Nikon SP: is it worth it in addition to S2 / S3 ?

[_goodtimez]

Hi folks,

I own a few Nikon S2 and S3 cameras. I am tempted by the SP but I have no way to try one. I can only buy one and discover later on if I like it or not.
Considering my other Nikon rangefinders do you think it is worth it ?

 

[DoxLeica]

No! It has more bells and whistles but what counts is your eye. As Robert Capa said, "The pictures are there, you just take them." The bodies you have are more than ample to the task. Buy lots more film!

 

[marcr1230]

Yes, it has a better more contrasty rangefinder patch than the S3. And you need it!
It is the coolest looking Nikon RF, go for it!

 

[Tom A]

I have the SP's -mostly I use the S3's though. The SP's are designated for either 28 or 85 mm lenses. This way I avoid external finders - which keep getting tangled up in straps etc. Functionally there are the dame as the S3. It is kind of neat how you "dial" in the 50/85/105 and 135 finder. Lots of frames though. The finder is complex though and if it needs to be serviced - expensive. Be sure that you get a clean patch and no fog in the finder.

 

[Tom A]

One very good reason for a SP. The small and lightweight 28mm f3.5 on it - makes a pocketable camera - and the venerable 28 is very good. Traditional look to the negatives - particularly in bl/w - very 60's look. With the Voigtlander Color Skopar 28f3.5 you get a more modern look - and if you shoot colour - a bit higher contrast.

 

[xayraa33]

The SP rates a full 100 on the cool factor verses about 80 for the S3 and S2, so I say you should get the SP .

I mean owning the Nikon SP is like owning a minty 57 Chev Bel-Air 2 door with a 1959 Les Paul sunburst guitar in the trunk.


I personally tend to like the S2 for some reason.

 

[James24]

Hi folks,
do you think it is worth it ?

Depends. If you like Nikon rangefinders, and you do, you should get one. An SP tends to cost a bit more than an S2 or S3 but you are buying what was the top of the range camera. The dial in finder is something else, and as Tom says, is great for doing away with external finders, and it's the only Nikon that does offer this for 2.8cm, 8.5cm and 13.5cm lenses.

 

[CameraQuest]

I have a good many SPs, they are my favorite Nikon Rangefinder.
They are so much more interesting from a technological standpoint
than the other Nikon RF's - a standout when Nikon arguably made the most advanced
35mm Rangefinder camera. Personally I very much dislike the usually flary viewfinders
in the S3 or S4. So much so that I have never used a S3 or S4 as a personal camera.

Stephen

 

[_goodtimez]

...I mean owning the Nikon SP is like owning a minty 57 Chev Bel-Air 2 door with a 1959 Les Paul sunburst guitar in the trunk.

Hahaha. I own a 69 Opel Diplomat V8 with some kind of boosted engine 🙂
Maybe I should go for an SP then.

Now comes a second question: OEM SP or Limited edition ?

 

[ChrisLivsey]

As a newcomer to the Nikon rangefinder I have recently, on good advice, (Thanks Tom) purchased an S3. This is partly because they are more plentiful and less expensive in the UK than the SP, true everywhere I think. Unfortunately punitive taxes makes non EU imports a no go so the relatively less expensive USA market is closed.
I have been converted (Thanks Tom) and now have another S3, couldn't resist an Olympic with matching lens.
By careful watching an SP has come on the market at a price which I consider reasonable and I will answer your question when I have given it some exercise as it is due to be delivered before the end of the year 😀
Why did I order it? Because I felt I should own, at least once, the "flagship" in the series. If it fails to impress the market is strong enough for a re-sale at little or no loss (I always say that but it rarely if ever happens, lenses and bodies become magnetically attached somehow and I can't bear to be parted.)
I also have had little opportunity to try before buy as the market here is so limited. The largest dealer in S/H cameras in the NW UK, in Manchester (Real Camera) has seen one in 20 years trading. I would be interested in the earlier bodies, but more out of curiosity, the SP is much more of an icon and a must try.
My problem is over here they nearly always come with a 50mm lens so I am accumulating those as well, luckily up to now across the manufacturing range so subtly different.

