Nikkormat Three Lens Test

ChrisPlatt said:
....look like new for around $60.00! :eek:

Please let me know when you find a similar deal for my Nikon F2... ;)

Chris
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Not sure you can. For me, making a camera look like new isn't that important. Work like new is another issue, but haven't need to have to with any of the F/F2/FTn adjusted to make it work acceptably to me.

If it weren't for my oldest son doing something to my 1973 Nikkormat I like to think it would still be 100% today.

During High School I saw a lot of abuse given to a wide range of camera and the Nikkormats stood up to it a LOT better than every other manufacturer (Minolta, Mamiya, Canon, and Pentax). The Canons did better than the others, but nowhere close to the Nikkormats.

B2 (;->
 
Getting back on track, my three lenses were the 24/2.8 and 85/1.8 Nikkors and a 200/3 Vivitar Series-1.

My father used a 35/1.4, 85/1.8 and 180/2.8 at work (the Kodakery).

B2 (;->
 
Classic mechanical cameras used by amateurs seldom wear out.
But time, environmental conditions, use or lack of use all take their toll.
Seals dry out, lubricants gum up, surfaces and contacts oxidize etc.
After 30 years shutters that rely on spring tension no longer operate within specification.
Likewise aged exposure meter cells no longer produce their original output and become inaccurate.
No brand I know of is immune from these problems, and all of these older cameras we love require service if we want them to be accurate and reliable.

Chris
 
ChrisPlatt said:
Indeed. Since the late 1970's I've owned and used nearly a dozen Nikon and Nikkormat models.

The great advantage of the aforementioned Pentax K1000 is that Eric Hendrickson (http://www.pentaxs.com/)
will make it (or any mechanical Pentax model) work and look like new for around $60.00! :eek:

Please let me know when you find a similar deal for my Nikon F2... ;)

Chris
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Here u go


http://www.walterscamerarepairs.com

He does really nice work. I bring him all my disposable Japanese cameras for service.
(disposable meaning I can buy another for less than the price of the service)
 
Thanks for all the nice comments, everyone. When I got my first Nikkormat, I did a lot of research ahead of the purchase. I'd had an M42 system that I got tired of the amount of effort it took to change lenses, switched to a rangefinder (Vitessa L, another one I wish I had back), then back to an SLR.

I wanted lens interchangeability, a decent range of lenses and accessories, and good build quality. The Nikon system fit the bill (the F2 had just come out a year before), but the Nikkormat was what I could afford on a Navy man's budget. I did opt for the 50/1.4, and the newer FTn instead of the FT, so that meant getting all my meals for the next month on board. It was almost a months pay, but worth it to me.

It really came in handy on the last ship I was stationed, as the temporary duty Photographers Mate was always asking for my assistance when he had to document shipboard events. I got to photograph Soviet ships anchored off Socotra Island, and our passage through the Suez Canal utilizing some of his lenses. Great experience that would come in handy down the years.

So while owning a Nikon was not my first attempt at being serious about photography, it was my first shot at understanding how primo gear can affect the outcome in more ways than one.

I can't say I'm totally infatuated with everything Nikon puts out, but what I do like, I like a lot. When I was shooting the FTn the other day, it just felt like the old days, when everything was new to me, and I was still experimenting with different styles and subjects. It's sort of like being reunited with your first good car, or that really nice girlfriend that got away for one reason or another.

I know everyone has their preference in gear, so I'm not going to tout my stuff over what someone else uses. It just works for me, and there is a lot of good gear out there. I know, there's a pile of it on the table behind me ready for sale. I'm just going back to what got me this far.

PF
 
Thanks farlymac for the story of your relationship with gear, interesting to read. And again congrats for your set.
robert
 
Several months back I purchased this FTn body from Roberts Camera for $18. Works great as a replacement for my well used 1968 Nikkormat.


ETA Wrong picture
 
Bought this FT2 for $15, and it works perfectly.
Kinda crazy that you can get such a great camera for the price of one drink at an LA bar...

image_zpslgb5ddub.jpeg


Posted pics taken w it here:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137684&page=4
 
The Nikkormat a great camera.
I used a few, loved the meter reading on top!
The viewfinder "got a lot more than seen".
It was Class 101 for my M6. sigh.
Have the same lenses, all on Nikon-F's.
Some Ai for use on F3.
Mechanical cameras are really fun.
Erik's photo brilliant.
 
