Testing a vintage Nikon Nikkor 35mm
14/07/25
I purchased a 1974 Nikon Nikkor 35mm a couple of years ago, and up today, I had never found an adapter that fit it properly (ironically, its sister 85mm with the same mount worked with no dramas). The day the new adapter arrived, I knew I had to take the lens out for a spin.
I’m not someone who has shot much at 35mm, and I didn’t head out with any specific ideas or goals, I just wanted to see what happened. So, of course, I ended up taking photos of a few trolleys.
Along with those trolleys, I took a few shots to explore the lens’s bokeh, which I think is pretty creamy based on the flower photos. And, of course, for contrast, I grabbed some black and white shots of architecture. In the end, I don’t think any of these photos are particularly good, but they do give me a sense of the lens’s character. It has a softness to it, even at f/8, and when it flares, it flares like crazy, which I really like.
I originally bought this lens for use in video, and that’s going to be the next real test once I come up with an idea for a short project. But in the meantime, this is a little window into my most recent vintage investment.
