Glass Bodies a variant-level encyclopedia of vintage lenses and cameras by iwillpat

W-Nikkor(·C) 3.5cm f/1.8

Nippon Kogaku · Nikon S + LTM · 1956 · Xenotar-derived

Also known as: W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/1.8 · W-Nikkor·C 3.5cm f/1.8 · W-Nikkor.C 3.5cm f1.8 · W-Nikkor C 3.5cm f/1.8 · W-NIKKOR•C 3.5cm f/1.8 · W-Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 · Nikkor-W 3.5cm f/1.8 LTM · Nikon 35mm f/1.8 rangefinder · Nippon Kogaku 3.5cm f/1.8 · 3.5cm f1.8

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
Nikon S (1956) Nikon S 1956 351801–354934 (·C-marked: black filter-ring batch 351802–351868 from Sep 1956, chrome filter ring from 351873)
355003–356087 (plain W-Nikkor, no ·C)
356325–360091 (late blocks with U.S.PAT / J.PAT markings; ~8,291 total by serial span) 		~6,500 (CameraQuest) of 8,372 total per RFF serial survey
Leica screw mount LTM — 181238–182209 (·C-marked)
182337–182842 (no ·C) 		1,471 of 8,372 total per RFF serial survey (CameraQuest: ~1,500; ~1,605 by serial span)
SP Limited Edition (2005) Nikon S 2005 0001–2500 (matching body serials; serials confirmed to 2453; No.0001 held by the JCII museum) 2,500 sets
How to tell them apart (expand)

Nikon S (1956):

  • Engraved 3.5cm, not 35mm
  • Family marked both W-Nikkor·C and plain W-Nikkor across the run

SP Limited Edition (2005):

  • Modern multicoating — so not strictly identical optics, though the 7e/5g formula is unchanged
  • Sold only as a set with the Nikon SP reissue body, ¥724,500
  • Coarser 43 × 0.75mm filter thread on the 2005 version vs the original's fine 43 × 0.5mm (Rockwell)

Serial-range notes

351802–351868
First S-mount batch carries a black filter ring (from Sep 1956); chrome filter rings from 351873 on.
earliest S-mount batch (~first 75–100)
Black-painted aperture rings — real and period-documented; the count is disputed — about 100 by one account, roughly the first 75 by another.

Specifications

Formula
Xenotar-derived
Construction
7 elements / 5 groups
Aperture range
f/1.8
Diaphragm blades
9
Min. focus
0.91 m
Weight
160 g
Filter
43 mm (0.5 mm pitch)
Years manufactured
1956
Country
Japan

What reviewers say

Optical Ratings

Aggregated from the reviews above — follow the links for the full picture.

Chromatic aberration
low
Vignetting
moderate
Flare & ghosting
prone
Coma
moderate
Distortion
near-zero
Optical formula — Xenotar-derived
Schematic cross-section drawn for this site — topology from Nikon 1001 Nights story 0003 shows Fig. 1 cross-section and describes front to back: convex singlet, convex/concave cemented pair, diaphragm, concave lens, convex lens, then a second convex/concave cemented pair (the add; curvatures and spacing stylized.
Schematic cross-section drawn for this site — topology from Nikon 1001 Nights story 0003 shows Fig. 1 cross-section and describes front to back: convex singlet, convex/concave cemented pair, diaphragm, concave lens, convex lens, then a second convex/concave cemented pair (the add; curvatures and spacing stylized. — Drawn for this site, CC BY 4.0

History

When the W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/1.8 appeared in September 1956 (Japanese Wikipedia alone says July), it was the world’s brightest wide-angle lens — and the lead held: Leitz took years to answer it. The design was a genuinely new type by Hideo Azuma (東秀夫), a Xenotar-derived front group paired with a rear cemented doublet acting as a field flattener, seven elements in five groups, and the first use of lanthanum glass — a recipe distinctive enough that Nikon patented it in the United States, the patent granted in 1959. Reviewers keep confirming what the spec sheet promised: distortion near zero for a 1950s wide-angle, resolution that embarrasses lenses decades younger, and only the era’s coatings — flare-prone in any backlight — betraying its age.

Production was modest by fast-fifty standards: 8,372 total per the RFF serial survey, which CameraQuest splits at roughly 6,500 in Nikon S mount and 1,500 in Leica screw mount (the survey itself counts 1,471 LTM examples, observed in a ·C-marked serial block at 181283–182158 and a plain-W-Nikkor block at 182456–182797). The earliest S-mount examples carry black-painted aperture rings — real and period-documented in a 1956 advertisement and a 1958 brochure, though the count is disputed: about 100 per CameraQuest, roughly the first 75 per 35mmc. Practical details stayed compact: 43mm filters, a 3-foot minimum focus, and a nine-bladed diaphragm that modern users prize for its sunstars.

The design earned a second life. In 2005 Nikon revived the lens for the SP Limited Edition — 2,500 sets at ¥724,500, each lens serial-matched to its reissued SP body (set No.0001 sits in the JCII museum), built by Tochigi Nikon. Nikon’s own spec sheet confirms the same 7e/5g formula, now with modern multicoating — so not strictly identical optics, but as direct an endorsement as a fifty-year-old wide-angle can get.

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This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Example photos

More sample photos elsewhere

These photographers keep all rights to their work — enjoy it at the source.

Sample photo wanted — shot with a W-Nikkor(·C) 3.5cm f/1.8? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $1,000 across 34 fixed-price listings on 2026-09-11 (middle half $750–$3,500). Tracked since 2026-09-06, 2 days: down 2% from $1,000.

By day
DateMedianMiddle halfListings
2026-09-11$1,000$750–$3,50034
2026-09-06$1,000$750–$3,70035

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

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Listings updated 2026-09-11. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.

Related: W-Nikkor·C 2.8cm f/3.5 · W-Nikkor·C 3.5cm f/2.5 · Fujinon 3.5cm f/2

Sources (5)

Every page here is assembled from public sources, and the gaps are real ones. If you own this lens, know a serial number I'm missing, or can see where I have it wrong, tell me — corrections, serials and sample photos are all worth having.