Few lens makers can claim a lineup as huge and diverse as Nikon’s. Its legendary F-mount for film-based and digital SLRs has been in continuous production since 1959, along with the newer Z-mount specifically for mirrorless cameras that launched in 2018.
The appeal of the Nikon system is obvious: by allowing the interchangeability of optical designs produced across eight decades, the Nikon photographer has unprecedented freedom in choosing the best lens for their craft.
There’s only one problem. In order to maintain the cohesive identity of the F-mount, Nikon has altered the designs of its countless lenses over the years to add – and sometimes to remove – certain features. This means that, while nearly every F-mount lens works on nearly every F-mount camera (more on the pesky exceptions in a bit), which features you get with which gear are not always self-evident.
The complicated lens designations that feature on the barrel of all Nikon glass, including more recent Z lenses, are meant to mitigate this problem. However, due to poor documentation and the sheer wealth of codes and abbreviations formed over the years, plenty of photographers find them more confusing than helpful.
If that includes you, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s demystify Nikon’s lens system, once and for all! Whether you’re trying to date your newly acquired Nikon glass or just wish to know what features are hiding beneath those embossed letters, the following guide should answer all your questions about Nikon’s dizzying lens base.
The F Mount
For this overview, I will be proceeding chronologically, starting from the very first F-mount lenses Nikon produced in the late 50s and early 60s and moving towards the present day. Of course, feel free to skip through to whichever section interests you most.
Early F-Mount Lenses, approx. 1959-1964
This group includes almost the entirety of the lineup that Nikon released along with the original Nikon F SLR in 1959. Lenses made during this time will still have “Nippon Kogaku” engraved on them, as the company did not formally change its name to Nikon until much later. The focal length markings on earlier examples were also spelled out in centimeters, not in millimeters as eventually became the modern standard.
T, Q, P, H, S, O, N, D, UD
One telltale sign that you’re dealing with an early F-mount lens is the presence of any of these letters following the NIKKOR lens name. For example, there is the NIKKOR-Q Auto f/3.5 13.5cm (135mm) telephoto prime, or the NIKKOR-S Auto f/2.8 3.5cm (35mm) wide-angle prime.
These letters, in the order above, correspond to tres, quattro, penta, hepta, septa, octo, novem, decem, and undecim. If your Latin is not quite what it used to be, these names are equivalent to the numbers three to eleven, denoting the number of lens elements. Nikon largely stopped using this system of declaring the lens elements in its designs by the early 70s, though some specialty lenses, particularly telephotos, continued to be labeled in this way for quite some time afterward.
Auto
You might have also noticed that a lot of earlier NIKKOR lenses have an “Auto” moniker engraved on the barrel that is curiously absent from later designs. The reason for this is rather simple: “Auto” denoted the presence of an automatic diaphragm mechanism, i.e. the ability of the lens to stop down to the taking aperture and return by itself as soon as you press the shutter.
Nearly all of the original lenses released for the Nikon F between 1959 and the early 60s were “automatic” lenses, with the notable exception of some rare oddities like the very first version of the NIKKOR-T f/4 10.5cm (105mm). These specialty lenses had to be used wide-open while focusing, then stopped down manually and opened back up after taking each picture.
Needless to say, the hassle involved in using a lens like this with an SLR camera meant that soon enough, all NIKKOR lenses were fully automatic. By the mid-60s, this made the additional “Auto” engraving superfluous.
Micro
Some of the earliest Nikon Micro lenses were unveiled along with the rest of the original F lineup, too. Despite the confusing naming choice, there is nothing that radically distinguishes what Nikon calls a Micro lens from what the rest of the world knows as a Macro lens, i.e. a close-up lens designed for high magnification and reproductions at very short distances.
PC
Another very early Nikon innovation, the original PC-NIKKOR was released way back in 1961, becoming the first 35mm lens with perspective control to reach camera store shelves.
