Nikon FA
I bought a job lot of gear a few weeks ago, mainly for a Pentax 6×7 medium format outfit. Amongst the two truck loads of stuff (!), there were four Nikon bodies and a gaggle of lenses. I’ve been going through them all and renovating them one by one.
This late-eighties Nikon FA needed new light-seals, mirror bumper foam and a thorough strip-down cleaning. Looks and works great now though, and the test roll I ran though it on Saturday shows no faults!
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of older lenses, for various reasons, not least of which is that they represent an excellent bargain compared to modern equivalents. Nikon lenses are very popular as they can be used on a wide range of bodies from various makers with the use of cheap and readily available adapters. One of my favourite older Nikon lenses is the Nikkor-S 50mm F/1.4.
Nikkor-S 50mm F/1.4 Non-AI Lens
Nikkor 105mm F/2.5 (AI and pre-AI versions, L to R)
Initially introduced in Nikon F mount in the mid fifties, and produced until at least the late nineties, the Nikkor 105mm F/2.5 rapidly earned itself an enviable reputation as one of the best short telephoto lenses ever made for the 35mm format, irrespective of brand. It’s focal length made it a natural choice for portraits and it is still an excellent lens for that purpose on either film or digital bodies.
Launched in 1980, the Nikon F3 replaced the F2 as their top of the line professional camera body, and went from being the most controversial to one of the best selling film cameras in the history of the company.
Nikon F3HP with MD4 and 50mm F/1.2 Nikkor
Prior to the introduction of the F3, the Nikon pro bodies had always been fully mechanical, with no reliance on batteries except to power the meter (if you had one of the metering heads). The F3, however, used a brand new electronically controlled horizontal-traveling titanium shutter which, in contrast to previous models, required battery power to operate. This initially caused great consternation in the pro community, and the reluctance of many to switch to the new F3 was a real problem for Nikon. Many press photographers were unwilling to give up the reliabllity of thier mechanical F2s for this new, untested electronic camera.