EL Nikkor 50mm F4

OLD SCHOOL LENS

I bought this lens on December 26, 1973. The warranty card has the date of purchase handwritten on it. Showa 48 means the year 1973.

I enjoyed printing my photos with this lens. I was using a FUJI N690MF enlarger.
After a while, my darkroom work came to a close.

Specifications

EL Nikkor 50mm F4

Focal length :  51.6 mm
Max. aperture :  f/4
Min. aperture :  f/16
Lens construction :  4 elements in 3 groups
Standard magnification :  8X
Range of magnification ratio :  2X - 20X
Picture angle :  46°
Correction wavelength range :  380 nm - 700 nm
Vignetting :  0% at f/8
Distortion :  -0.174%
Subject size :  24 X 36 mm (43.2 mm⌀)
Overall working distance :  522.5 mm
Filter size :  d=34.5 mm p=0.5 mm
Mount :  Leica L39 screw mount
Length :  28 mm
Diameter :  44.5 mm
Weight :  100 g
Actual weight :  57.5 g

Release date :  September 1967
Price :
  5,800 Japanese YEN (1969)
  5,800 Japanese YEN (1973)
  7,000 Japanese YEN (1974)
  7,000 Japanese YEN (April 1976)
  7,900 Japanese YEN (July 1976)
  7,900 Japanese YEN (1977)
  7,900 Japanese YEN (1982)

EL Nikkor 50mm F4 Lens Construction

Position of EL Nikkor 50mm F4

The EL Nikkor 50mm F4 was a popular lens for beginners in photo enlargement. The price of this lens was affordable for entry-level users.

Source is from the Nikon Industrial Lenses Price List (December 21st, 1977).
The price is Japanese YEN.

EL Nikkor	Price (YEN)	Film Formats
50mm F2.8	12,700	24 x 36 mm
50mm F4	7,900	24 x 36 mm
63mm F3.5	21,700	32 x 45 mm
75mm F4	14,700	56 x 56 mm
80mm F5.6	19,400	60 x 70 mm
105mm F5.6	26,500	65 x 90 mm
135mm F5.6	37,500	90 x 120 mm (4 x 5 inch)
150mm F5.6	49,200	100 x 130 mm (4 x 5 inch)
180mm F5.6	74,600	130 x 180 mm (5 x 7 inch)
210mm F5.6	86,200	150 x 210 mm (5 x 7 inch)
240mm F5.6	111,000	180 x 240 mm (8 x 10 inch)
300mm F5.6	163,000	270 x 330 mm (10 x 12 inch)
360mm F5.6	231,000	300 x 400 mm (11 x 14 inch)

Weight of EL Nikkor 50mm F4

I compared the weight with the small lens I own. The EL Nikkor 50mm F4 on the left weighs 57.5 g. The MACRO Nikkor 19mm F2.8 on the right weighs 68 g. The EL Nikkor 50mm F4 is lighter than the MACRO Nikkor 19mm F2.8 lens.

Weight of EL Nikkor 50mm F4

Collector's Note

EL Nikkor 50mm F4

The EL Nikkor 50mm F4 lens was manufactured in large numbers as a popular product. Therefore, you can easily and cheaply get one in the current used camera market.

But optical performance is not cheap. Rather, the performance of this lens is extremely good. I mounted the EL Nikkor 50mm F4 lens on my Nikon Z 6 camera and took very nice fine pictures.

EL Nikkor 50mm F4

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