Best deal on new S3 2000?

Finder said:
The S3 2000 is somewhat an enigma in the Japanese camera world. Nikon spent a fortune resurecting it - they had to relearn all the rangefinder technology and basically start from square one. All the experience and knowledge to make rangefinders disappeared decades ago when they stopped making them.
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It _is_ odd that way. And yet, I'd be more interested in a chrome S3-2000 than the SP-2005 because it would be a far more sensable camera to throw in a bag and go out the door for a day's shooting. And that, in the end, is all these machines exist for - making images out of silver halides and if they are sitting on a collectors shelf gathering dust then I believe they should have never been made.

I just don't understand collectors I guess :rolleyes:

William
 
ZivcoPhoto>>Vincec

How would you compare the S2 viewfinder v.s. the S3? I have never had an opportunity to look through an S3....is the viewfinider as generous as the S2?<<

It is much more generous. But also busy because of the three etched focal lengths (35, 50, 105). Just like the S2, it's a 1:1 magnification, and the window is huge, so the actual field of view for someone without glasses is about 25mm. I wear glasses and have trouble using the entire 35mm frame, so I tend to concentrate on one corner. To be honest, one of the top reasons -- if not the top reason -- that I've never lusted after a Leica is because they don't have 1:1 viewfinder magnifications. Some complain that the finder glares, but I've never found that to be a showstopper, partly because the neutral magnification allows me to shoot with both eyes open most of the time.
 
Does anyone know if the 5cm/1.4 released w/the S3 2000 is an updated version of the Olympic, the original "Sonnar-type" Nikkor-S, or some new formulation entirely?

Thanks, Chris
 
new formulation

new formulation

It's my understanding that it's a totally new design. In comparison to the one I hjad for a day that was one of the original designs the new one that I now have is longer. I read that Nikon feels that it's the best 50 1.4 that they've produced. Tomorrow I'll run some film from it and post my observations.
 
Thanks. Right after I posted my question, a quick Google research pulled up stuff indicating that it's a multi-coated & updated version of the Olympic 5cm/1.4, which I believe was a Planar-type design (will have to check my Rotoloni). If so, I guess it should be in the same ballpark as Leica's last pre-ASPH version of their 50mm Summilux.

I, too, recently acquired an S3 2000, & will have to put it through its paces when it arrives.

x-ray said:
It's my understanding that it's a totally new design. In comparison to the one I hjad for a day that was one of the original designs the new one that I now have is longer. I read that Nikon feels that it's the best 50 1.4 that they've produced. Tomorrow I'll run some film from it and post my observations.
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I haven't had a chance to run any film form the S3 2000 but think tomorrow will be a littleslower and allow the time. I've been a Leica M user for nearly fourty years and the VF in the S3 seems a little cluttered plus having to adjust to the non paralax frame lines. I don't think it will be a problem but just different. I will say I think the RF of the Leica M's is a little ahead of the Nikon RF. Overall I love the camera but there is some adjustment to a new system. The lenses mount different, the VF looks different (love the 1:1) and the RF is much different. Little things like the focus wheel drive me nuts but again I just need to adjust. The release position seems foreign too. I still have my M2 and M6 plus a set of lenses and don't intend to give them up. The S3 was just soothing a lust I've had for the RF Nikons for nearly fourty years. I don't think one is better overall but just feel they are different animals and see there is a readjustment period ahead. As I said I've used leicas so long they've become an extension of my eyes. I guess I've shot atleast twenty thousand rolls through various M bodies over the years.
 
It's a big adjustment. Controls are also backwards between Leica and Nikon. One thing you'll notice inside the cluttered viewfinder is that the parallax markings show you that parallax isn't really that big a deal on the wide and normal lenses. The Nikon only focuses to 3 feet, so parallax never becomes critical unless you're using telephotos.
 
Vince, speaking of using telephotos, does the S3 VF have parallax marks for the 10.5cm frame? I suppose I can always go really old-school & use an accessory finder like I do on a Contax, but . . .

VinceC said:
. . . One thing you'll notice inside the cluttered viewfinder is that the parallax markings show you that parallax isn't really that big a deal on the wide and normal lenses. The Nikon only focuses to 3 feet, so parallax never becomes critical unless you're using telephotos.
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Somebody has sold a couple of these kits recently on eBay UK shipping from Belfast. Apparently new, £870 b-i-n. They've got good feedback for the first, and the other only went yesterday. This must be somewhere around $1500, which is pretty good judging from remarks above...

Tom
 
I've noticed them. But the old saying about "something too good to be true" keeps coming to mind. Scam? Hot? I don't know, but I get really bad vibes from those auctions.

Willliam
 
The S3 does have a 10.5cm frame. I purchased a minty 3.5cm 2.5 and 10.5cm to go with the S3. The 10.5cm has always been one of my favorite lenses in the Nikon system. I recently tested a first generation set of Nikkor glass on my 1DsII. I was curious as to how it would stack up with the state of the art Cannon L glass. I was amazed at how good that old 60's Nikkor glas was. It equaled the Canon glass in resolution ( f stop for f stop using primes) and bettered the Canon when it came to chromatic aberations. My 105 was no exception. It was interesting to see the 105 at each aperature. It suffered from some slight chromatic aberations which surprised me but resolution was fantastic. It was about as sharp wide open as it was two stops down. This just proved my feeling that the old glass was ever bit as good as I remembered it. I always felt the 24 2.8 and 105 were the best money could buy and I was correct.
 
wlewisiii said:
I've noticed them. But the old saying about "something too good to be true" keeps coming to mind. Scam? Hot? I don't know, but I get really bad vibes from those auctions.

