Hello, everybody! I am currently very tired and stressed from work and all this repairs and camera blogging thing that is a huge part of my life. We all strive to perfect ourselves with practice and research. Nobody was born a master and we must all pass through these hardships in order to reach our goal. While we can argue that nothing is perfect, we can all agree that there are many things which we can consider to be near-perfect. I know a Nikkor lens family that can claim to be that and that is our subject this week, a lens family that’s close to perfection that it has become a timeless classic.
Introduction:
Today, I’m going to introduce to you the amazing Nikkor-P 105mm f/2.5 Auto lens! This is spectacular and it’s one of my favorite lenses, I don’t know why it took me so long to write this article. This lens is the stuff that dreams are made of, how it renders a photo is fantastic, it’s sharp, exquisite and smooth where it needs to be. I’m going to use plenty of superlatives to describe this and I am sure that many of you who are familiar with this lens will agree.
This is one of the legendary Nikkors of old, if you are into collecting Nikkors then I assume that you already have this in your collection. If not then you should go out and buy one, you’re collection is nothing without it.
Hello, everybody! I am going to start a new series today about Nikon’s centenary! Unlike most of my readers, I am living here in Tokyo where most of the actions is and I am able to go to places and attend events that will otherwise be inconvenient or impossible for some of you to experience. I do care about my readers a lot so I am making extra efforts to present these to you in my blog.
There are few companies that stay in business after 20 years and there are even less of that amount for those that will see their 50th year in business. Nikon is celebrating its 100th anniversary this 2017 and it is a very special once in a lifetime event for many of us who follow everything Nikon!
Hello, everybody! The weather is starting to get warm here in Tokyo and I have plenty of backlog that I need to fix! These do not only consist of my own gear but also from friends who’s lenses need fixing. I have to slow down in the colder months so I’m really going to be busy in the coming months!
One of the things that I had to fix is my Nikkormat. Yes, another damn Nikkormat! I hated working on these cameras but it can’t be helped because I really love them a lot. I usually get these from the junk boxes and so they need plenty of cleaning before I can use them. They would usually need a thorough cleaning and have all of their corroded foam seals replaced. This week, I will show you the easiest way I know. This technique is popular in Japan due to it’s simplicity and I take it that the manufacturers used this method,too.
Here are some of the tools that we need! Be sure you are comfortable with using a sharp knife; a steady pair of hands is also essential. More
Hello, everybody! I like listening to the oldies, I have the Beach Boys, Elvis, the Beatles and some other artists that kids these days haven’t even heard about. Their sound is clean, pure and fun without having to result to shock, sex and swearing. It takes me back to my childhood days when things are a lot simpler and filled with common-sense. Do you remember using a phone with a cord or even having to pay for it just to call for a few minutes? Your girlfriend is late to your appointment, all you can do is wait? These do not sound fun but I sometimes miss those days. Those hassles are great teachers because they taught us the value of patience, something that we do not have these days, we can hardly stay-still until we reach for our phones and check social media to see what Richard Haw has uploaded or if the models we are following has uploaded a new picture. Let me take you back a few decades as we talk about something really old, it’s one of Nikon’s original consumer lenses that was made in the immediate years after World War 2 and like the oldies, they are still a lot of fun for those who appreciate a good time while not having a lot of clutter to begin with.
Introduction:
The W-Nikkor 3.5cm f3.5 is a little gem, this is compact and unobtrusive so your subjects won’t be intimidated when you shoot them. This is also the cheapest 35mm lens as far as S-mountNikkors go. It’s pricier siblings go for almost 2x the price for one of these and for that price, you get a faster f/2.5 or f/1.8 upgrade. Those do not really matter much to me so I am more than happy with it. This has a special place in every Nikon aficionado’s collection as it is historically-significant. It’s one of the few Nikkors sold together with their original series of cameras right after the war. You’re correct to say that this is like a mini time-machine as it takes you back several decades ago to the early years of Nikon each time you use it. It sounds like I’m tripping but I really do feel that way when using this as this connects me to Nikon’s rich heritage.
The design of this lens is so old that you have to change the aperture using a ring at the front of the lens. This is inconvenient but you will soon get used to it. It will prevent you from checking it often and that will leave you with more time to think about the shot. The really early version don’t even have aperture click-stops because they weren’t even the norm in those days. This is as old as it gets when it comes to 35mm Nikkors for the “kleinbild”, it’s the dinosaur of Nikkors!
Hello, Everybody! Spring is here! It is definitely getting warmer and while that is definitely good news, the bad news is hay fever is also rampant! I suffer fromit just like many people living here in Japan. While we are on the topic of suffering and agony, I would I am going to discuss something today that affects many, if not all people who try to work with Japanese lenses when they started and many get frustrated by this and simply quit.
Invest on a pair of really good JIS screwdrivers! I always mention this but people keep on forgetting. You won’t need anything fancy, just buy the right screwdrivers! VESSEL only!
Hello, everybody! Do you like “Chunking Express“? That’s Wong Kar-Wai’s masterpiece. The cinematography is amazing with its creative use of photographic techniques and clever, but thin layering of its storyline. I like it a lot because the director dared to create this kind of movie. It became a classic, something that many people study today. In celebration of that movie I would like to introduce to you something that produces photos that could fit in that movie’s look. It’s bold, daring and ambitious, signifying the dreams of its designer.
