Lens Timeline PDF Print E-mail

Lens Timeline 

The timeline shown below is a graphical representation of lens production going back to 2000. We are trying to expand this list as soon as we can locate the correct information. 

( Click on the Tab you want and then on the year, the timeline will then drop down. )

Nikon

     Read reviews
 Month    
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX ED VR   Aug    
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon PC Micro 85mm F2.8D   July  buy now  buy now
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon 45mm f/2.8D ED PC-E   July  buy now  buy now
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon PC-E 24mm f3.5D ED   April  buy now  
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon 60mm AF-S Micro f/2.8G ED  March  

buy now

 
image rightarrow.gif   Nikon PC Micro 85mm F2.8D February buy now buy now
 image  rightarrow.gif   Nikon 60mm AF-S Micro f/2.8G ED  February  buy now  
 image  rightarrow.gif   Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX  February  buy now  

 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S VR DX   November 
 buy now  buy now
 image rightarrow.gif  Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S August buy now  buy now
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S   August  buy now  buy now
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon 400mm f2.8 ED VR AF-S   August  buy now  buy now
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon 500mm f4 ED AF-S VR   August  buy now  buy now
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon 600mm AF-S f/4G ED VR   August    
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G VR AF-S DX IF-ED   March  buy now  buy now

 

 image rightarrow.gif
 Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G AF-S DX EDII  November 
 buy now  
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon 18-135mm f3.5-5.6G AF-S DX IF-ED   August  buy now  buy now
 image  rightarrow.gif  Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6 AF ED   August  buy now  buy now

 

F - Early Nikkors for the Nikon F (1959)

C - MultiCoated lenses (1971)

K - "Konnichi-teki" Modern/New Nikkors (1974)

Ai - Auto indexing lenses (1977)

Ai Converted lenses (1977)

Series-E (1979)

Ai-S - Ai with Shutter priority (1981)

F3-AF - Autofocus for F3 camera (1983)

Ai-P - CPU Lens (1988)

AF - Auto focus (1986)

IX - Lenses for APS camera (1996)

IF - Internal Focus, focus is achieved by moving an iternal group of elements.
RF - a variant of IF where the rear group of elements move to achieve focus.
CRC - Close Range Correction, also known as floating elements. In addition to the primary focusing group, a second group moves independantly, enabling the lens to focus closer with a higher level of correction at all distances.
ED - Extra-low Dispersion glass.
Micro - Lens for closeup photography, also known as macro lens. Strictly speaking, "Micro" magnifications are greater than 1:1. The first macro Nikkor just made the mark by reaching 1:1. Later Macro lenses only went to 1:2 but the micro designation continued.
GN-Nikkor - Lens with guide number coupling
GN - Guide Number lens for flash photography.
DC-Nikkor - Lens with defocus control
Fisheye - Non-rectalinear lens with extremely wide picture angle.
Medical - Macro lens with built-in ring flash.
Noct-Nikkor - Lens for available-light photography
OP-Nikkor - Orthographic projection fisheye lens 10/5.6
PC-Nikkor - Shift lens for perspective control.
UV-Nikkor - Special lens for ultra-violet and infra-red photography.
Aspheric - Lens element with non-spherical surfuce.

Nikon lens hoods have meaningful acronyms. The letters in the name of the hood specifies something about the hood itself:

 HB
 Bayonet mount hood
 HE  Extension hood for long lenses that already have a hood
 HK  Slips onto the lens and then locks using a knob
 HN  Screw mount hood
 HR  Rubber hood, usually screw mount
 HS  Snaps onto lens like a lens cap

 

Canon

 

 image  rightarrow.gif  Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM  Sept    
 image  rightarrow.gif  Canon EF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS    Sept    
 image  rightarrow.gif Canon EF 200mm f2L IS USM review  
January  buy now
 

 

Sigma

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Tokina

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Sony

 

During late 2006 Sony rebranded some Konica Minolta enses to become Sony lenses. 

 image  rightarrow.gif   Sony SAL-16F28 (16mm f2,8)  October    
 
image
 rightarrow.gif  Sony SAL-24105 (24-105mm F3.5-4.5)  November
   
image

 rightarrow.gif Sony SAL DT 11-18mm F4.5-5.6 
 August 
   
 
image
 rightarrow.gif  Sony SAL DT 18-70mm F3.5-5.6  July    
 
image
 rightarrow.gif  Sony SAL DT 18-200mm F3.5-6.3  July    
 
image
 rightarrow.gif  Sony SAL-75300 (75-300mm F4.5-5.6)  July    

 

DT
 "Digital Technology", lenses for APS-C size sensors
 G  G Series, professional lenses
 SSM  "SuperSonic Motor", in-lens ultrasonic motor used on some Carl Zeiss and G Series lenses.
 ZA  "Zeiss Alpha", new lenses manufactured under license from Carl Zeiss

Carl Zeiss

  

ZM lenses
ZA lenses
ZF Lenses  ZK lenses  ZS lenses Super-rotator lenses

The ZM line are lenses made for the Leica M mount and for the new Zeiss Ikon camera. They are also compatible with other rangefinder camera bodies with M Mount e.g. the Konica Hexar RF (KM Mount), the Cosina Voigtländer Bessa RxM/RxA series (VM mount), the Rollei 35RF and the Epson R-D series. Some lenses are manufactured in Germany by Zeiss, some in Japan by Cosina.

 

 

The ZA line of lenses are for Sony Alpha/Konica Minolta/Minolta A mount. They are fully dedicated autofocus lenses with 8 electrical contacts, ROM-IC, and distance encoder ('(D)-function' to support ADI flash).

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ZF lens line are for the Nikon F-mount. They have no electronics, are manual focus only, AI-S compatible. They are optically identical to corresponding ZK and ZS lenses. Manufactured in Japan by Cosina. ZF-I sealed lenses are for heavy duty industrial use, ZF-IR for infrared use.

 

 

 

 

The ZK lens line is for Pentax K mount. They have no electronics, are manual focus only, KA couplers. Optically identical to corresponding ZF and ZS lenses. Manufactured in Japan by Cosina.

 

 

 

 

 

 The ZS lenses are for the M42 lens mount (Pentacon/Practica/Pentax screw mount). By use of mount adapters they can be adapted to most 35 mm bayonet camera mounts including Canon FD and EF, Pentax K, Minolta SR and Sony/Konica Minolta/Minolta A mounts (with the exception of Nikon F mount), usually losing open-aperture-metering, multi-segment metering, focus confirmation, automatic flash zoom capabilities as well as some built-in shake reduction performance and EXIF data accuracy. They are manual-focus only and optically identical to corresponding ZF and ZK lenses. Manufactured in Japan by Cosina.

 These are 360° tilt/shift lenses (based on Zeiss medium format lens designs) for 35 mm format including full-frame digital. Available mounts: Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony Alpha/Konica Minolta/Minolta A mount. Other mounts on request. Manual focus only, no electronics. Manufactured in Germany and Ukraine.

 

 

 

 

Details

 

This page will be evolving all the time, when new lenses are announced they will be added to this timelines, lenses will also be added when we can find reliable release data of that lens.

Finding the release dates from all manufacturers is not an easy task so please be patient with us.

The data on these pages are correct as far we know of time of publishing. If you find any errors then please contact us here and correct us on any information that you think is wrong.

 
 
 
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