Black S2 value/price

[bucs]

Going down the rabbit hole here. Barely a month ago I acquired a nice user S3 Olympic at a reasonable price. I sold all my Leica M cameras and lenses, and decided to shift to the Nikon RF system because I wanted to free up some cash. Imagine I got an S3 Olympic with a nice black W-Nikkor 35/2.5 and still ended up spending less than how much chrome M4s go for nowadays. And it’s a black paint body at that!

Now I’m not a fan of the S4 and the SP, but am eyeing an S2, possibly a black paint version. I had a quick look and it seems like these bodies are rare. Even more expensive than black paint M4s. How much do they really go for? How much should I expect to spend if I’m patient?

I don’t mind getting one in user condition so long as everything is working fine…

 

[wes loder]

Real (not repaint) S2s are the rarest of the regularly manufactured Nikon rangefinders. And therefore quite expensive.

 

[bucs]

Real (not repaint) S2s are the rarest of the regularly manufactured Nikon rangefinders. And therefore quite expensive.

Thanks, I know they’re expensive. A ballpark figure would be helpful…

 

[enasniearth]

about 5 years ago I sold my user condition nikon s2 black paint with the all black 5cm f1.4 lens
I don't remember exactly what I sold it for but about $5500
a second mint like new s2 body black paint I sold about the same time for $5500
these were both on the list of original black paint serial number cameras
those prices seem cheap now & it wasn't the wisest thing ive done
the reason I sold them was I bought a black nikon sp motor ready body & thought to get down to a basic set

I would think now it would sell for quite a bit more & honestly id rather have the user black s2

 

[Freakscene]

Searches of completed sales, auctions and Japanese sites indicate (in $US) Nikon S2 black body average $9000-9500 very good $12500-13000 mint $22000-23000.

The user market has been distorted by plentiful repaints. The prices of all collectible cameras has risen substantially in the last 5 years.

 

[NIKON KIU]

The price makes it prohibitory for user purposes. There were only 200 made!

I had a repaint once, it was in good shape, overhauled and all. I sold that a couple of years ago for about $700
I suggest to look for one of those. Those could be had for reasonable prices and you won’t freak out if something happens to it.

Kiu

 

[bucs]

about 5 years ago I sold my user condition nikon s2 black paint with the all black 5cm f1.4 lens
I don't remember exactly what I sold it for but about $5500
a second mint like new s2 body black paint I sold about the same time for $5500
these were both on the list of original black paint serial number cameras
those prices seem cheap now & it wasn't the wisest thing ive done
the reason I sold them was I bought a black nikon sp motor ready body & thought to get down to a basic set

I would think now it would sell for quite a bit more & honestly id rather have the user black s2

Thank you! Even back then the prices were already expensive. Although I think I would have considered one at the $5,000 price point — around the price of a Leica MP

Searches of completed sales, auctions and Japanese sites indicate (in $US) Nikon S2 black body average $9000-9500 very good $12500-13000 mint $22000-23000.

The user market has been distorted by plentiful repaints. The prices of all collectible cameras has risen substantially in the last 5 years.

I agree with the point about the repaints distorting the prices. I’ve checked a dozen or so listings, and if the price is too good to be true, it’s most likely a repaint.

Prices have indeed risen considerably. I’ll need some sort of luck to pull this through.

The price makes it prohibitory for user purposes. There were only 200 made!

I had a repaint once, it was in good shape, overhauled and all. I sold that a couple of years ago for about $700
I suggest to look for one of those. Those could be had for reasonable prices and you won’t freak out if something happens to it.

Kiu

I didn’t know there were only 200 in existence!

I can’t imagine hanging a $10,000 camera around my neck and taking it out for a photowalk.

I just bought a chrome with black dial S2 just contain the GAS.

 

[NIKON KIU]

I’m sorry, that was a typo, I missed a digit.
It’s estimated that about 1200 Nikon S2 cameras were built in black.
There are two types just like the chrome version.
The Black dial is a bit different than the Chrome dial.

Kiu

 

[bucs]

I’m sorry, that was a typo, I missed a digit.
It’s estimated that about 1200 Nikon S2 cameras were built in black.
There are two types just like the chrome version.
The Black dial is a bit different than the Chrome dial.

Kiu

Thanks for this information, Kiu. Still a lot less than S3 Olympic bodies. I’ve bookmarked a few listings online ranging from $6k to $8k. At least that’s the easy part lol. Coming up with the funds to pay for it is the bigger problem haha

 

[NIKON KIU]

And I tell you a secret not many know!
LOL, if everyone knew it wouldn’t be a secret, right?