Unreal deals on these great cameras and lenses.

I cannot document the following but it did in fact occur. I had and still have, my Nikkormat from SE Asia and it went through hell there. Cpl of years ago it finally started to act up and I sent it to Essex camera in NJ. They said it needed lubing but the gears etc could be confused with new after all those hard years of usage.

I have it now (along with 2 other Mats) and use it regularly. I'll never sell it as its not worth any money in this stupid market. That is a good thing and eliminates any temptation.
 
ChrisPlatt said:
Better built? Well, it is much heavier.

OTOH the K1000 has the shutter speed dial in the right place,
and can use Pentax K and M42 lenses...

Chris
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I, too, love my K1000s I bought new. Mine are in Knoxville for their first CLA. Smaller and lighter than my M3, great lenses. I also love all my Nikon gear, but now it's just too bulky and heavy.
The OP sure has a great set of lenses there!
 
Erik van Straten said:
The Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 is very nice too on the Nikkormat.

Nikkormat FTn, Nikkor-N Auto 24mm f/2.8, Orwo 21 DIN.

Erik.

8490219732_9cc33dddf1_c.jpg
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Another of your extraordinary photos from your Spanish period, Erik. What a masterpiece... Thanks for sharing this.

There is another drawback which I can see for the Nikkormat : the focusing screen isn't interchangeable, so over time you get a lot of dirt particles behind the focusing screen, and which you cannot remove unless you completely take the camera apart (fool would be the photographer who couldn't just live with that, of course).

I have a nearmint chrome FTn with a perfectly working lightmeter. A great camera indeed. Mine came as a free rear lenscap for a mintish Nikkor-O 35/2... for a total price of $67 including shipping...

Of course I had to replace all the foams (back door, hinge, mirror) but this was easy (and this is a routine job you have to perform on any vintage SLR anyway). I use a MR-9 adapter with a 386PX silver oxyde battery so that it's powered with a 1.35V voltage but I might have read somewhere that the FTn lightmeter works as well with a modern 25PX 1.5V battery as with the original 625PX 1.35V battery it was designed for. Not too sure, though.

Brad Bireley said:
Do any of the Nikkormats have split image focusing?
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Mine doesn't. Microprisms center circle and that's all.
 
Brad Bireley said:
Do any of the Nikkormats have split image focusing?
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Thank you, Nicolas and leicapixie, for these compliments.

Yes, I have a black FTn, mint condition, that has the split image screen. I think that in some parts of the world the camera was sold with a split image screen and in other parts with a microprism screen. Personally I prefer the microprism screen.

Repair departments of the importers could change the focusing screens if I remember well.

I think the Nikkormats will work excellent with a MR-9 adapter and a Duracell 386/301 battery. My M5 works perfectly with this combination.

Erik.
 
Another Pentax advantage

Another Pentax advantage

The Nikkormat used the now banned 1.35V 625 mercury cell.
There are workarounds but they are costly or unsatisfactory.

OTOH the Pentax K1000 uses a readily available 44/76/357 1.5V silver cell.
Older Spotmatics can use a modern replacement battery without adjustment or adapter.

The battery issue is the major reason I opted for a Nikon F2 over another F.

But you guys are so good you prolly don't need no stinkin' meter.
And you will pay a premium price for a non-metered head 'cause it looks cooler... ;)

Chris
 
Pentax K1000SE (brown leather, usually) came with split screen.
The far more common K1000 came with a microprism screen.

Chris
 
ChrisPlatt said:
The Nikkormat used the now banned 1.35V 625 mercury cell.
There are workarounds but they are costly or unsatisfactory.

OTOH the Pentax K1000 uses a readily available 44/76/357 1.5V silver cell.
Older Spotmatics can use a modern replacement battery without adjustment or adapter.

The battery issue is the major reason I opted for a Nikon F2 over another F.

But you guys are so good you prolly don't need no stinkin' meter.
And you will pay a premium price for a non-metered head 'cause it looks cooler... ;)

Chris
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Well, the early ones did. The Nikkormat FT2 and FT3 use the current and commonly available silver oxide 1.5v cells that you can buy anywhere.
The Ft2 and Ft3 also came with a focussing screen with microprism and split image.
 
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