Nikon F introduction........

CMoore · Jul 2, 2023

reddesert said:
The photo of David Douglas Duncan shows him with a Nikon lens on a Leica screw-mount rangefinder body. If you search around on the web, there are interviews with him about it, for ex https://www.bandwmag.com/articles/david-douglas-duncan-the-making-of-a-master He says they modified the lenses to fit the body. Later (I'm guessing it was later), Nikon lenses in M39 screw-mount were a factory product. In 1950, the Nikon body available was a Nikon M, which is a collector's item now - with the odd 24x34mm frame size. I have only ever seen one under glass in a museum.

God Bless him.
He lived a long time

MultiFormat Shooter · Jul 2, 2023

reddesert said:
The photo of David Douglas Duncan shows him with a Nikon lens on a Leica screw-mount rangefinder body....

Yeah, that was my fault. I was keying-in on the lens, and assumed the body was Nikon.

mshchem · Jul 2, 2023

I bought a Nikon F2S new in 1973, I hated the silly LED display, but loved and still do the Nikon form. F became D. Not sure how the Z fits into the evolution.

My favorite film 35mm is the F5. It's perfect for me. Fast AF-D prime lenses too.

CMoore · Jul 2, 2023

mshchem said:
I bought a Nikon F2S new in 1973, I hated the silly LED display, but loved and still do the Nikon form. F became D. Not sure how the Z fits into the evolution.

My favorite film 35mm is the F5. It's perfect for me. Fast AF-D prime lenses too. about

What do you dislike about the meter display.?
Do you like the next iteration any better.?

I shoot a pair of F2-S and i like them a lot.
I suppose i prefer the meter display of my Canon F-1 New more, but i adapted to the F2-S rather quickly.

mshchem · Jul 2, 2023

CMoore said:
What do you dislike about the meter display.?
Do you like the next iteration any better.?

I shoot a pair of F2-S and i like them a lot.
I suppose i prefer the meter display of my Canon F-1 New more, but i adapted to the F2-S rather quickly.

F2 or F2A needle display more intuitive for me, and better battery life. It took a couple of years for me to come to the conclusion I didn't need the LED display, very cool technology in 1973.

I have several Nikon bodies. I use medium format more often, but love 35mm gear.

Paul Howell · Jul 3, 2023

mshchem said:
I bought a Nikon F2S new in 1973, I hated the silly LED display, but loved and still do the Nikon form. F became D. Not sure how the Z fits into the evolution.

The z is a mirrorless system, completely different from the F, same with Sony A mount to E, and Canon EOS mount to R. Pentax says that they will the last company standing with a DSLR, and if their posting is correct a return to a SLR.

Pioneer · Jul 3, 2023

It is very simple. Give your cameras away to important photojournalists and they will use them. Everyone else will want to use what the important photojournalists use. Marketing 101.

Of course once that is done you have to keep producing equipment that holds up to a photojournalists abuse and upgrading as needed. Nikon did these things very well and seems to have continued as time has progressed from film through digital.

mshchem · Jul 3, 2023

I think Pentax will be making some nice film cameras. Modern computer power in a AF point and shoot

Jim Jones · Jul 4, 2023

Miranda advertised an intriguing variety of accessories in the late 1960s, but I never saw those accessories in overseas stores. The ads also featured an attractive model, for whatever that's worth. I bought a Miranda, and it soon developed a few minor problems. Nikon had a fine reputation then, and a wide range of lenses and accessories were available in stores. Since then Nikon has been my first choice, even through a change to digital photography. Only Leica rangefinder cameras have been more reliable with hard usage.

Paul Howell · Jul 5, 2023

When I attmepted to collect I decided on Miranda due to large number of accessories, and in 2008 and 9 were fairly inexpensive. The cameras have good build quaility, lens are good, Miranda did not make lens but had lens made to their designs. Still not a Nikon.

polka · Jul 5, 2023

MattKing said:
The F was just the camera that the system was designed around.
It was the system that was special.
If you had simple needs - a body and a few common lenses - you were most likely just as satisfied with a Nikkormat.

Yes, as I was not interested in "the system", I prefered the nikkormat, because of its metallic shutter synchronizing flash at 1/125, and its coupled ttl lightmeter. And by personnal (esthetic) taste, I disliked the generalized shutterspeed "drums" on top of most cameras, because IMO it was just a ridiculous imitation of the elder focal shutter technology (barnak leicas, exactas, edixas...) that no longer made any technical sense).

POLKa

Nikon F introduction........

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