Re: [Leica] nikon s3

[Daniel Bowdoin <danlb@mindspring.com>]

lucien wrote

>Daniel Bowdoin wrote:
>
>> It's my impression that the S3 is a limited-edition slightly-updated copy
>> of the 1958 S3. Only a couple of thousand built, only one lens available
>> (50/1.4), sold by subscription in theory only in Japan. Meant for
>> collectors, not for users, as a sort of millenium commemorative issue. I
>> suppose that conceptually it occupies a similar place in Nikon's product
>> line as the O camera occupies in Leica's. I suspect that the ones that
>> are beginning to show up here now were imported directly from Japan,
>> outside the Nikon USA channel. Years ago Nikon did something vaguely
>> similar marketwise with the F3P, a camera which Nikon USA would tell you
>> didn't exist.
>
>Daniel,
>
>I don't think so.
>
>In Belgium, the S3 is imported by the official Nikon distributor (who
>happen to
>be the Leica distributor by the way) and they where offered to dealers to
>order
>as soon the news was on the web one year ago.
>
>They are in the windows now, and don't attract to many buyers, I'm afraid.

For those Leica folk who might be interested in this new iteration of the
Nikon S3, here's the URL of the relevant page on the Nikon Historical
Society newsletter website.

http://www.nikonhs.org/news_items/news_s3.html

There's no reference to the S3, at least none that I can find, on the
Nikon USA website. However, since I make one mistake every twenty-five
years and I'm just about due for my next one, I may very well have missed
it. Anyway, thanks for your reply, Lucien. I'm not surprised about the
limited number of buyers . . . I suspect that they'll be floating around
for sale new for some time to come.

Dan Bowdoin