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Post by GeneW on Feb 19, 2008 21:56:30 GMT -5
As many of you know, I have a penchant for taking pics of my cameras while I'm sitting in Starbucks where I take a break on my photo walks. I often spend a bit of time writing a bit in my Moleskine journals and despite some digital keyboard devices I own, I still prefer writing with a fountain pen. So yesterday I was out with one of my favourite Nikons, the FM2n and a 50/1.4 prime. When I posted this shot on Flickr, it went nova. Over 1000 views in 24 hours and a high ranking in their 'Explore' area (they choose 500 photos a day based loosely on something called 'interestingness'). Here's the shot: Taken with an ultracompact Canon SD800 IS Gene
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Post by kiev4a on Feb 19, 2008 23:21:34 GMT -5
Beautiful camera, Gene and nice composition.
Wayne
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Post by daveinpasadena on Feb 21, 2008 0:39:56 GMT -5
Yeah, nice shot. I love the FM2. I can't afford an all AI/AIS lens line up however -- maybe someday! I still marvel at the 1/4000'th mechanical shutter speed.
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Post by minoltaman on Feb 28, 2008 9:18:52 GMT -5
Gene that camera and the shot both rock! Those Nikon F's are very much revered throughout the photography world. I can see why. They're so freakin' cool. If I hadn't invested everything in Minolta gear, I'd probably splurge on some Nikon goodies.....although Nikon film gear still commands very high prices.
I was at a family wedding in Florida recently and the wedding photographer had 2 Nikon F4's with all the trimmings. I talked to him; he said he shoots most weddings in film, loves to shoot film, would never part with his Nikons, and only has a DSLR to be competitive in the wedding photography market but only uses it 1/3 of the time.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2008 10:21:53 GMT -5
Nikon film gear prices have really dropped in recent months. F3s are going on the on line auction, with MD4 motordrive attachment, for less than $300--F4s, too. I've seen usable F3s for less than $200.
When I got back into photography in 2002, FM and FE bodies were still going for around $200 and a nice F3 would cost you five or six hundred.
I sold My F4 not too long ago and regret it--even though I probably would seldom use it. The F4 is the epitome a mechanical camers (even though it doesn't have a film advance lever). It looks and feels like it was milled from a solid block of steel. It was the last Nikon F with no LCD menus.
I've only owned one FM2 and that was only briefly. I do keep an FM around and there isn't a wole lot of difference between it and the FM2 except the "2" has faster flash sync and a faster top shutter speed.
Speaking of shutter speeds: I have owned several cameras with shutter speeds over 1/1,000 sec. -- as high as 1/8000. But I don't think I have EVER consciously used a shutter speed faster than 1/1000. Those higher speeds always seemed to be more for bragging rights than any real use.
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Post by GeneW on Feb 28, 2008 18:50:32 GMT -5
Gene that camera and the shot both rock! Those Nikon F's are very much revered throughout the photography world. I can see why. They're so freakin' cool. If I hadn't invested everything in Minolta gear, I'd probably splurge on some Nikon goodies.....although Nikon film gear still commands very high prices. Tommy, as Wayne mentioned, prices have fallen considerably on Nikon film gear. I recently bought a Nikon EM for $50 and a Nikkormat FT3 for $75. I used to shoot Olympus OM gear and have actually found Nikkor lenses to be cheaper than Zuikos. A few Nikon MF lenses still go for quite a bit (e.g. the 50/1.2) but most are moderately priced. I don't know how the prices compare to Minolta gear though. Speaking of shutter speeds: I have owned several cameras with shutter speeds over 1/1,000 sec. -- as high as 1/8000. But I don't think I have EVER consciously used a shutter speed faster than 1/1000. Those higher speeds always seemed to be more for bragging rights than any real use. Wayne, we may use our cameras differently, but I use the high shutter speeds a lot and am really happy the FM2n has a 1/4000. The reason is that I often have high-speed B&W film loaded (Tri-X or Neopan 400) and don't like shooting in the f/16 range. With the high shutter speeds I can use apertures between 2.0-5.6, which is my favourite range of stops for many lenses. Gene
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jmi
Senior Member
Posts: 60
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Post by jmi on Mar 5, 2008 8:50:26 GMT -5
Absolutely - I too bailed out of OM recently because although the "basic" popular lenses are really cheap, the "rare" lenses are really expensive, and I'm developing a taste for some of the fast glass. Still not sure whether to build up the Nikon or the Canon FD kit though Those used F3 bodies at KEH really tempt... I find the 1/4000 shutter speed quite useful here too - I like to shoot wide open, and a 50/1.4 on even a cloudy day with 100 slide film loaded is likely to want 1/1000 a lot of the time. I found the 1/1000 top speed of my Canon A-1 a bit limiting for this sometimes, whereas the FM2 just keeps on going.
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Post by GeneW on Mar 5, 2008 11:36:57 GMT -5
Absolutely - I too bailed out of OM recently because although the "basic" popular lenses are really cheap, the "rare" lenses are really expensive, and I'm developing a taste for some of the fast glass. Still not sure whether to build up the Nikon or the Canon FD kit though Those used F3 bodies at KEH really tempt... That's what I found too. You couldn't go wrong with either Nikon or Canon FD kit. I prefer Nikon because it has a longer continuous history and a lot of older lenses are still usable on my D200 DSLR. Fast lenses are available for far less than equivalent Zuikos, and Nikkors are very good. As is Canon glass, of course. Gene
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Post by drako on Mar 10, 2008 22:16:49 GMT -5
A really nice piece o' equipment, Gene. I am at least as much attracted to cameras for their aesthetics as any functional reason. Plenty of folks will spend thousands on a Swiss watch but I find cameras much more interesting at a fraction of cost.
My dear wife of five years recently unearthed an OM-10 she's had stowed away (along with a very groovy lomography camera). Back in the day, my mental constructs would poo-poo the OM-10 out of hand as it was just not as serious as the other OM's. But I'll tell ya, after a long time of being completely away from any "real" cameras, this thing is just a pleasure to hold in the hand and click away on the shutter. The balance of weight, the obvious precision of the mirror and shutter mechanism, and even the solid quality of the non-shutter speed dial on top -- all just feel like there were real craftspeople involved in its engineering. Yes, it has the funky manual shutter speed dial on the front left side of the machine, but so what? It just provides it with more character.
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Post by GeneW on Mar 11, 2008 16:25:21 GMT -5
Thanks Johnny. As an Olympus user of many years I can see why you'd enjoy the OM-10. One of my favourite Nikons is the lowly EM. It's automated with aperture priority, no manual mode, but it's small, the metering is good, and the ASA dial is easy to adjust when you need to influence the metering up or down. It's lightweight, but has metal construction. With the Nikon 50/1.8E pancake, it's a great camera to carry about. Most Nikonians wouldn't have much to do with this model but I find it charming.
Gene
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