Creagerj
Incidental Artist
Last weekend my SO and made our usual rounds to the local thrift and vintage stores. I have had a few good finds in the past such as a mostly functional Nikon 35ti for $7.00 and a handful of bounce flashes for just a few bucks each. However my most recent find was really a treat.
My SO and stopped at a local antique mall that had all of its inventory on sale for 25% off so we decided to have a look. Normally I never find anything special camera-wise in these places. Typically its just a few Pentax K1000's and a few AF SLRs that really stretch the terms "antique" and "collectible."
I walked up to the case where the cameras were and noticed a very nice looking Nikon F for sale with a photomatic T prism and a Nikkor-s 50mm f/1.4 lens. I asked to have a look and was very surprised by how nice it looked. In fact everything was in near perfect condition with the exception of someone's driver's license number etched on to the body and lens and some worn out foam on the mirror.
With the discount it was only $120 for the prism, body and lens. After handling it for a minute I knew I had to have it. I bought it right then and there and loaded some film in it (still waiting on the film).
After taking some shots I have to say, I love this camera. I've shot a lot of Nikons, but for some reason this feels like a Nikon. As a bonus, I checked the meter on a gray card against my Sekonic L308s and it is spot on. I figure it could use a CLA, so I'll probably do that soon. Other than that, its great.
All in all, I feel like I got a great deal. After a bit of looking on eBay and KEH I feel like I made out like a bandit given the condition it is in. It looks like it wasn't even used that often.
I'm one happy camper right now. I had been lusting for a Nikon F3 or F4, but boy am I happy this one came along.
My SO and stopped at a local antique mall that had all of its inventory on sale for 25% off so we decided to have a look. Normally I never find anything special camera-wise in these places. Typically its just a few Pentax K1000's and a few AF SLRs that really stretch the terms "antique" and "collectible."
I walked up to the case where the cameras were and noticed a very nice looking Nikon F for sale with a photomatic T prism and a Nikkor-s 50mm f/1.4 lens. I asked to have a look and was very surprised by how nice it looked. In fact everything was in near perfect condition with the exception of someone's driver's license number etched on to the body and lens and some worn out foam on the mirror.
With the discount it was only $120 for the prism, body and lens. After handling it for a minute I knew I had to have it. I bought it right then and there and loaded some film in it (still waiting on the film).
After taking some shots I have to say, I love this camera. I've shot a lot of Nikons, but for some reason this feels like a Nikon. As a bonus, I checked the meter on a gray card against my Sekonic L308s and it is spot on. I figure it could use a CLA, so I'll probably do that soon. Other than that, its great.
All in all, I feel like I got a great deal. After a bit of looking on eBay and KEH I feel like I made out like a bandit given the condition it is in. It looks like it wasn't even used that often.
I'm one happy camper right now. I had been lusting for a Nikon F3 or F4, but boy am I happy this one came along.
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