By employing a tilt-shift mechanism, PC lenses can emulate many of the bellows movements of large-format cameras and manipulate depth of field and perspective much more intricately than what is possible on a conventional SLR lens.
Of course, any PC lens is still going to be limited by the natural shortcomings of a small 35mm frame compared to the vast possibilities of large-format photography – but for those that use them, the trade-offs in size, weight, practicality, and ease of use are more than worth it.
F-Mount, Pre-AI Lenses, approx. 1965-1977
Around 1965 (not in a perfectly uniform fashion, unfortunately), Nikon revamped their lens designations, starting to retire a lot of the old terminology and introducing a bunch of new lettered abbreviations.
Lenses from this time period are commonly referred to as Pre-AI, to distinguish them from the AI line that was introduced right after. From a purely technical point of view though, note that all NIKKORs produced before 1977 should be considered Pre-AI designs.
·C
A lot of Nikon lenses from the early 70s bore a ·C (note the small dot) right after the lens element code, for example as in the NIKKOR-S·C Auto f/1.4 50mm fast prime.
This symbol communicates the presence of multicoating on the lens elements.
At the time, multicoating was a fresh and expensive innovation that stood out for the improvements in detail rendition and flare resistance it could bring, especially to lenses with wide apertures and very large glass surfaces. As before, Nikon capitalized on this by proudly declaring the use of multicoating on many of its lenses, before eventually retiring the ·C code as multicoating became a relatively standard aspect of modern lens designs.
GN
One particular NIKKOR prime lens, the GN Auto NIKKOR·C f/2.8 45mm made between 1968 and 1977, also features the unique GN moniker, which stands for Guide Number.
The Guide Number is a value that is used when manually computing flash exposure settings. This unique pancake lens was designed to make flash photography easier for professionals by including an automatic coupling between the aperture and the lens. As flash exposure varies based on distance, this greatly streamlined the process of setting and metering with flash bulbs.
K
In 1974, the entire Nikon lens range was re-issued with a new look and feel. Ditching scalloped bare metal and bright chrome for sleek, painted lens barrels with a distinct waffle pattern on the aperture rings and thicker, rubberized focus rings, the ‘K’ series inaugurated the look that would become the most iconic and long-lived for manual-focus Nikon lenses.
Note that, while plenty of lenses received small optical revisions as they were updated to the ‘K’ scheme, many did not. It’s also worth noting that no ‘K’ lens was actually ever labeled as such physically; the code only exists in Nikon’s contemporary brochures, press releases, and other material.
F-Mount AI Lenses, 1977-1980
In 1977, Nikon issued the biggest mechanical revamp of their lens lineup yet, one that would for the first time bring up the now-perennial issue of cross-compatibility between lenses and camera bodies of different model years.
The AI (short for Automatic Indexing) feature has been one of Nikon’s most heavily-requested features ever since the early days of the Nikon F, and not without good reason.
On all pre-1977 lenses and Nikon cameras, there was no mechanical linkage to communicate lens information to the camera when using a prism head with a built-in light meter. Despite introducing one of the first successful bayonet lens mount designs, which easily allows for such a linkage in contrast to simpler screw mounts, Nikon had not implemented the feature early on.
Therefore, using a Nikon lens with a metered Nikon camera required one to perform what has been affectionately (or derisively, depending on whom you ask) termed the “Nikon shuffle”: upon mounting the lens, the photographer must quickly rotate the aperture ring to its minimum and maximum f-stops to “tell” the camera what kind of lens is mounted.
This changed in 1977 with the AI system. Now, AI lenses featured a little ridge behind the aperture ring that reached to contact a pin connected to the light meter. This addition removed the necessity for the Nikon shuffle and finally brought the Nikon lens system in line with other SLR systems available during the 70s.
A consequence of this radical upgrade was that Nikon meter prisms made for F-series cameras before the introduction of AI would only work with pre-AI lenses, not with the new AI versions. Since the geometry of the lens mount itself was not changed with the new AI standard, though, all Nikon cameras made before 1977 can still mount AI lenses without issue.
