Nikon S2 Focus Patch

[enasniearth]

The best solution to Nikon's wonky, faded, terrible, disgraceful rangefinder patches is just get an early Kiev or Contax, or modern Leica or M3. Very high contrast; easy to focus.

Steve ,
What are you baseing your assessment on ?
A nikon s2 with a 5cm f1.4 lens can be found at a reasonable price
Most have a bright rf spot , if not cleaning the small prism usually
brings it back bright and with nice contrast
A modern Leica with 50/1.4 lens is very expensive .
Most contax cameras are one shutter actuation from ceaseing function .
And Kiev quality varies intensely .
I assume your comment is tounge in cheek .

 

[Highway 61]

I just shot the RF patch of my Nikon S3 (1958 model) with my cellphone in my living-room (evening daylight coming from the window).

Here we see the 50mm framelines (the cellphone couldn't capture the whole, large 35mm framelines) and the RF patch. We can guess the 105mm framelines but the cellphone didn't manage to show them quite well (but with the naked eye they're as bright as the 50mm framelines).

If you think that the S3 RF patch has a terrible reputation of being faded and unusable, you can see nothing being disgraceful, terrible or wonky here... Or is it "circular" ? 😀

And my two S2 RF patches are even better than this one, which leaves nothing to desire anyway.

 

[Highway 61]

And today : a capture of my S2 viewfinder at my office. In this one the 50mm framelines are so large that the cellphone FOV wasn't enough (we can only guess the framelines at the bottom of this pic).

This time I defocused a little bit aiming the camera at a Franco Fontana poster. It's easy to see what a normal S2 patch looks like here IMO, and how nicely greenish the VF is.

Again, nothing wonky or circular or unusable. On the contrary, a delight to use to focus. And - I'm not young, and my eyes aren't in good shape, to say the least.

😉

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Thanks for doing this. I thought about doing the same thing for this thread, but lacked the resolve to actually do it.
S2 not hard to focus, and focus quickly. Nope, not at all. And I wear trifocals!

 

[Peter Jennings]

Nice capture, Highway! I think that adequately represents the view one should expect through an S2 (minus the framelines).

 

[steveyork]

Steve ,
What are you baseing your assessment on ?
A nikon s2 with a 5cm f1.4 lens can be found at a reasonable price
Most have a bright rf spot , if not cleaning the small prism usually
brings it back bright and with nice contrast
A modern Leica with 50/1.4 lens is very expensive .
Most contax cameras are one shutter actuation from ceaseing function .
And Kiev quality varies intensely .
I assume your comment is tounge in cheek .

Years and years of owning and using different rangefinder cameras, exposing 100's of rolls of film. I've owned and used Nikons (S2, SP), serviced by Essex (pause for a moment of silence), fiddled with others, they all had rangefinder patches that were diffuse or faint (maybe that's the wrong word), but even serviced they weren't very good, although the lenses (50mm) are great and 1.0x viewfinder special. I've owned many more Leicas -- two M4, three M5, various M6 and MP, and an M7, and of these the modern were the best viewfinders. But yes, Leicas are too expensive for what you get. And that's one of the reason I sold out of Leica M 3-4 years ago. I've owned a bunch Kievs from the 1950's -- very good build and optics. Note here, I said the 1950's; I know the quality dipped as time went on, but during that period, especially 1950-54, they were high quality. And I love their viewfinders; the high contrast rangefinder just snaps into focus. Same is true for the early Contax. In fact, the rangefinder mechanism of the Kiev and late 30's Contax is probably the best ever made. I don't find them squinty as some claim; and I'm OK with using only a 50mm lens. I don't like the the Contax IIa/IIIa -- that is squinty because of the reduced viewfinder magnification, and the contrast varies from early to late years. I included an M3 in my original comment because I've read it is high contrast too and that seems to be the OP complaint.

I understand Nikon rangefinders have a following, but it is a truth too big to deny that the rangefinder patch of the S2 (and other models) is usually not so good. That's why there is so many documented ways to improve the the patch of a Nikon rangefinder. That was the OP concern. That patch that does not fade belongs to the early Contax and the Kievs. And of course a modern rangefinder will not have that issue. I should've included Voightlanders and ZMs in my original response. So it wasn't a tongue in cheek response; I was serious, based on my own experience.

BTW, the notion that the Contax/Kiev shutter mechanism is fragile is really just an internet myth.

 

[Peter Jennings]

but it is a truth too big to deny that the rangefinder patch of the S2 (and other models) is usually not so good.

No. I think this is your opinion.

 

[markwatts]

I have two S2 cameras, original and re-issue S3s and a re-issue SP. I admit I don't enjoy 'tat' so my cameras are all in good condition.
Whilst I am sure quality can vary after nearly 60 years, I don't recognize any of these observations in my personal experience. All of my cameras are dead easy to focus in all lighting conditions and a delight to use.

 

[steveyork]

Limited to just to the rangefinder patch (which seems to be the OP complaint); maybe you can find Nikons with good, friendly viewfinders. And I'm glad people enjoy their Nikons, and I hope they still shoot lots of film. There is, however, an awful lot of chatter on the internet of people complaining about the the nature of the patch on their Nikon rangefinder, similar to the OP comment. Having used both, the Nikon patch reminds me of a Zorki -- big and bright but lacking contrast. There's also lot of 'here's how you cam make it better solutions,' and you wouldn't have all this chatter if this was a minor or rare complaint. My own experience, with multiple copies, some of them serviced, supports that conclusion. I once had an SP that was so faint, it was totally useless. But any film camera is good; shoot more film!

