Nikon's early rangefinder 35mm — the W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/3.5 in Leica screw mount.
The W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/3.5 is one of Nippon Kogaku's earliest rangefinder wide-angle lenses in the Leica screw mount, dating from the immediate post-war period. Nikon engraved focal lengths in centimetres, so 3.5cm corresponds to 35mm today. As an early entry in the W-Nikkor line, it helped establish Nikon's reputation for rangefinder optics before the faster 3.5cm versions arrived.
This is a manual-focus, rangefinder-coupled Leica Thread Mount lens with a 35mm focal length and a maximum aperture of f/3.5. The W prefix identifies it as a wide-angle Nikkor. The centimetre engraving is typical of Nippon Kogaku lenses of the 1940s. Element count and other construction details vary by version and should be confirmed rather than assumed for an accurate record.
A 35mm view is the classic street and documentary width, wide enough to give context yet close to natural perspective. The f/3.5 aperture points to daylight and general shooting rather than low light. On many rangefinder bodies of the time a 35mm frameline was not built in, so an accessory finder was often used. The compact barrel suits a light, walk-about rangefinder kit.
As an early post-war Nikkor, this lens is of interest to collectors of Nikon rangefinder history and can be scarcer than later versions. Inspect the elements for haze, fungus, edge separation and cleaning marks, and look over the coatings for scratches. Make sure the aperture blades are dry and the focus turns smoothly and evenly. The screw mount adapts to Leica M via an LTM-to-M ring and to mirrorless with an added adapter.