Apart from the meter coupling ridge at the back, AI lenses look suspiciously similar to pre-AI ‘K’ lenses. Eagle-eyed photographers may notice that lenses that came with automatic indexing from the factory have a second set of smaller, white-on-black f-numbers imprinted on their aperture rings. This was to facilitate a so-called Judas window, whereby many Nikon cameras of the late 70s would use a hidden mirror to display selected apertures within the viewfinder.
Since we’re talking about Nikon though, it can’t be that simple. Plenty of pre-AI lenses (including the earlier-look pre-K versions from the early 60s) were sent back to the Nikon factory to be converted to the AI standard, a program that Nikon continued to offer well into the 80s. That’s in addition to third parties that also offered conversions and some crafty photographers that attempted the job themselves with varying results. More often than not, such a conversion included the addition of those little additional f-numbers on the aperture ring, making identification even more difficult without checking the serial number.
Note that all AI lenses are multicoated, so the ·C symbol was never used past 1977. However, many AI conversions, especially those not done by Nikon in-house, left the lens elements with their original single coatings. Depending on the history of your lens, that can make it tricky to figure out exactly what coating was used. The apparent color of the reflective coating on the front element may still give you a clue: single coatings tend to give off warmer hues of orange and red, whereas multicoated lenses like to reflect blues, greens, and purple.
Today, whether a lens conforms to the AI standard or not is ever more important for those who wish to shoot vintage glass on their modern Nikon cameras. The vast majority of Nikon DSLRs offer physical compatibility solely with AI lenses and newer, as they rely on the coupling ridge that automatic indexing lenses possess. Pre-AI lenses, with their different lens mount structure, can actually damage newer cameras!
The only exception to date is the unique Nikon Df from 2013, which had a slightly altered lens mount with a retractable metering pin to allow mounting even the very oldest NIKKORs dating back to 1959.
ED
Starting with the AI system, some Nikon telephotos received an additional ED designation, short for Extra-low Dispersion. This indicates the use of specialized glass elements that reduce chromatic aberration, a perennial problem with high-focal length lenses.
ED is one of the few Nikon lens designations that has neither changed in its spelling nor in its meaning ever since its introduction in the mid-to-late 70s.
IF
Sometime during the AI era, Nikon also began experimenting with internal focusing, which has been labeled IF on lens barrels ever since. In a lens with internal focusing, the front element does not move back and forth as the focus ring rotates. Only the internal elements change position to determine focus, hence the name.
Internal focusing improves minimum focus distances while preventing focus breathing effects, improving weight balance during fast autofocus scenarios, and allowing the lens itself to be built more lightweight.
Because this especially offers a practical benefit in large telephotos, IF is very commonly combined with the ED designation to form ED-IF. However, the two are not strictly related, and IF lenses without ED glass exist as well.
F-Mount AI-S Lenses, 1981-2020
The AI standard was mildly updated in 1981 and renamed AI-S to provide enhanced compatibility with some of Nikon’s more advanced cameras of the 80s. By adding a small notch that Nikon referred to as the focal length indexing ridge whilst standardizing the throw of the aperture rings, these AI-S lenses made possible some of the first uses of electronic shutter priority and program automation in high-end Nikon cameras like the FA.
Because digital SLRs do not use the same mechanism for shutter priority and program mode, the difference between AI and AI-S lenses has become irrelevant for most contemporary Nikon photographers. Do note that while AI-S lenses were formally replaced in 1986, they stayed in production for many years after that, with the very last of the lot only ceasing production in 2020.
Because of that, most AI-S versions of popular AI lenses are far more widespread than earlier non-S counterparts.
F-Mount AF Lenses, 1986-1995
In 1986, Nikon finally released their fully-fledged autofocus lens lineup along with the brand-new, all-electronic F-501 camera. This ushered in a new age for Nikon, and as a result, autofocus cameras would from here on out use entirely different lenses than their manual-focus counterparts.
