Nikkormat Reprieve from Kiev kasebook ?

[dee]

I don't know where this post should go - I have had a Nikkormat in black , excellent , other than a slight dint in the prism .

A well know dealer looked at it and said it needed new seals , but wanted the lense - so it must be OK .

I was going to dispose of it , but put alongside the Kiev , there is a family resmblance which , to me , is fascinating , maybe , my instant bonding with the Kievs was Nikon inspired ?

ASdee always wants answers to puzzles !

dee

 

[xayraa33]

Kievs are Contax copies.
Nikon copied the body lines of the Contax on the Nikon S series.
the S series influenced the styling of the Nikon F.
the Nikkormat body had the styling of the popular Nikon F.

 

[Nickfed]

Nikon rangefinders looked like a Contax but they are really more Leica. The shutter dial tells it all. The lenses are very Leica. I believe they first saw the light of day on Canon Leica clones.

 

[mnmleung]

Pardon my ignorance, I thought all Nikkormats were SLRs and not rangefinders. Is that right? Ming

 

[kjoosten]

The Nikkormats are interesting cameras. I have an FT3 that I am slowly repairing. There is something about their looks combined with the rock solid build.

If you have a desire to keep yours, Sover Wong sells replacement seals for the Nikkormats:


http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikkormat-foam-light-seal-kit-for-Repair_W0QQitemZ220166764376QQihZ012QQcategoryZ107925QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Very simple to install.

 

[xayraa33]

Pardon my ignorance, I thought all Nikkormats were SLRs and not rangefinders. Is that right? Ming

yes Nikkormats are SLRs, we are talking about a family resemblance in body lines from the Kiev/ Contax to the Nikkormat.

 

[dee]

Yes ASdee [Autistic ] connection is all about appearance and holding , the specifics of rangefinder or SLR , or with / without fast speeds - the function ? are of less importance .
Leica II / Zorki 1 / Fed 1 / Zorki S / Zenit S are all ''family '' 'cos they have the same shape , and hold .
Zorki 4 / Fed 2 are not '' family '' because they are slightly '' not same '' in size / shape etc .
So my Nikon / Kiev thing is about that '' family '' sameness .

dee

 

[Zorkiiglaza]

I have used a Nikkormat for years, a solid tank! Then a few years ago I picked up a Kiev 15 Slr. They do have a similar feel , heavy! However the Nikkormat is by far a sturdier camera

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I have used a Nikkormat for years, a solid tank! Then a few years ago I picked up a Kiev 15 Slr. They do have a similar feel , heavy! However the Nikkormat is by far a sturdier camera

The basic Nikkormats (FT, FTn, FT2 & FT-3) were very solid, slightly on the large and heavy side mechanical cameras. My wife has the original FT (with non-weighted averaging metering). The primitive metering requires more careful consideration especially in backlighted conditions, but still works surprisingly well. It really forces you to think about the exposure...

The Nikkormat EL series on the other hand were one of the smallest and most advanded amateur SLR's of the day with a well working aperture priority AE and accurate electromagnetic shutter. The small size was inspired by the OM-1, and perhaps because of that the EL series Nikkormats are not as well respected as the FT series today, being viewed as "me too" cameras. Other than the size that is not really fair: the Nikkormat EL had about as good and accurate aperture priority AE as is possible with a CdS sensor and center weighted averaging metering, but it does have metered manual mode as well, all in a very nice compact package.