This database attempts to find the best (not necessarily exact) patent match for a production Nikkor lens. Note that the match is not always perfect as the final production lens can sometimes be different from the patent that is identified as the best match. Where possible this is indicated in the table below.
Last Updated 11 July 2024
It is my hope that one day we will be able to evaluate the optical designs in these patents using freely available Open Source software. As of today the best Open Source software is Michael Hayford's ray-optics. There is a growing collections of patents analysed using ray-optics in this repository.
I also recommend following sites as great sources of information regarding Nikkor lenses.
If you notice a mistake or have a better patent for a given lens, or want to add more lenses to this list, please send me a pull request at the github source repository for this page. You can also submit an issue.
| Lens name | Patent number | Inventors | Year | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fisheye-Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 | US 3737214 | Yoshiyuki Shimizu | 1970 | |
| AF-S Fisheye NIKKOR 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5 E ED | JP 2017-068114A | Haruo Sato | 2015 | Note that this patent describes a 8-15mm fisheye lens which seems very close to but not exactly the same as the production lens. |
| Nikon AF Fisheye-Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED | US7161746B2 | Keiko Mizuguchi | 2003 |
| Lens name | Patent number | Inventors | Year | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Nikkor 13mm f/5.6 | US 3728011
Also see JP,48-090523,A (1973) |
Ikuo Mori | 1971 |
The patent describes a 13mm f/8 lens. An improved 5.6 version was manufactured. |
| AI Nikkor 15mm f/5.6 | JP,48-071634,A | Ikuo Mori | 1971 | |
| PC Nikkor 19mm f/4E | JP 2017-161685 |
IMAJIMA RYOSUKE FUKUDA YASUNARI TAKE TOSHINORI SENSUI TAKAYUKI |
2016 |
Note this one is jointly held by KONICA MINOLTA INC NIKON CORP |
| Nikkor 20mm f/4 | US 3549241 | Ikuo Mori | 1967 | |
| AF Nikkor 20mm f2.8D | US 4690517A | Daijiro Fujie | 1984 | |
| AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G | JP 2016-021011A |
FUKUDA YASUNARI Atsuo Masui Kosuke Machida |
2014 |
Note this one is jointly held by KONICA MINOLTA INC NIKON CORP |
| Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S | WO2021117429A1 | OHTAKE FUMIAKI | 2020 | |
| AI Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 | JP,43-013834,B(1968) US3622227A | Yoshiyuki Shimizu | (Japan) 1965, (USA) 1969 | Tale 14 - First lens with CRC mechanism |
| AI Nikkor 24mm f/2 | US 4311367A | Ikuo Mori | 1978 | See Fig 2A in the patent. |
| AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G | US 8416512 |
Harada; Hiroki Yamamoto; Yasushi |
2009 |
See figures 2 and 3. As per JP2011059290A, this patent is jointly held with KONICA MINOLTA OPTO INC. |
| AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.8G | JP 2017-003807 |
FUKUDA YASUNARI INOUE KANA FURUTA AKIKO |
2015 |
Note this one is jointly held by KONICA MINOLTA INC NIKON CORP |
| NIKKOR Z 24mm f/1.8 S | JP-2019-090948 |
YAMADA KEIKO IMAJIMA RYOSUKE TATSUNO WATARU SATO HARUO |
2017 |
See EX-3. The actual production lens seems slightly different to the patent. Note that this patent is jointly held by KONICA MINOLTA INC and NIKON CORP |
| NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 | WO/2023/190222 |
MAKIDA, Ayumu TOSHI, Taeko |
2023 | |
| NIKKOR-H Auto 2.8cm f/3.5 | JP,38-026133,B(1963) | WAKIMOTO, Zenji | 1958 | Tale 12 - Little lens, Big step, the story of 28mm f3.5 |
| AIS Nikkor 28mm f/3.5 | US 4099850A | Sei Matsui | 1976 | This is the revised version of 28mm f/3.5 introduced around 1977. |
| Nikkor-N Auto 28mm f/2 | US 3736049 | Yoshiyuki Shimizu | 1970 | |
| AI Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 | US 3635546 | Ikuo Mori | 1970 | For the AIS version apparently this lens was redesigned by Daijiro Fujie in late 1970s. |