Well, almost. The truth is that a large portion of Nikon’s autofocus designs, especially the early AF lenses, were optically identical or at the very least clearly derived from earlier AI-S lenses, which in turn could more often than not trace their lineage back to the original Auto lenses of the early 60s.
For example, the popular AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4 fast prime is based on the same optical recipe as the older NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4 AI manual lens, with the exterior barrel and the autofocus system being the biggest changes.
The AF lenses are some of the most minimal in the whole F-mount lineup in terms of their externally visible lens designations. Apart from the obvious, large AF print and the usual focal length and aperture markings along with the serial number, lenses from this series are very plain and understated in appearance. Nevertheless, they remain instantly recognizable thanks to their all-black paint job, rounded-edge design, and the depth-of-field scales embedded beneath a small glass window, which replaced the painted scales used before on all prior lenses.
Speaking of which, the appearance of these lenses was a source of great controversy when the AF series made its debut. The unusually high use of plastic in their construction, along with the surprisingly thin, light, and flimsy manual focus rings, drew great criticism from professional photographers.
AF-N (Also AF-n or AFn)
That is why the AF lineup was swiftly revised around 1990. The textured, rubberized focus grips of the earlier AI lenses made a triumphant return, replacing the thin plastic rings of the initial AF lenses.
It was also with this refresh that the small switch to lock the lens aperture to the minimum setting for use with twin-dial camera controls was standardized across the range. Earlier AF lenses had a combination of different switches, knobs, and small levers in different locations that some found more confusing than practical.
By making slight adjustments to materials and construction, Nikon also tried to alleviate the earlier concerns about flimsy build quality. Apart from these changes, AF-N lenses are identical to early AF designs, and they were never separately branded or marketed as such.
DC
Nikon only ever made two DC lenses, but to some, they represent the holy grail in all of SLR lens design. The AF NIKKOR 105mm f/2 DC and its sibling, the AF NIKKOR 135mm f/2 DC, both share a very similar physical appearance and comparable, portrait-friendly focal lengths.
Their distinctive moniker spells out Defocus Control, a unique feature Nikon experimentally introduced on these lenses during the early 90s. With Defocus Control, the photographer can seamlessly adjust the degree of background separation by means of an additional ring on the lens.
This makes the DC siblings the only Nikon lenses ever made, and in fact, the only SLR lenses ever mass-produced, that let you directly and seamlessly adjust bokeh, or background defocus effects, with a dedicated control.
Note that both of these were later re-released as AF-D lenses (see below).
F-Mount AF-D Lenses, 1996-Present
Another refresh occurred a few years later with the release of improved AF-D lenses. Though optically once again unchanged from their predecessors and sporting the design language previously showcased by the revised AFn series, these models made an important upgrade.
By slightly altering the way the lens mounts to the camera, AF-D units now communicate focus distance information to the meter, which enables features like 3D Matrix metering and advanced flash metering.
While the vast majority of the AF-D lineup has been discontinued by now, as of this writing a few widely popular lenses such as the AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D remain available for sale from Nikon’s online store.
AF-D lenses are clearly designated to be distinguished from earlier AF-only lenses – once in large print on the barrel, and once more in smaller print around the filter ring.
F-Mount AF-S Lenses, 1998-Present
Towards the end of the millennium, Nikon presented a major innovation in the field of autofocus lens design that changed the way Nikon lenses and cameras handled quite significantly.
By using an ultrasonic motor not unlike Canon’s older USM design, AF-S lenses (short for AutoFocus Silent Wave Motor) pack the autofocus mechanism into the lens barrel.
This is in complete contrast to all previous AF lenses, which relied on a motor located inside the camera to actuate the focusing mechanism remotely through a system of screws and gears.
The AF-S line is designed to be significantly quieter than the screw-based system. It also removes the element of varying autofocus performance across different camera bodies, as the entire AF system is now fully self-contained and independent of the camera itself.
