April 2022 Update

Today I’ve discovered another OEM Printing-NIKKOR 95mm f/2.8 lens, this is the 4th version of the that I’ve tested, and for the record, the 5th version 95mm Printing-NIKKOR f/2.8 lens that I am aware of. This version was used in a PlusTek Optical Line Scan System, you can see more information on the unit here: https://www.closeuphotography.com/printing-nikkor-line-scan-system. I’ve update the OEM Printing-NIKKOR 95mm f/2.8 lens section below with more information on this new lens. I have not seen any information on this new OEM version online.

Rayfact 2x, Line Scan Printing Nikkor, Printing-Nikkor 95mm, side by side www.Closeuphotography.com — **Left to Right, Nikon Rayfact 2x, Line Scan Printing-NIKKOR 95mm f/2.8, Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A**

January 2022 Updates

The new OEM Printing-NIKKOR 95mm f/2.8 lens section has been below with new information on the Nikon Custom OEM version of the Printing-Nikkor 95mm lens, as seen below. This is a very interesting lens to Nikon industrial lens users and I don’t know of any other site with any info on this rare lens.

This week the Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A / Rayfact 2x OFM20119MN lens was the best lens in a 2x lens test here on Closeuphotography.com. The lens was compared against; Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 35mm film scanner lens, Schneider Kreuznach Macro Varon 4.5/85 CAS line scan lens, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens, and Laowa 100/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO lens. To see the test results, follow the link below of click on the image above, right, to open the link in a new window.

https://www.closeuphotography.com/2x-lens-test-2022

This Site

This test and all the other content on my site, is completely independent and free from industry influence. Most photo sites in the web today are run by corporations for profit. I will not benefit from your purchases. I do not show ads, use any affiliate links, track your web history, sell products, or take money from anyone in the photo industry. I create content for this site for fun in my free time. Instead of making a few dollars from this site, I'm far more concerned about teaching people to learn to use what they already have, rather than waste time and money buying the wrong equipment.

The Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A

The Nikon Printing-NIKKOR (PN) is a unique lens line well known by macro photographers all over the world for high-end tip-top image quality and for once; this lens actually deserves it’s legendary reputation. The image quality that this lens can produce is about as good as image quality out of any lens ever made.

The PN lens was produced for the demanding requirements for optical printing in film’s special effects industry. The requirements are an extremely high level of sharpness, complete lack of distortion, all with the strictest correction of chromatic aberration over the entire image circle. Nikon produced various focal length versions of the PN lens for different print and original format combinations, all strictly corrected for high resolution and perfect faithful color reproduction. Over the last 50+ years there was nothing made quite like the PN, and there is nothing like it made currently, and the design can no longer be reproduced (see the section below: Why Legacy Lens Designs Cannot Be Reproduced).

This is a test of the 95mm Printing-Nikkor, the 105mm Printing-Nikkor test can be found here: www.closeuphotography.com/printing-nikkor-105

In early 2021 I found this complete new-old-stock Printing NIKKOR 95mm F2.8 A with box, inspection cards and still wrapped in plastic just as it left the Tochigi factory in Tokyo! — In early 2021 I found this complete new-old-stock Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8 A with box, inspection cards and still wrapped in plastic just as it left the Tochigi factory in Tokyo!

Nikon Printing-NIKKOR 95A and Nikon Rayfact 2x

KEY FEATURES OF PN95A

Strict apochromatic aberration correction and suppression of color fringing in the farthest corners of the frame
Close to perfect color reproduction
⌀64mm image circle at 2x
Optimized for 1/2x forward and 2x reverse mounted
Zero corner shading and flat image field over the entire image circle
Excellent resolving power and contrast over the entire image circle
Bright f/2.8 maximum aperture
Round aperture 12 blade iris
All metal industrial body
Mounting threads on both front and rear to make reverse mounting easy

