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For the opportunity review of the lens Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210 1: 4-5.6 Many thanks to Oleg Muravitsky.

Review Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6

The Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6 is a good old 'dark' telephoto zoom lens from film cameras. The zoom ratio of the lens is exactly 3h. There are three Nikon autofocus lenses in the 70-210mm class:

• Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4 - Nikon's first ever autofocus telephoto zoom lens. It was produced only in Japan. Interesting constant aperture and internal type of zoom. Non-D version.
• Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6 (MKI) - The second version of the lens from Nikon class 70-210mm. It already has a different optical scheme. Only available in Japan and became not a replacement for the MKI version, but an addition. This lens is presented in this review.
• Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6D (MKII) - third version. Optically exactly the same as MKI, just upgraded to version D type lens. It was produced in Japan and Thailand. You can find more details about the differences from MKI here.

Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6 side view

Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6 has a piston design. In order to change the focal length of the lens (zoom), you need to pull or push the front of the lens. The piston grip is very comfortable, the ribbed surface of the piston control ring turned out to be plastic. But the ribbed surface of the focus ring is made of rubber. Unlike single-ring lenses, the Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6 has two rings that share the focus and zoom tasks. Personally, it’s more convenient for me to use single-ring piston lenses, where one ring is responsible for both focusing and zoom, an example of such a lens is Nikon ED 80-200mm f / 2.8D AF Nikkor (MKII)... The pump mechanism of the lens forces the rear lens to move, which creates the effect of a vacuum cleaner - and this threatens with excess dust in the middle of the camera.

Nikon 70-210 f4-5.6 - back view

It's important: auto focus with this lens is available only when using him on cameras with built-in motor focusing.

Exact list Nikon DSLR cameras with a built-in focus motor, on which this lens will focus automatically:

• D1, D1h, D1x, D2x, D2xs, D2h, D2hs
• D3, D3x, D3s, D4, D4s, D5, D6
• Df
• D50, D70, D70s, D80, D90
• D7000, D7100, D7200,D7500
• D100, D200, D300, D300s,D500
• D600, D610, D750, D780
• D700, D800,D800E, D810, D810a, D850
• Fujifilm FinePix S1 Pro, S2 Pro, S3 ProS3 Pro UVIR, S5 ProIS Pro
• Kodak DCS PRO 14n, DCS Pro SLR/n

Exact list Nikon DSLR cameras without a built-in focus motor, on which this lens will not focus automatically:

• D40, D40x, D60
• D3000, D3100, D3200, D3300, D3400, D3500
• D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300, D5500, D5600
• all digital mirrorless cameras Nikon ZDX, Nikon ZFX with Nikon FTZ/FTZ II adapter

Only auto focus and sound confirmation of focus will not work with these cameras, all other important functions, such as automatic exposure metering and automatic iris control, will work well.

You will find a lot of useful information on the types of cameras and lenses Nikon here.

Enlightenment Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm F4-5.6

Important: the lens has an aperture control ring. In order for the lens to start working normally on modern cameras, you need to set the F / 32 value using the aperture control ring on the lens itself, while the aperture control ring is automatically locked by a special lock button. This button has an orange color, it is easy to find on the lens near the iris control ring. After such a manipulation, it will be possible to control the diaphragm from the camera, like with modern lenses, in more detail in the section on Non-G Lenses.

Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm F4-5.6 lens at 210mm and MDF

Auto focus on the lens is slow. When focusing, the front element rotates around its axis and moves forward 2 cm. The focus ring rotates a little more than 90 degrees. I did not find any problems or nuances in the auto focus. The only thing you need to remember is that the lens decently buzzes when automatically focusing. Autofocus speed is exactly the same as Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4. At 70 mm focal length, the lens focuses a little faster than 210 mm.

Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm F4-5.6 aperture of the lens aperture and the appearance of the lens indicators

The lens has a focusing distance scale and two indicators for working in the infrared spectrum for 70 and 105mm focal lengths. It's a pity, but the lens lacks a depth-of-field scale. The number of diaphragm blades is 7 pieces. The lens itself weighs 590 grams and uses 62mm color filters. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6 can use lens hood NH-24which is screwed in instead of a light filter. I really liked that the lens is enough compact.

Two brothers 70-210

The disadvantage of the lens is the spontaneous protrusion of the trunk, the focal length lock button on the lens is not provided. Sometimes, when you sharply set the focal length to the extreme position, you can hear a strong metal ringing. Some disadvantages of the lens are fully compensated by the image quality from it and the price / quality ratio.

Two televisions 70-210

Examples of photos on FX:

Sample photos on DX (EGF is 105-315mm):

Personal impressions of the lens

Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6 I like a lot more than modern plastic animals Nikon 55-200mm f / 4-5.6G ED AF-S DX VR Nikkor and Nikon 55-200mm f / 4-5.6G AF-S Nikkor. There is something nice about old lenses, and it's not just the metal mount and metal part of the case. Old AF lenses have a kind of their own charm. Now used Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm can be bought for just $ 150 Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm is very suitable for outdoor use on a clear day. Most importantly, the Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm has a nice design, not much worse than that of Nikon 70-210mm f / 4 AF Nikkor. Most likely, the small popularity of Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6 and Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6D is due to the fact that there are more attractive models of lenses with a range of focal lengths of 70-300mm and the presence of an image stabilizer.

Who has experience with this lens, unsubscribe in the comments.

All Original Similar Nikon FX Telephoto Lenses

Below is a list of all Nikon Nikkor telephoto lenses without high aperture and with auto focus support:

1. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4, 1986-1987
2. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1:4-5.6, 1987-1993
3. Nikon AF Nikkor 75-300mm 1:4.5-5.6, 1989-1998
4. Nikon AF Nikkor 80-200mm 1:4.5-5.6D, 1991-1999
5. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1:4-5.6D, 1993-2000
6. Nikon AF Micro Nikkor 70-180mm 1: 4.5-5.6D ED, 1997-2005
7. Nikon AF Nikkor 75-240mm 1:4.5-5.6D, 1999-2000
8. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4-5.6D ED, 1998-2006
9. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4-5.6D, 1998-2006 (?)
10. Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4-5.6G, from 2000 to 2014, black or silver
11. Nikon AF S Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6G ED VR IF SWM, from 2006 to 2017
12. Nikon AF S Nikkor 70-200mm 1: 4G ED SWM VR IF N Nano Crystal Coat, from 2012 to the present day
13. Nikon AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6E VR ED, 2017 to present

The names of the lenses are indicated according to their spelling on the case.

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Nikon AF Nikkor 70-210mm 1: 4-5.6 is a solid old full-frame zoom telephoto lens. Provides good image quality for a modest price. Behaves well both on crop and full frame. I recommend it for simple photo tasks.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.