Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]From: <welch@pressroom.com> > I too am fond of the Nikon rangefinder line, particularly the SP. They were > not as robust as the Leicas, but they have their own considerable charm. In some ways, the later Nikon rangefinder cameras are very robust, due to their titanium leaf focal plane shutters. You no longer have to worry about burning a hole in the shutter, though the camera is not as silent as the Ms. The Korean War brought fame to the earlier model S, used by David Douglas Duncan, which without fail continued to work in the adverse condition in winter. It is said that Contax shutters froze, and Leica (IIIf) shutter ribbon ripped, but Nikons, with its Leica-like shutter mechanism continued to work. Perhaps the lower shutter tension in Nikons helped with their alleged durability. > The SP of course is the flagship camera, but the S2s are great shooters > and not to be overlooked. They were made in large numbers and are > considerably less expensive than the SP or S3. But there were enough > production quirks to keep the collectors happy too. Still, the production of S2 is not that big (twenty something thousand, if I remember) though greater than all the rest combined. The S2 was a departure from the earlier shutter design, which were much like LTM Leicas. The S2 incorporated an interested shutter brake mechanism that was considered more durable than the friction-based brake: at the end of the shutter curtain travel, the curtain strikes a pendulum which has the same moment of inertia as the curtain. As the shutter curtain strikes the pendulum, the shutter curtain stops instantaneously without rebounding. The movement of the pendulum is managed separately. The loud "pop" sound of the S2 shutter is the sound of the shutter curtain striking the pendulum. Assembling an extensive Nikon collection is a daunting task, with a full suite of lenses from 21mm to 1000mm, and various mirrorboxes, and accessories. The production number is orders of magnitude smaller than that of M bodies and accessories, and as a result, they are quite costly. The 21mm lens often fetches a prices of $10,000 or more, though its more common SLR cousin can be had for $500. Black S2, SP, and S3 are in five-figure range, too. Some of the lenses are quite special. For budding Nikon RF users, I'd recommend playing with: 25/4, 28/3.5, 35/1.8, 35/2.5, 50/1.4 (Sonnar copy), 50/2 (Sonnar copy), 85/2 (Sonnar copy) and 105/2.5. Each of them are quite special. The venerable 35/2.5, which was introduced to compete with Elmar and Summaron 35/3.5, still continues to be produced, as a Nikonos lens, though the lens is now multi-coated, and one of its element was replaced with a different glass, according to a nameless friend (to protect his job security) who designs lenses at Nikon. I was surprised that this lens was not incorporated in the 35Ti compact camera.