Nikon-Printing-NIKKOR-95-2x-Dim-diag-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A / Nikon Rayfact 2x (95mm, F2.8)
Part Number: Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A / Rayfact 2x OFM20119MN
Lens configuration: 14 elements in 6 groups + 2 protective elements. (early PN95 used a 12 element, 4 group design)
Type: optical printing / high resolution line sensor camera Inspection by / film reproduction
Reference magnification: 1/2x forward and 2x reverse mount
Usable magnification: -1.90 ~ -2.05 forward -0.45 ~ -0.58 in reverse
Reference wavelength: 546.07nm (e-line, green)
Resolving power:
0.5x: 320 lp/mm center, 250 lp/mm edge over ⌀ 32mm IC
2x: 160 lp/mm center, 120 lp/mm edge over ⌀ 64mm IC
Resolution: 5.6 µm at 0.5x, 2.8 µm at 2x (e-line) (Rayfact 1x 3.7 µm)
Numerical aperture: NA 0.12 at 2x and NA 0.06 at 0.5x (e-line)
Sensor pixel pitch: 5 µm (Rayfact 1x 5 µm)
Distortion: 0% (Rayfact 2x +0.001% for and early PN95 +0.2% at -0.5x)
Focal length: 95.02mm (early PN95: 95.5mm)
Maximum aperture: f/2.8
Sharpest Aperture: f/2.8
Aperture range: f/2.8 - f/11
Coverage: ⌀ 32/64mm image circle (early PN95 ⌀ 30/60mm)
Wavelength range: 400nm - 800nm
Front lens mount: M45 P= 0.75mm
Rear lens mount: M45 P= 0.75mm
Filter thread: M43 P= 0.5mm
Source: Lens made in Japan
Price:
Printing-NIKKOR 95mm f2.8A / Rayfact 2x $6239 USD before being discontinued in 2019
Printing-NIKKOR 95mm in 1977 was $2,262 USD, which is worth $9,886.99 USD in 2021
Printing-NIKKOR 105 A / Rayfact 1x was $6,495 USD
Used market: $900 - $1400 USD in 2021 (asking prices)
Design includes sensor coverglass: No

The Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8 A version tested here has the latest 14 element, 6 group + 2 cover glass element optical design. Designed for use at 1/2x reduction and 2/1x magnification, for example, 35mm film to 16mm film reduction or 16mm film to 35mm enlargement (in reverse). This Industrial Nikkor lens was sold by the Rayfact division of Tochigi-Nikon in Tokyo and branded the Nikon Rayfact Printing-Nikkor 95mmF2.8A. Later the lens was rebadged as the Nikon Rayfact 2x (95mm F2.8). The early version was sold as a 1/2x magnification lens by Nippon Kogaku K.K. as the Nikon Printing-Nikkor 95mm F2.8 and had a less complex optical design than the later models. The Nikon Rayfact 2x was officially discontinued in May of 2019. See the RAYFACT TOCHIGI NIKON section below for more info.

Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8 Versions

There are 5 different versions of the 95mm Printing-NIKKOR lens.

Printing-NIKKOR 95mm (PN95)
Printing-NIKKOR 95mm f2.8A (PN95A)
Rayfact 2x OFM20119MN 95mm f/2.8 (Rayfact2x)
OEM Printing-NIKKOR 95mm f/3.3 Preset aperture (OEMPN95)
OEM Line Scan Printing-NIKKOR 95mm f/2.8 (PN95L)

In my testing the performance of the latest 4 are virtually identical. I have not tested the earliest version of this lens.

Some Quick Measurements of the different versions:
PN95A 91.1mm total length
Rayfact2x 95.4mm total length
OEM PN95 90.2mm total length
PN95L 113.7mm total length
105PN: 104.2mm total length

PN95A: 79.6mm distance from front glass to rear glass
Rayfact2x: 84.6mm distance from front glass to rear glass
OEM PN95 80mm distance from front glass to rear glass
PN95L: 100.7mm distance from front glass to rear glass
105PN: 90.5mm distance from front glass to rear glass

The PN95L is 22mm longer overall, and 21mm longer than the the PN95A front to rear glass surface.

Nikon Printing-NIKKOR 95mm f2.8A and Nikon Rayfact 2x

The Printing-NIKKOR 95mm vs Nikon Rayfact 2x (95mm, F2.8)

The official story from Nikon is that Rayfact 2x is different version of the Printing-Nikkor made with ECO friendly glass. I’ve tested 3 copies of the 95mm PN and Rayfact 2x and I cannot see any difference in the optical performance, they are identical. To save bandwidth and space I am not going to show comparison results between the two since the results are the same anyway. For this test I consider the Printing-NIKKOR and Rayfact 2x the same design.