| Nikon E-series 28mm f/2.8 | US 4203653 | Ikuo Mori | 1977 | |
| AIS Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 | Patent number tbc | Daijiro Fujie | Year tbc | Tale 57 - The story of Nikkor 28mm f2.8
AIS
The design of this lens may be evident from a different patent by Kenzaburo Suzuki - US5917663A. Marco Cavina's page on 28mm design appears to depit the design from above patent. |
| AF Nikkor 28mm f/1.4D | US 5315441 |
Kenji Hori Wataru Tatsuno |
1992 | Tale 28 - AI AF Nikkor 28mm f1.4D Story |
| AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D | US 5557473 | Yoshikazu Sugiyama Haruo Sato |
1993 | This design is referred to in Marco Cavina's site . |
| AF-S Nikkor 28mm f/1.4E | JP 2017-227799 |
FUKUDA YASUNARI FURUTA AKIKO TAKE TOSHINORI SENSUI TAKAYUKI |
2016 |
Note this one is jointly held by KONICA MINOLTA INC NIKON CORP |
| NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 | WO2022071249 | SHIMADA, Toshiyuki | 2021 | |
| W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/1.8 | US 2896506 | Azuma Hideo | 1956 |
Tale 3 - W-Nikkor 3.5cm F1.8 story
Japanese patent JP,31-005178,B(1956) |
| Nikkor-O Auto 35mm f/2 | US 3507558 | Yoshiyuki Shimizu | 1965 | |
| Nikkor 35mm f/2.8 | US 3731989 | Yoshiyuki Shimizu | 1970 | |
| AI Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 | US 3576360A | Yoshiyuki Shimizu | 1967 | Tale 27 - AI Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 story |
| AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G | US 7663816 | Haruo Sato | 2007 | Please note that the patent does not exactly match the production lens, however I believe this patent is closely related to this lens. |
| AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G | JP2015118186A |
HARADA MASAKI MACHIDA KOSUKE |
2013 | |
| Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S | JP 2019-090947 |
Yamada Keiko Ryosuke Tatsuno Haruo Sato |
2017 |
Note this one is jointly held by KONICA MINOLTA INC |
| Lens name | Patent number | Inventors | Year | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 | JP2021-189351A | tbc | 2020 | |
| AI Nikkor 45mm f/2.8P pancake for FM3 | JP2003005030A (B2) | OSHITA KOICHI | 2003 | Tale 78 - A pancake lens for FM3A |
| Nikkor 50mm f/1.1 (rangefinder) | US 2828671A | Murakami Saburo | 1957 |
Tale 7 - NIKKOR-N 5cm F1.1 Story
Japanese patent JP,39-008149,Y(1964) |
| Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f/1.4 (F mount) | US 3560079 |
Zenji Wakimoto Yoshiyuki Shimizu |
1964 | Tale 44 - Nikkor-S Auto 50mm F1.4 Story |
| Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 (tbc) | US 3738736 | Yoshiyuki Shimizu | 1970 | It is possible that this patent describes the 50mm f/1.2 Nikkor, which was only
introduced in 1978.
A Japanese patent also applied in 1970 that might be associated is JP,54-043386,B(1979) |
| AIS Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 | US 4234242 | Soichi Nakamura | 1978 | Take 60 - Story of the 50mm f/1.8 AIS |
| AIS Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 | US 4448497 | Koichi Wakamiya | 1981 | |
| NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S | WO2019220618A1 | Saburo Masugi Tomoyuki Sashima |
2018 | |
| NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S | WO2021241230A1 | HARADA HIROKI | 2021 | |
| AF-S Nikkor 58mm f/1.4G | JP 2013-019993
JP-5761604 |
Haruo Sato | 2011 |
This patent does not appear to match the production lens exactly - in particular the second aspherical element in the production lens is different from the one one in the patent. PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small optical system of smaller number of constituent elements, which has high performance and less coma especially sagittal coma aberration, and spherical aberration |
| NIKKOR Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct | WO2019229849A1 US20210208373A1 |
Keisuke Tsubonoya Hiroki Harada Take Toshinori |
2018 |
| Lens name | Patent number | Inventors | Year | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AIS | US 4396256A | Daijiro Fujie | 1980 | ||
| AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D | US 5640277 | Koichi Ohshita | 1993 | Tale 41 - AI AF Nikkor 85mm f1.4D Story | |
| AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G | US 8767319B2 | Yoshihito Souma Satoru Shibata |
2010 | Held jointly by Nikon Corp Konica Minolta Advanced Layers Inc |
|
| NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S | JP 2020-173366 | Ryosuke Imajima Takakazu Hirose Daisuke Tanahashi Yasushi Yamamoto Mami Muratani | 2019 | Held jointly by Nikon Corp Konica Minolta Inc |
|
| Nikkor AIS 105mm f1.8 | JP-S59-121015 (JP1984-121015) | MATSUI YASUSHI | 1982 | Patent also appears to describe a 50mm f1.4, 50mm f2, and 135mm f2 | |
| AF-S NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED | WO2019116563A1 WO2019229817A1 | tbc | tbc | These patents appear to describe the 105mm f1.4 lens in addition to others. I suspect neither is the primary patent for this lens | |
| Ai Nikkor 135mm f/2.8 AIS | JP,50-062630,A(1975) | tbc | 1973 | ||
| Nikon Series-E 135mm f2.8 | US4303314A | Sei Matsui | 1979 | Nikkor Tale 76 | |
| Ai Nikkor 135mm f/2 AIS |
JP,52-055524,A(1977)
US 4062630 |
Sei Matsui | 1975 | ||
| Ai AF DC Nikkor 135mm f/2 S | US 4908639 | Masaaki Yanagisawa | 1988 | Tale 32 - Ai AF DC Nikkor 135mm F2S | |
| Ai AF DC Nikkor 135mm f/2 S | US 4908639 | Masaaki Yanagisawa | 1988 | Tale 32 - Ai AF DC Nikkor 135mm F2S | |
| NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena | WO2024147268 | MURATANI, Mami YAMAMOTO, Hiroshi KURIBAYASHI, Tomonori ONO, Takuro |
2023 | ||
| Nikkor 200mm f/2.0 ED-IF | US 4176913 | Soichi Nakamura Kiyoshi Hayashi |
1977 | ||
| AF-S Nikkor 200mm f/2G VR | US 7411745 | Mitsuaki Wada | 2004 | First Nikkor lens to feature Super ED glass vd=91.0, nd=1.44. ED glass is typically vd=82.6, nd=1.49 or vd=81.6, nd=1.49. | |
| Nikkor-ED 300mm f/4.5 | US3774991A | Yoshiyuki Shimizu | 1970 | Patent also describes 600mm f5.6, 800mm f8 and 1200mm f11. Image of the lens at
https://www.destoutz.ch/lens_300mm_f4.5_173317.html Also see US4154508A that describes the 300mm f4.5 along with tele-converter. Also see JP-S51-043917 1974 Also see Marco Cavina's nice article on the 300mm f4.5 lenses. |
|
| Nikkor 300mm f/2.0 ED-IF | US 4732459 | Kiyoshi Hayashi | 1987 | ||
| AF-I Nikkor 300mm f2.8 ED-IF | US 5253112A | Kenzaburo Suzuki Yoshinari Hamanishi |
1991 | This is actually a patent for teleconverter
Also see US4978205A by Susumo Sato |
|
| AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 ED-IF II | US 5745306A
Also see US5323270A |
Susumu Sato | 1995 | Tale 67 of Nikkor 1001 nights describes the work done by Susumu Sato for super telephoto lenses. | |
| AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR | JP 2015-172711A, Patent JP,6387631,B | Makoto Fujimoto | 2014 | Note that the patent appears to have a second diffractive surface which is not shown in the production lens. | |
| AF-S Nikkor 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED II | US 6239919B1 | Susumu Sato | 1998 | ||
| AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR | US 2008-0158694 | Kazunori Ohno | 2006 | This patent is held by Fujinon Corp. | |
| AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR | JP 2015-215559A JP 2019-152887A |
Kazumasa Tanaka Toshinori Take Miwa Tetsushi |
2014 | ||
| NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S | WO2021256065A1 | YAMASHITA MASASHI KONDO AKINO | 2021 | Not an exact match, no TC in the patent, and also the last group is diferent. Seems closely related patent. | |
| AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR | US 2009-0190239 | Takashi Suzuki | 2008 | This patent is held by Fujinon Corp. | |
| AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR | JP 2015-215560A |
Yamashita Masafumi MIWA TETSUSHI |
2014 | ||
| Nikkor Z 400mm f4.5S | WO2021220612A1 JP2024-051179 |
OHTAKE FUMIAKI MIWA SATOSHI ITO ATSUKI | 2021 | Best match for the Nikkor, production lens has some differences. | |
| AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF VR | JP 2018-017857 |
MIWA TETSUSHI YABUMOTO HIROSHI |
2016 | Also see US20200026094A1 | |
| Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 ED manual focus | JP,51-043918,A(1976) | Yoshiyuki Shimizu | 1974 | ||
| Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus | US 4113357 | Soichi Nakamura | 1974 | ||
| AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR | US20180031811A1 |
Satoshi Miwa Masashi Yamashita |
2015 | ||
| AF-S Nikkor 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR | JP 2013-250293A |
Masafumi Yamashita Mitsuaki Wada |
2012 | First telephoto lens from Nikon to feature fluorite elements. | |
| Nikkor Z 800mm f6.3 | JP2023-023323 | ITO MASAKI MIWA TETSUSHI OTAKE FUMIAKI |
2021 | Example 6 looks like the closest match |
| Lens name | Patent number | Inventors | Year | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G | US 7359125 |
Yoko Kimura Haruo Sato |
2005 | |
| Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S | JP 2019-008031A WO2018235881 | UEHARA TAKESHI | 2017 | |
| Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S | WO2020170590A1
WO2021117563A1 |
NONAKA AZUNA OHTAKE FUMIAKI UMEDA TAKESHI YUASA YOSHIHARU |
2019 | |
| AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR | US20100238560 | Makoto Fujimoto | 2009 | |
| AF-S NIKKOR 17-35mm f/2.8D ED | JP2001083421 | FUKUDA NAOKO | 1999 | |
| AF-S NIKKOR 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED | US9256059B2 | Kana Inoue, Mamoru Terada, Haruo Sato | 2012 |
Jointly held by Nikon Corp Konica Minolta Inc |
| AF Zoom-Nikkor 20-35mm f/2.8D | US 5276553 | Wataru Tatsuno | 1991 |
First of the ultra wide zooms from Nikon. Also see patents US5668668 and US5798871. |
| Zoom Nikkor 25-50mm f/4 | US 4189212 | Norio Mizutani Soichi Nakamura |
1976 | Tale 46 - Story of the 25-50mm |
| NIKKOR Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 | JP2021-189377A | tbc | 2020 | Jointly held with Konica Minolta |
| AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G | US 7508592 | Hiroki Harada | 2005 | |
| AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8E VR | US 20180136444 | Hiroki Harada | 2015 | This is the new VR and E version |
| NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S |
WO 2019049372A1 US20210373302A1 |
Takeshi Umeda | 2017 | |
| NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | WO 2020136749A1 |
Kousuke Machida Osamu Gomibuchi Kenichi Kitano Mizuki Wayu Watanabe Tsuneo Imaei Ichiro Makoto Horikoshi |
2018 | It seems that the optical design is by Kousuke Machida as evidenced in related patents. |
| AF Zoom-Nikkor 24-85mm f/2.8-4D | JP2000321497A | Haruo Sato | 1999 | |
| AF Zoom-Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6D IF | US 5734508 | Haruo Sato | 1994 | Tale 58 - The almighty normal zoom lens |
| AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G VR | US 20100220400 |
YAMAMOTO Hiroshi Miwa Satoshi Suzuki Takeshi Sato Haruo |
2009 | See figure 1 |
| NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S | WO2022259649 |
ONO, Takuro MACHIDA, Kosuke MAKIDA, Ayumu TSUBONOYA, Keisuke |
2022 | See example 5 |
| NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR | WO2020157906A1 | ITO TOMOKI MAKIDA AYUMU MIWA SATOSHI |
2019 | |
| Zoom Nikkor 28-45mm f/4.5 | US 3771853 | Soichi Nakamura | 1970 | Tale 15 - First true wide angle zoom? |
| AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5 | US 4806000A | Yoshiharu Shiokama Naoto Ohta Hiroshi Okano Kiyotaka Inadome |
1985 | Optical design seems to be close cousin of the 35-70mm f2.8 Zoom. |
| AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G | US 5485314A | Haruo Sato | 1992 | Tale 63 - Minimalist standard zoom |
| AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED | US 6621643B2 | Haruo Sato | 2002 | Tale 65 - Smallest and lightest high power zoom lens |
| AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G | US 20100220400 |