Is the SP worth it? Lots of shooters I respect think so. Like all cameras it can't be an answer to every lens or finder need but as an additional tool I think it holds promise. If you don't at least try one your last words may be " I should have tried an SP" we don't want that do we 😀

 

[Tom A]

To put it in context : it took Leica until 1981 to match the SP with 28mm frame built in and also the motor ready body (M4-2 in 1978). It is the apex of japanese rangefinders - both in execution and innovation.
The SP 2005 is OK - main reason for getting one is the revised coating on the 35mm f1.8 - which made a classic lens that was already exceptional - even better.

 

[Tom A]

I think Nikon Rf's should have a warnings sticker though "Beware, severe GAS can be the result of owning Nikon Rf's".
I started using Nikon Rf's in the early 90's - mostly as an antidote to Leica's. The accumulation kept growing - and growing. All I really need is a couple of S3's and SP's - and maybe a S2. Oh well, they are great cameras with some of the best optics from the 60's.

 

[Timestep]

In 1958, I chose another S2 body, and never regretted the choice.
This second S2 is still in use with 21mm Color-Skopar, 35mm. F/2.5, 50mm F/2, and 105mm F/2.5.

 

[furcafe]

If money is an issue, I concur. I'm not a big fan of the S2, mainly because of its separate low shutter speed dial, but it is fine for 50mm lenses & complements the S3, which I think is perfect for 35mm lenses. If money is not an issue, then by all means, go for the SP!

No! It has more bells and whistles but what counts is your eye. As Robert Capa said, "The pictures are there, you just take them." The bodies you have are more than ample to the task. Buy lots more film!

 

[maddoc]

I had one (SP, custom BP, original not SP2005) and sold it but kept my S2. The RF patch just did not have enough contrast to use the camera in low light (and I haven`t seen any other SP yet that fulfills this criteria). About the 28mm frame lines, it is a tiny VF with no parallax compensation, so the solution offered by Leitz in form of the M4-P and later cameras makes more sense.

 

[ChrisLivsey]

About the 28mm frame lines, it is a tiny VF with no parallax compensation, so the solution offered by Leitz in form of the M4-P and later cameras makes more sense.

But at the loss of the 1.0 magnification of the Nikon for the 50mm, which I find tips the balance back again to the Nikon.
Not wanting to start anything here but the pros and cons depend on the user priorities, and the lens set etc. Whilst I am enjoying the Nikon rangefinder experience I shot one of my M2s yesterday and realised how much I missed the separate frame-lines.

 

[enasniearth]

Nikon sp

Nikon sp

I started out with a Nikon s2 in 1974 as it was about half the price of a Leica , not useing telephoto lenses the 50 frame in the s2 with the bright rf spot worked for me with 50 mm and wider lenses useing bright line finders for the wide angles .

I had an sp in 1982 but sold it , over the years had many more but continued useing the s2
Recently purchased a very late sp , the rf spot is as nice as the s2 A surprise . The wide finder is clean and clear - the main finder very nice / this seems to an exception based on my other sp 's from the past .
The sp has a neutral color cast to the finder , while in comparison the s2 is towards the cool side ( not noticed in actual use )

The sp is a bit heavier camera ,
It is quite a bit more complicated than the s2 optically , the rewind system is complex with a set of offset gears to clear the optics .

I think I will keep this one , but most are not as nice

 

[Frontman]

I have a few Nikon rangefinders, from the S to the SP. I too like the old Nikkor 28/3.5 lens, which requires an accessory finder if used on anything but the SP. One benefit of the S3 is that the 35mm frame lines are visible in the 1-1 finder, in the SP the 28mm and 35mm frame lines are in the separated finder.

Which camera I carry depends on the lens I am using. I use the 50mm, 28mm, and 2.1cm lenses on an SP, and use the 35mm lens on the S3.

The rangefinder patch will vary from camera to camera, I have a 2005 SP, and it has the best patch of the dozen or so Nikon RFs I have shot with.

Compared to the Leica M, I find the Nikon RF cameras easier to shoot, as they can be fully operated with only the right hand. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is very handy when carrying a bag or holding an umbrella in your other hand.

 

[_goodtimez]

Thanks to all of you for your involvment in replying to my question.
If I understand well, the 28 finder is separate from the rest.
Is the 28 finder RF coupled ?

 

[xayraa33]

Thanks to all of you for your involvment in replying to my question.
If I understand well, the 28 finder is separate from the rest.
Is the 28 finder RF coupled ?

No, the 28mm/35mm vf is not RF coupled, it is separate from the rest and kind of piddly in size.


http://imaging.nikon.com/history/chronicle/history_e/