Difference between two Nikon Apo Plan 4x NA 2.0?
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Difference between two Nikon Apo Plan 4x NA 2.0?
Looking on Ebay there are a number of Nikon Apo Plan 4x NA 2.0 available. I'm confused as to what the difference is between this objective:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIKON-PLAN-APO- ... SwFdtXyF1m
and this objective:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-Microscop ... Sw41xXOmEk
Has anyone ever used the former?
Thanks!
David
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIKON-PLAN-APO- ... SwFdtXyF1m
and this objective:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-Microscop ... Sw41xXOmEk
Has anyone ever used the former?
Thanks!
David
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Hi David,
The first one is very odd! The second one is a CFN lens (late 80s, early 90s), with high NA and corrected for FN 26.5 ("ultra-widefield").
The first one is also for 160 mm tube length but it was produced very recently (2013). I didn't even know that Nikon is still producing such microscopes. If nobody here knows this objective series, you should call your local Nikon Instruments representative (as it's a current product).
The label says "CF Plan Apo" which originally looked like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/192006861410 (70s-80s). This is clearly different and must have some kind of special purpose.
Regards, Ichty
The first one is very odd! The second one is a CFN lens (late 80s, early 90s), with high NA and corrected for FN 26.5 ("ultra-widefield").
The first one is also for 160 mm tube length but it was produced very recently (2013). I didn't even know that Nikon is still producing such microscopes. If nobody here knows this objective series, you should call your local Nikon Instruments representative (as it's a current product).
The label says "CF Plan Apo" which originally looked like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/192006861410 (70s-80s). This is clearly different and must have some kind of special purpose.
Regards, Ichty
- Cactusdave
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I'm not convinced this is a Nikon lens. There's no Nikon logo on the lens barrel and nothing other than the CF designation on the 'packing envelope' to suggest Nikon either. The objective resembles some Nikon 160mm lenses, but doesn't look right for a planapo as Chris has noted. The front glass doesn't look wide enough and it looks recessed. I'm luck enough to have Leitz and Zeiss 160mm Planapo X4s. They all have a much bigger front element which is hardly recessed at all. The later 160mm Nikon X4 planapo looks like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-PlanApo-4 ... 2081157468 , which superficially resembles the lens in the first listing, but there's no getting around the lack of Nikon on the barrel. So what is it? No idea. The envelope says made in Japan, otherwise I might have thought it was a straight forward fake.
Leitz Ortholux 1, Zeiss standard, Nikon Diaphot inverted, Canon photographic gear
- Cactusdave
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- Cactusdave
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That's all fine except I was referring to the first listing in Davids post where the word Nikon is cryptic to say the least. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIKON-PLAN-APO- ... SwFdtXyF1m
Leitz Ortholux 1, Zeiss standard, Nikon Diaphot inverted, Canon photographic gear
- Charles Krebs
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FWIW....
The seller (item 222332707697) has had a number of these on Ebay the last few months. I purchased one to replace the 4/0.13 CFN Plan Achromat that came on my inverted Diaphot. While it is different in appearance from the CFN Apo I have seen pictured on other Ebay auctions (and in the CFN brochure I have) it definitely has the Nikon "feel" and construction quality. It is clearly marked Nikon, "Japan" and has a serial number. On the microscope, doing side-by-side comparisons, it is clearly much brighter, sharper and more highly color corrected than the CFN 4/0.13 I have (which is really a pretty decent plan achromat objective). It was definitely a "keeper" for me.
I'll add a picture of the label from the one I received. It too shows a 2013 manufacturing date (but different month and day).
I can offer no other information about it, only conjecture. Since Nikon regularly makes optics that are used in other manufacturers hardware. Perhaps they had a "client" that needed a supply for whatever reason.
The seller (item 222332707697) has had a number of these on Ebay the last few months. I purchased one to replace the 4/0.13 CFN Plan Achromat that came on my inverted Diaphot. While it is different in appearance from the CFN Apo I have seen pictured on other Ebay auctions (and in the CFN brochure I have) it definitely has the Nikon "feel" and construction quality. It is clearly marked Nikon, "Japan" and has a serial number. On the microscope, doing side-by-side comparisons, it is clearly much brighter, sharper and more highly color corrected than the CFN 4/0.13 I have (which is really a pretty decent plan achromat objective). It was definitely a "keeper" for me.
I'll add a picture of the label from the one I received. It too shows a 2013 manufacturing date (but different month and day).
I can offer no other information about it, only conjecture. Since Nikon regularly makes optics that are used in other manufacturers hardware. Perhaps they had a "client" that needed a supply for whatever reason.
Difference between two Nikon Apo Plan 4x NA 2.0?
I also bought one of those 4xCF 160/.2 new lenses made in 2013, and though it was counterfeit, but not so: I contacted Nikon with photos of the objective and box and a screen grab from an old 1989 brochure of APO objectives, and they said:
"That is a very old Nikon CF Plan Apo 4x objective. The picture from brochure he sent was of CF N Plan Apos which came out later. The original CF Plan Apos were introduced early 1980's and were updated to N Plan Apo series - maybe late 1980's -1990 and then these were replaced by CFi60 version in 1996. That particular objective, if the box is right, was made in 2013. Nikon remanufactured this objective 2012 to 2014 for a particular OEM customer who may have sold off excess inventory.
Not counterfeit for sure."
So Mr. Krebs was right.
RVL
"That is a very old Nikon CF Plan Apo 4x objective. The picture from brochure he sent was of CF N Plan Apos which came out later. The original CF Plan Apos were introduced early 1980's and were updated to N Plan Apo series - maybe late 1980's -1990 and then these were replaced by CFi60 version in 1996. That particular objective, if the box is right, was made in 2013. Nikon remanufactured this objective 2012 to 2014 for a particular OEM customer who may have sold off excess inventory.
Not counterfeit for sure."
So Mr. Krebs was right.
RVL
RVL
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Hi Ray,
Spherical aberration would be the main problem when using an objective without cover glass. Spherical aberration for a given objective (here: dry) only depends on the NA. Up to NA 0.30 you should see no degradation of a widefield image.
For this one, with NA 0.20, the widefield image should not be effected by the absence of the cover glass. However, exact parfocality with other objectives is lost (I suspect that doesn't matter for you ).
Regards, Ichty
Spherical aberration would be the main problem when using an objective without cover glass. Spherical aberration for a given objective (here: dry) only depends on the NA. Up to NA 0.30 you should see no degradation of a widefield image.
For this one, with NA 0.20, the widefield image should not be effected by the absence of the cover glass. However, exact parfocality with other objectives is lost (I suspect that doesn't matter for you ).
Regards, Ichty
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Re: Difference between two Nikon Apo Plan 4x NA 2.0?
So is it fair to expect the same performance as the "traditional" Nikon Plan Apo 4x 0.20?lehmberg wrote:I also bought one of those 4xCF 160/.2 new lenses made in 2013, and though it was counterfeit, but not so: I contacted Nikon with photos of the objective and box and a screen grab from an old 1989 brochure of APO objectives, and they said:
"That is a very old Nikon CF Plan Apo 4x objective. The picture from brochure he sent was of CF N Plan Apos which came out later. The original CF Plan Apos were introduced early 1980's and were updated to N Plan Apo series - maybe late 1980's -1990 and then these were replaced by CFi60 version in 1996. That particular objective, if the box is right, was made in 2013. Nikon remanufactured this objective 2012 to 2014 for a particular OEM customer who may have sold off excess inventory.
Not counterfeit for sure."
So Mr. Krebs was right.
RVL