Tim V
Member
Hello all,
It has been many years since I posted on RFF in any real capacity. So long that my account died with an old email address that I cancelled…
Anyway, I was a very long and dedicated Leica user until pragmatics of professional needs and family life saw me selling off all my prized M gear. Now, I’m able to shoot a lot more for pleasure and have been using a very nice and fully serviced Contax iiia with Zeiss-Opton 35mm and 50mm lenses - found kit buried in a box at local camera shop and couldn’t resist, although a good service cost about the same as the entire package… anyway…
I love the setup, well, all except the viewfinder - it’s serviceable but small and I miss seeing framelines and what I’m cropping out, a la with the Leica M3.
The Contax has given me the bug again, and has got me seriously thinking about a Nikon S2 primarily for the big, bright VF, but also because I could supposedly use my beautiful 35mm on it without too much worry about focus issues (I’d need a 50mm Nikkor to make use of the internal framelines, and use an external VF for the 35.) I mostly use the 50mm lens, hence prioritising the internal VF for that. I’d use the iiia body and Zeiss 50mm as a backup.
I’m lucky that my good friend is a professionally trained and practicing camera repair person, and he worked on my Contax to fix its lagging shutter. He said it was a bit of a nightmare and took him ages to get right, even though he has very good measuring equipment etc. (I seem to remember it took him 12 hours.)
I’m wondering if the Nikon is easier to work on and fine tune? Is the shutter less complex and more forgiving on the service side, and is the rangefinder easy to recalibrate if I find one that’s off or gets knocked out in transit? Some I’ve picked up in the past have ‘squeaky’ focus, is that easily solved?
I always wanted to try a Nikon RF. Past experience / love and wisdom might suggest I should just get another M3, but the Nikon’s price is more attractive and to be honest, I’m kinda keen on a more idiosyncratic user experience!
thanks in advance for the advise,
Tim
It has been many years since I posted on RFF in any real capacity. So long that my account died with an old email address that I cancelled…
Anyway, I was a very long and dedicated Leica user until pragmatics of professional needs and family life saw me selling off all my prized M gear. Now, I’m able to shoot a lot more for pleasure and have been using a very nice and fully serviced Contax iiia with Zeiss-Opton 35mm and 50mm lenses - found kit buried in a box at local camera shop and couldn’t resist, although a good service cost about the same as the entire package… anyway…
I love the setup, well, all except the viewfinder - it’s serviceable but small and I miss seeing framelines and what I’m cropping out, a la with the Leica M3.
The Contax has given me the bug again, and has got me seriously thinking about a Nikon S2 primarily for the big, bright VF, but also because I could supposedly use my beautiful 35mm on it without too much worry about focus issues (I’d need a 50mm Nikkor to make use of the internal framelines, and use an external VF for the 35.) I mostly use the 50mm lens, hence prioritising the internal VF for that. I’d use the iiia body and Zeiss 50mm as a backup.
I’m lucky that my good friend is a professionally trained and practicing camera repair person, and he worked on my Contax to fix its lagging shutter. He said it was a bit of a nightmare and took him ages to get right, even though he has very good measuring equipment etc. (I seem to remember it took him 12 hours.)
I’m wondering if the Nikon is easier to work on and fine tune? Is the shutter less complex and more forgiving on the service side, and is the rangefinder easy to recalibrate if I find one that’s off or gets knocked out in transit? Some I’ve picked up in the past have ‘squeaky’ focus, is that easily solved?
I always wanted to try a Nikon RF. Past experience / love and wisdom might suggest I should just get another M3, but the Nikon’s price is more attractive and to be honest, I’m kinda keen on a more idiosyncratic user experience!
thanks in advance for the advise,
Tim
steveyork
Well-known
I'm not sure of the specifics, but Nikon shutter on their rangefinders much easier to work on then a pre- or post-war Contax. Basically, Nikon took the lens mount from the Contax but the shutter from the Leica (or something like that). I don't shoot Nikon rangefinders anymore, but never had a problem finding someone to work on them.
keytarjunkie
no longer addicted
Yes, the Nikon is easier to service than the Contax, and also a lot more reliable.
Timmyjoe
Mentor
I agree with everything said above. Not sure where you are located, but if you're in the States, Don Goldberg (DAG) services the Nikon rangefinders and he did a great job with the Nikon S2 I sent him a few years ago. Having had both a Nikon S2 and a Contax IIIa, the viewfinder experience with the Nikon was far superior to the Contax in the copies I had. I was fortunate that the shutter on my Contax IIIa was quite reliable and did not need repair, but I have heard they can be a nightmare to service. While there are a number of shops that can bring the Nikon back to spec.
Best,
-Tim
Best,
-Tim
Erik van Straten
Mentor
The Nikon S2 is a wonderful camera, I have several of them and none of them ever had any problems. However, it is difficult to find eye-correction lenses for them. I'm happy to have some of those.
gelatin silver print (s skopar 50mm f2.5) nikon s2 black
Erik.
gelatin silver print (s skopar 50mm f2.5) nikon s2 black
Erik.