Willliam
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Definitely intriguing... Possibly hot, I suppose, but not a straight scam I think - the buyers (looks like there have been four so far) appear genuine; one of them has dealt with a couple of RFF members.

Tom
 
I'll agree that the S3 takes some getting used to if you are new to Nikon RF's. The shutter release seems further back than it should be and the film loading is different too. I don't particularly mind the 3 framelines in the viewfinder although it may be that mine are a bit faded due to age. I also have the 3.5cm and 10.5cm 2.5's. The 10.5 is gorgeous. My only wish is that the aperture detents were a bit more solid. I find it's pretty easy to knock them off the desired setting.
 
>>Vince, speaking of using telephotos, does the S3 VF have parallax marks for the 10.5cm frame? I suppose I can always go really old-school & use an accessory finder like I do on a Contax, but . . .<<

Yes it does. The 10.5cm lens is arguably the easiest lens to use with an S3 because it's in the center of the other larger framelines. The parallax mark is a smallish triangle notch in the upper left corner which shows you need to shift the lens about a quarter of a frame at closest focus. (Incidently, that little triangle notch is really, really handy for showing the upper left corner of a 135mm lens field of view -- as a result, I've never had trouble framing a 135 with an S3. )
 
I just ran my first film from the S3 and can say that the lenses stand up to my Leica M lenses. I didn't do a scientific test and did not shoot side by side with the Leica but I've got a very good feel for what my Leitz glass would do under the same conditions. I shot wide open and at different diatances aswell as stopped down under indoor conditiions and under daylight outside. The 3.5 2.5 is an excellent lens even at the extreme corners. The 10.5 cm is as expected, a stellar lens just like the F mount version. The new 50.1.4 is absolutely amazing. This lens might just exceed my 50 summicron. Amazing is the only way I can describe the detail and clarity of the images. I shot under extreme backlite with all lenses and was very pleased at how all three handled flare. I felt the single coated lenses did almost as well as the new MC 50. There was atleast ten stops difference in the background and the subject and all negs will be printable for the subject. I also found the RF to be dead on with all lenses. Next week I'll be out in the field shooting and will make some shots with the S3 and if I get something good I'll post some in my gallery.
 
>>...the lenses stand up to my Leica M lenses.<<

People envy the early Nikon cameras for their looks. But it was the quality of the lenses that made them so popular in their day. In particular, they all perform great when wide-open, which is especially important for available light work. (On the other hand, an RF is nice with a small modern electronic flash -- you can see whether or not someone blinked.)

Once you start getting used to the controls being so different from a Leica, you'll also see that it's very easy to shoot one-handed. Once the aperature and shutter speeds are correctly adjusted, you can focus wide and normal lenses using the focus wheel, then snap the picture, then rewind with the ratcheted winding lever. Nikon literature from the 1950s recommended keeping your middle finger on the focus wheel, your index finger on the shutter and your thumb on the winding lever. I don't do that very often, because it's easier to focus with my index finger. But sometimes I'm trying to keep up with squirmy kids and I'll resort to the three-fingered operation thing. Also, being able to focus and shoot with one hand is useful if you're climbing up on trees or fences to get a different angle. You can hang on with your left hand and shoot with your right.
 
Vince you're on the money about nikkor rf lens quality. Now that I've put a few rolls through the S3 and shot some wide open I can honestly say they do excell at all aperatures. My style in B&W is definately shooting available light under poor conditions. The ease that RF's focus under these conditions and the quiet shutter with minimum vibration is what brought me to the RF camp nearly fourty years ago. With excellent fast films like the Ilford 3200 I feel more comfortable using slower glass. In the sixties and seventies tri-x was the standard at asa 400 so we had to resort to fast glass like the 35 1.4 summilux and 50 1.2 noctilux. I feel the grain structure of the Ilford 3200 is about the same as tri-x of that era and now we can live with slower glsss. One of the great features of an RF is the ease of focusing no matter the speed of the lens.

I will say it's getting very tempting to pop the bucks for a 35 1.8. Any experience with this lens and how does it compare with the 2.5 version?

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=5045

www.x-rayarts.com
 
I've been using a 35/1.8 for 15 years. It's magnificent. Probably the best 1950s Nikkor of the bunch. I never shot that focal length with SLRs, but I got one of these when I put my RF kit together (mainly because the S3 viewfinder pretty much demands you get a 35mm lens). I started with a 35/2.5 and liked it quite a bit. I got the 1.8 to get the extra stop and just fell in love with it immediately.
 
Well the S3-2000 arrived from B&H today.

Beautiful camera, lens, hood.

They forgot the leather case. On the order, not in the box, 1 of 1 packages delivered.

I'll be calling their customer service and ask for it to be sent down or for an RMA.

I can't see this one being used in the S2 case with the notch cut out for the self-timer.

And I'm not using it nude.
 
Congrats on your new Nikon!
I have no real use for my case. If it gets too ugly with B&H, let me know and I'll send you mine.
 
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