Within the last batch of Black-Dial Black Nikon S2 cameras, there is a small batch of very special samples. Probably the most valuable of all Nikon rangefinder cameras aside from the half frame S3M

About 15 years ago, Jonmanjiro spotted one in a camera store in Japan, the seller thought he had a regular black S2
By the time Jon went back, the camera was gone!

It was a Nikon S2E

Motor Drive ready camera. The first Nikon w that feature.

Kiu

 

[jonmanjiro]

And I tell you a secret not many know!
LOL, if everyone knew it wouldn’t be a secret, right?

Within the last batch of Black-Dial Black Nikon S2 cameras, there is a small batch of very special samples. Probably the most valuable of all Nikon rangefinder cameras aside from the half frame S3M

About 15 years ago, Jonmanjiro spotted one in a camera store in Japan, the seller thought he had a regular black S2
By the time Jon went back, the camera was gone!

It was a Nikon S2E

Motor Drive ready camera. The first Nikon w that feature.

Kiu

I remember that. The shop was Kitamura Camera in Shinjuku and iirc the camera was priced around one million yen (about USD $6,640 at the current exchange rate), which seemed like crazy money back then. Even crazier to think the price would have been much higher if the shop had noticed it was a Nikon S2E.

 

[bucs]

I remember that. The shop was Kitamura Camera in Shinjuku and iirc the camera was priced around one million yen (about USD $6,640 at the current exchange rate), which seemed like crazy money back then. Even crazier to think the price would have been much higher if the shop had noticed it was a Nikon S2E.

Would you have bought it at $6,640? I assume you ran out to get money to buy the camera…

Speaking of, Kitamura has several for sale on ebay. A couple sub $5k. I’ll be in Tokyo in the 1st week of November so I’ll drop by and check them out.

Edit: added 2nd par

 

[jonmanjiro]

Would you have bought it at $6,640? I assume you ran out to get money to buy the camera…

Speaking of, Kitamura has several for sale on ebay. A couple sub $5k. I’ll be in Tokyo in the 1st week of November so I’ll drop by and check them out.

Edit: added 2nd par

I remember chatting with Nikon Kiu about it. He said something like "I bet you can't find a genuine black paint S2 in this serial number range" (6194001 to 6194100?) and I went out and found one (6194018 maybe?) a few days later, but at the time I didn't really know what I was looking at, so no I wouldn't have purchased it. Back then, I think the exchange rate was more like 110 yen to the USD, so the price in USD was more like USD $9,000. It seemed like a ridiculous amount of money for a 50 plus year old film camera at the time. Still is now, really.

I already knew the serial number, and went back a day or two later to see if the camera indeed had the correct lug for a motor installed (i.e. whether it really was an S2E). I would have needed to take the back off to check, but alas the camera was already sold.

 

[bucs]

Which serial number ranges should I be looking for?

 

[NIKON KIU]

Now you want all the NHS secrets?
May be a membership is in order?

Kiu

 

[bucs]

Now you want all the NHS secrets?
May be a membership is in order?

Kiu

Didn’t realize that information is behind a paywall hahaha. I’ll consider !

 

[wes loder]

And I tell you a secret not many know!
LOL, if everyone knew it wouldn’t be a secret, right?

Within the last batch of Black-Dial Black Nikon S2 cameras, there is a small batch of very special samples. Probably the most valuable of all Nikon rangefinder cameras aside from the half frame S3M

About 15 years ago, Jonmanjiro spotted one in a camera store in Japan, the seller thought he had a regular black S2
By the time Jon went back, the camera was gone!

It was a Nikon S2E

Motor Drive ready camera. The first Nikon w that feature.

Kiu

Apparently a total of 32 Nikon S2E were manufactured in the fall of 1957, concurrent with the first black Nikon SPs set up for motor drives. They did not precede the Nikon SP, and their motors were the same as the motors that shipped with black SPs. The two or three S2s that were shown with motors the previous spring were prototypes and none have ever shown up on the current market (at least not yet).

 

[NIKON KIU]

Didn’t realize that information is behind a paywall hahaha. I’ll consider !

I can send you a private message if you are really looking for that dream.
Rather not put it out on the web.

Kiu

 

[enasniearth]

The little bit of money to join nhs for 6 months gives access to a lot of information
That honestly will save you money in your search
I know rff members are a thrifty bunch though

 

[NIKON KIU]

How much do they really go for? How much should I expect to spend if I’m patient?

I don’t mind getting one in user condition…

$3000!
How many yenners is that?

Like Five Hundred Thousand Yenners! HALF A MILLION!! This for a user job!

Does that make sense Jon?

Kiu