No batteries allowed, which Nikon 35mm?

mgb74 · Oct 8, 2008

Here's my .02.

First choice is a Nikkormat FTn. Cheap, relatively common, and reliable. It's the last of the Nikkormats (I think) that uses the 1.35v mercury battery. The battery's no longer available, but you won't need it anyway.

Second choice is a F2. Many can be found with non-working meters. But, without a battery, it's a moot point.

Poohblah · Oct 8, 2008

the FTn doesn't have Time exposure mode like the OP wants. the F2 does. correct?

mgb74 · Oct 8, 2008

I'm pretty sure the FTn has a "B" setting for timed exposures. Also has mirror lockup.

Poohblah said:
the FTn doesn't have Time exposure mode like the OP wants. the F2 does. correct?

markbarendt · Oct 9, 2008

The "T" setting allows very long settings without holding the button the whole time. With "T" you can start an exposure, go to sleep for 8, wake up, and stop the exposure. Very handy for star trails and painting with light.

Davidw · Oct 9, 2008

Michel Hardy-Vallée said:
The latest version of the Sekonic L-398 is not selenium but in fact amorphous silicon. So it's nice that you can still buy a new battery-less meter, and maybe amorphous silicon has not the same issues as badly kept selenium cells.

Nevertheless, bear in mind that the 398 uses a heavy magnet and a galvanometer to move the needle. I know next to nothing about electricity v. magnetism, but I thought you would like to know. I'm pretty sure most selenium meters work from the same principle.

If you can find one, the L-28C is the predcessor to the L-398, and it still uses a selenium cell. I use one for IR, which the selenium is sensitive to (though I still bracket).

Ralph Javins · Oct 9, 2008

Good morning, Mark;

You do astrophotography also? Neat. The only real problem I have there is the one common to all people photographing the night sky; light pollution. Trying to find a dark sky is a challenge. Perhaps the International Dark Sky Association will gain greater strength. Here in Latte Land, I cannot expose longer than five (5) minutes with ASA 100 film without noticeable fogging of the film. Really a bummer when you are trying to catch meteor trails.

PhotoJim · Oct 9, 2008

markbarendt said:
The "T" setting allows very long settings without holding the button the whole time. With "T" you can start an exposure, go to sleep for 8, wake up, and stop the exposure. Very handy for star trails and painting with light.

Cable release! Cable release!

They lock.

John_Nikon_F · Oct 9, 2008

Yeah, an AR-2 will work. But, I can understand the idea of the F2 or an F...

With respect to light pollution, just come out to Duvall, Ralph. On a clear night, I don't see much of anything, pollution-wise.

-J

markbarendt · Oct 9, 2008

Ralph Javins said:
Good morning, Mark;

You do astrophotography also? Neat.

"Do" is a strong word, "play" might be better.

I live in SW Colorado so we have fairly dark skys. We don't have to travel very far to get even better.

The flip side of no light pollution is that there are few opportunities for good street photos.

markbarendt · Oct 9, 2008

PhotoJim said:
Cable release! Cable release!

They lock.

Okay I'll nibble at the bait a bit here.

Why would I want something different than an F2?

PhotoJim · Oct 9, 2008

markbarendt said:
Okay I'll nibble at the bait a bit here.

Why would I want something different than an F2?

I'm not saying that you do, but the lack of T on some other bodies is not something that would inhibit the type of photography that you want to do.

Buy an F2 if it works for you, but I wouldn't advise you to buy an F2 because it has T, nor would I advise you against buying it if it lacked that feature.

Frankly, for astrophotography I'd be more likely to use a more modern body with a brighter viewfinder. It will make aiming a lot easier. That would give a camera like the FM2n or FM3a an advantage. (If you don't mind the camera requiring batteries for normal shooting, the F3 or F3HP could be added to the list, too. It has B and T; B requires batteries, but T does not.)

The F2 is a great choice. I just don't believe that T is a big issue. Using a locking cable release is a better choice than using T without a cable release because, for shorter exposures, you have less risk of vibration affecting the image.

Another radical suggestion for your astrophotography: a Nikon EM. B does not use batteries in this body, and it's the smallest 35mm Nikon film SLR with a decently bright viewfinder and silky-smooth film winding.

Lee L · Oct 9, 2008

PhotoJim said:
Frankly, for astrophotography I'd be more likely to use a more modern body with a brighter viewfinder. It will make aiming a lot easier.

The best thing I've found for framing/composing wide field astrophotographs (i.e. taken with camera lenses rather than a telescope) is to use a hot shoe finder designed for rangefinders. The Cosina Voigtlander hot shoe finders I've tried show several orders of magnitude dimmer stars than any SLR I've tried, and many others will work as well, perhaps better. Commonly available focal length coverage from manufacturers are for 15, 21, 25, 28, 35, 40, 50, 75, 85, 90, 100, and 135 mm fields of view. They can also be found used. They make framing up a constellation a relative breeze.

Are we sufficiently OT yet?

Lee

markbarendt · Oct 10, 2008

PhotoJim said:
Another radical suggestion for your astrophotography: a Nikon EM. B does not use batteries in this body, and it's the smallest 35mm Nikon film SLR with a decently bright viewfinder and silky-smooth film winding.

The EM looks like an interesting camera, I could see using it is in street photography, but being stuck at 1/90th without the battery is a deal killer for the task at hand.

markbarendt · Oct 10, 2008

Lee L said:
The best thing I've found for framing/composing wide field astrophotographs (i.e. taken with camera lenses rather than a telescope) is to use a hot shoe finder designed for rangefinders. The Cosina Voigtlander hot shoe finders I've tried show several orders of magnitude dimmer stars than any SLR I've tried, and many others will work as well, perhaps better. Commonly available focal length coverage from manufacturers are for 15, 21, 25, 28, 35, 40, 50, 75, 85, 90, 100, and 135 mm fields of view. They can also be found used. They make framing up a constellation a relative breeze.

