One-of-a-Kind Nikon 14.3mm f/4 Fisheye Can Be Yours for $250,000

The Leica Store Lisse in The Netherlands often gets its hands on rare and special cameras and lenses. This time it is offering a one-of-a-kind rarity: a Nikon 14.3mm f/4 fisheye lens that was originally developed for Disney. The price matches the rarity: $249,999.

While Leica Store Lisse specializes in Leica, Rollei, Zeiss, and Voigtlander cameras, lenses, accessories, and memorabilia, it will often expand beyond those brands to offer rarities from other manufacturers. In this case, it has what it describes as “one of the biggest, rarest, most collectible museum level pieces of photography and optics history” in this truly unique fisheye optic from Nikon.

According to the seller, the Nikkor 14.3mmm f/4 Fisheye was originally made for Disney with plans to use it “for a futuristic film and theater viewing with 360-degree screens.” As such, it was custom-made by Nikon to cover IMAX 360-degree film cameras at 70mm film.

That means that if it were to be used on a 35mm full-frame camera, the f/4 speed would translate to f/2.8, making it what the store calls “ultra-fast” in its class of fisheye lenses.

Leica Store Lisse draws a direct line between the Nikkor 14.3mm f/4 fisheye and the Nikkor 6mm f/2.8, which it describes as the “holy grail of fisheye lenses.” Fewer than 200 of these giant fisheye optics were ever made (one of which can be seen in-person at Nikon’s new museum in Tokyo) but Leica Store Lisse argues that this 14.3mm f/4 should be considered even more of a find given that only one was produced.

“Considering this lens is one of a kind vs the dozens of copies of the 6mm, features 70mm coverage vs 35mm of the 6mm, has a similarly ultra-fast aperture scaled up to 70mm, you can begin to understand the significance of what we have on our table today!” the store writes.

The Nikkor 14.3mmm f/4 Fisheye is being made available by Leica Store Lisse on eBay for $249,999. The lens has the serial number 112001, comes in the original wooden case produced for it, and ships with the original lens cap, too. Shipping isn’t included and will cost $100.

Given its price, the Nikkor 14.3mm f/4 Fisheye should probably spend its time behind glass but if a buyer was so inclined, it could be used, too.

“With a bit of professional engineering this lens can be adapted to many modern cameras, such as Leica S or Hasselblad XCD,” Leica Store Lisse writes. “It’s just a marvel to gaze into this lens and get lost in the glass.”

Image credits: Photographs by Foto Henny Hoogeveen, Leica Store Lisse