Nikon Nikkor / Nikon 55mm f1.2 Heritage

เรื่องราวของเลนส์

The Nikon Nikkor 55mm f/1.2 was Nikon's first f/1.2 lens for the F-mount, with an optical design dating back to 1965. It preceded the later 50mm f/1.2 Ai/Ai-s (1978-2020) and the famous 58mm f/1.2 Noct (1977-1998). Roughly 176,000 units of the 55mm were made across its 1965-1978 production run, spread over several sub-versions: the Nikkor-S Auto (pre-Ai, 1965-1972), the multicoated Nikkor-S·C Auto (pre-Ai, 1972-1974), the multicoated Nikkor 55mm 1.2 pre-Ai (1974-1977), and finally the Nikkor 55mm 1.2 Ai (1977-1978). All sub-versions share the same 7-element/5-group optical design. Among Nikon's three manual-focus f/1.2 ~50mm lenses, this one is not a fan favorite and is 'usually considered the worst of the bunch' according to Phillip Reeve's review, though that reputation is contested. No established nickname is evidenced in these reviews. People are drawn to it for its dream-like character wide open and the special rendering it produces at f/1.2 that some shooters say they cannot achieve with other fast 50mm lenses.

สรุป: The Nikon 55mm f/1.2 is a character lens for photographers who prize a dream-like wide-open look over technical perfection. It carries a reputation as the lesser of Nikon's f/1.2 fifties, and it is genuinely soft and low-contrast wide open with obvious edge falloff. But for environmental portraits, street, and night photography, its smooth bokeh, natural focus transition, and distinctive f/1.2 rendering win over a devoted following. Buy it for the signature, not the sharpness charts.

คาแรกเตอร์ของภาพ

โบเก้

ให้ผลลัพธ์เรียบและการเปลี่ยนโฟกัสลื่นไหลเป็นธรรมชาติ ไม่มีเอฟเฟกต์ "กำแพงความชัด" (wall‑of‑focus) ที่รุนแรง แต่บางวงไฮไลต์ (bokeh discs) จะมีการตัดเว้าหรือช่องว่างที่ดูผิดปกติ

ความคม (เปิดสุด)

ให้ความคมที่ดีภายในระยะชัดลึกที่ตื้นมากแม้เมื่อเปิดรูรับแสงกว้างสุด และให้ความคมที่เชื่อถือได้เมื่อหรี่รูรับแสงลงเล็กน้อย

แฟลร์

มีแนวโน้มเกิดการสะท้อนภายในเลนส์เมื่อเปิดรูรับแสงกว้างสุดในฉากที่มีแสงจ้า ซึ่งจะทำให้คอนทราสต์ลดลง แต่จะไม่ค่อยสังเกตเห็นในสภาพแสงน้อย

คอนทราสต์

คอนทราสต์ค่อนข้างต่ำเมื่อเปิดสุดที่ f/1.2 และจะยิ่งลดลงในฉากที่มีแสงจ้าจากการสะท้อนภายในของเลนส์ แต่จะดีขึ้นเมื่อหรี่รูรับแสงลง

วิกเน็ตติ้ง

เห็นการมืดมุม (vignetting) ชัดเจนบริเวณขอบภาพเมื่อใช้รูรับแสงกว้างสุด

รีวิวจากผู้ใช้

ข้อดี

Dream-like character wide open that bokeh lovers go crazy for
Special rendering at f/1.2 that some shooters cannot achieve with other fast 50mm lenses, making it a go-to for environmental portraits
Smooth bokeh with a natural focus transition and no harsh wall-of-focus effect
Good sharpness within the shallow depth of field, and guaranteed sharp results on film when stopped down slightly
Big, characterful out-of-focus rendering well-suited to people, street, and night shots

ข้อเสีย

Generally considered the worst of Nikon's three manual-focus f/1.2 fifties by reputation
Low contrast wide open, worsened by internal reflections in brighter scenes
Obvious light falloff toward the edges wide open
Odd cut-out visible in some bokeh highlight discs
Beyond its wide-open character, image quality is considered merely par for the course

เทคนิคการใช้

Shoot low-light or shaded scenes wide open to avoid the internal reflections that sap contrast in bright conditions
Stop down a bit for reliably sharp results, especially on film
Embrace f/1.2 for its special rendering on portraits, street, and night work rather than expecting clinical output
If adapting only to mirrorless, a cheaper pre-Ai copy will render identically since all versions share the same optics; choose the Ai version if you also want to use it on classic Nikon bodies like the FM2/FM3a/F100

แหล่งอ้างอิง (1)

Web-grounded synthesissecondary

The Nikon Nikkor 55mm f/1.2 was Nikon's first f/1.2 lens for the F-mount, with an optical design dating back to 1965. It preceded the later 50mm f/1.2 Ai/Ai-s (1978-2020) and the famous 58mm f/1.2 Noct (1977-1998). Roughly 176,000 units of the 55mm were made across its 1965-1978 production run, spread over several sub-versions: the Nikkor-S Auto (pre-Ai, 1965-1972), the multicoated Nikkor-S·C Auto (pre-Ai, 1972-1974), the multicoated Nikkor 55mm 1.2 pre-Ai (1974-1977), and finally the Nikkor 55mm 1.2 Ai (1977-1978). All sub-versions share the same 7-element/5-group optical design. Among Nikon's three manual-focus f/1.2 ~50mm lenses, this one is not a fan favorite and is 'usually considered the worst of the bunch' according to Phillip Reeve's review, though that reputation is contested. No established nickname is evidenced in these reviews. People are drawn to it for its dream-like character wide open and the special rendering it produces at f/1.2 that some shooters say they cannot achieve with other fast 50mm lenses.

https://phillipreeve.net/blog/review-nikon-nikkor-55mm-1-2-ai-the-first-f-1-2-f-mount-lens/https://casualphotophile.com/2018/11/14/nikon-nikkor-55mm-f-1-2-lens-review-the-fast-and-the-spurious/https://richardhaw.com/2017/03/15/repair-nikkor-s-c-55mm-f1-2/https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3958672https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/53913355https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/55mm-f12.htm