Welcome to CCCWarehouse's simplified Nikon Lens abbreviations introduction. We aim to give you simple answer on commonly seem lens abbreviations.
First we need to briefly explain Full Frame and APS-C Cameras
The full frame cameras uses a sensor the same size as a 35mm film camera frame – 36mm x 24mm.
The Nikon APS-C sensor is smaller. The field of view (how much of a scene you can see through the viewfinder) is smaller when using the same lens on an APS-C format camera than it would be on a full frame camera. This effect is called the "Crop Factor". Nikon APS-C cameras have a 1.5x crop factor.
Nikon Full Frame Cameras are D4, D610 and D800 as some examples.
Nikon Cameras using APS-C sensors (just a small list as an example): Nikon D3300, D5300, D7100...
Nikon Lenses Abbreviation Guide
Nikon has two lines of lens mount systems, F-mount and 1 NIKKOR (Nikon 1-series).
Nikon F-Mount Lenses
Nikon SLR/DSLR lenses use the following terms to indicate features of each lens:
Lens System
DX: Digital, Short Back, for 23.6mm x 15.6mm sensor.
FX: Full Frame (film or digital), for 36mm x 24mm sensor. Nikon do not mark FX on lenses, the convention is if it does not say DX then it's a FX lens.
In theory you can use DX on FX (full frame) cameras. However as the DX lenses pass in a smaller image, on the bigger sensor it will show a black halo (vignetting) (images courtesy of photographylife.com)
Focusing System
Most important to note. As some Nikon cameras has built-in motors to drive lens focus, some do not. So you need to make sure the lens you buy suits your Nikon camera body, or you may end up with a manual focus lens.
AF: Auto Focus, built into camera
AF-S: Auto-Focus Silent (Silent Wave Motor, required for bodies without focus motor)
AF-I: Auto-Focus Internal
AF-N: Auto-Focus (improved version, rare)
Lens Mount
AI: Automatic Indexing mount (includes metering sensor)
AI-S: Improved Automatic Indexing mount
IX: Lenses designed specially for APS film SLRs; their rear end protrudes too much to allow using them on a 35mm film camera or a DSLR
Series E A cheaper series of AI-S where plastic replaced some metal parts. Not designated as Nikkor but "Nikon Lens Series E"
Features
Reflex: Catadioptric (mirror) lens.
D: Distance, communicates focus distance for 3D Matrix metering mode and also for flash autoexposure. All AF-I, AF-S, and G-type lenses are also D-type. (Indicated after the f-number in the name, sometimes designated as AF-D).
SIC: Super Integrated Coating (multicoated lenses)
VR: Vibration Reduction
ED: Extra-low Dispersion Glass
FL: Fluorite. Designated a lens with some element in fluorite instead glass.
ASP: Aspherical Lens Element
IF: Internal Focusing
RF: Rear Focusing
RD: Rounded diaphragm
Micro: Enable high reproduction ratio. Typically at 1:1 or 1:2.
G: No aperture ring (automatic aperture only)
DC: Defocus Control
PC: Perspective Control. Lenses with shift feature (older) and newer with tilt as well. Manual aperture control
PC-E: Perspective Control lens with Electronically-controlled aperture. Feature both shift and tilt control.
PF: Phase Fresnel Lens Elements. Lenses which provides superior chromatic aberration compensation performance when combined with a normal glass lens.
E: Electronic diaphragm. Some lenses with an electronic diaphragm. Only supported by bodies from D3 and after.
P: CPU enabled version of AI-S lenses (Sometimes designated as AI-P)
There are tonnes of other lens abbreviations used by Nikon, these are most common, for the rest you can look them up directly from official Canon online guide.