 

[markwatts]

Well maybe I am just a lucky guy, but it should be remembered that 'internet chatter' is only propagated by a tiny percentage of the population and then only those with a bug up their **s.

The rest of us just take photographs, in perfect focus.

 

[Highway 61]

Funny to discover that there is an awful lot of internet chatter about a series of cameras linked to a tiny minority of RF film cameras users, themselves being a molecular fraction of a very low percentage of all people taking photos today.

 

[Erik van Straten]

A serious problem with the Nikon rangefinders is that no diopters are available. I know, there are solutions for the S2 and the SP, but these are not as easy as the solutions from Leica. As the rangefinder spots of the SP and the S2 do not have a sharp outline, the sharpness of the image is essential. I have original diopters for my S2, but now I get older and my eyesight becomes worse, I need stronger ones. Getting them is really a problem.

Erik.

 

[Highway 61]

True. Yet the solution is to keep your glasses on to use the camera. Not really a problem with the S2. The framelines can be seen. This is what I do. I have old school mineral glasses with no coatings so that my cameras eyepieces won't scratch them. On the contrary, over time they have marred my S2 eyepiece black metal ring. Oh well.

There the Zeiss Ikon ZM body wins with all flags and bells, because the Nikon diopters for the FE/FM/FE2/FM2/FM3A can be used on it with no adapter. And the choice is plentyful. And they aren't expensive.

 

[Dez]

Funny to discover that there is an awful lot of internet chatter about a series of cameras linked to a tiny minority of RF film cameras users, themselves being a molecular fraction of a very low percentage of all people taking photos today.

Makes one feel kind of special, doesn't it?

Cheers,
Dez

 

[Erik van Straten]

Makes one feel kind of special, doesn't it?

Well, special ... the Nikon rangefinders are fun to use, of a very high quality indeed and less expensive than Leica stuff.

Erik.

 

[Timmyjoe]

The place I bought it from has sent it back to DAG since it was still under his warranty. Hope to hear something next week one way or the other. I'm hoping it's an easy fix. I talked with them over the phone and reiterated our conversation via a note I stuck in the package.

Something to keep in mind for future reference about Don (DAG). I bought a camera from a person who had recently had Don service it. It developed a problem so I called Don. He has very good records of the cameras he's serviced. I sent it to him and he fixed it, and sent it back to me, and there was no charge for the service. He is very good about that.

So in the future, if you buy a camera that is listed as been recently serviced by DAG, and there is an issue, contact Don yourself and make sure he has a record of the service (which he will if he actually did the work, unfortunately folks list cameras for sale that they claim they had Don service, when in actuality they didn't), and he will probably make it right for you, without you having to go through the original seller.

 

[Highway 61]

The OP's S2 is now for sale in the Classifieds.

 

[nomadia]

As already mentioned, the shape of the focus patch is more of a fuzzy blob than a clear cut rectangle. But focusing is still very easy with a clean finder.

You can check how clean your finder is by holding the camera with the finder eye piece pointed towards a bright light source, then looking through the small window on the front of the camera. When you get the angle right, you can see a circle of light through the small window. If the circle of light looks clear and contrasty, your patch is as good as it gets. If the circle of light looks a bit hazy, your finder needs cleaning. The good news is that S2 finders are simply constructed and easy to clean, and improve dramatically after cleaning.

If it was me, I'd try cleaning the three surfaces of the half mirror prism just behind the small window. You only need to remove the front cover (4 screws) and the small window (3 screws) to access these prism surfaces. Cleaning the diagonal rear surface usually yields the biggest improvement to the RF patch. It's a bit tricky, but definitely not impossible to access from the front. I use folded lens cleaning paper slightly dampened with lens cleaning fluid. Below is what an S2 half mirror prism looks like when removed from the camera. The diagonal rear surface here is the one with the lens cleaning paper running along it.

I solved my rangefinder patch problem on my Nikon SP using jonmanjiro's instruction. Thank you. To add, I wrapped a piece of hard paper (medicine carton for me) with lens cleaning paper to access the rear of the prism from the front. Again, thank you RFF for the valuable knowledge.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[steveyork]

Funny to discover that there is an awful lot of internet chatter about a series of cameras linked to a tiny minority of RF film cameras users, themselves being a molecular fraction of a very low percentage of all people taking photos today.

It was obviously a relative statement. Just search this forum. You'll find more then a few threads on how to fix the lousy contrast of Nikon rangefinders. That seems to be a common issue with these cameras, and it mirrors my experience with the half dozen cameras I've had through my hands.

 

[steveyork]

I just shot the RF patch of my Nikon S3 (1958 model) with my cellphone in my living-room (evening daylight coming from the window).

Here we see the 50mm framelines (the cellphone couldn't capture the whole, large 35mm framelines) and the RF patch. We can guess the 105mm framelines but the cellphone didn't manage to show them quite well (but with the naked eye they're as bright as the 50mm framelines).

If you think that the S3 RF patch has a terrible reputation of being faded and unusable, you can see nothing being disgraceful, terrible or wonky here... Or is it "circular" ? 😀

And my two S2 RF patches are even better than this one, which leaves nothing to desire anyway.

What's the black area that is around the rangefinder patch?