Nikon Rangefinder forum

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rbsinto

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I'm a brand new member, who just joined about five minutes ago.
I've visited this site a number of times in the last couple of years , because I am interested in rangefinder cameras, but only now decided to register because I got my dream toy exactly one week ago, when I purchased a very nice vintage chrome Nikon S3 complete with a Jupiter 8 50mm f2 lens.
I'll discuss the camera and lens in another post.
The reason I'm posting in the General Discussion section is because I don't know where else to pose my question.
Being a lifelong Nikon vintage SLR and now rangefinder user, I was very surprised to see that there is apparantly no Nikon rangefinder forum here.
The site seems to have given all the other rangefinder manufacterers separate forums, and yet Nikon seems to be left out. Knowing the history of the Nikon series of rangefinders, and their importance in the general history of camera development, I hardly think Nikons omission from the forums was a mere oversight, and I'd be very interested to know why they've been left out.
Truly, except for some questions about the Voigtlander/Cosina Nikon-compatible lenses, a bit of curiosity about Leicas, and the opportunity to slag the accursed Canon Corporation, the other fora are of little interest to me, and a Nikon based forum would be the most important aspect of this site.
I hope I'm not opening old wounds, or stepping on anyone's toes by asking this question, but c'mon guys, where's the Nikon forum? Please and thank you.
 
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It would be easier to see and post on the Nikon Forum if there was a 'Nikon' link in the 'Forums' box on the left side of the RRF opening page.
 
Welcome!

Nikon RF cameras are like the forum location itself. ... a little off the beaten path, overlooked and underappreciated, even ignored by a Leica-centered world. But once found, it reaps great rewards.


PS, I've also thought it was a little odd that the Nikon forum link vanished during one of the site's redesigns. There's a link to XPan but not Nikon ... Hmmmmm.
 
"....a Leica-centered world." ???????
Perhaps your world, but certainly not mine. I've always considered their cameras to be incredibly over-priced, with the IMPORTANT specifications such as shutter speed accuracy to be no no greater than any other manufacterers. And a"silky smooth" film advance lever was never high on my list of camera priorities. As for the lenses, yes they're very nice, I'm sure, but in the almost 30 years that I've been photographing, I've still not yet met ANYONE who can look at an image and tell what brand of lens it was shot with. So who's kidding who?
I use laughably outdated, horribly underfeatured, clunky old, manual focus Nikons; an F, an F2 and a "space-aged" FA, and fourteen (mostly) Nikkor lenses, and now as well, an S3, and my Leica-less images, and world are just fine.
 
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I kinda would like a new SP with a 35mm/1.8 but they are not cheap, even compared to Leicas. There are a lot of us who use Nikon F SLRs and Leica M rangefinders. The best of both are great, and Zeiss is making some nice lenses for both systems now too. Long live choice!
 
Nikon SP with 35/1.8

Nikon SP with 35/1.8

I was surprised that Nikon produced this camera after the lagging sales of the Y2K Nikon S3. But, like you, I would be delighted to have one. However, I don't see the possibility of the selling price dropping to within reason.
 
You bet they are🙄 At least for the month of Feb. 2007
Where's the picture of the SP you promised us?
Not only you didn't post a new picture, you deleted your old!

Jenni, stick to the Nikon forum and give us exclusive rights to your posts😉

Kiu
 
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back alley said:
not that i want to, but if you like i have access to the button that will eliminate all your posts jenni.
one quick move by these old bones and your history is gone.
you could start fresh, so to speak.

joe
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Don't you even tempt her joe😡

I am well aware of the many many conversations going on around here Jenni, Stick to the Nikon forum and I promise you won't be involved in such heated debates that can result in you attempting to delete yourself!
Most times...it's not worth it!

Just my 2 Pences,
Kiu
 
I agree. Nikon folks, for the most part, are an agreeable bunch. We certainly march to Joe's different drummer. Using a Nikon rangefinder sort of reminds me of a quote that a friend uses as part of her email signature:

"Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche
 
Zeiss lenses on Nikon RFs

Zeiss lenses on Nikon RFs

I know of several people who regularly use a 50/1.5 Sonnar on a Nikon RF body. My understanding is that the focusing of this mis-match of brands is not accurate. Do any of you use a Zeiss "normal" (50mm) lens on a Nikon body? If so, do you deal with the focus issue by shooting at f/8, etc.?
 
Focus is okay at infinity and gradually gets worse as you focus closer. At closest focus, you need to shoot at f/5.6 or, to be safe, f/8.

I suppose, with some trial and error, you could come up with some tables to figure out how much to adjust the focus by, using the distance scales on the lens.
 
Zeiss lenses on Nikon RFs

Zeiss lenses on Nikon RFs

That answers my question. The 50/1.5 Sonnar is nice at wide apertures, but so is the 50/1.4 Nikkor. Makes no sense to use a Sonnar on a Nikon if the Nikkor is already so good.
 
Jeffery Smith said:
I know of several people who regularly use a 50/1.5 Sonnar on a Nikon RF body. My understanding is that the focusing of this mis-match of brands is not accurate. Do any of you use a Zeiss "normal" (50mm) lens on a Nikon body? If so, do you deal with the focus issue by shooting at f/8, etc.?
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Jeffery: I don't use Zeiss normal lens on a Nikon, because I have a Contax IIa. 🙂 But I have posted a message on page http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27288&page=7, which describes the focusing issue.
 
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