Pekka Buttler, 12/2022 (Updated 01/2024)
Specifications
The table below summarizes the lens’ key specifications (measurements based on pictured sample):
| Brand: | Nikon | Lens name | NIKKOR 135mm 1:2 |
| Focal length(s)1 | 135 mm | Angle-of-view2 | 18° |
| Maximum Aperture | f/2 | In Production | 1977–1981 |
| Lens mount | Nikon F | Subfamily (if applicable) | Ai-type |
| Length3 | 93,4 mm | Diameter4 | 81,3 mm |
| Filter ring diameter | 72 mm | Weight | 848 grams |
| Lens element count | 6 | Lens group count | 4 |
| Aperture blades (S/R/C)5 | 9 | Focus throw | 270 ° |
| Minimum focusing distance | 1,3 m | Maximum magnification | 1:7,5 |
| Has manual aperture ring | YES | Has Manual focus ring | YES |
Further notes:
• The 135 mm f/2 has always been something of a halo lens for Nikon, especially given how many brilliant, less expensive tele lenses have always been in Nikon’s lineup.
• Only ≈43 000 of Nikon’s manual focus 135/2 lenses have ever been manufactured. Of those, ≈7500 are of this Ai variant.
• All Nikon’s 135/2 lenses (manual and autofocus) have sported a built-in hood.
A brief genealogy of Nikon SLR lens types
Nikon is undoubtedly one of the great names in 35 mm SLR photography. The Nikon F mount has been in continuous production since 1959. During that time, the mount has developed/changed in some detail, however without ever fully sacrificing compatibility.
In short (a longer version is here), the development of Nikon’s SLR lenses can be traced as follows:
• 1959–1977: Pre-Ai. Manual focus lenses that use ‘rabbit ears’ to communicate selected aperture with the camera body. Pre-Ai lenses can further be subdivided into
• F-type (1959–early 1970s: metal focus ring and single-coated),
• C-type (early 1970s–mid 1970s: metal focus ring and multicoated), and
• K-type (mid 1970s to 1977: rubber focus ring and multicoated).
A significant share of remaining Pre-Ai lenses have since been converted to Ai-spec (Ai’d)
• 1977–1986: Ai and Ai-s. Manual focus lenses that may have ‘rabbit ears’ for backward compatibility, but are designed to communicate selected aperture with the camera body through indentations in base of aperture control ring.
• 1986–today: AF and AF-D. Autofocus lenses that do not have a focusing motor within the lens, but rely on the focus motor within the camera. All AF and AF-D lenses are simultaneously Ai-s lenses (they are Ai-s lenses extended with AF) 6
• 1996–today AF-S and AF-P. Autofocus lenses that have an internal focusing motor and do not rely on the body having a focusing motor.
Versions
Nikon first introduced a 135 mm f/2 lens in 1975. Thereafter a lens with that specification remained in the lineup until 2020. Currently the role of the superfast 135 mm lens is played by the Nikkor Z 135 mm f/1.8 S ‘Plena’
The lineage of Nikkor 135 mm f/2 lenses is summarised below
• 1975–1977 135mm f/2 (6 elements in 4 groups, 9 blades, 1,3 m MFD, 270° focus throw, (K-type)
• 1977–1981 135mm f/2 (6 elements in 4 groups, 9 blades, 1,3 m MFD, 270° focus throw, (Ai-type) [this lens]
• 1981-2005 135mm f/2 (6 elements in 4 groups, 9 blades, 1,3 m MFD, 200° focus throw, (Ai-s-type)
• 1990–1995 135mm f/2 (7 elements in 6 groups, 9 rounded blades, 1,1 m MFD, 130 ° focus throw, defocus control (AF-type)
• 1995–2020 135mm f/2 (7 elements in 6 groups, 9 rounded blades, 1,1 m MFD, 130 ° focus throw, defocus control (AF-D-type)
Adapting
Besides adapting, this lens can be used natively on all current high-end Nikon dSLRs and several earlier medium-to-high-end older Nikon dSLRs7. Likewise, if it still has its rabbit ears, it can be natively used on all Nikon F-mount film cameras ever produced (without the rabbit ears, it is limited to post 1977 bodies).
Thanks to being a fully manual lens (manual aperture, manual focus), the lens can be adapted to all mirrorless cameras using a suitable dumb adapter (and such adapters are easy to find). Moreover, a large range of special adapters (helicoid adapters, tilt/shift adapters, speed boosters) for using Nikon F lenses on most mirrorless systems are available.
Using Nikon F lenses on non-Nikon SLRs and dSLRs is likewise a distinct possibility. Thanks to the relatively generous flange focal distance of the Nikon F mount (46,5 mm), adapter rings for all dSLR mounts are available as well as for a goodly portion of film-era SLR mounts. Such rings may not allow for auto aperture, but even then the lenses can be used in stop-down metering mode.
Footnotes
1 Focal length is (unless stated otherwise) given in absolute terms, and not in Full-frame equivalent. For an understanding of whether the lens is wide/tele, see ‘Angle-of-view’.
2 Picture angle is given in degrees and concerns the diagonal picture angle. Rule of thumb:
> 90 ° ==> Ultra-wide-angle
70–90 ° ==> Wide-angle
50–70 ° ==> Moderate wide-angle
40–50 ° ==> ‘Standard’ or ‘normal’ lens
20–40 ° ==> Short tele lens
10-20 ° ==> Tele lens
5-10 ° ==> Long tele lens
< 5 ° ==> Ultra-tele lens
3 Length is given from the mount flange to the front of lens at infinity.
4 Diameter excludes protrusions such as rabbit ears or stop-down levers.
5 S=straight; R=rounded; C=(almost)circular at all apertures.
6 There is a further sub-class of AF-D lenses called AF-I lenses that are otherwise AF-D lenses (meaning, fully Ai-s compatible), but have an internal focus motor. Only long tele lenses were made in AF-I variants.
7 As of this writing, the following Nikon dSLRs fully support Aperture priority and manual metered modes on Nikkor Ai lenses: D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D200, D300, D300s, D500, D600, D610, D700, D750, D780, D800, D800E, D810, D850, D7000, D7100, D7200