Introduction:
The Nikkor-S 55mm f/1.2 Auto was sold from 1965 to 1974 where the last version is called the Nikkor-S.C 55mm f/1.2 Auto to denote that it has improved coatings applied, the latter is the subject of this article. It was made to give the then-new F-mount an f/1.2-class “normal” lens. However, technical difficulties made it rather difficult not just for Nikon to achieve this and an interim solution has to be made by making the focal-length longer by 5mm, resulting in the 55/1.2 class of lenses. You can read more about that in this article.
The front element is huge in order to gather large-amounts of light. Despite that it still retained a 52mm filter-size which is excellent since it was the old-standard for Nikkors. The iris is 7-bladed which gives better results compared to a 6-bladed one.
A special NASA variant was made and sent to space to take pictures of our ozone layer. It says a lot about the performance of this lens. To read more about space cameras, check this article and scroll to the middle of the article.
Hi, everybody! I was considering skipping this weekend so I can rest, since I did a report on CP+ 2017 last week I feel that I can wait for next week until I publish a an article that I’m currently writing. I do listen to my readers and friends, there was a considerable interest on this week’s subject so I decided to write this instead and publish it this weekend. You guys know how much you mean to me so I can’t object.
Introduction:
I was looking for a Nikon S2 and I found this one from Sankyo Camera. The camera was sold to me as a set with a Nikkor-H.C 5cm f/2attached to it. They gave me the best price so far and I got a camera that I always wanted but it has a few issues that has to be resolved. It was fated that this camera ended up with me because it requires a CLA.
This is the camera. It looks nice despite its age and I got it for a nice price. It has a few issues and I will tackle some of them in this short article. If you’re keen on learning more about the Nikon S2, please read this article. The Nikon S2 is tough, reliable and a fun to use, it also has Nikon’s brightest rangefinder. The handling is a bit quirky, it has separate dials for slow and fast shutter speeds and you’ll have to sync them together before you can use it at the correct speed while switching from slow to fast speeds. You’ll need to reset the film counter manually every time you load film but the advance is automatic. This was sold in the mid 1950s and it was designed a couple of years earlier so this was probably the best that Nikon had. Even with all the annoying quirks, the Nikon S2 is a big leap from it’s predecessor and is said to be the best Nikon rangefinder to use in terms of ease and simplicity.
Hello, everybody! I took a leave from work today to cover CP+ 2017 for my readers. I had to wake up early today because CP+ 2017 also coincides with the used camera bazaar by ICS in Ginza. I went there first and then quickly made my way to Yokohama for CP+ 2017. If you’ve been following me for more than a year, you will remember that I covered CP+ 2016 of last year. What’s new this year? Well, nothing much to be honest. It looks and feels the same every single year. This is Japan’s version of Photokina wherein new products are showed to the public and international brands come to Japan to sell theirs here. There are plenty of newcomers but it usually consists of the usual big boys in the Japanese camera industry.
Nikon’s booth is yellow as usual. There’s nothing new in terms of layout and I hope they’ll change that next year so that we’ll see something new next time in terms of presentation and activities. Nikon has been very conservative all this time and that attitude has allowed others to leapfrog them in many things. More
Hello, everybody! I am feeling very well now, thank you very much for the well-wishes and messages that I received! The weather is beginning to get warm as Spring is just around the corner. Spring brings plenty of seasonal things like migrating birds, hay fever, the numerous seasonal produce that I enjoy and most especially – bugs! Bugs are shy creatures and taking pictures of them can be a challenge at times. For that, you’ll need a lens that will give you enough subject-to-lens distance. For me, that is only the job of a 105mm lens macro lens (or longer).
Introduction:
Today, I’m going to introduce you to the Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Ai-S. This is a very versatile lens for portraiture, macro and just about everything. It’s an advanced lens that was way-ahead of its time when it debuted, it is still available now new for use with the scientific community wherein precise manual focusing in high magnification is important. How many lenses can boast of such longevity? Not a lot.
The Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Ai-S lens is still being produced now in 2017. That is around 34 years of continuous production since its debut in Spring of 1983. Can you imagine that? It’s older than some of my readers.
This particular lens was bought from the junk shop and you can check from the pictures how bad this thing was. The lacquer coat is worn and the only way to restore this back to its former shiny state is to strip this to metal and repaint this. I do not have the time for that so I will just leave it as-is. I was very pleased with the results of the lens so I restored this so the operation is smooth.
Hello, everybody! Today, we are going to talk about the “Curse of the Nikon F100“! Everybody who is serious into Nikon gear should know by now that the Nikon F100 and cameras that belong to the same generation tend to develop this annoying sticky rubber problem that is most commonly found on the rubber parts of the grip the back.
This Nikon F100 works perfectly fine but the sticky mess can be annoying. I am sure Nikon added the rubber coating for added grip but never saw this coming! More
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Here are some of the tools that we need! Be sure you are comfortable with using a sharp knife; a steady pair of hands is also essential. 
Nikon’s booth is yellow as usual. There’s nothing new in terms of layout and I hope they’ll change that next year so that we’ll see something new next time in terms of presentation and activities. Nikon has been very conservative all this time and that attitude has allowed others to leapfrog them in many things. 
Richard Haw's Classic Nikon Repair and Review 