This design decision soon enabled the creation of cheap, entry-level digital cameras like the Nikon D60, which completely lack a built-in motor and are thus unable to automatically focus non-AF-S lenses.
Along with the mechanical change, AF-S lenses debuted a new look, with a gray paint job and compact plastic body designs that are easily distinguishable from the earlier black style of AF-D and AF models. The depth-of-field scale within its glass housing remained for many lenses, but the on-barrel lens designations now appeared surrounding it in the form of a centered plaque with gold letters instead of simple white, painted graphics.
AF-G
Most, if not all of the AF-S lenses released since the year 2000 have been AF-G lenses as well. This often creates confusion as to where AF-S lenses stop and AF-G lenses begin.
The answer is that the relationship between the two is not one of predecessor and successor, such as with the AF-D and AF-S, for example.
Rather, AF-G refers to lenses that have undergone one important ergonomic change: the removal of the aperture ring. As twin-dial controls became massively more widespread, especially with the rapid adoption of digital photography, and as the weight of lenses continued to increase due to the internal focusing motors despite the use of light plastics, AF-G lenses posed one way for Nikon to keep the bulk of their optics in check.
Due to the lack of a manual lens ring, AF-G lenses will not work on any camera that does not have a body-mounted dial for aperture control.
While most AF-G lenses are also AF-S due to the time they were made, many are not. For example, the AF NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4-5.6G is actually an AF-D lens, even if it’s missing the extra “D” mark on the barrel.
FX and DX
From 2002 onward, Nikon split their lens lineup in two to better accommodate the growing number of digital photographers (who, back then, only had a choice of APS-C format sensors).
Apart from the new name, FX lenses are the same as all older Nikon lenses. Since full-frame sensors are identical to the 35mm film format in dimensions, FX lenses continue to be made to the same specifications as before.
However, the new-for-2002 DX lenses were designed from scratch. With a smaller image circle fitting the dimensions of the APS-C sensor, DX lenses are overall more compact and lightweight than their FX counterparts.
As the reduction in material costs allows them to be sold for less than traditional Nikon lenses, DX has been consistently marketed towards beginner photographers and amateurs, whereas FX is nowadays considered a more upmarket, professional label – somewhat ironic considering that before the 2000s, all Nikon lenses were technically FX.
VR
Many AF-S lenses, especially telephoto zooms, nowadays sport the VR feature, proudly declared in gold on their barrel. This stands for Vibration Reduction, and it is Nikon’s analog to Canon’s Image Stabilization.
The principle is the same: by utilizing fine sensors embedded in the lens, a series of small motors delicately adjust the internal lens elements to compensate for handheld motion, thereby reducing camera shake and blur.
On all VR lenses, Vibration Reduction can be toggled on and off by means of a switch on the side of the lens.
N
Many newer Nikon lenses also feature an additional ‘N’ label, which is definitely not to be confused with the older ‘N’ designation that was applied to nine-element Nikon lenses in the 1960s!
Instead, this ‘N’ stands for Nano Crystal Coating, a special coating developed specifically by Nikon for some of their premium AF-S lenses. Compared to traditional multicoating, Nano Crystal Coating better fights glare, ghosting, and flaring in harsh light conditions and improves contrast.
FL
Only used in a few, high-end telephotos, FL stands for Fluorite Lens. As the name implies, this designates the presence of lens elements crafted with fluorite to mitigate chromatic aberration and other optical defects.
Fluorite also has the advantage of being lighter than conventional glass, making its (expensive) use particularly attractive for large lenses with many internal elements.
TC
Again a sight mostly encountered on high-end telephoto lenses, TC indicates the presence of a built-in teleconverter integral to the lens.
With the use of an external lever or switch, this teleconverter can be toggled on or off, allowing for increased versatility and even higher long-distance reach without resulting in an overly bulky lens.
