What do the abbreviations on a Nikon lens mean? - Coolblue (2024)

FAQs

What does the S on Nikon Z lenses mean? ›

A few things are different in the Z-mount than Nikon DSLR and SLR users may be used to, so I outline those here: There's now a clear designation of lens quality. Nikon uses the term S-line (and the S abbreviation after the lens specification) to signify their top quality lenses in the Z-mount.

AF-P lenses use a “Pulse” motor or “Stepping” autofocus motor and are even quieter and smoother to autofocus than an AF-S lens, making these lenses ideal when shooting video with a DSLR. The DSLR camera bodies that do feature a focus motor can utilize AF and AF-S lenses.

Auto Focus - Silent Wave (AF-S) is a type of focusing motor used in a number of AF-Nikkor lenses; the AF-S motor is very fast and quiet. AF-S lenses also have an "A/M" mode selector which allows the user to switch from automatic to manual focus with almost no lag time.

A minus (-) symbol next to this number means you're nearsighted, and a plus (+) symbol means the prescription is meant to correct farsightedness. Cylinder: The cylinder (CYL) number indicates the lens power needed to correct astigmatism. If this column is blank, it means you don't have an astigmatism.

Basic lens specifications are inscribed on interchangeable lenses. The numbers and letters provide the focal length, maximum aperture (f-stop setting), filter size, and other information related to the lens. For example, on the front of the SAL1870 lens the inscription reads: DT3.

To the right of the distance indicator window is the letter N, meaning the lens has Nikon's Nano Crystal Coat, an incredibly effective anti-reflective coating. "There can be other notations, though." He picked up an AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR.

In digital SLR cameras, the camera's format refers to the size of its image sensor. Nikon makes a DX-format sensor and an FX-format sensor. The DX-format is the smaller sensor at 24x16mm; the larger full frame FX-format sensor measures 36x24mm which is approximately the same size as 35mm film.

PZ in a Nikon lens model name stands for Power Zoom. The first Nikon Power Zoom lens, the Nikon Z DX DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ, was introduced in 2023. PZ lenses are “zoom by wire” lenses. This means the zoom ring electronically actuates a linear zoom motor rather than acting mechanically on the zoom mechanism.

The "(SE)" in the product name is short for "Special Edition". The lens inherits its design features, such as the knurled control ring, from the classic NIKKOR lenses released around the same time as the Nikon FM2 film SLR camera.

The lightness is predominantly attributed to the PF element used in the design of the lens. In simplest terms, the Phase Fresnel element reduces the size of the construction of the lens assembly—delivering full frame coverage at 300mm without the need for larger elements and in a much smaller footprint.

What does AI mean on Nikon lenses? ›

Ambient, or surrounding light, is reflected off the ADR ring through the small window into the view finder, allowing you to see what f-stop you have set without removing your eye from the focusing screen. AI stands for Automatic Indexing.

The camera uses AF-S when photographing stationary subjects and AF-C when photographing subjects that are in motion. For stationary subjects. Focus locks when shutter-release button is pressed halfway.

Nikon originally reserved the Nikkor designation for its highest-quality imaging optics, but in recent history almost all Nikon lenses are so branded. Notable Nikkor branded optics have included: F-mount lenses for 35mm SLR and DSLR photography (for a full list see Nikon F-mount).

AF-F (full-time autofocus) automatically tracks subject movement and is constantly focusing during video recording. Use with Face / Eye tracking on a Z series camera for perfect focus.

"Finally, we end with the letter G, which indicates that the lens has an electronic diaphragm control, meaning that the f/stop is set from the camera. On older NIKKORS you may see the letter D, and that means distance information is factored into the metering process.

Nikon Super Integrated Coating. M/A (manual-priority auto) mode. A/M (auto-priority manual) mode.

Your Nikon HDSLR's AE-L/AF-L button can control both Auto Exposure Lock (AE-L) and Auto Focus Lock (AF-L). You can control exactly how this button operates by changing its custom setting. Options are AE/AF lock, AE lock only, AE lock (Hold), AF lock only and AF-ON.

v = Distance of the image from the lens. u = Distance of the object from the lens. f = Focal length of the lens. This lens formula is applicable to all situations and with appropriate sign conventions.