Nikon RF

rwreich · May 24, 2016

Looks good! Just know that the infinity release on the front was designed to work with the famous 50mm f/1.1, which was too large to use the focusing gears and so required an external mount.

ColColt · May 24, 2016

I didn't know that. I need to look over the manual as I'm not sure what the small f-stops on the body's flange is for. I'm still wondering why Nikon made that patch so small and undefined.

rwreich · May 24, 2016

The rangefinder patch in mine is quite nice, actually. When mine arrived, I had it looked over by a technician and he verivied that my shutter's timing was excellent. He also cleaned the rangefinder mechanism and it was noticibly brighter than before. Maybe that could help?

ColColt · May 24, 2016

According to the seller, a company in Georgia, it was CLA'd back in October by DAG. I've never seen an S2 rangefinder patch so, I don't know what they're suppose to look like. This one looks like a small squarish blob, for lack of a better word. In other words, its not a sharply defined rectangle like Leica.

rwreich · May 24, 2016

I don't know if I'm allowed to post this here or not. My apologies in advance if this is not okay:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138432

ColColt · May 24, 2016

That was the word I couldn't seem to find..."faded" That's what it reminds me of. If DAG had this camera in for a CLA he should have cleaned the entire camera. I don't think he touched this part of it. It sure doesn't look like the sharply defined square in the manual.

Theo Sulphate · May 24, 2016

The camera looks pristine - very nice. I didn't know they made chrome lenses - I think I prefer the black ones, since that's what I've come to expect on Nikon rangefinders - though the chrome one matches the camera very well.

I was curious about the rangefinder patch and that was a question I was going to ask before springing for an S2 from KEH. No rangefinders I'm familiar with match the bright, clear, sharp Leica M patches - not Contax, Retina, Fuji GW's, Olympus XA, nor Canonet's.

One question: what is the material that the exposure counter dial is made of? Ceramic would be awesome, but maybe it's metal?

rwreich · May 24, 2016

The shot counter dial is a brushed metal, and it should be reset by hand at the beginning of every role.

ColColt · May 24, 2016

Not sure what that material is but it certainly looks and feels like metal. rwreich is correct in that it has to be set manually, like the M2.

If I could describe the patch on the S2 I'd say it's more like a fuzzy blob instead of the sharp, larger defined patch on my Leicas but still can be focused pretty well. I'm just not use to it having had nothing to compare it to other than the Leica M.

James R. Dillard · May 24, 2016

Hello everyone, new recruit from Colorado.
Have several thousand posts to catch up on, so here I go,..
-Jim

Theo Sulphate · May 24, 2016

Welcome to APUG - looks like you have a Nikon rangefinder as well.

rwreich · May 25, 2016

James R. Dillard said:
Hello everyone, new recruit from Colorado.
Have several thousand posts to catch up on, so here I go,..
-Jim

Welcome to Apug!

ColColt · May 25, 2016

I talked with them today and sent the camera back. They're going to have Don Goldberg look at it again. I was told these cameras are super sensitive and that even mailing them via UPS or FedEx could require an alignment. I don't know that I believe that. If I'm not mistaken, David Douglas Duncan used a Nikon RF during the Korean War.

rwreich · May 25, 2016

I'm sorry you had that experience.

Can I ask, since you already own a Leica M, are you really interested in using the S2, or Is it something about the lens?

ColColt · May 25, 2016

I'm a shooter so yes, I would indeed use it. The lens looks fine-near what I'd call pristine with zero flaws. The only problem I had was the patch and the slight vertical adjusment...something I didn't feel comfortable trying to correct. The Leica is much easier to adjust.

Theo Sulphate · May 25, 2016

@rwreich - how would you describe the patch on your S2? I just want to have an idea of what to expect.

As I mentioned above, the patches on none of my other rangefinder cameras equal those on my M3/M6 for clarity and sharpness, but I live with it.

I examined a Linhof Super Technika V a few months ago and one of the reasons I didn't buy it was because its rangefinder patch was nearly invisible.

ColColt · May 25, 2016

This is a pic of what they show in the manual. Mine looked nothing like this.

rwreich · May 26, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
@rwreich - how would you describe the patch on your S2? I just want to have an idea of what to expect.

As I mentioned above, the patches on none of my other rangefinder cameras equal those on my M3/M6 for clarity and sharpness, but I live with it.

I examined a Linhof Super Technika V a few months ago and one of the reasons I didn't buy it was because its rangefinder patch was nearly invisible.

I will try to have something for you tomorrow... I just finished printing in my darkroom for the night and I really want to sleep some before my 5:30 wake-up call.

rwreich · May 26, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
@rwreich - how would you describe the patch on your S2? I just want to have an idea of what to expect.

Okay, Theo. Here's the best pic I could get with my phone. As you may be able to see, my rangefinder patch is bright and clear to see, but it is not very well defined around the edges. The frame-lines are also near the edge of the finder window but ai can still see outside of them. I have found the lines to be more than accurate enough. I have no trouble focusing in any light that film can see as long as the subject isn't moving too quickly toward or away from me.

It does make a difference as to what angle you hold your eye to the finder. If you're too high or too low, the patch might appear out of vertical alignment. Because there is no paralax adjustment, the patch stays in the center and the content changes. Does that make sense?

jerrybro · May 26, 2016

I don't have mine nearby but that is pretty much how it looks. The patch is an overlay, so when in focus 2 images become 1, with 1 image being "yellowish". I do recall the frame lines being sharper, but I don't pay a lot of attention to them.

rwreich · May 26, 2016

jerrybro said:
I don't have mine nearby but that is pretty much how it looks. The patch is an overlay, so when in focus 2 images become 1, with 1 image being "yellowish". I do recall the frame lines being sharper, but I don't pay a lot of attention to them.

In real use, the frame-lines are nice and crisp... I just couldn't get my phone close enough to the finder to show that because it's in a case. Dumb iPhone.

Theo Sulphate · May 26, 2016

rwreich said:
Okay, Theo. Here's the best pic I could get with my phone. As you may be able to see, my rangefinder patch is bright and clear to see, but it is not very well defined around the edges.....

Nicely done, thank you! So, that patch is certainly adequate; it's much better than I've seen in other cameras - and it's crisply focused on the chair as well.

Quite a camera you've got there; I definitely want one. When ColColt's comes back from DAG, hopefully it'll be as nice.

rwreich · May 26, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
Nicely done, thank you! So, that patch is certainly adequate; it's much better than I've seen in other cameras - and it's crisply focused on the chair as well.

Quite a camera you've got there; I definitely want one. When ColColt's comes back from DAG, hopefully it'll be as nice.

You're welcome! Glad I could help I'm also hoping that ColColt's S2 will be just as rewarding as mine has been for me. I've arrived at a place where I only want certain cameras with me for certain situations. The S2 is the one I want with me at nearly all times. It just makes me feel like I'm really connected to what it means to be a photographer.

ColColt · May 27, 2016

I checked the tracking from having sent it back and it arrived yesterday afternoon. I'm waiting for a response from them to see what they'll be willing to do. One things for sure, the patch in that camera is nothing like the one rwreich showed in his picture. That one looks like the sun compared to this one-bright and more pronounced. What a bummer to wait on something and find you can't focus it.

ColColt · May 27, 2016

I've been told that given the amount of time anyone has to give to properly clean the RF half mirror on a Nikon, it's very possible it didn't get the attention it could have needed. I doubt he'll spend much time with it since he's already been through it from what I was told. I haven't heard back from them yet so, I don't know what they're doing or if they've contacted him.

Nikon RF

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