What's your favorite Nikon RF camera?

What's your favorite Nikon RF camera?

  • Total voters
    459
kevin m said:
My favorite Nikon RF is the SP-D. It's got the sensor from the D-300, live view, dual card slots, weather sealing, dedicated iso dial and, best of all, it has the no-longer-patent-protected M-mount. A good deal for $2,395 with USA warranty. The SP-Dx is very nice, too, with its full-frame sensor and 10fps ability, but it's also $4,995. It's nice that Nikon offers a choice.
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And the available Nikon S-mount to M-mount adapter completes the package nicely. 🙂
 
I've only got one, a plain old 7-digit S + 50/2 that followed me home from a flea market. I've probably run all of 3 rolls of film through it, two color (still awaiting development) and one roll of HP5+. I have to admit, the quality of that 50mm lens really suprised me. First and only Nikon camera I've ever owned, not the easiest to use, but definitely no worse than my dad's LTM leicas.
 
The S2 is better than a Contax, It is the camera ZEISS-IKON should have made. They didn't and gone to ground. Nikon did. It was the most important camera in their history, a true winner. A small and compact camera, simply a joy to use, the fastest camera to work with then. They didn't rest on their laurels but continued to build better and better cameras, one of them was the SP, another one was the F. To understand why the Japanese took over, you can see it in the S2.
 
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I'm sure this is OT, but I just discovered Nikon RF's today when a tourist let me play with his S2 for a few minutes and now I want one. What I immediately noticed is that I didn't have to adopt the claw-like Kiev grip in order to focus the camera (I have a Kiev 4AM) and well, the Nikon just seemed way easier to use.

A couple of questions:

1. Will my Helios 103 fit and work OK on a Nikon RF?

2. Where might be the best place to buy a Nikon RF without going broke?

Forgive my ignorance regarding the Nikon RF series.
 
Ted has seen the light! 😉

You might check out KEH and Ritzcam.com, not the cheapest but the return policy is often better than on auction sites. Hopefully someone here with one, who has an extra, will send you a pm. If you don't want another system, you should not pick up and look through a Nikon rangefinder. I've been trying to get RayPa to look through my S2, but he knows what would lie ahead. RayPa, I can see your will is strong, but the time will come.........
 
Thanks, jonmanjiro, I just PM'd him and sent him a regular email. Apparently he's having trouble receiving PM's.

Still haven't got an answer to Question #1. I have a Helios 103 and a Jupiter 8, both in Contax/Kiev mount.
 
Ted,

Having played with several FSU lenses and cameras before I move to Nikon, go with the Nikon or CV glass. You might find a good FSU, but there are issues with many and I look at the FSU space as a sink hole for time and money. I did not have a lot of good luck there, your mileage may be much better. There are some issues with FSU external mount lenses scratching the body of Nikons (the rear is a bit thick).

Take a look for a 25/4 CV lens to go with a Nikkor 50 (either 2 or 1.4) and complete the kit with a 105/2.5, I have a Nikon brightline finder for sale for the 105 if you want to go that way. I loved that kit on my S2. I've moved up to an S3-2000 and have added a 35/2.5 CV to the mix. Welcome to the fun side. Beware of the sucking sound of Nikon SLRs, the old F and the S2/SP/S3/S4 all feel the same.

B2
 
tedwhite said:
Still haven't got an answer to Question #1. I have a Helios 103 and a Jupiter 8, both in Contax/Kiev mount.
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Since they're internal mount lenses, your Helios 103 and Jupiter 8 should be fine at infinity on a Nikon RF body, and as long as you stop down to f4 or so should work fine at minimum focus. Resident RFF lens guru, Brian Sweeney, has shimmed several Helios 103 lenses so they focus accurately close up and wide open on Nikon RF bodies.

As Bill pointed out above, you have to be careful with external mount FSU lenses on Nikon bodies, because they may end up scratching the front plate. You can file down the back of the lens mount to "fix" this problem, though.
 
Welcome to Nikon

As stated above, the Helios and other Soviet lenses fit just fine onto the Nikon-S mount, and focus fine at infinity. But as you focus closer, the focus "drifts" slightly.

The real quality of the Nikon RF system is its lenses. I'd look for an S2 with an accompanying 50/1.4 ... that's the classic setup.
 
S2 and SP - neck and neck

S2 and SP - neck and neck

S2 and SP - neck and neck

The story so far ...

51 votes - S2
51 votes - SP (all versions)
31 votes - S3 (all versions)
4 votes - S
1 vote - M
1 vote - S4

(plus 11 votes for all of them)
 
NIKON KIU said:
come on people, one doesn't need to own one to vote for one 😉
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Oh, ok... 🙂 I don't really have much on which to base an opinion, as I've only used an S2 and S3 years ago, and just recently acquired an S3-2000 kit. I've used the 50mm that came with it, bought a CV 28mm SC for it, and have filed down the sharp edges of the J-12 lens mount to avoid scratching the S3, and it works very well. Have to say, though, that a black SP looks very sexy.
 
LeicaM3 said:
Hmm.
I prefer the S-D3 with the new sony ff sensor.

Kevin's SP-S sounds like the R-D1 :angel:
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Here is Kevin's SP-D

200708-44.jpg

Borrowed from this site:

http://akiroom.com/redbook-e/kenkyukai07b/kenkyukai200708.html

Kiu
 
I think the black SP 2005's are really under appreciated and undervalued because they are still readily available on the used market.

In the years to come I expect to see a lot of moaning about "Why didn't I buy one while they were inexpensive?"

Stephen
 
NIKON KIU said:
THE SP WENT OVER JONNY.....
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Kiu, that's because people get enthralled with the big window. It's just a beauty contest, ya know?😉

I still have faith the S2 will come out on top, and I just signed up family and friends to become members here and swing the vote (I don't actually have friends, but I do have family!).
 
Forget the big window. I like being able to comfortably pick six lenses, while wearing eyeglasses, without separate finder.
 
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