historicist
Well-known
I just picked up a S3 2000 kit and thought I would give my first impressions for anyone who's interested. The only Nikon rf I've had before was a S2 and I've used the 50mm f2 (s mount) and f1.4 (l39) Nikkors. I've only used it for a day or two.
At first, I was not so impressed. The focus helical has a bit of play (when you turn the focus dial, there is a bit of slop before it moves the lens) and the framelines are very busy. The RF patch seemed to be relatively dim as well.
But after a couple of days the camera has grown on me. The 35mm frameline is not really visible unless you really press your eye to the glass. I wear glasses but not while shooting so I don't really notice it. The 105mm framelines are a bit annoying but you don't notice them too much - I think because I am most used to a 0.72 Leica M finder (M4) I notice them more tan I would otherwise, because they are in a fairly similar position to the 50mm frames on a 0.74 M.
Parallax - so far no film processed yet so I've no idea how problematic this will be but with the S2 which also has no parallax correction I didn't notice it to be a problem at all.
RF patch - now I think it is actually quite bright, probably brighter than any M I have used (bear in mind my Leicas are in user condition and I haven;t had the chance to make a direct comparison). What makes it seem relatively dim is that the finder itself is very bright. The RF patch edges are a bit fuzzy - I think the Leica staight edges are better, especially when one has to focus and recompose a bit. The S2 finder I found a bit better, to be honest, it had a really nice tint which was like looking through nice sunglasses. I don't really use lenses other than 50mm so the other framelines are a bit wasted on me. But the S3 2000 is brighter...
Build quality - excellent. The only thing that annoys me is the stand off on the advance lever, after an exposure it sticks out a bit (about 15 degrees) and needs to be pushed back in if you want if flush with the body. Pushing it in feels a bit rougher than I would expect on a camera of this class, but it's not a big deal.
Shutter - much quieter than my S2. A big difference, comparable to a Leica M. i would say the Leica is subjectively a bit quiteter, because the sound is spread over a relatiely long period - with the S3 2000 it is a very short sound, even with longer shutter speeds. But they are basically very similar.
Lens - no film back, so no impression of optical quality, but mechanical quality is up with the best. Focus slop is slight and not a problem in use. The focus throw is rather long though and not so suited to very quick focussing. Lens blocks a bit of the finder but only a tiny bit. With the supplied hood attached it blocks rather a lot of the finder.
Regards, A.
At first, I was not so impressed. The focus helical has a bit of play (when you turn the focus dial, there is a bit of slop before it moves the lens) and the framelines are very busy. The RF patch seemed to be relatively dim as well.
But after a couple of days the camera has grown on me. The 35mm frameline is not really visible unless you really press your eye to the glass. I wear glasses but not while shooting so I don't really notice it. The 105mm framelines are a bit annoying but you don't notice them too much - I think because I am most used to a 0.72 Leica M finder (M4) I notice them more tan I would otherwise, because they are in a fairly similar position to the 50mm frames on a 0.74 M.
Parallax - so far no film processed yet so I've no idea how problematic this will be but with the S2 which also has no parallax correction I didn't notice it to be a problem at all.
RF patch - now I think it is actually quite bright, probably brighter than any M I have used (bear in mind my Leicas are in user condition and I haven;t had the chance to make a direct comparison). What makes it seem relatively dim is that the finder itself is very bright. The RF patch edges are a bit fuzzy - I think the Leica staight edges are better, especially when one has to focus and recompose a bit. The S2 finder I found a bit better, to be honest, it had a really nice tint which was like looking through nice sunglasses. I don't really use lenses other than 50mm so the other framelines are a bit wasted on me. But the S3 2000 is brighter...
Build quality - excellent. The only thing that annoys me is the stand off on the advance lever, after an exposure it sticks out a bit (about 15 degrees) and needs to be pushed back in if you want if flush with the body. Pushing it in feels a bit rougher than I would expect on a camera of this class, but it's not a big deal.
Shutter - much quieter than my S2. A big difference, comparable to a Leica M. i would say the Leica is subjectively a bit quiteter, because the sound is spread over a relatiely long period - with the S3 2000 it is a very short sound, even with longer shutter speeds. But they are basically very similar.
Lens - no film back, so no impression of optical quality, but mechanical quality is up with the best. Focus slop is slight and not a problem in use. The focus throw is rather long though and not so suited to very quick focussing. Lens blocks a bit of the finder but only a tiny bit. With the supplied hood attached it blocks rather a lot of the finder.
Regards, A.
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