Nikon Gold Ring lenses are back – well, sort of…

In Nikon's extensive range of Nikkor F-mount lenses for its DSLRs, a 'gold ring' towards the front of the lens barrel signifies lenses of the finest optical quality and upmarket construction. But with the advent of the Z-mount for mirrorless cameras, a simple 'S' tagged at the end of the lens name is the only indicator of top-notch glass.

That's all changed with the advent of Nikon's Arcrest II Gold Edition filters, which give your lenses the classic Gold Ring look when screwed onto the front – while also protecting your precious glass from the worst that the world can throw at it.

I covered the launch of the Nikon Arcrest II filters recently – an update of the company's original Arcrest protection filters, they provide a protective layer of glass to keep the front element free from scratches and scrapes while having an absolutely minimal effect on the light passing through it, so the quality of the images captured by the camera is – for all intents and purposes – just as good as if there was nothing there at all. They are among the best protection filters that money can buy.

Like the regular Arcrest II filters, an antistatic coating keeps dust and debris at bay, a Zero One AR coating ensures ultra-low single-sided reflectance of approximately 0.1%, and there's also a highly effective water- and oil-repellent coating, but on these Gold Edition filters, the gold paint on the outer gold frame creates a more luxurious feel.

They're just the thing to keep your expensive top-quality Nikon Z-series S-line lenses in pristine condition, with the gold band making them look the part. Of course, there's nothing to stop you from using them on non-S-line lenses – nor non-Nikon lenses either, for that matter – but they do come with such a steep price tag (they cost even more than the already eye-wateringly expensive 'plain' Arcrest II filters) that it only makes sense to reserve them for your most valuable glass.

They are also only available in the larger 77mm, 82mm and 95mm filter thread sizes, which typically go hand-in-hand with larger, faster and pricier S-line glass. Currently only available in Japan (but surely on their way to other territories), they retail at ¥16,500 ($105 / £85 / AU$165) for the 77mm filter, ¥19,800 ($125 / £100 / AU$195) for the 82mm, and ¥33,000 ($210 / £170 / AU$330) for the 95mm Gold Edition filter.

There is, in fact, one Nikon Z-mount lens that does have a gold ring – but that's at the rear of the lens towards the mount. However, the Nikon Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ isn't an S-line lens (as far as I know – details are scant and Nikon has only released the barest information about this in-development video-friendly lens).