Richard Haw's Classic Nikon Repair and Review

Hello, everybody! Do you practice martial arts? If you do, then many of you dream of being a “blackbelt“. To be blackbelt, you will need to accomplish several feats as sanctioned by the organization you are part of. Being one brings prestige and a sense of expectation from other people. Your skill will also be tested by others to see if you are the real thing. Today, I will show you another “blackbelt“, and just like what the martial arts equivalent means, it’s one formidable lens with great performance and reputation. Please stay and read the whole article to know what this lens is.

Introduction:

Today, we’re going to show case the Nikkor-H•C 5cm f/2 (L39)! It’s the same lens as the Nikkor-H•C 5cm f/2 but it was made for use on cameras with the L39 (M39) lens mount. It has a 39mm thread that you can screw-in to your camera so it doesn’t come with a bayonet. The optical performance of this is identical to the Nikon S-mount version. Both were derivatives of the Sonnar, an old lens Zeiss design that offers good resistance to flare and is known to give nice, smooth bokeh. The old Sonnar design was protected under German law so Leica couldn’t make a derivative of it. When Germany lost World War 2, the patents were made void outside of Germany so other countries like Japan capitalized on this and made many Sonnar-type clones that are affordable and sometimes, even much better. It must be noted that Zeiss made some Sonnars in the L39 mount but they’re really expensive and rare so the only way a Leica shooter can source one for cheap is to purchase Russian or Japanese copies or adapt the Contax-mount ones to the mount of their choice. So, what’s unique with the Nikon version? Read on.

It’s a compact lens but it feels dense due to the brass components used. It’s also noticeably better-built compared to the other Zeiss-clones. The Nikon version is more refined, the machining looks better than the Russian ones, too. It’s a beautiful lens that will grab people’s attention.

Hello, everybody! I am still not feeling well because this is the peak of hay fever season. I will probably be sick until late Spring so please bear with me. Today, I am going to show you a very good lens. It’s very good not because it excels in one thing but it does almost everything quite decently. I almost forgot about this lens until I had to clean one for one of my coworkers and friend. I hope that you will enjoy this article.

Introduction:

The AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II was a real game-changer when it first came out. It was sold as the Nikon D300’s suggested companion lens and many people got one including pros. This was a lens that enabled people to go out and enjoy their trip and not think about bringing more than one lens. It’s still a very nice lens today and they are sold for not a lot of money used. Nikon updated it with a zoom-lock because it has zoom creep but it’s just a small problem compared to the freedom you get when shooting with this lens. You will be assured that you won’t lose a shot because you need to change your lens. I call this lens the “Super Kit-lens” because that’s what it really is. This will be a tour down memory lane and I will give you my assessment of this lens in today’s context.

This lens feels kind of big considering that it’s a DX lens but it’s still compact considering all the features that Nikon has incorporated into it. This is the first true walk-around lens for the digital camera age. More

Hello, everybody. I would like to apologies for not posting much these days and I also can not answer your questions as fast as I used to because I am suffering from hay fever. It is difficult and it affects everything I do. In fact, I was supposed to cover CP+ for you but it’s too much trouble for me to go there in this state. The medication helps but I get dizzy if I take it and I feel like I am looking-through a large aperture lens. Everything is “bokeh” in my vision and it’s not fun. Speaking of bokeh, I’ll show you a nice lens for that in this post and it is the type of bokeh that will make you happy. Stay with me and listen.

Introduction:

Today, we will talk about a lens that was considered by many people to be one of Nikon’s original “bokeh kings” in the past. They can be had for cheap because many of them does not come with the Ai-ring upgrade and so many people poo-poo manual focus lenses in favor of the newer autofocus or VR equipped lenses. I will show you why this lens is worth hunting and how it can be of great use to you creatively when you know how to use this lens.

