Nikon S4 help

C

clicker

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Hello Nikon fans,
There is a Nikon S4 on ebay. I would appreciate any expert advice on fair market value regarding this camera with a standard 1.4 Nikkor lens. Thanks so much.
Clicker:)
 
More precisely, the S4 was an attempt to make a slightly cheaper S3 by "dumbing down" a few features. They removed the 35mm frameline so that you have only 50 and 105mm frames; they dropped the self-timer; they used an S2 film counter that you have to reset yourself, instead of the newer automatic frame counter; and they removed the motor-drive lug on the take-up spool.

It has the same quality of construction as an SP/S3/F, as it came off the same assembly line by the same workers. But its high value is based on its rarity.
 
The reduced-image finder is an interesting idea. I wear glasses and prefer the 1:1 finders (I frame with both eyes open and/or roll my eyes around the image) but then I'm hardly anyone's target customer as I continue to use a 50-year-old camera design. A 0.8 viewfinder might well have improved sales.

Nikon embraced the 1:1 finder beginning with the S2; it was the one feature they could offer that the Leica M3, released a few months earlier, didn't have. They never offered different models with different magnifications.
 
Also, aren't the majority of S4s in meters, not feet? (However, some marked in feet were apparently sold in the American PXs).
 
A little "T" on rewind knob.

A little "T" on rewind knob.

My S4 have a "T" impressed on the rewind knob, tomorrow i try to add a picture of it, no one in Spain know the significance of it.
Someone can help me.
 
So let me get this straight.
It's got a 1:1 finder like an S3/SP
It's got shutter speeds from 1 sec to 1/1000th, like an S3/SP
and if one is bothered by the lack of this or that frame line, one could attach a varifocal fnder to the hot-shoe, and blast away using it to compose, just like many people do on an S3/SP
And it has no self-timer, which for street photography no one uses anyway.
And it has no motor drive lug (for the motor that I can't afford to buy anyway.
And in user condition, one might grab one for around $500.00?
For that kind of money, I'd be willing to swallow my pride and overlook the shame and loss of face surrounding Nikon's marketing disaster, and EPOI's refusal to import it into the US (and Canada).
As a user, I don't see a down side here.
 
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Japan experienced a economic downturn in 1959 which cramped a growing market for quality 35mm cameras. With no experience in making or marketing low-end cameras, NK was faced with a decline in domestic sales. The SP and the new F were simply too expensive for most Japanese. "Dumbing down" the Nikon SP-S3 appeared to be the easiest way to achieve a lower price point quickly. This was also the reason that most would have been sold with the less-expensive 50mm f2. Almost all the S4s were sold in Japan. A few were sold in the US military exchanges in Japan. These were marked in feet and would have the <EP> mark on the rewind crank. A few were sold in duty-free shops. These would have the "T" on the rewind. A lot never sold at all in 1959-1960, and could be picked up for very little years later. Many American Nikon users never even realized the S4 existed until printed specs started to appear in the 1980s.
By 1960, NK realized that the RF market was not rebounding the way the company had expected it would, and that the future really did lie with reflexes. So they tried the low-end again with the totally-new Nikkorex 35. What a disaster!!

WES
 
Fred, the figure of $500.00 came from your earlier post. If a beater came along and was cheap and useable, as a shooter it would be worthwhile to grab, if for no other reason than the large 1:1 viewfinder, which I like very much.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
I got lucky. The distance scale on mine is in feet, it was originally from a PX. The older gentleman wanting to trade it in for an N6006 at a camera shop was told "it's too old". He took my N8008 for it. That was 10 years ago, first Nikon RF I picked up.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm,
N8008 = $150.00
S4 = $1500.00

Good trade, I would say!
For those who want a user S4, I have one but NOT for $500:D :p
e6c354c984cb99d17df909fc114e2abb315091d.jpg


Kiu
 
The S4 struck me as Nikon using up leftover parts from the S2 on an S3 chassis. I've never used a self-timer on an S3 or SP, so the lack of that unsed lever is aesthetically pleasing. The S3's 35mm framelines are so close to the edge of the viewfinder that they might as well not be there. On the S4 you just use the entire viewfinder for 35mm FOV. And if I were to fall into a cheap S36 motor drive, it would sit next to the early F36 with Remo-Pak, MD-1, MD-2, MD-3, and boxed MD-4 . But not on a Body. And Not on the S4.
 
"Ah yes... well you cannot actually easily take photos with the Nikon S4.

I believe Nikon disabled the shutter, and you remove the front cap and count to take photos, then replace the cap to wind the film. :) I could be wrong, maybe it's that there is no flash sync, and you can't focus it, I forget.

Of course you can have your picture taken "with" the camera, using another camera."

Fred,
Well in that case, perhaps the S4 was actually built for Nikon by the Canon Corporation.
Ya think?
 
I don't know, but I'll soon have a Canon P that takes S-Mount lenses.

As stated in Rotoloni's book, the S4 was built to the same quality standards of the SP and S3. It lacked newer features for the economy minded Japanese home market. The story goes that the US Nikon importer declined it, stating it would just detract sales from the S3 and SP and that the Nikon F arrived on the scene.

You know, some people actually read these posts to get useful information. When they see an "official sounding username" bashing a camera or lens, they tend to take it seriously.

Maybe Fred could come up with a Pen Name for his Nikon bashing. Like "CanonHSWebmaster".
 
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I trust that you will bring yours over, so we can get shots of one in feet and one in meters, side-by-side. I'll charge up the E3, put on the 60/2.8 and the SB-29. Then Beer, Pool, and Cook-out.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
I don't know, but I'll soon have a Canon P that takes S-Mount lenses.

As stated in Rotoloni's book, the S4 was built to the same quality standards of the SP and S3. It lacked newer features for the economy monded Japanese home market. The story goes that the US Nikon importer declined it, stating it would just detract sales from the S3 and SP and that the Nikon F arrived on the scene.

You know, some people actually read these posts to get useful information. When they see an "official sounding username" bashing a camera or lens, they tend to take it seriously.

Maybe Fred could come up with a Pen Name for his Nikon bashing. Like "CanonHSWebmaster".
Click to expand...

Fred is just having some fun and making a point, but don't let that fool you. His official sounding user name is REAL. Fred is the webmaster of the NHS (Nikon Historical Society) site. More importantly, he has owned more Nikon Rangefinder than most serious collectors will ever see in their lives, including me. As a result, Fred is one of the most knowledgable people on Nikon Rangefinder on the planet based upon his own experience, not books. BTW, Rotoloni and Fred are the best of friends, and I have no doubt Fred has helped a bit with Bob's books.

And something else, I think Fred is right. The S3 / S4 viewfinder may be better than the original VF in the One / M / S, but it is considerably worse in use than the S2 and the SP. I've owned S3's and S4's as collectibles, but never considered them as shooters because I have S2's and SP's. What bothers me is not your appreciation of the S3/S4 -- it makes no difference to me -- but the way you are handling disagreement with your viewpoint from someone who just happens to be one of the leading authorities of NRF in the world.

Stephen
 
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