You might also want to look at an SP as it has the finder for the 35mm lens built in.
https://learncamerarepair.com/productlist.php?category=2&secondary=8
The SP manual also gives a lot of hints for the S2.
It is easy to adjust the post-war West German Sonnar for the Leica. I did that to use on my Nikon. Move the variable retaining ring out about 1/3 turn.
https://learncamerarepair.com/productlist.php?category=2&secondary=8
The SP manual also gives a lot of hints for the S2.
It is easy to adjust the post-war West German Sonnar for the Leica. I did that to use on my Nikon. Move the variable retaining ring out about 1/3 turn.
JeffS7444
Well-known
I recently serviced my first Nikons (F, Nikkormat FTn) and was impressed by the sense of quality without needless complexity: Many a lesser camera is trickier to service than these!
Tim V
Member
Thanks for all the relies, guys. Much appreciated!
It's great to know that these models are relatively easily serviced if needed. I live in New Zealand so it's difficult to send things to the above mentioned DAG etc – although they did fix a delaminated Summilux for me once – but with my friend being skilled at this stuff at least I have options.
I really like my Contax, but the viewfinder is grating on me. The rangefinder patch is great, however. And if I'm honest, there's also an aesthetic component to my interest in Nikon. The iiia has that hump for the meter, which turns an otherwise beautiful camera into something of a hunchback – and it's heavy! I guess it's what some might call a 'first world problem' and I'd agree. At least it runs / shoots perfectly and is fun to use, and that's the main thing.
I used to work many years ago in a really good camera shop, and there was a year 2000 limited edition Nikon S3 that say on the shelf, unloved for many years. A robbery had occurred one night and the thief stole the camera's box, case and all the paper work, but neglected the actual camera and lens on display. I used to pick it up from time to time and look at it, but was never allowed to fire the shutter. I remember thinking it an odd machine compared to my M3, but was very intrigued by it. Something about it just seemed fun. Maybe that memory is what is compelling me to look into an S2 now?
With regards to my Zeiss-Opton 35mm Biogon, is anyone out there using one on a Nikon with good results? I'm wondering to what extent the focus is accurate / inaccurate? From what I've researched it seems it's 'pretty much okay', but that doesn't exactly inspire confidence if I were to want to photograph a flat subject near wide open?
Thanks again all!
T
It's great to know that these models are relatively easily serviced if needed. I live in New Zealand so it's difficult to send things to the above mentioned DAG etc – although they did fix a delaminated Summilux for me once – but with my friend being skilled at this stuff at least I have options.
I really like my Contax, but the viewfinder is grating on me. The rangefinder patch is great, however. And if I'm honest, there's also an aesthetic component to my interest in Nikon. The iiia has that hump for the meter, which turns an otherwise beautiful camera into something of a hunchback – and it's heavy! I guess it's what some might call a 'first world problem' and I'd agree. At least it runs / shoots perfectly and is fun to use, and that's the main thing.
I used to work many years ago in a really good camera shop, and there was a year 2000 limited edition Nikon S3 that say on the shelf, unloved for many years. A robbery had occurred one night and the thief stole the camera's box, case and all the paper work, but neglected the actual camera and lens on display. I used to pick it up from time to time and look at it, but was never allowed to fire the shutter. I remember thinking it an odd machine compared to my M3, but was very intrigued by it. Something about it just seemed fun. Maybe that memory is what is compelling me to look into an S2 now?
With regards to my Zeiss-Opton 35mm Biogon, is anyone out there using one on a Nikon with good results? I'm wondering to what extent the focus is accurate / inaccurate? From what I've researched it seems it's 'pretty much okay', but that doesn't exactly inspire confidence if I were to want to photograph a flat subject near wide open?
Thanks again all!
T
SolaresLarrave
My M5s need red dots!
As a user of both systems (Leica and Nikon S), I would try not to compare finders. The Leica's will always win.
Now... you're interested in getting a Nikon S2 and shoot a 35mm lens. The S2 is perfect... for a 50mm lens. If you want to use a 35, you'll need an external finder because the S2 only has frame lines for the 50. In this case, the best camera for you is the S3 (forget the SP; the frame lines for 28 and 35 are only for composing, not focusing, and they're in a separate window). The S3 has frame lines for 35, 50 and 105mm lenses, and even though they're all present all the time, at least they're easy to tell apart. Just be aware that they're not parallax corrected.
As for the 35mm lens... I've used the Zeiss-Ikon Biogon 35mm f2.8 and f2.0 in my Leicas... It's the absolutely sharpest lens ever. I don't know how different it may be from the Opton, but to me, if it's Zeiss, it's going to deliver.
Best of luck with your shopping adventures! One thing I can say: you're going to find a Nikon S2 with a lens in good conditions easily these days.
Now... you're interested in getting a Nikon S2 and shoot a 35mm lens. The S2 is perfect... for a 50mm lens. If you want to use a 35, you'll need an external finder because the S2 only has frame lines for the 50. In this case, the best camera for you is the S3 (forget the SP; the frame lines for 28 and 35 are only for composing, not focusing, and they're in a separate window). The S3 has frame lines for 35, 50 and 105mm lenses, and even though they're all present all the time, at least they're easy to tell apart. Just be aware that they're not parallax corrected.
