Nikon 20mm f4 AI
s/n: 114066
Edit: Timm Chapman responded and indicated that this is a pre AI type K lens that has been converted to AI. There is no optical or size difference. I bought this version based on Ken Rockwell’s review, his is the same and was not identified as such, as Timm said, semantics…
——————————
This is the second lens made famous by a gifted photographer that I’ve purposefully hunted down and purchased, the first one being the Nikkor 105mm f2.5 AI used by Steve Mcurry (he used the AI-S version) for the iconic picture of the Afghan Girl. The Nikkor 20mm f4 AI being used by Galen Rowell because of its focal length and compact size. I grew up reading Galen’s books, dreaming of the pictures found within and the Owens Valley which is where he lived and did a lot of his climbing and photography is one of my favorite areas of the United States.
I almost didn’t get to own one. I’m constantly trimming my lens kit down as I used to be a lens junky. Once a photographer, do you really stop jonesing for new glass? I had bought an F6 which would mount my manual focus lenses but as I would work very hard to get into position to take a bunch of pictures, being tired I would blow the focus on a few. I needed those shots and I’m not less of a photographer if I use AF lenses so I decided to sell every last manual focus lens I owned. I found out about D series lenses and the crinkle finish auto focus lenses and started buying them. I just switched one addiction for another until which I realized I missed the manual focus part of my whole photography kit.
I sold my F3 and the FE2, I gave away my FG to my son. The F6 will mount the AI and AI-S but the experience isn’t the same. I thought about it and decided to build a small three lens manual focus kit that I could keep in a small camera bag. I decided on the 20mm f4 AI, the 50mm f1.8 AI-S and the 35-200 f3.5-4.5 AI-S with a Nikon FG. Three lenses and a flash that is reasonably inexpensive and durable. I can shoot manually and with aperture and shutter priority. That’s my manual focus kit and the reason I bought this lens.
Kodak Ektar 100 ~ Nikon FE - AI Nikkor 20mm f4 @ f11 - 1/250
Resources
