Ever felt like you needed a Rosetta Stone to decipher the abbreviations of your Nikon Lens? Well here’s your decoder for just that.
Once you get the hang of it, lens names aren’t so bad. They are written in a way to give you a lot of really good information right up front. However it’s easy to get mixed up or forget what something means.
So be sure to bookmark or link to this page and share it with your photographer friends as a quick reference.
Down below we also have a FREE PRINTABLE as a quick cheat sheet for all the major brands.
Each lens brand is a bit different, even though there is some common technology among them.
This article will focus on Nikon’s abbreviations for their Nikkor Lens.
Right off the bat let’s tackle the name “Nikkor”.
At first you may be tempted to blink or check your glasses to see if you’re just reading it wrong. Next you may think, ‘someone must have just mistyped something’. However, Nikkor is really different from Nikon.
As a quick summary of the history of Nikkor lenses, NIKKOR was actually around before Nikon cameras were.
NIKKOR was an optics company that Nikon used to produce their first camera lens, way back in 1933.
Until the more recent past the name ‘Nikkor’ referred to Nikon’s highest-quality set of lenses. However any new lens from Nikon is just branded as Nikkor so you’ve got to dig a little deeper to judge quality.
While the lenses are branded as ‘Nikkor’ we will just be referring to them as ‘Nikon’ lenses for consistency.
Key Nikon Lens Characteristics
For those of you who shoot Nikon, things get a little bit complicated. This is because most of their entry level DSLR camera models do not have an auto focusing motors built-in. Which is something to keep in mind when shopping for a new lens.
One great advantage is Nikon does use a universal F-Mount for their APS-C and Full Frame DSLR’s.
Nikon’s Mirrorless line of cameras use a different Z-Mount, so DSLR and Mirrorless lenses will not work interchangeably without an adapter.
Nikon Lens Terms to Know
Lens Mount Terms
FX – Fits and works perfectly with all Nikon’s DSLR cameras
Z – The type of lens mount for their Mirrorless Camera line (ex: Z50, Z6, Z7)
Lens Technology Terms
VR – Vibration Reduction, does the same thing as Canon’s IS
SWM – (Silent Wave Motor) Just like Canon’s USM
- AF – Stands for Auto Focus
AF-S – If a lens has an AF-S motor, it will focus properly with all DSLRs. If there isn’t any, then you will have to focus manually on the majority of DX models.
- AF-P – Auto Focus with Stepping Motor, this is not compatible with older models.
G – The lens has no aperture ring, meaning this is a newer lens
ED – An extra dispersion element to improve image quality
IF – Internal Focusing, the lens doesn’t move while focusing (great for using polarizing filters)
N – Nano Crystal Coating, another feature to reduce optical issues
- Micro – Nikon’s term for a Macro Lens
Common Camera Lens Abbreviations
These FREE PRINTABLES provide a quick overview of the most common lens abbreviations you’ll see for the different lens brands.
Use this as a quick cheat-sheet for whenever you are looking at a lens.
Recap of Nikon Lens Technology Terms
At this point you might feel a bit overwhelmed with all these different terms. That’s very understandable, we had to try and sort this out too to put this all together!
Our best lens guides help make it easy to narrow down your selection to the best lens for a particular camera model or type of photography.
When looking for a lens a couple of things to ‘focus on’ are:
- In-Lens Image Stabilization is better than not having it
- Make sure the Auto focus motor is compatible with your camera model
- If you're doing a lot of video consider getting the quietest focusing motor so it doesn't interfere with your recording
Also be sure to print out, download, or share the table below which summarizes the most important lens technology terms for each lens brand.
Find the Perfect Nikon Lens
Whether you are learning what makes a great lens or trying to narrow down your selection to the perfect choice we have you covered.
What to Know Before you BuyThe Best Nikon Lenses
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