YAMAMOTO Hiroshi Miwa Satoshi Suzuki Takeshi Sato Haruo |
2009 | See figure 4 |
| Zoom Nikkor 35-70mm f3.5 | US4266860A | Kiyoshi Hayashi | 1978 | This page has a beautiful animation of the zoom operation of this lens |
| AF Nikkor 35-70mm f2.8D | US 6320698B1 | Kenzaburo Suzuki | 1993 | Described in Nikkor 1001 nights - tale 39. The patent here is not by the original inventor Kiyotaka Inadome |
| Nikon AI Zoom-Nikkor 35-105mm f/3.5-4.5S | US 4699475A | Tomowaki Takahashi Yasuhiro Aono |
1981 | Tale 71 - A normal zoom lens redesigned to be more compact |
| Nikon AI Zoom-Nikkor 35-200mm f/3.5-4.5S | US 4770511A | Yasuo Yonezawa Yasuhiro Aono Tomowaki Takahashi |
1984 | Tale 47 - Nikon's first high powered zoom lens |
| 38-105mm zoom lens in Zoom 700 VR | US 5530593A | Atsushi Shibayama Susumu Sato |
1992 | Nikon's first VR lens appeared in a compact camera Zoom 700 VR |
| AI Zoom-Nikkor 50-135mm f/3.5S | US 4497547A | Kiyoshi Hayashi | 1981 | Tale 61 |
| AI Zoom-Nikkor 50-300mm f/4.5 | US 4189213A | Yutaka Iizuka | 1976 | Nice animated diagram of the len is available at this site. |
| Auto Zoom Nikkor 80-200mm f/4.5 (first version) | US 3615125 | Takashi Higuchi Soichi Nakamura |
1967 | First of the 80-200mm zoom lenses from Nikon; the start of the series that has evolved to the 70-200mm zooms |
| AI Nikkor 80-200mm f/4.5 (second version) | US 4223981 |
Norio Mizutani Yoshinari Hamanishi |
1977 | The 80-200mm f/4.5 lens reputedly established the Zoom lens as a viable tool. This was the second version of the lens. |
| Nikkor 80-200mm f/4 AIS | US 4452513 | Yoshinari Hamanishi | 1981 |
Redesigned with f/4 max aperture. Also contains design for 200-400mm f/4. |
| AI Zoom Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 ED | US 4468097 | Yoshinari Hamanishi | 1981 | First 80-200mm design with f/2.8 max aperture. 2 ED elements. |
| AF Zoom Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 ED | JP 1987-108218 | Yoshinari Hamanishi | 1985 | Also see US 5579171. The design of the AF-D lens is in figure 3. 3 ED elements. It seems that the design allowed for VR function. |
| AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D IF-ED | JP 2000-019398 | Susumu Sato | 1998 | Tale 67 - the first lens from Nikon with AFS technology. Five ED elements.
Link to Japan Patent site |
| AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED I | US 6693750B2 | Susumu Sato | 2001 | The first version of the 70-200mm VR lens, optimized for DX format perhaps. Five ED elements. |
| AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II |
US 8416506B2
US 8730584B2 US 9091841B2 |
Tomoki Ito | 2009 |
See figure 1 in 8416506B2. See figure 26 in 9091841B2. This is the second version optimized for FX cameras. Seven ED elements. |
| AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR | US 20170315337 A1 |
Satoshi Yamaguchi Issei Tanaka |
2012 | |
| AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR |
WO 2019097669A1 US 20210349294A1 |
Tomoki Ito | 2017 | Final FX version, with 1 fluorite element. Example 1 seems to be it. |
| NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S |
WO2020105104A1 US20210349293A1 |
UEHARA TAKERU | 2018 | Nikkor Z version |
| AF-P NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR |
WO2018092297A1 US20190353880A1 |
Kosuke Machida | 2016 | |
| AF Zoom Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED VR | US 6141156 | Masayuki Aoki | 1998 | Tale 35 - Nikon's first SLR lens with Vibration Reduction. |
| AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR |
US11221469B2 US20200049962A1 |
Tomoki Ito | 2013 | Japanese patent JP6198098B2 |
| NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S | JP,2022-092388,A | Hiroshi Yabumoto | 2020 | Also see related patents WO2021131369A1 and WO2021131370A1. |
| AF-S NIKKOR 120-300mm f/2.8E FL ED SR VR | JP2020177057A |
TAKE TOSHINORI YAMASHITA MASAFUMI |
2019 | |
| Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 AIS | US 4452513 | Yoshinari Hamanishi | 1981 | Also contains design for 80-200mm f/4. |
| AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G ED VR | US20050157403A1 | Susumu Sato | 2003 | Optical design of version II remained the same. |
| AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6 E ED VR | JP2014209144A |
Taku Matsuo Takeshi Suzuki Haruo Sato Hisayuki Yamanaka |
2013 |
Patent appears to be for a lens with variable aperture 4.5 to 5.6. But Nikkor design looks the
same
as embodiment 2. Patent held jointly by Nikon Corp and Tamron Co Ltd |
| AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR | WO2019131993A1 | WADA MITSUAKI YAMASHITA MASAFUMI |
2017 | |
| Zoom Nikkor 180-800 f/8.0 ED Zoom Nikkor 360-1200 f/11.0 ED |
US 3743384 | Soichi Nakamura | 1970 | Is this the first patent that refers to Nikon's ED glass? |
| NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR | WO/2024/062958 | YAMANAKA, Hisayuki TAKAHASHI, Jun TAKE, Toshinori KOIDA, Keigo |
2023 | Jointly held with Tamron |
| Zoom Nikkor 1200-1700 f/5.6-8.0 | US 5442486A | Susumu Sato | 1992 |
| Lens name | Patent number | Inventors | Year | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED | US 7656591B2 | Hiroshi Yamamoto | 2006 | |
| Micro Nikkor 55mm f2.8 | US 4260223A | Yoshinari Hamanishi | 1978 | |
| AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f2.8D | US 5007720A | Yoshinari Hamanishi | 1989 | Subject of Tale 74 |
| AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G | US 7898744 | Mitsuaki Wada | 2007 | |
| UV Nikkor 105mm f/4.5 | JP,61-090115,A(1986) | Koichi Wakamiya | 1984 | Nice page on this lens |
| Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8 AIS | US 4392724A | Yoshinari Hamanishi | 1981 | |
| AF Micro Nikkor 105mm f2.8D | US 4986643A | Keiji Moriyama | 1988 | Subject of Tale 72 |
| AF-S Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G VR | US 7218457 | Takayuki Sensui | 2004 | See figure 9A |
| NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S | WO2022097401 | KURIBAYASHI, Tomonori | 2021 | |
| AF Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4D IF-ED | US 5402268A | Wataru Tatsuno | 1992 | Also see https://patents.google.com/patent/US5909319A. |
| Lens name | Patent number | Inventors | Year | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G | US 8169718 |
Dayong Li |
2009 |
Note this one is jointly held by Nikon Corp Tamron Co Ltd |
| AF-P DX Nikkor 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR | JP4099940463 |
YAMAMOTO HIROSHI |
2023 | Tale 90 - A lightweight and inexpensive zoom lens for true ultra-wide-angle photography |
| AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G | US 6940655 | Haruo Sato | 2002 | Tale 68 - the first DX format lens |
| NIKKOR Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR | WO2024053269 | UEHARA, Takeru | 2023 | |
| NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR | WO2020012638A1 |
Yoko Komatsubara Take Umeda |
2018 | |
| AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR | US10690896B2 |
Kosuke MACHIDA Takeshi Suzuki Takeru Uehara |
2015 | |
| AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G | US 20100220400 |
YAMAMOTO Hiroshi Miwa Satoshi Suzuki Takeshi Sato Haruo |
2009 | See figure 10 |
| NIKKOR Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR | WO2022264542 |
SASHIMA, Tomoyuki YOKOI, Norikazu ISHIKAWA, Takahiro |
2022 | |
| NIKKOR Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR | WO2020105107A1 | ISHIKAWA TAKAHIRO YOKOI NORIKAZU |
2018 |
| Lens name | Patent number | Inventors | Year | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-UW AF Fisheye-Nikkor 13mm f/2.8 | US5579169A | Motohisa Mouri | 1993 | |
| UW-Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 | US4705364A | Koichi Wakamiya | 1985 | |
| R-UW AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 | JP2503520B2 | OOSHITA KOICHI | 1987 | |
| R-UW AF Micro-Nikkor 50mm f/2.8 | US5257137A | Fumio Suzuki Yoshinari Hamanishi |
1991 | |
| R-UW AF Zoom-Nikkor 20-35mm f/2.8 | US5490012A | Koichi Ohshita | 1992 |