The Custom OEM Printing-NIKKOR 95mm lenses

In 2021 I was able to pick up a rare custom OEM industrial version of the Printing-NIKKOR 95mm, thanks to a friend in China, who spotted a batch of these lenses at a surplus/optical salvage dealer selling these lenses for a can’t-pass-it-up bargain price and was sold as a Nikon 105mm f2.8 line scan lens. The focal length of this lens does not measure out at 105mm so it is not the 105mm Printing-Nikkor or Rayfact 1x, but the focal length is 95mm so it is the Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A with a fixed f/3.3 aperture. I’ve tested it and it is identical to the Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A and the serial number in the same series at other PN95A lenses.

The lens is not supplied with a front thread trim ring and has a polished smooth surface, unlike the fine matte finish of the Rayfact 2x and the PN95A. Drop me a message if you’ve seen something similar to this OEM PN95A.

Nikon Custom OEM PN95A Lens - PN95A - Rayfact 2x

Nikon Custom OEM Printing-NIKKOR 95mm, Nikon Rayfact 2x middle, and Nikon Pinting-NIKKOR 95mm f/2.8A on the right.

A New 95mm Printing-NIKKOR 95mm f/2.8 version

There is a second Nikon Custom OEM Printing-NIKKOR 95mm f/2.8. The lens is slightly longer than the other 2x 95mm Printing-NIKKOR lenses and most interestingly the glass section is longer by almost 10mm.

This OEM lens was used in a optical inspection unit for operation at 2x magnification with a Teledyne DALSA Piranha HS-80-08k80 TDI line scan camera.

For more info see this page: https://www.closeuphotography.com/printing-nikkor-line-scan-system

2500 Pixel Image Sample

Pixel-Shift 4 image mode sample at 2x
Camera: Sony α7R IV, Sony Alpha ILCE-A7R IV
Sensor size: Full Frame. 35.7mm x 23.8mm. 42.9 mm diagonal. 3.76 micron sensor pitch
Single Image, not stacked, Pixel Shift Multi Shooting 4 Image Mode

To see the full size version of any image below in a new browser tab, click on an image, or right click, or two-finger press, and select Open in a New Tab or New Window from the menu. You can also right click, or two-finger press, and select Save Image As to save and view the image full size.

2500 Pixel Sample Printing NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A with Sony A7R IV Pixel Shift Multi Shooting 4 Image Mode — 2500 Pixel Sample Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A with Sony A7R IV Pixel Shift Multi Shooting 4 Image Mode

Above is the full 2500 pixel image made at 2x with the Printing-NIKKOR and A7R4 in Pixel-shift mode. You can see 100% view crops from center, APS-C corner and full frame corner areas in the image below. Click on the image for a larger size image.

100% View Crops Printing NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A with Sony A7R IV Pixel Shift Multi Shooting 4 Image Mode — 100% View Crops **Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A with Sony A7R IV Pixel Shift Multi Shooting 4 Image Mode**

Absolutely no drop in image quality from center to extreme corner with the Sony A7R IV in Pixel-Shift 4 image mode. Seriously impressive results; sharp, contrasty, deep blacks and great colors.

2X Test: The Printing-NIKKOR 95mm vs Canon MP-E 65mm

The Canon MP-E 65 is one of the most popular macro lens that are able to go beyond life-size magnification. Venus/Laowa also offers a 100mm 2x lens but they did not respond to email but I will update this test if they do offer something in the future.

PN-MPE-Center-100-percent-crop-f2.8-2x-Nikon-Printing-NIKKOR-95mm-F2.8A-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

The pink fringing in the MP-E image on the right is impossible to miss. The Printing-Nikkor (PN) image on the left is sharp and free from any aberrations at f/2.8. The MP-E features a single low-dispersion UD-glass element in the design where fourteen low-dispersion elements are used in the PN design. To be fair the MP-E is a lot better at 1x, and MP-E isn’t alone when it comes to pink fringing, the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens is a newer design and also has issues with pink fringing.

