From 1968: How to Hold a Nikon

Trask

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As seen on the NY Times website. Looks like a Nikon F, or could it be a Nikkormat? I'm not sure what that is on the prism -- it's not an "F" and it's too high to be the name plate. He must have an AR-1 shutter button installed, given how high his index finger is. I'm not sure my hands are big enough to emulate this grasp.

 

Lamar

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That's definitely an F, check out the pc connector. His finger isn't over a shutter button I don't think, it's just floating. If it were a Nikkormat the strap lugs would be forward where the PC connector is and there would be a shutter button under his finger. At least that's the arrangement on my F vs my Nikkormat FT2.

Very cool picture, by the way!
 

gone

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If I held my cameras like that, people would wonder if my arthritis was acting up.
 

E. von Hoegh

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OK guys, what lens is he using? I think a 35 or 50, definitely not the 35/2, but maybe the 35/2.8. It looks like it has that sort of hood, but I can't be sure.
 

E. von Hoegh

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elekm said:
I'm not sure when the soft releases became popular. But real men (and real photographers) toughed it out and didn't resort to such devices. My comment is "tongue in cheek," by the way, which means that it shouldn't be taken seriously.
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His finger's not over the release, which is towards the back of the Fs. I think he's in the process of wrapping his right hand around the camera, having just brought it up with his left - this would account for the awkward grasp.
 

Photo Engineer

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That is a Nikon. Nikkormats had the full name on the prism front! US versions had that name and Japanese and other Asian versions had Nikomat on the front. I have both.

PE
 

Photo Engineer

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He was adjusting the aperture with his left index finger. The lenses had finger indents for movement.

His right finger is on the shutter release.

PE
 
OP
OP

Trask

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I think I can read "Nippon Kogaku" on the lens ID ring, but it's hard to say what it might be beyond that. And I still think he has an AR-1 on the shutter release and will actuate the shutter by pressing the AR-1 with the second joint of his index finger, not his finger pad.

But more broadly, check out this other photo, Yoichi doing a "selfie" before that word was invented. I love the pipe and the Nikon SP!

Interesting man:born in Yonkers, NY in 1915, U.S. Army photographer in WWII, etc. Read more about him and see his White House work here:

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/photographing-the-white-house-from-the-inside/
 

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BradleyK

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E. von Hoegh said:
Not just an F but a black F. He's a real pro!
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Hmm. I will have to keep a log re shots with my (black) F2AS bodies vs my (chrome) F2A bodies to test the validity of your remark: Possibly my F2AS shots bear the hallmark of a pro, while the F2A shots suggest the work of an amateur? lol
 

E. von Hoegh

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BradleyK said:
Hmm. I will have to keep a log re shots with my (black) F2AS bodies vs my (chrome) F2A bodies to test the validity of your remark: Possibly my F2AS shots bear the hallmark of a pro, while the F2A shots suggest the work of an amateur? lol
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I can't help you there, I had a black F in pristine condition and sold it because it was too pretty to use.
 

BradleyK

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E. von Hoegh said:
I can't help you there, I had a black F in pristine condition and sold it because it was too pretty to use.
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Really?!?! I thought the "Too Pretty to Use Club" was exclusive to the Leica Fanboy contingent of the analogue community... (Yes, I know, I own a pair of M6s, but mine are fed a fairly steady diet of HP5/Tri-X...with a little bit of E100G thrown in for good measure!).
 

Photo Engineer

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Alan Klein said:
What about the focus ring? One finger? Indents assist but one finger? No thumb? Who does that?
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I believe that that was my error. That is the focus ring. Old Nikon lenses could be focused with one finger. Newer ones cannot. I just tested 2 old and 2 new lenses and could focus the old ones with my index finger. The older zoom lenses could be zoomed with one finger as well.

PE
 

E. von Hoegh

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Chris Lange said:
Looks like it could be an early 35/1.4 with the metal screw in hood, mine looks very similar. Or a 35/2 or a 50/2.
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I don't think it's big enough for the 35/1.4; when was that introduced anyway? The 35/2 has the lettering on the outside of the filter ring, so definitely not that. So, 35/2.8 or 50/2.
 
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