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Presenting the Nikon S special editions
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Today we have something a little bit special for you all. Not one, but two cameras
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The Nikon S3 2000 and the Nikon SP 2005. Both old yet new cameras, and a compelling argument that Nikon could still make film cameras if they were so inclined
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So, what are they? Well, back in the early 2000s, someone at Nikon had a simply crazy idea
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What if we remade the S rangefinder cameras? Wouldn't that be cracking
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Er, are you having a funny turn? But thankfully, somebody listened, as it was actually a very good idea
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And so, the execs signed off on a project that would end up being a massive headache for Nikon, and a showcase of their technical know-how
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Let's get started. This is the Nikon S3 2000. This camera was made for the Japanese market only, and was by order only
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Initially they planned to make 2000 cameras, but the demand was so high that they ended up making about 8000 of them
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And they were not cheap either, at around 600,000 yen, or 6,000 US dollars
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So, great, you have the orders. People want your cool retro camera
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Oh wait, you have nobody trained to make them? Damn. Yes, Nikon had not got the original dies to cast the bodies, or any engineers with the experience to assemble the cameras
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So, they had to get some of the old guys out to retirement, and help train a new generation of engineers
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The headaches didn't stop there. They had issues with bearings being too weak, and more
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But Nikon overcame these issues, and got this gorgeous camera to market
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And what a camera it is. It is faithful to the original, but only a few slight changes
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The exposure indication is changed from 20 to 24, and the film sensitivity indicator is now ISO instead of ASA
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Otherwise, this is a Nikon S3. It has all of the features we recognise, including the focusing dial, and a modern version of the classic 50mm 1.4 Nikkor lens
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Now with modern coating. It also retains the beautiful 1-to-1 finder that is bright and easy to use
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They also made 2000 of these cameras in black paint too. And there was a rumour that you could take your chrome camera to Nikon and have it painted black for a small fee
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And speaking of black paint, onto the S3's bigger brother. This is the beautiful Nikon SP-2005
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Much in the same vein as the S3 Y2K, someone at Nikon is a masochist, and decided that they should recreate one of the greatest cameras that Nikon ever made
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The SP-2005 was released in... 2005. This time around, Nikon only made, you guessed it, 2005 of these cameras, and they were offered through a lottery
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You could only buy them in Japan, though some were later exported by Nikon to overseas markets
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And this camera didn't come cheap. Its release price was an eye-watering 725,000 yen, including taxes, and the prices haven't changed much since
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But you do get an awful lot of camera for your money. As with the S3, Nikon faced some fairly significant technical challenges
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The expertise and tooling had long gone, so a new production line had to be put together
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They had to dust off some of the retirees again, no doubt. But they did it, and produced these remarkable cameras
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Again, this is a faithful reproduction of the original SP, which we covered in a previous video
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But not only was the camera a wonderful reproduction, the lens was something really special
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They released this camera with the stunning 35mm 1.8 Nikkor, this time with modern coatings
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As with the S3 Y2K, this camera comes in a lovely box with accessories
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They recreate the original looks right down to the instruction manual. Nikon officially discontinued making rangefinders back in 1964
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So when they released these cameras to great fanfare, the photography community really understood
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and it really reaffirmed their position in camera history. These two beautiful cameras are the closest you can come to owning a modern Nikon rangefinder
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and are as simple as it gets. They're going to be going well for a long time
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Now, if only somebody at Nikon could have the brainwave and say
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Hey guys, you know what would be cool? If we remade the Nikon F
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So, let's take these two out and go get some shots. Both cameras are a joy to use
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The finders are bright and clear, the lenses are sharp, and thanks to the modern coatings, produce great results
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So, pros and cons. Pros. Modern classics. Lovely optics. Simple mechanics. Total swoon appeal
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Cons. The prices can be a bit prohibitive. If you break them, there are no replacement parts. Do not lose the boxes
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You can see these and many more wonderful cameras over at JapanCameraHunter.com
