Nikon Rangefinder 135mm f3.5

Richard62 · Oct 16, 2020

I have just ordered a chrome Nikkor 135mm f3.5 Q C lens for a Nikon S3. I suppose its a bit late now, but I have been trying to find what the difference is between a lens marked on the front bezel with Q and one marked with Q C. My guess is that the lens marked with a Q C is either coated or has extra coatings compared with a Q. I know that if there is a C on the lens barrel is for Contax rangefinder and not Nikon rangefinder. Just want clarity about the Q C printed around the front element. Thanks

guangong · Oct 16, 2020

Not very familiar with Nikon rf lenses, except that a c engraved on lens means made to fit Zeiss Contax. My 85mm Nikon lens is marked c , a Nikon copy of Sonnar...equal to, but cheaper than a Zeiss Sonnar for Contax. Lenses with this c will not work with Nikon rf. Mount is the same but flange distance to film plane different.
If c is engraved next to Q, as QC, I have no idea.

Richard62 · Oct 16, 2020

Thanks - I knew about the C engraved on the lens barrel (near the tripod mount). The one I have bought is stated for Nikon RF so should be fine. Its the C near the front element that is a bit of a mystery. I have seen Nikon lenses with LTM thread advertised with the Q C near the front element so must have something to do with the coatings bit like SMC on a Pentax lens

BradS · Oct 16, 2020

The Q stands for Quad - it is a four element lens.
The difference between the Nikkor-Q and the Nikkor-Q.C has to do with coatings.
Nikkor-Q is single coated
Nikkor-Q.C is multi-coated

Richard62 · Oct 16, 2020

Brilliant. Many thanks for the information. I have hunted the web for a clear description but nothing. Looks like I have got the better one as I have seen a black "Q" only lens for a £9 UK less (about $11.00?) and went for the slightly more expensive. Cheaper delivery reduced the difference still further.

Thanks again

E. von Hoegh · Oct 16, 2020

BradS said:
The Q stands for Quad - it is a four element lens.
The difference between the Nikkor-Q and the Nikkor-Q.C has to do with coatings.
Nikkor-Q is single coated
Nikkor-Q.C is multi-coated

No it is not.
Lens the op cites was made in the '50s. The "C" denotes coating, which was single coating. 20 years on, Nikon revived that code, however at that time "C" meant multicoated.
I have one, with the Contax "C" on the barrel, and the other "C" on the bezel. It's a very good lens.

E. von Hoegh · Oct 16, 2020

BradS said:
The Q stands for Quad - it is a four element lens.
The difference between the Nikkor-Q and the Nikkor-Q.C has to do with coatings.
Nikkor-Q is single coated
Nikkor-Q.C is multi-coated

I love how ignorance is so much louder...

BradS · Oct 16, 2020

E. von Hoegh said:
I love how ignorance is so much louder...

Thanks for the correction but...Jeez, who pissed in your corn flakes? No need to be an donkey orifice.

E. von Hoegh · Oct 16, 2020

BradS said:
Jeez, who pissed in your corn flakes? No need to be an donkey orifice.

The empty wagon is always loudest.
You posted incorrect "information". Someone will copy&paste that, then the world becomes a bit more stupid & ignorant.
Only fools eat cereal...

BradS · Oct 16, 2020

E. von Hoegh said:
The empty wagon is always loudest.
You posted incorrect "information". Someone will copy&paste that, then the world becomes a bit more stupid & ignorant.
Only fools eat cereal...

I can see that you are, as my grandfather would say, "all full of piss and vinegar" today.
Can you think of anything that you can do to help yourself feel better about yourself ?

reddesert · Oct 16, 2020

Nikon used the "C" on the front bezel, like Nikkor-Q-C, to make distinctions about coating. The "C" for Contax rangefinder is much smaller and somewhere on the barrel close to the lens mount.

You can use http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html#RF_Tele and your lens's serial number to figure out roughly when it was from.

Early on in Nikon's history, the C on the front meant single coating, and eventually it seems they dropped it because all lenses were single coated.

Later on in the early-mid 1970s, the "C" reappeared during the SLR lens era. When multi-coating appeared in the 1970s they added a "C" for multi-coating, and then in the late 1970s they dropped both it and the Nikkor-Q, -P, -H, etc code for the number of elements.

E. von Hoegh · Oct 16, 2020

E. von Hoegh said:
The empty wagon is always loudest.
You posted incorrect "information". Someone will copy&paste that, then the world becomes a bit more stupid & ignorant.
Only fools eat cereal...

Look, I could have been more civil. I do sincerely apologise.
However far too much nonsense is being passed around. Do some real research, do not merely ask a question of foogle.

E. von Hoegh · Oct 16, 2020

BradS said:
I can see that you are, as my grandfather would say, "all full of piss and vinegar" today.
Can you think of anything that you can do to help yourself feel better about yourself ?

Yes, I could ignore assholes such as yourself.

BradS · Oct 16, 2020

E. von Hoegh said:
Look, I could have been more civil. I do sincerely apologize.
However far too much nonsense is being passed around. Do some real research, do not merely ask a question of foogle.

I have Nikon SLR lenses...lots of them. I did my own empirical research. I looked at my lenses. My error was extrapolating too far beyond my data.

BradS · Oct 16, 2020

E. von Hoegh said:
Yes, I could ignore assholes such as yourself.

please do.

E. von Hoegh · Oct 16, 2020

BradS said:
please do.

Done.

Richard62 · Oct 17, 2020

Thanks for the information. Looks like the C around the front element indicates coating. Thanks RE for the link to serial numbers. Lens arrived today and the serial number shows it was made between 1952 and 1954. Apart from a hairline scratch on the outside of the lens barrel, the glass is very clean the focus is super smooth and the aperture has just the right amount of "click". Pretty good for a 66+ yr old lens. Well pleased.

Nikon Rangefinder 135mm f3.5

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