Nikon retro-inspired camera

[Disappointed_Horse]

If Nikon wanted to make a retro camera, they should just bring back the FM3A. No, I'm not holding my breath.

I'm curious what Nikon's profit margins are on cameras vs. lenses. I suspect its margins are considerably higher on lenses. If that's so, I don't see what incentive they have to make a retro camera optimized for a lens mount introduced 60+ years ago (F-mount). Let's face it, most of the people who want to shoot old F-mount and AI/AI-S glass (a) already have plenty of those lenses; (b) are accustomed to buying used lenses; and (c) are likely content shooting those old lenses on equally old cameras. I don't see how a retro camera makes any sense for Nikon. I think they want and need to move as many new buyers as possible to Z-mount, as quickly as possible..

Don't get me wrong; I'd love to see Nikon find a way to make a camera like a digital FM3A with a D850 sensor. But I don't see how that would make business sense for them.

 

[robert blu]

...a smaller simplified df...

 

[JeffS7444]

Revival of the Nikonos name.

 

[RObert Budding]

Nikon's survival is hanging by a thread. My two cents: I don't expect it to venture into the niche 'retro' market anytime soon. Cheers, OtL

Nonsense. Nikon's survival is not in question. And they are still spending 10% of revenue on R&D.

https://www.bythom.com/newsviews/nikons-fiscal-year-results.html

 

[Darthfeeble]

They should go genuine retro and bring out an S rather than F style. And keep those enormous lenses away from it.

 

[jsrockit]

Instead of another body I would like to see some more lenses, like maybe the 28mm and 40mm small primes that have been promised for the last two years and not delivered.

They can make another body while still making these lenses. And it’s not like they promised you by a certain date... they gave a vague timeline no?

As far the rumor, I expect them to bring out a nikon z50 in retro clothing... half azzed. Same big ff lenses. Any idea we have here is clearly better for us, but we are not mainstream users.

 

[jsrockit]

I want to see anyone make a 40-50mm fixed lens compact with a good size sensor. We have enough 28mm equivalents, but more of a fixed nifty fifty would be amazing, if they could make it small.

I agree completely, but this camera is not going to be one either. I’d settle for Ricoh to make a 40-45mm GR.

 

[hap]

I don't get it. The SP was not a very succesfull camera. Horrible viewfinder.

The Nikon S2 was a great camera (and still is). Why not a digital S2, with all its viewfinders, lenses and accessories that also can be used on the original S2?

Erik.

SP vf may be less than the S2 (mine flares) but the SP finder is still quite useful.

 

[hap]

i don't care that much what Nikon does, just DO something. Gear up for innovation and introduce new models and concepts.

 

[Michalm]

If Nikon would only pick up where Konost left and make sure camera is responsive unlike mirrorless with their delayed wake up times and short battery life. The more I can forget about having to keep checking battery level , and presence of the extra buttons and features the more enjoyable expierience which is one of main reasons to wanting to go out take photos.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

A digital Nikon FA with EVF incorporating state-of-the-art manual focusing aids. And two or three MANUAL FOCUS lenses, say a 28/2, 40/2 pancake, 50/1.8. Manual focus lenses being a LOT smaller than modern behemoth auto-focus lenses! I know... its not going to happen, but that's my wish.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

If Nikon would only pick up where Konost left ........

At the very beginning, then.

 

[Erik van Straten]

I had a S2 and agree it’s cleaner for someone who only uses a 50 or 35, but never had a second’s worth of problem with the view through the SP, in actual usage, and felt the viewfinder was the best thing about the SP, and the biggest reason to own one.
Definitely not horrible.

Horrible. Of course this is a very subjective opinion. But who is using a 135mm, a 105mm or a 85mm lens on a rangefinder? In my opinion the finder of the SP was only made to sell more useless lenses. These 85mm, 105mm and 135mm lenses were never used on the SP. They all look like new! To use these lenses - these focal lengths - is why the Nikon F was created.

Erik.

 

[DownUnder]

Ha! So here we are, back on the Nikon retro merry-go-round. Son, grandson, or even great-grandson of that spectacular failure, the Df rises from the camera graveyard...

Personally, I don't give a pig's trotter about what Nikon comes up with, mirrorless, DSLR, 1950s rangefinder clone-copy, you name it - as long as they DO SOMETHING.

