| Image:Nikon |
Although Nikon lens names may not be the most complex out there (That award probably goes to Tamron), they still do not lack letters and abbreviations. And while its mirrorless lenses have more streamlined lens names than its DSLRs, the company still uses a lot of acronyms and proprietary terms in its lens descriptions. Trying to understand what they mean and what they mean can seem quite challenging. In this article, we’ll break down the most commonly used terminology on Nikon lenses (in both names and descriptions) to help you deal with the hassle.
Lens types and compatibility
Some of the most important terms to pay attention to are related to lens type and compatibility. After all, you don’t want to accidentally buy a lens that doesn’t work with your particular camera.
F Mount, Z Mount
First and foremost are Nikon’s lens mounts. Nikon’s F mount is its longest-running mount, used on the company’s film SLR cameras, followed by its DSLRs. The F mount is used on both full-frame and APS-C digital cameras. No single letter or abbreviation denotes an F mount lens, so you’ll need to know some of the other terminology below, be familiar with the look of Nikon’s F mount lineup or look carefully at lens mount information on a product listing.
The Nikon Z mount is the company’s mirrorless mount, introduced in 2018. If you see a Z in the lens name, like the Nikon Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR, it’s part of the mirrorless lens lineup and is only compatible with the company’s Z mount cameras.
DX
 |
| The Nikkor Z DX MC 35mm F1.7 is a macro (MC) lens for mirrorless (Z) APS-C cameras (DX). Image:Nikon |
If “DX” is in a Nikon lens name, it’s for its APS-C (crop sensor) cameras. Nikon uses DX on both its DSLR and mirrorless lenses to denote lenses made for smaller sensors.
FX
The DX counterpart, “FX” lenses are designed for Nikon’s full-frame cameras, both DSLR and mirrorless. Like most systems, these lenses will work on crop sensor cameras, although effectively multiplying by 1.5x makes the focal length not make as much sense.
mc
Some Nikon lenses, such as the Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, feature “MC” in the lens name. MC is Nikon’s indicator that the lens is a macro offering, meaning it offers a 1:1 reproduction ratio. Older DSLR lenses from Nikon may have “Micro” written instead of MC, which also indicates that it is a macro lens meant to capture detail.
S
 |
| Image:Nikon |
Some Nikon mirrorless lenses have “S” in the name, which refers to the S-line of Nikon lenses. The company says that the lenses in this series are mirrorless lenses in terms of construction and optical quality. Thus, they demand a higher price than non-badged lenses.
Lens Design and Coatings
Perhaps the largest range of Nikon’s specialized terminology is its lens designs and coatings. Nikon has an extensive list of terms for special lens elements and coatings used to improve image quality, which often causes the most confusion when attempting to assess its lenses. These elements and coatings can be used together, so you may see several of the terms mentioned below on the same lens.
Ed
Nikon included ED in its DSLR lens names, although it dropped the abbreviation in its mirrorless lineup. However, you will still see mention of ED in lens descriptions (and on lenses from other brands too), as it is still a commonly used thing in optical design. ED stands for extra-low dispersion glass, which is a type of lens element. ED glass helps reduce chromatic aberrations, resulting in clearer images with more accurate colors.
pf lens
 |
|
The AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4E PF ED VR lens features a phased Fresnel (PF) lens element and ED element. |
A small number of Nikon lenses use phase Fresnel (PF) lenses. This lens element allows Nikon to dramatically reduce the size and weight of long telephoto lenses by using fewer lens elements, while also managing chromatic aberrations to maintain image quality. Like ED, Nikon used to include PF in DSLR lens names, but does not do so in its mirrorless lineup. Instead, you’ll have to look at the lens description or specifications to see if that element is present.
meso amorphous coat
Nikon says the Meso Amorphous Coat is its latest and most advanced anti-reflective coating, intended to provide a high level of ghosting and flare suppression. The company says this is an improvement on its previous Nano Crystal Coat and ARNEO Coat technologies, as seen below. The coating suppresses incident light from any direction, including obliquely and vertically. At the time of writing, the coating is only used on Nikon’s highest-end mirrorless lenses.
aarnio coat
ARNEO Coat is also an anti-reflective coating. It is designed to suppress reflections of light entering the lens perpendicularly and is ideal for producing clear, high-contrast images even in backlit environments.
nano crystal coat
 |
| The gold “N” on the right side of the AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR means it uses Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coat. However, Nikon no longer places such badges on its mirrorless lenses. Image:Nikon |
Nano Crystal Coat is another anti-reflective coating developed by Nikon to reduce ghosting and glare. It also minimizes reflections from light entering the lens obliquely. The Nano Crystal Coat is older than the ARNEO and Meso Amorphous Coats, but still works to produce clear, high-contrast images in the company’s professional-grade lenses.
NIKON SUPER INTEGRATED COATING
Finally, we have Nikon’s Super Integrated Coating (sic), which is the oldest one mentioned here. It was designed during the transition to digital photography and is intended to reduce ghosting and glare, especially in backlit situations. SIC is used on almost all Nikkor lenses.
Stabilization, focusing system and aperture
Last but not least, Nikon uses various acronyms to refer to stabilization, focusing system, and aperture features. Like lens design, you may see overlap with multiple terms mentioned for the same lens.
E
 |
| The AF-S NIKKOR 28mm F1.4E ED has an E in its name, which means it uses an electronic aperture diaphragm. Image:Nikon |
Lenses that have an E in their name, or mention “E-type” in the specifications, use an electronic aperture diaphragm. This means that the lens aperture is controlled by electronic signals from the camera rather than a mechanical lever like older F mount lenses. The E-type aperture allows precise and silent aperture changes, ideal for high-speed photography or video recording. All of Nikon’s mirrorless lenses use the E-type mechanism, as do select DSLR lenses.
V.R
The VR in Nikon lens names refers to the company’s optical stabilization, which it calls Vibration Reduction. Like other optical stabilization systems, its goal is to reduce blur caused by camera shake when using long shutter speeds.
Yes
 |
| The AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm F1.8G lens has a G at the end of its name, which means it lacks an aperture ring. Image:Nikon |
Some Nikon F mount lenses have a “G” in the name, meaning they lack an aperture ring. In such cases, the aperture must be selected from the camera body, so the lens should be used on a camera that offers such control.
AF-S, AF-P
Lenses in Nikon’s DSLR lineup may feature AF-S or AF-P in their names. AF-S stands for autofocus with Silent Wave Motor (SWM), which means the lens uses Nikon’s ultrasonic motor. AF-S lenses will work on all Nikon DSLRs, although there are no mirrorless Nikon lenses that use SWM.
Lenses with AF-P designation, on the other hand, use a stepping motor to power autofocus. They are faster, quieter, and smoother than SWM autofocus systems. As a result, they’re better suited for video use or situations that demand reactive autofocus. AF-P lenses may not be compatible with older DSLRs, but they can be used on Z mount cameras with an FTZ adapter.
SSVCM
Although Nikon has removed mention of autofocus in the lens names, it has not stopped developing new systems. Some high-end Nikon lenses use its Silky Swift VCM (Voice Coil Motor), which is Nikon’s most advanced autofocus drive technology at the time of writing. Nikon says it offers high speed, high accuracy and quiet AF operation with low vibration during operation.