There is some Color moiré in the repetitive patterns in the PN images. This is the result of aliasing in Bayer CFAs. Pixel-shift will images will not show Color moiré, also stopping down will lower the resolution and clear it up also. The sharpest lenses are more prone to Color moiré, lots of scanner lenses I've tested have this issue with the patterns on wafers.

PN-MPE-APSC-Corner-100-percent-crop-f2.8-2x-Nikon-Printing-NIKKOR-95mm-F2.8A-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

The PN shows no loss in image quality in the APS-C corners at f/2.8. The MP-E is looking a little better here with less CAs than the center area.

PN-MPE-Corner-100-percent-crop-f2.8-2x-Nikon-Printing-NIKKOR-95mm-F2.8A-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

Even in the far corners on a full frame Sony A7R4, the image quality out of the PN is sensational! The MP-E shows some softness in the full frame corners but at least CAs are less pronounced than the center. The field was flat with both lenses.

2X Test: The Printing-NIKKOR 95mm vs Macro Varon 85mm

The Macro Varon (MV) 85mm CAS is one of my favorite lenses and is always a solid performer but the slower maximum f/4.5 aperture puts it in a disadvantage. The MV is $4600 USD new and very hard to find used, sometimes selling for over $1500 if you can find one. The PN is a little less than that at about $1000-1100 (ignoring the sky-high collector level prices on eBay).

PN-MV-Center-100-percent-crop-f2.8-2x-Nikon-Printing-NIKKOR-95mm-F2.8A-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

Both lenses are nice and sharp in the center without any aberrations. The PN has an advantage here due to the 1.5 stop difference in effective aperture. It is interesting to note how they handle the colors differently. The colors out of the PN look fantastic.

PN-MV-APSC-Corner-100-percent-crop-f2.8-2x-Nikon-Printing-NIKKOR-95mm-F2.8A-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

Similar story in the APS-C sensor corner crops. Both lenses show great results. The sharpness and contrast out of the PN being better as you would expect.

PN-MV-Corner-100-percent-crop-f2.8-2x-Nikon-Printing-NIKKOR-95mm-F2.8A-Lens-www-Closeuphotography-com.jpg

The PN is also superior in the full frame corner crops with almost zero image quality fall off from center to the far corner zone. The PN used a single image for these results, the best sharpness out of the MV was found on two different images.

Detail Crops

The PN was tested wide-open at f2.8. The Macro Varon was best at f/4.5 and the MP-E was best at f/4.

L-R; Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A - Schneider Macro Varon 85mm f/4.5 - Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro lens

Test Results

The Printing-Nikkor 95mm F/2.8A is best out of these 3 lenses at 2x. Superb sharpness, zero aberrations, and no drop in image quality from center to the far corners on the Sony A7R4 body. The PN95A was not only the best performer but is available for less than the cost of a Macro Varon and about the same cost as an MP-E.

Lenses that can match the Printing-Nikkor 95mm F/2.8A at 2x? I cannot think of anything right now, if you have any ideas send me a message, I would appreciate it.

PROS AND CONS

What I really like:

Excellent cost vs performance value
Faithful and accurate color reproduction
Consistent image quality over a big image circle
Fast f/2.8 aperture maximum aperture
Round aperture 12 blade iris is there if you need it
Best performance wide-open
Short focal length requires less extension
Matching M45 mounting threads on both front and rear

What I don’t like:

Discontinued production

Tochigi-nikon-Rayfact-Sensor-pixel-pitch-vs-object-resolution-new.jpg

Mounting the Printing-Nikkor

Thread adapters are easily available online at Raf camera or at the Raf Camera store on eBay. https://rafcamera.com/ or https://www.ebay.com/str/rafcamera?

Personally I use a SM2 > M45 step-down adapter: https://rafcamera.com/adapter-m45x0-75f-to-sm2m-30mm? to mount the PN95A on my Thorlabs SM2 studio setup. I will not buy Chinese made M45 adapters having been burned numerous times in the past with incorrectly made adapters. Chendata for one includes M45 > M42 step-down adapters with each PN lens purchase.