The New-Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 is considered to be a classic. It is a good upgrade to the lens it replaced (Nikkor-H 85mm f/1.8 Auto). It has a new barrel to be consistent with the New-Nikkor theme which also improves handling. Nikon made a masterpiece when they designed this lens and it was a difficult act to follow. In fact, it kept its place in many photographers’ bag even if it was replaced by the Nikkor 85mm f/2 Ai and the Nikkor 85mm f/2 Ai-S that came after it. Many consider that the slight drop in lens speed is a downgrade and despite the fact that the newer ones are smaller, many people still love this one a lot because of how well it performs and the unique look of the photos taken with this lens.

Hello, everybody! Join me on my trip to the 40th Used Camera Bazaar organized by I.C.S. (Import Camera Society). They have been holding these camera bazaars for a couple of years now and they have been very successful each time. I eagerly go to these bazaars to check for anything interesting to buy and my savings is always left with a big dent! The bazaar is a nice place to see the people that I always come in contact with on my camera and junk raids so I also use it as a means to catch up and say hello to the people and shop keepers that help make my camera adventure fun. Please read along an enjoy!

There are plenty of people this time around. It’s held in Matsuzakaya Ginza so there were many people who attended it because the location is accessible to everybody. The venue is also pretty big when you compare it to their venue in Tokyu Shibuya. More

Hello, everybody! I’m going to begin my new job 2 days from now. I see it as a new beginning, away from the toxic work environment that I had. This is a time to make new friends and learn new skills. It’s always exciting to join a new team, I love meeting new people so this excites me a lot. Speaking of new beginnings, I’ll show you something today that signaled a new start for one of Nikon’s longest-running lens line. Read this to know what that is.

Introduction:

The Nikkor 135mm f/3.5 Ai was sold from 1977 to 1981. It replaced the older New-Nikkor 135mm f/3.5 Ai which was a popular lens but it could be better. The new lens is smaller, lighter and just as good, if not better than the older one. That’s a difficult act to follow since the New-Nikkor 135mm f/3.5 Ai is a good performer. Nikon succeeded so we now have this lens.

It’s a good-looking lens. Its practical specs and its compactness makes it nice as a travel lens. Despite being small it’s quite dense when held, you can feel how well-built it is, this will certainly survive professional use. It looks very modern for a lens made in the 1970s, too.

Hello, everybody! We are going to finish our Nicca 3S repair article and I’m going show you how to change the shutter curtain the lazy way. This is a fundamental skill that we need to tackle before we get to do this with more expensive cameras and there really is not shortcuts here but to do it first with a Leica clone. In part 1, I showed you how to fix and open up the Nicca 3S for further work inside the camera and we will get into more advanced stuff here so I hope that you will enjoy this.

The Nicca 3S is such a wonderful camera to use. I am loving mine and I am shooting with it more these days. It’s very quirky but it’s fun to use, it’s kind of like a VW Beetle. It is for that relaxing Sunday drive where you can take things slow. More

Hello, everybody! I will start my tour of Ginza for you with my favorite shop here and it’s no other than Sankyo Camera! They have been in business since 1957 and I will say that they are one of the better shops here in Tokyo. The shop is a bit far from where I live but I always make it a point that I visit them at least once a month. The staff here are lovely and I have formed a nice relationship with the people here. Check out what they have in this article that I have made about them.

 Sankyo Camera shopfront is hard to miss, they have their own building where you can see the names of camera companies shown at the facade. The building itself is old but I love coming to this shop because they have one of the best inventories here in Tokyo. What you see at the shop is just a very small fraction of that they really have. It is a real goldmine of goodies for the photography enthusiast and I have found many amazing deals here. I can say that they are the best in the Ginza area when it comes to the overall quality (and quantity) of inventory. While some shops here specialize on one brand, Sakyo Camera’s inventory is more diverse. It’s worth visiting when you’re in town. More

Hello, everybody! I hope that you enjoyed my article on the bootleg Nikon MH-25. I really don’t tolerate bootlegs because it takes away business from company that made the real ones. Clones are more acceptable because they’re not marketed as the real thing. Some of the clones are even better than the original because they have more freedom to improve on the original design while the bootlegs are just there to cheat you out of your money. It is amazing how such “culture” is being tolerated in China (mainland). Today, I am going to show you a clone of a legendary camera and while it’s not as good as the original, it is almost every bit as good and the succeeding models are in fact, better.