Are we sufficiently OT yet?

Lee

Great idea lee.

PhotoJim · Oct 10, 2008

markbarendt said:
The EM looks like an interesting camera, I could see using it is in street photography, but being stuck at 1/90th without the battery is a deal killer for the task at hand.

In real life it isn't a huge issue. The battery lasts a very, very long time.

EMs are really cheap, so a person could get one in addition to a body that functions at all speeds without a battery. The size of an EM makes it a nice complement to a larger body (like the F2 that tempts you - which is itself a very nice body for other reasons).

PhotoJim · Oct 10, 2008

Lee L said:
The best thing I've found for framing/composing wide field astrophotographs (i.e. taken with camera lenses rather than a telescope) is to use a hot shoe finder designed for rangefinders. The Cosina Voigtlander hot shoe finders I've tried show several orders of magnitude dimmer stars than any SLR I've tried, and many others will work as well, perhaps better. Commonly available focal length coverage from manufacturers are for 15, 21, 25, 28, 35, 40, 50, 75, 85, 90, 100, and 135 mm fields of view. They can also be found used. They make framing up a constellation a relative breeze.

And doing wide-field astrophotography (i.e. with a wide-angle lens) would make this a superior option, too. Rangefinder wide-angle lenses are optically much simpler than those of SLRs, because there is no need to design around the mirror box.

Monophoto · Oct 10, 2008

Nick Merritt said:
But, here's a question that I'm embarrassed I don't know the answer to: Doesn't every camera with a flash connection, whether it's a hotshoe or plug, generate some sort of electrical impulse whenever the shutter is tripped? Or does there have to be an activated flash unit connected in order for there to be a current generated?

The source of energy associated with flash (typically stobe, but also with bulbs) is in the flash unit itself. The camera is only a switch in the circuit, so the presence of a synch connection per se does not violate the 'no battery' rule.

My vote would be for an FM-2, mainly because I have one.

narsuitus · Oct 10, 2008

For astrophotography with a film camera, I am less likely to use a more modern body because few of the newer cameras have interchangeable viewfinders and view screens. I prefer to use the Nikon F2 with a type M view screen. For a viewfinder, I prefer the DW-2 6x magnifier finder or the DE-1 standard viewfinder with a 10x eyepiece magnifier attached

Karl K · Oct 10, 2008

Nikon F2= hockey puck

Marty Forscher, the legendary camera technician and inventor, told me that the Nikon F2 was and is the most durable 35mm camera ever built. He said that if he were stuck on a desert island and could have only one camera, the F2 would be his choice. You could put up aluminum siding on your house using the F2 as a hammer.

markbarendt · Oct 10, 2008

narsuitus said:
For astrophotography with a film camera, I am less likely to use a more modern body because few of the newer cameras have interchangeable viewfinders and view screens. I prefer to use the Nikon F2 with a type M view screen. For a viewfinder, I prefer the DW-2 6x magnifier finder or the DE-1 standard viewfinder with a 10x eyepiece magnifier attached

Evidence for the F2 keeps growing.

Thanks

markbarendt · Oct 10, 2008

Karl K said:
Marty Forscher, the legendary camera technician and inventor, told me that the Nikon F2 was and is the most durable 35mm camera ever built. He said that if he were stuck on a desert island and could have only one camera, the F2 would be his choice. You could put up aluminum siding on your house using the F2 as a hammer.

I am not one to baby my equipment, after all they are simply tools, but I haven't used a camera as a hammer yet . Knowing the F2 can take a good bit of abuse is reassuring.

John_Nikon_F · Oct 10, 2008

Mark, the F2 is the one I'd go for, with the F being a close second.

-J

Pupfish · Oct 10, 2008

Occurs to mention that anything sparking at all-- say a chrome plated camera dropped on an industrial steel floor or truck bed could be fatal in an explosive environment. Now, I'm not 100% certain but strongly suspect that a chrome body would spark, even if the chrome is over plated over a brass or stainless base. This seems to me more dangerous in an explosive environment than a little 1.5V DC battery arcing at switch-on. (This is the reason for brass wrenches and hammers, no?).

One could choose a painted brass black body early F2, but even then, strap lugs are still chromed on most cameras.

Rules is rules and no one may challenge you if a specific prohibition isn't clearly specified, but personally I'd rather not blow up, than not break a rule.

All that said, the Pentax LX would be a great choice outside of the brand.

markbarendt · Oct 11, 2008

Good thought.

We are not to the point or possibility of using brass tools in our work. We use chrome all the time.

The color doesn't fix the issue. Black wrenches can spark just the same. Only truly brass tools fix the issue you bring up.

Pupfish said:
Occurs to mention that anything sparking at all-- say a chrome plated camera dropped on an industrial steel floor or truck bed could be fatal in an explosive environment. Now, I'm not 100% certain but strongly suspect that a chrome body would spark, even if the chrome is over plated over a brass or stainless base. This seems to me more dangerous in an explosive environment than a little 1.5V DC battery arcing at switch-on. (This is the reason for brass wrenches and hammers, no?).

One could choose a painted brass black body early F2, but even then, strap lugs are still chromed on most cameras.

Rules is rules and no one may challenge you if a specific prohibition isn't clearly specified, but personally I'd rather not blow up, than not break a rule.

All that said, the Pentax LX would be a great choice outside of the brand.

Joe Grodis · Nov 29, 2008

The Nikon FM3a is a top of the line full manual camera. It does use a battery but only for metering and can be removed. The FM3a can be a bit pricey for it's age but it is the best in it's class.

No batteries allowed, which Nikon 35mm?

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