Printing-NIKKOR Production

The Printing-NIKKOR (PN) lens was made for the industrial film duplication and was never marketed to consumers. PN prototypes were released in 1968. The Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8, along with the 105mm F2.8, were introduced in 1971. There have been some slight specification changes and the optical formula has change from the first generation to the Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A, along with the 105mm F2.8A versions. Production of the Rayfact 1x OFM10090MN and Rayfact 2x OFM20119MN was discontinued in May 2019 unfortunately, ending the Printing-NIKKOR era! See more about Nikon closing lens factories in the RAYFACT AND TOCHIGI NIKON information section below near the bottom of this page.

Printing-NIKKOR Early vs A vs Rayfact 2x

There are 3 distinct types of 95mm Printing-NIKKOR offered for sale, the early, the A and the Rayfact 2x. The early Printing-NIKKOR is shorter and comes in a gold box with white and black Nikon logos. Serial numbers are in the 300,000 range. The later A comes in the blue box and uses serials in the 500,000 range. The Rayfact 2x comes in a white box and has serials in the 100,000-200,000 range.

Nikon’s Printing-NIKKOR lens Line-up

Printing-NIKKOR versions and image circle (IC) diameter (⌀).

Printing-NIKKOR 75mm F2.8 ⌀ 16mm IC at 1/4x

Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8 ⌀ 60mm IC at 2x ⌀ 30mm at 1/2x
Printing-NIKKOR 95mm F2.8A ⌀ 64mm IC at 2x ⌀ 32mm at 1/2x
Nikon Rayfact 2x (95mm F2.8) ⌀ 64mm IC at 2x ⌀ 32mm at 1/2x

Printing-NIKKOR 105mm F2.8 ⌀ 54mm IC at 1x
Printing-NIKKOR 105mm F2.8N ⌀ 60mm IC
Printing-NIKKOR 105mm F2.8A ⌀ 60mm IC
Nikon Rayfact 1x (105mm F2.8) ⌀ 60mm IC

Printing-NIKKOR 150mm F2.8 float ring variable magnification version 1/4 - 4X ⌀ 30mm IC at 1X
Printing-NIKKOR 150mm F2.8 fixed 1x magnification ⌀ 30mm IC at 1X
Printing-NIKKOR 150mm F2.8 fixed 1x magnification ⌀ 88mm IC at 1X

Notes:

In regards to availability all of the lenses above can be found on the used market except for maybe the ultra rare 75mm Printing Nikkor. The later model Printing Nikkor 150 is also very rare. Email me if you have any questions, are looking for a certain lens, or have a lead on a lens, especially the 75mm or 150mm lenses!

Image circle specs updates. The official image circle diameter for the float ring Printing-Nikkor is very conservative. In testing the Printing Nikkor 150mm float ring lens at f/2.8 covered an Sony A7RIV ⌀ 43mm full frame sensor with a perfectly sharp and chromatic aberration free image circle at 1x. Same with the later 1x fixed mag Printing Nikkor 150mm, in testing the lens covered a full frame sensor even at f/2.8.

Optical Printing and the Printing NIKKOR

The Printing-NIKKOR line was designed for use in optical printers, such as ACME and OXBERRY optical printers. These were used in the film industry for duplication and special effects work. Before the age of digital special effects compositing was done with an optical printer, which was considered the most important piece of post production equipment in the Special Effects world. The optical printer is basically a camera pointed at a film projector that copies film and adds multiple special effects to that movie. As many as 30 composted elements would appear in one shot. Multiple shots were added at once while others optical shots were done layer after layer.

The original Star Wars production, at George Lucas's ILM effects company, and the original Blade Runner, relied heavily on optical printing and the latter film's special effects are generally recognized to be among the best of all time. Look at classic photos of high-end optical printer setups and you will inevitably see the front of a Printing-NIKKOR sticking out of the machine as you can see in the images above.

Low Dispersion Glass and Chromatic Aberrations

A typical photographic lens is comprised of lens elements that direct the light rays to reproduce the image as accurately as possible on the sensor while minimizing aberrations. Optical aberrations occur when details in the image do not translate accurately while passing through the lens — causing image softness and misalignment of colors (chromatic aberration), corner shading, and distortion among others.

Chromatic aberrations (CAs). Human eyes pick up CAs as color fringes along the boundaries or edges that separate dark and bright parts of the image, usually along the borders of the frame. This is a caused by the failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same point so the different wavelengths of light focus at different points.