Introduction:

Today, we are going to tackle the Nicca 3S! The Nicca 3S was made by the Nicca Camera Co. Ltd. in the post-war years. It was based on the Leica IIIa/c model and is one of their early efforts in producing Leica clones. These clones became possible because Germany had to give up many things as war reparations and the patents for these cameras are part of it. I don’t know how it got to Japanese hands because Japan was also part of the Axis powers but rumor as it that America gave it to Japan because she has the production capability and the price was also right. Capitalism was clearly at play here and this partly explained how this happened. Now, I am sure that you are wondering why a Leica clone is here in a Nikon site. Well, these clones were the basis of much of Japan’s early 35mm cameras. The pre-war Kwanon (Canon) was also a clone so this says a lot. I can’t begin to talk about the Nikon S with mentioning these clones so it can’t be helped. Besides, Nikon began with the consumer side of things with screw-mount lenses for these clones.

I got this Nicca 3S in a junk box at Alps-do Camera for ￥5000. This is a great deal because I got it for more than 2x less than the going rate for these. Niccas tend to cost more due to their reputation here amongst Japanese camera enthusiasts. The exterior of the camera’s in OK shape but I had to deal with the gunk and crunchy rear curtain. It was just waiting for me to discover it and restore it back to working condition, it’s like “The Sword in the Stone” with me as the boy Arthur and this camera as Excalibur. More

Hello, everybody! I am currently not feeling well today because of hay fever or the cold. I hate Winter but it’s something that I need to put-up with every year. Good thing we’re using a fancy heater that I bought last week. It’s very good despite being cheap and compact. I can now warm the room and work on repairing my junk gear comfortably. Nikon made plenty of classic lenses that can be had for cheap lately and most of them are small but capable. I’ll show you one such lens today, it is really popular and is considered to be a real classic.

Introduction:

The Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S debuted in 1981 to replace the old Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Ai. The older lens is a great performer so Nikon had to surpass its performance when it’s time to update it. Nikon did that by adding CRC to it which also enabled this to focus even closer. It resulted in an excellent lens, it now has achieved a near-legendary status. It remained in-production for a really long time, Nikon only discontinued it recently in 2020. There aren’t plenty of lenses who could boast about having a 4-decade-long production run. Engineers and scientists find it an invaluable tool so there was always a need for it. Its ability to take great photos when mounted in-reverse along with having an aperture ring made it a favorite for extreme-macrophotography. Without it, you wouldn’t have the ability to use it properly with bellows.

The Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S is a compact lens. It looks deceptively simple but it’s one of Nikon’s most advanced lenses when it came out in 1981. This lens uses CRC so this can focus very close while maintain its sharpness at closer distances. This is one of the reasons it’s popular for videographers because 28mm is a handy focal length and the ability to focus really close at 0.2m is very useful. You could even shoot bugs at this distance.

Hello, everybody! I am going to introduce to you one of my favorite shops here in Tokyo and it’s no other than Fujiya Camera! We moved to this neighborhood just because I want to be able to come here often. Fujiya Camera is considered by many to be the best camera shop here in Tokyo when it comes to used equipment and service. They are only rivaled by another shop but Fujiya Camera is always ahead because their prices are cheaper. For travelers, you can avail of the 8% discount because you don’t have to pay VAT, just show your passport at the counter and they will know what to do. They also accept credit cards and installments. I was tempted to buy a Nikon D850 here because they have a 72-month 0% installment plan! Good thing I got cheap and skipped.

This is the storefront of Fujiya Camera’s main shop (本店). The ground level has cameras and gear from Fujifilm, Sony, Olympus, Canon, Pentax, Panasonic, etc. They sell both used and new gear here. They are very well-stocked so I’m sure you can find something nice. More