They have been sitting behind the back fence for so long, pretty much since the Japan tsunami disaster which crippled their production for a year or longer, that they mostly became irrelevant to most camera buyers - especially so after they backed off from the great old Nikon tradition of letting us use ALL Nikkor lenses on ANY camera they made without having to buy an expensive, ugly, oversized adapter. That awful adapter was mostly the reason why I had a good look at the Z6 and Z7 and decided against buying either.

In the summing up, I couldn't care less what they come up with - as long as I can go on using my arsenal of Nikon F mount, AI, AIS, Series E and AF D lenses on it. End of my story!

(Added later) A (I hope) brief clarification. I tried both the Df and the Z6 but decided to pass on both and stay with my D700s and D800 (for now). The Z range did little for me, and I initially disliked the Df's ergonomics but later did a 380-flip and decided I liked it enough that I would have seriously considered it for my next (likely last) Nikon purchase IF the new price had not been so high. AUD$3000+ for a basic Df kit was too rich for my blood. Used Dfs still hit the market for AUD$2000 or higher but do not seem to readily sell. Z6 prices have also held up high (all this on Ebay, as most camera shops I frequent do not have them) which to me is retail insanity. Sellers of both (again on Ebay) seem to want to dump them but are not prepared to take a big loss on the resale, which I can understand - but my wallet will stay closed for now.

In summary, jsrockit (#45) more than adequately summed up my "mixed" feelings about the Df.

To quote (= repeat) myself again, so here we are. Nikon, over to you, the next move is yours! We are waiting - and watching. With open minds (and closed wallets)...

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Horrible. Of course this is a very subjective opinion. But who is using a 135mm, a 105mm or a 85mm lens on a rangefinder? In my opinion the finder of the SP was only made to sell more useless lenses. These 85mm, 105mm and 135mm lenses were never used on the SP. They all look like new! To use these lenses - these focal lengths - is why the Nikon F was created.

Erik.

I used the 105 and 85 on the SP, easily, but never tried the 135. “Never used”.?
Maybe I am the only one, though I doubt that. You are right about how nice and clean many of these lenses look today however. If people didn’t use them it was no fault of the camera or the viewfinder. Just not a problem.
It was the 28 and 35 that I felt were harder to use, viewfinder wise, on the SP, than the 85 or 105, which were simple. The auxiliary 28/35 finder was a bit small for me to call ideal, but at least it was there and completely usable, which, again, negated the necessity of sticking a separate viewfinder on top of the body, which is less convenient than peeping through the viewfinder that’s already there.
But, sure, everything works better on an F if you care about framing or close in focusing. Which is why it was created.🙂

 

[Corran]

Well there was one guy super impressed with the 85mm and definitely used it, his name was David Douglas Duncan 😀.

I might prefer 50mm and wider but have still used the 85mm a lot on my SP, both the f/2 and f/1.5 versions. Phenomenal lenses those two, and the 105mm is a classic too. Not so much into the 135mm - but it's awesome how you can add in framelines on the SP to whatever the tightest lens you are using is. No blockage with the 50mm - take that Leica M!

 

[DownUnder]

... Remember the last Yashica Inspired Camera.........

Did you mean the Contax 139? I had one, sadly for too little time as my then partner grabbed and kept it during our separation process. I still miss it.

Yashica also produced some quite lovely TLRs in their time. I had one in the 1960s and produced good enough work from it to sell to media and publishers for books.

Was it the name 'Yashica' that put so many photographers off? It did remind me more of things I did in the bathroom than the darkroom...

 

[DougK]

I agree completely, but this camera is not going to be one either. I’d settle for Ricoh to make a 40-45mm GR.

That would be a great camera for sure, my GR was amazing and I still have a little remorse about letting that one go.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

I would rather want to see digital Nikon SP ...

Out of interest, what does this actually mean? Ie. what does a digital SP look like in practice?

Whenever these retro rumours come up, people always say they want a digital MX/OM/F2/insert-favourite-mechanical-film camera. But it’s never clear how that would work.

Do you mean something like a Nikon Df, Olympus Pen F or Fuji XPro (ie. a full blown digital with ‘retro’ influenced UI details), or something like a Leica M10-D, which is functionally a M-P with a digital sensor?

 

[Jamie Pillers]

Nikon Z5 does everything the Z6 does, so long as you don't want a lot of video bells and whistles. And the Z5 sells for half the cost of the Z6!