Buying a new lens for your mirrorless or DSLR camera can be a daunting task. As well as considering compatibility, budget, and size, you need to decide whether the focal range suits your needs. While our camera lens buying guide can set you on the right path with focal length, aperture range, and other key features, you might still need help decoding precisely what all those letters on a Nikon lens actually mean.
Our Lens Decoder series aims to do just that — here's the Nikon edition.
Nikon Lens Mounts
Nikon has two current lens mounts, covering both their DSLR and mirrorless camera ranges.
F Mount — Nikon's long-standing DSLR mount, also compatible with film SLR cameras.
Z Mount — Nikon's current mirrorless mount, designed specifically for the Z-series mirrorless camera range.
Nikon Lens Formats
FX — Full-frame lenses, available for both DSLR and mirrorless systems. FX lenses can also be used on APS-C format cameras, where the crop factor will apply.
DX — APS-C format lenses, available for both DSLR and mirrorless systems. DX lenses are only compatible with APS-C format cameras.
Nikon AF Systems
Nikon has evolved their autofocus technology significantly over the years. Here are the abbreviations you'll commonly see on their lenses:
AF — Autofocus. Used since Nikon's first generation of AF lenses.
AF-S — Autofocus with Nikon's Silent Wave Motor — fast, quiet, and well suited to general-purpose and action photography.
AF-D — Autofocus with distance information, used to assist metering and exposure calculations.
AF-P — Autofocus with Nikon's Pulse motor, delivering even quieter and smoother AF performance — particularly useful for video.
Nikon Optical Technology Explained
AS / ASP — Aspherical lens elements, which reduce distortion in wide-angle lenses and minimise aberrations.
ASED — Aspherical ED glass — combining two of Nikon's best optical technologies in a single element.
Arneo — Nikon's Arneo anti-reflective coating, which reduces ghosting and lens flare.
ED — Extra-low Dispersion glass. Reduces chromatic aberrations and delivers excellent image sharpness by minimising the dispersion of light as it passes through the lens.
Super ED — An advanced version of Nikon's ED glass, offering even greater control over chromatic aberrations.
HRI — High Refractive Index elements. Reduces curvature and spherical aberrations while allowing for a more compact lens design, as each element can do the work of several conventional elements.
FL — Fluorite lens elements. Provides impressive optical performance — particularly effective at reducing chromatic aberrations at longer focal lengths — while remaining smaller and lighter than traditional glass.
F / Fluorine — Fluorine coating applied to the front element. Repels dust, water, and grease, and makes the element significantly easier to clean.
SR — Short-wavelength Refractive elements. Delivers compact, lightweight construction with strong optical performance, compensating for chromatic aberrations caused by short-wavelength light.
N — Nano Crystal Coat. Dramatically reduces internal reflections, virtually eliminating ghosting.
PF — Phase Fresnel glass. Compensates for chromatic aberration using the photon diffraction phenomenon, enabling a more compact lens design.
SIC — Super Integrated Coating. Reduces flare and ghosting while improving colour accuracy and contrast.
STM — Stepping Motor (also known as a pulse motor). Responsive, quick, and whisper-quiet — ideal for video recording.
SWM — Silent Wave Motor. Fast and accurate autofocus, well suited to general-purpose photography as well as faster subjects like wildlife and sport.
VR — Vibration Reduction. Nikon's optical image stabilisation system, which corrects camera shake for sharper handheld images.
VR II — The updated version of Nikon's Vibration Reduction system, offering improved stabilisation performance.
Shop Nikon Lenses at Ted's
Ready to make your next lens purchase? Browse our full range of Nikon Z lenses and Nikon F lenses at Ted's Cameras, or visit us in-store for personalised advice from our expert team.