Playing with Another Grail Camera: The Nikon SP Rangefinder in the Beaches.
Didn't think I was going to buy into the Nikon rangefinder system this year, first it was an S2, later on while picking slide film I was having processed at Downtown Camera I made my way to the used section with the naive thought I was going to look for some used Voightlander and Zeiss glass for my Leica M kit. Oh, I was so wrong, There it was in the display case with the Nikkor S 50 f1.4 lens, the Nikon SP rangefinder, always wanted one, didn't think I was going to buy this year. Jo-Anne stepped in for my brother Alex who is my usual enabler in these sorts of things was away(he was on vacation in Berlin with my sister in law).
I finally got a chance to shoot with it in the Beaches and the SP is one sweet rig. Is it better than the Leica M2 and M3? No, but it's light years better than the Zeiss Ikon Contax IIa it was based on with a titanium shutter in my camera, a film advance lever, the same one you see on the Nikon F, the camera that demolished the German camera industry and much easier to load than the Leicas.
Of course I had to build the lens kit gettting the leganday Nikkor P 105 F2.5 telephoto and the 35 F2.5 lens. I'm content with the lenses I have, don't plan on getting the 135 or 28mm focal lengths. Changing lenses is the same as the Contax rangefinder, same goes for focusing. Voightlander made some lenses in the Nikon S mount and I might hunt for a couple down the road. We'll see.
Camera: Nikon SP, Nikkor S Mount S 50 F1.4 lens.
Film: ORWO UN 54 D-76 1+1.
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