Nikkors are sharper, more contrasty and clearer than the Summaron. Both Nikkors produce better images, to my eye, than the uncoated Elmar 5cm lenses that I have, with all allowances for focal length. As you can guess, I am seriously impressed with the Nikkors - one lives on a Leica Standard and the other on a ii Model D).

I am not sure what you mean by "the classic Summaron rendering", but all lenses of that era are likely to flare more than current modern multicoated lenses designed for digital, and you will notice that where bright highlights have an edge with a dark zone.