Nikon S2 Eye relief

[Jimbo035]

Seriously considering an a S2, but first I need to know whether wearing specs (eyeglasses) will be a hindrance. In photographs the viewfinder eyepiece looks big enough, but if a diopter correction lens is going to be needed - not so good, as I guess they're very hard to find now.

(I don't suppose Grays of Wetminster would take my D-Lux 4 in part exchange 😀 )

 

[Tom A]

I wear glasses and I find the S2 finder works very well. It is easy to see the frames and there is enough space "outside" to see whats going on.
The finder is extremely bright - the rangefinder patch is not as well defined as that of a M or Bessa/Zeiss - but certainly god enough.
I have never tried it with a diopter though - and you probably would loose some outside view (but then you would do that with any diopter on any Rf camera).
Until the appearance of the Bessa R3 and the Zeiss ZM - the S2 had the best 50mm finder of them all. This coupled with the longer focus throw of the Nikon Rf makes it very easy to pin-point focus too. The 270 degree throw of the lens from close to infinity takes a while to get used too - but it is wort it.

 

[David Murphy]

I rarely disagree with Tom, but I have found the eye relief for eyeglass wearers a little tight on the S2, which is a very fine camera overall. The finder reminds me of a finder on a good 60-70's era fixed lens rangefinder, which is not bad, and well ahead of its time (and far better than the earlier Nikon S). I also do not think the S2 finder is as good as any Leica M finder (except the uncommon M1) by any metric. By modern standards I'd rate the S2 finder as a good 50mm finder, but not a great one. I do agree that the Bessa finders are all superb, particularly the very latest ones. Finder quality is in many ways is a subjective judgment.

 

[xayraa33]

I have to agree with David Murphy on this one.

 

[Tom A]

David, as you say, finders are very subjective and with a camera like the S2 which is now 50+ years old, the condition of the finder is important.
For me the S2 finder works better with a 50 than the M3 finder with a 50. This accounts for me having 4 S2's and 2 M3's.
With the S2 (and most of the japanese Rf's) you need to have the eye centered with the viewfinder patch to get the full impact.
My only beef with the S2 is the rather noisy shutter (by Rf standards) - compared to the S3/SP which are very quiet - M like "lack" of noise.
As for disagreeing with me - please do as what fun is it otherwise to voice opinions!

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The S2 framelines are a little tight with my thick glasses, but completely usable.

I end up using the S3 more often because the eye relief for the 50mm lines is better. With S3 prices low, close to S2 prices- it is worth considering.

 

[Tom A]

The S2 framelines are a little tight with my thick glasses, but completely usable.

I end up using the S3 more often because the eye relief for the 50mm lines is better. With S3 prices low, close to S2 prices- it is worth considering.

My problem with the S3 is the abundance of frame-lines in it! The 50 is good though and generally the S3 is a bit quieter. One of my black Millennium S3's is the smoothest and quietest Rf that I own! It easily surpasses any of my M's in that aspect. It also has a more convinient shutterspeed dial - Nikon F style. On the S2 you have to watch the rotating dial - if your finger touches it while it is spinning - you can screw up the exposure. The S3's are still $3-400 above the S2's though - and the Millennium's with the "new" 50 are $1700 and up. The S2 is a bargain compared.

 

[VinceC]

If you use it a lot, an S2 can scratch eyeglass coatings. Has a farily sharp lip on it.

 

[Tom A]

If you use it a lot, an S2 can scratch eyeglass coatings. Has a farily sharp lip on it.

Vince, I am used to that as my M2's/M3's etc are doing the same thing. I regard my left eye lens as a disposable and every 24-30 month I change it.I have tried various solutions, o-rings, gaffer tape, custom fit fancy rubber thingies. None help and it is easier to just change the glass once the spot gets a bit opaque. Wish it was cheaper though -$700+ each time (high index glass with multifocal grind and -10.5 diopter!).

 

[VinceC]

I prefer the S3 finder of all the Nikons (long story) but end up using the SP most of the time because it is easiest on my glasses. Secondary wide-angle window doesn't have me smashing my glasses against the metal finder when shooting 35s and 28s.

 

[Jimbo035]

Thank-you for your input, gentlemen. Up to now, I was unaware that the eyepiece can scratch eyeglasses... so I'm off to the Canon RF forum to solicit opinions on the Canon 7 (my other RF option)

 

[kinoglass]

I am not enchanted with the S2 vf for the very simple reason that it has not parallax correction of any kind. In fact even the camera's manual does not help in anyway in how to correct it. I am also surprised to find little, if any, comments on the subject of parallax correction, one the main shortcomings of RF cameras.

 

[xayraa33]

I am not enchanted with the S2 vf for the very simple reason that it has not parallax correction of any kind. In fact even the camera's manual does not help in anyway in how to correct it. I am also surprised to find little, if any, comments on the subject of parallax correction, one the main shortcomings of RF cameras.

You will have to move on to the Nikon SP in the Nikon RF camera world if you want auto parallax corrected lines in the View Finder for the 50mm and longer lenses.

 

[MaxElmar]

"...it has not parallax correction of any kind. In fact even the camera's manual does not help in anyway in how to correct it."

You could just move the camera about 2 inches putting the VF where the lens was to get a more accurate preview, and then move it back to take the shot. I do this with my Rollei all the time. Mamiya has a cute little device to do it called a "paramender" - it just moves the camera up or down the distance between the taking and viewing lenses. Not terribly difficult, really....

Tom A. - I hear you about the glasses! Darn things cost more than my cameras!

 

[kinoglass]

I can forgive Nikon for not having "auto" parallax correction until the SP came to life. But I can't forgive Nikon for not having set a double bright line delimiting the frame at infinity and at close distance, instead they just declared parallax a non existing problem. It must have been Greek for them. And it is!