E
Since the 2010s, Nikon has been offering a select number of AF-S lenses with advanced electromagnetic diaphragms. These lenses are identifiable by the large, golden ‘E’ on their barrel.
The advantages of an electromagnetic diaphragm mostly come down to speed, stability, and precision during high-speed shooting. When using automatic exposure and firing in burst mode, an electromagnetic diaphragm can make adjustments to aperture settings much more quickly and reliably than a mechanical aperture actuated by camera or lens electronics.
Because of that, most ‘E’ Nikon lenses are relatively specialized telephotos intended for sports, action, and wildlife photography. A perfect example is the AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR. Looking at such a lens, you might notice that, while ‘E’ lenses do have aperture rings, they are left unmarked due to the electromagnetic nature of the mechanism. This prevents their use on many older cameras.
In fact, even plenty of modern Nikon DSLRs are incompatible with ‘E’ lenses, including the old flagship D2, D200, D3000, D80, and others. No Nikon 35mm SLRs work with electromagnetic diaphragm lenses, either – the aperture will refuse to stop down and stay permanently open if used on such cameras.
However, almost all Nikon DSLRs made since about 2010, including every full-frame DSLR, should work without issue.
PF
PF stands for Phase Fresnel, and it is the latest and greatest of Nikon’s special lens elements designed to reduce optical artifacts. It uses a special, thin fresnel-type element to reduce weight and size in complex telephoto lenses while improving chromatic aberration and noise performance.
F-Mount AF-P Lenses, 2016-Present
Utilizing a new, so-called stepper motor, Nikon’s fresh AF-P lenses promise even quieter and faster autofocus operation compared to the AF-S system.
Released as an initial complement of four lenses, the new AF-P design immediately caused controversy as it massively complicated compatibility with existing Nikon DSLR bodies, much more so than any lens line before it. To get a detailed overview of the situation, I recommend you consult Thom Hogan’s guide on the AF-P system.
In terms of technical specs, the AF-P lenses also differ from their predecessors by a change to focus-by-wire: the manual focus ring no longer features a mechanical linkage, and instead merely communicates to the camera electronically.
Nikon has not significantly expanded the AF-P system beyond a handful of entry-level zooms targeted at amateurs. With the shrinkage and gradual erosion of the DSLR market, it is unlikely that we will see many more AF-P lenses crop up in the future, at least for the F-mount.
The Z-Mount
Thankfully, all of the various designations and codes introduced over the long history of the F-Mount have largely been kept for the Z-Mount, so Nikon has managed to present some sense of continuity.
However, Z-Mount lenses do feature some unique labels of their own, which have caused some confusion during the still-short history of the system. Below, you’ll find a comprehensive overview of these.
S
Once again, this designation should definitely not be confused with the old capital ‘S’ that described seven-element lenses in the old NIKKOR-Auto days.
Instead, NIKKOR Z lenses that display the bold, silver ‘S’ on their black barrels are part of the elusive S-Line, a luxurious trim level much more so than a specific feature per se. Think of the BMW ‘M’ label, and you wouldn’t be too far off.
According to the official Nikon website, the ‘S’ stands for “Superior performance and resolution”, “Sophisticated features”, and “Specialized technologies”. Rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it?
SE
A few ‘SE’ lenses also exist — for instance, the NIKKOR Z 28mm f.2.8 SE. These are Special Edition lenses (unrelated to the S-Line) that were restyled in a fashion similar to old AI lenses to fit the look of the Nikon FM-esque Zfc camera.
Other than the appearance, SE lenses are identical to the non-SE lenses they are based on.
MC
One exception to the continuity between F-mount and Z-mount lenses, MC is now assigned to macro lenses, which were previously simply labeled Micro.
Why this label was altered is not clear, but the nature and technical design of Nikon’s macro (or micro) lenses have not significantly changed in any case.
If you’ve made it to the end of this guide, congrats! You should now have a working understanding of all the various lens codes and shorthands that Nikon has made use of throughout the brand’s long history. That wasn’t so hard, was it?
