Nikon IX Lenses

Nikon Pronea APS film SLR mount for IX-Nikkor lenses, introduced in 1996 | APS film (IX240)

Nikon IX names the lens side of the Pronea system, Nikon's APS-format autofocus SLRs: the Pronea 600i of 1996 and the smaller Pronea S of 1998. The bodies kept the F bayonet, so many autofocus F-mount Nikkors could be used on them, but the dedicated IX-Nikkor lenses were designed around the smaller IX240 frame and the Pronea mirror box.

IX-Nikkors sit deeper in the body than ordinary F-mount lenses, so Nikon warned against mounting them on 35 mm F-mount cameras. The range stayed small, made up of compact, light zooms sized for the APS image circle.

For catalog use, Nikon IX is kept apart from Nikon F because the lenses are one-way compatible: an IX-Nikkor is an APS design that only the Pronea bodies accept, even though it shares the bayonet.