Low-dispersion optical glass. Because the dispersion of a glass determines the refractive power of the glass at different wavelengths, chromatic aberration can be removed by designing a lens that contains both positive and negative lenses that are made using glasses with different dispersions. A downside to such a design is that it increases the number of elements and the complexity and cost of the lens.

To reduce CAs, lower dispersion lens elements and the most desirable glasses for color correction often have properties that make them more expensive and difficult to manufacture. Large sized crystals of low-dispersion glass can extremely difficult to manufacture due to defects, and these are very difficult to handle and process due to serious issues with thermal expansion, brittleness, and hygroscopicity (absorb moisture from the atmosphere).

The Printing-NIKKOR 95A design. The PN95Ais unique in the amount of low-dispersion used in the optical design. All 14 element used in the PN95A design are low dispersion. Nikon’s newest Z 70-200mm f2.8 VR S uses 6 ED low dispersion elements out of 21, while Canon’s RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS lens features a total of 4 low dispersion elements out of 17.

Abbe number. The there an approximate measure of the optical material's dispersion, that is the change of refractive index versus wavelength. This is the Abbe number (Vd) value. The higher the number, the lower the dispersion. Human eyes can not detect chromatic aberration if the Vd is above 40. If the Abbe value is too low, then the dispersion of light will cause chromatic aberration.

Abbe number (Vd) value for some common optical glass types:
Common glass type range: 25-65 Vd
Low-dispersion glass, ED-UD-SD: 81 + Vd
Super-ED or super-UD glass (Schott FK-51 for example: 84 Vd
Fluorite: 95 Vd

The Printing-NIKKOR 95A uses glasses with a Vd value range from 51.35 - 82.52, while a consumer market lens like the Nikon Micro-Nikkor AiS 105mm f/2.8 uses glasses in the 27.6 - 54.0 range.

Why Legacy designs Can’t Be Reproduced Today

Modern Optics and Optical Design begins about 1886 when Abbe gets Otto Schott involved in the design and then the manufacture of optical glass with the resulting 20 types of optical glass in a catalog of Schott Glass Works. From the early days the number of available glass types grew to a peak in the 1960s. Then a slight decrease in the 1970s and 1980s was followed a sharp decline in the 1990s due to rising production costs. With the introduction of eco glass products in 2002 the total number of glass types was drastically reduced to comply with the strict rules on manufacture with lead and arsenic. Schott found it necessary to eliminate 75% of glass types from their catalog. This is true not only with Schott (https://www.schott.com/english/index.html) but the other glass manufacturers as well including Ohara (https://www.oharacorp.com/), Hoya (https://hoyaoptics.com/optical-glass/), and Nikon (https://www.nikon.com/products/optical-glass/) as well as .

The 75% reduction in available glasses over the last 30 years, what was for all practical purposes a continuous distribution of glass types, is now discrete set of glasses, which has had a dramatic effect the optimization process of optical lens designs.

Sources: A Brief History of Optical Glasses (particularly wrt Schott) AND Why you care. Kevin P. Thompson/ORA, Prof. Jannick P. Rolland/UofR Institute of Optics. UK Optical Design Oxford, September 16, 2010. Optical glass and glass ceramic historical aspects and recent developments: a Schott view Peter Hartmann,* Ralf Jedamzik, Steffen Reichel, and Bianca Schreder Schott AG Advanced Optics, 21 June 2010

SENSOR COVER GLASS ISSUES WITH LEGACY LENSES

Lenses that were designed to work with film, like the PN, were never designed to work with a layer of glass over the imaging plane. This can have a negative effect on the lens performance by causing the blue and red wavelengths to focus at different points and not on the sensor, especially in the corners . This fact makes the results out of the PN even more impressive. The glass covering a sensor can range in thickness from just over 1mm with the Nikon Z-series to over 3mm total on Sony alpha mirrorless cameras. For more information on this issue, check out the following:

These LensRentals.com posts from 2014 are the best sources of information on this subject on using legacy lenses on digital cameras:

https://wordpress.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/06/the-glass-in-the-path-sensor-stacks-and-adapted-lenses/

https://wordpress.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/06/sensor-stack-thickness-when-does-it-matter/

https://wordpress.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/07/sensor-stack-thickness-part-iii-the-summary/