As for the 35mm lens... I've used the Zeiss-Ikon Biogon 35mm f2.8 and f2.0 in my Leicas... It's the absolutely sharpest lens ever. I don't know how different it may be from the Opton, but to me, if it's Zeiss, it's going to deliver.
Best of luck with your shopping adventures! One thing I can say: you're going to find a Nikon S2 with a lens in good conditions easily these days.
JeffS7444
Well-known
For my own amusement (having nothing better to do) I found these weight specifications posted on various sites:
Contax II: 595 g
Contax IIIa: 800 g
Contax IIa: 510 g
Leica II (and FED-1?): 406 g
Leica M3: 610 g
Nikon S: 907 g
Nikon S2: 708 g
Nikon S3/SP: 590 g
Tim V
Member
Thanks again, guys.
I'm one of the masochists that prefers using an external finder for the 35mm lens, especially as it's on top of the lens instead of more displaced laterally like the internal VF. I want the camera's internal viewfinder to be the biggest and brightest it can be with 50mm frame lines – my most used lens, which I'd use the S2 for too – for which the S2 seems to fit the bill nicely. I loved my M3 (I actually had three of them, plus an M6, M7 and M4-P and a range of ASPH optics,) but to be honest, as much as I loved Leicas, I don't want to go back there. The Contax was cheap and great, and the Nikon S2 cheaper still it seems, and that balances well with family obligations and as well as the user experience I'm after. But at the end of the day, they all take great pictures. On that side of things it really is splitting hairs, eh?
Man, the iiia is heavy! Although the S2 not so much lighter, eh? The S3 looks about right!
I'm one of the masochists that prefers using an external finder for the 35mm lens, especially as it's on top of the lens instead of more displaced laterally like the internal VF. I want the camera's internal viewfinder to be the biggest and brightest it can be with 50mm frame lines – my most used lens, which I'd use the S2 for too – for which the S2 seems to fit the bill nicely. I loved my M3 (I actually had three of them, plus an M6, M7 and M4-P and a range of ASPH optics,) but to be honest, as much as I loved Leicas, I don't want to go back there. The Contax was cheap and great, and the Nikon S2 cheaper still it seems, and that balances well with family obligations and as well as the user experience I'm after. But at the end of the day, they all take great pictures. On that side of things it really is splitting hairs, eh?
Man, the iiia is heavy! Although the S2 not so much lighter, eh? The S3 looks about right!
FloridaGhostPhoto
Established
With the caveat that I've never owned a Leica, I think I've taken better pictures with my S2 than any other camera (which is not exactly saying much). But I do love love love that camera. Before I purchased an S3 (because I'm an internal viewfinder sort) I chose the S2 over all the others--like a Voigtlander Bessa R, Nikon F, Nikon FE, Canon VL2, etc. It's a great camera! It's so easy to shoot, it overcomes loads of other limitations like the glasses-scratchy eyepiece. I typically shot it with the Nikkor-S 5cm f1.4 and thought it was a great setup. That said, I typically carry my S3 these days because I scored a beautiful W-Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 and always liked shooting 35mm lenses...but the normal lens is a close second. The only thing that irks me about my S3 is that the rangefinder patch is a little dim. Useable, for sure, but much more dim than the one on my S2. I suspect that is a common happenstance. But, in my humble (and very amateurish) opinion, you can't go wrong with either the S2 or S3. (Oh, and the glass available is fantastic!)
Erik van Straten
Mentor
My Nikon S2 (chrome dial) weights only 595g, including strap, but without lens.
Btw, the brightness of the rangefinder spot sometimes suffers because of a fogged prism. Can be cleaned.
gelatin silver print (nikkor 50mm f1.4 late) nikon s2
Erik.
JeffS7444
Well-known
Good to know, thanks. I got that 708 g (actually 709 g) figure by converting from a 25 oz spec found here, but errors do creep in, particularly when copying-and-pasting data from a variety of sources, instead of just weighing the thing for myself!
https://cameraquest.com/nfs2al50.htm
But regardless, my interest in Nikon is on the upswing, because quality is high, while prices on many items seem to have been declining for some time.
JeffS7444
Well-known
No argument here: Love the M frame indicators and parallax correction, but at today's typical e#ay prices, I roll my eyes.
Tim V
Member
I think I'm pretty settled on the S2...
Is it just me, or do S3s suffer more degradation to the VF glass? Hardly any examples on EBay without scratched, foggy or very blemished glass, but most S2s seem ok?
Is it just me, or do S3s suffer more degradation to the VF glass? Hardly any examples on EBay without scratched, foggy or very blemished glass, but most S2s seem ok?
Erik van Straten
Mentor
The front glass of the viewfinder often shows cleaning marks, but it can be replaced if someone cuts the glass. Maybe it can be repolished. The S2 glass is not bluish coated, but it is coated.
Erik.
Erik.