Buying the Printing-NIKKOR

Despite being a specialized lens, enough PN lenses were sold over the years to make clean copies relatively easy to find on the used market even in 2021. It helps that Rayfact badged versions of the Printing-NIKKOR were sold for industrial inspection until the middle of 2019. EBay is probably the easiest place to buy a PN but also probably the worst. I don’t normally recommend sellers, especially not from China, but if you have to buy on eBay I recommend a seller called Chendata that has good prices for clean equipment and as an added value will usually include mount adapters. Chendata really excels at packaging the shipments, as good as the best sellers from Japan or Korea. I would strongly recommend not buying from any other Chinese sellers on eBay (I’ve been burned more than once).

In March 2021 I came across 5 Printing-NIKKOR (the 105mm version) at an industrial salvage seller for $185-300 each. The images of the lenses were dark and unsharp and along side each lens the seller stated “do not ask about optical condition”. So I bought the best looking lens for $300 and the idea was to have it shipped overnight and I could judge the condition of the glass and could always go back to buy more. So I went back the next day but all the other 4 lenses were gone overnight. I did receive my lens in a few days and it was LN/Mint condition. A day or two later I see two of the group of 5 for sale in Japan. The $300 unit going for $999 and the $185 lens with a big spot of fungus for $350. The lenses were easy to identify thanks to serial numbers.

The more rare Printing-NIKKOR lenses, the 75mm and the 150mm, sell for much higher premiums. The 75mm PN seems to be extremely hard to find and would likely sell for really high price. All of the PN lenses really are an extremely good buy when you consider the performance.

Other Optical Printing Lenses

There are other optical printing lenses available on used market. The Nikon Repro-Nikkor (RN) 100 mm f/ 2.8, and Kodak Printing Ektar (KPE) 103mm f/2.8 were are two that quickly come to mind. You should be aware that both the RN and KPE lenses were used in ACME and Oxberry optical printers but these use a simple symmetrical double Gauss design, similar to an enlarging lens, without any low dispersion or esoteric glass. The KPE is a modified Double Gauss 7 element, 3 group optical design, the RN is a 12 element element design. If you are interested in performance, I would leave the RN and KPE to collectors since they are offered at asking prices higher than a Printing-NIKKOR.

Some of the RN lenses are extremely rare, the Repro-Nikkor 85mm f / 1.0 for example, was produced starting 1968 with a production run of no more of 200 units total. According to the writer Marco Cavina, the Nikon RN is the forerunner and the basis for the design of the later new and improved Scanner-Nikkor ED and Printing-NIKKOR lenses.

RAYFACT AND TOCHIGI NIKON

Rayfact is a brand name for high-precision, high-quality industrial-use lenses made in Japan by the Tochigi Nikon Corporation. The name Rayfact is not very well known outside of the macro photography world but they are probably most famous for producing the Eco-Glass versions of the very well known Printing Nikkor 105mm F2.8, and Printing Nikkor 95mm F2.8 lenses. Rayfact lenses, especially the Printing Nikkor lenses, are some of the best image quality producing lenses ever made. Tochigi Nikon is a Japanese company that develops, designs, and markets optical devices for semiconductor/FPD lithography systems. In 2017 all functions related to the manufacturing technology of optical components, which were previously owned by Nikon Corporation and subsidiaries, have now been brought together as the Tochigi Nikon Corporation. More on the Nikon Group Companies: https://www.nikon.com/about/corporate/profile/group/. On April 1st 2020 Tochigi Nikon Corporation, makers of Rayfact lenses, folded the Rayfact products business into Nikon Corporation Business solutions (https://www.tochigi-nikon.co.jp/en/20200401.pdf). Quite a few Rayfact lenses were discontinued in May 2019, you can see the list here: https://www.tochigi-nikon.co.jp/whatsnew/bn2019/20190521.htm. In late 2020 Nikon closed the Sendai factory in the Tōhoku region North of Tokyo, ending camera production in Japan and moving all camera manufacturing efforts to Thailand. In 2021 Nikon closed the Nagai Plant (Nagai City, Yamagata Prefecture) and Aizu Plant (Tadami Town, Fukushima Prefecture) lens factories, both which were owned by Nikon subsidiary Tochigi Nikon Corporation