Using a Nikkorex F

Nikon made a series of Nikkorex SLR's in the early 60's as a cheaper alternative to the Nikon F for amateurs wanting to use Nikon equipment. Most had fixed lenses and leaf shutters, and did not seem to have been very popular. However the interchangeable lens Nikkorex F was in a different class. It accepted the F-mount lenses and was the first SLR to use the vertical Copal Square shutter. Although it was fully turned out as a Nikon, it was actually made by Mamiya, the same model also being sold as the Ricoh Singlex. It seems to be the direct ancestor of the later Nikkormat series and perhaps ultimately the FM and its successors.

 

Nikkorex F and Nikon F

 

It's quite a large SLR, taller than the Nikkormat, and has its controls in more conventional positions. There's no integral metering, a clip on meter was available which slots into the accessory shoe at the front. A right angle adaptor was also available to use a flashgun.

 

The struts on this early model Copal Square are to the rear and have the name of the shutter written on in nice cursive script. Later models had the struts on the front facing the lens.

 

Edited June 19, 2019 by John Seaman

Without the meter it becomes a simple mechanical camera, pleasant to use and with a fairly bright screen with a big split image focus aid, surrounded bu a clear circle then the (rather coarse) Fresnel grooves. I fitted an old 35mm F/2 Pre-AI which has been gathering dust for some time and took it along with a tatty black Nikon F to the Classic Vehicle Show. The F was noticeably smoother in use than the Nikkorex, with its rather tinny shutter sound. Unfortunately the film was out of date and the negatives very thin and grainy, so I'm only showing a few shots.

 

Harley Davidson

 

 

Prewar Triumph Dolomite with "Waterfall" radiator grille

 

 

Close up

 

 

Morris 8

Edited June 19, 2019 by John Seaman

Three more and that's it, thanks for looking - Studebaker

 

 

A Truck ...?

 

And finally - a Royal Enfield. All these pictures were from the Nikkorex F.

Great shots, John. Of course, when the Nikkormat models appeared later, they were quite successful (at least in USA markets). I remember our local newspaper had three of the Nikkormat FTN's with the 50mm f 2. Over the years the mechanics on them never failed although the exterior showed some wear. I like using my Nikkormat FT3 which can take advantage of AI lenses and still use non-AI lenses as well. And it takes a silver oxide battery too.

A nice series of images, John, despite the shortcomings of the film. A good solid camera; somewhere I have a non-functioning Ricoh Singlex that I must attend to at some stage. As Mike mentioned, the later Nikkormat FTn's were really successful and I still use mine with the excellent 50/2 lens. Probably more than any other manufacturer, there's a strong pattern of logical evolution and progression right through the Nikon line.

Beautiful cars! And nice results from your Nikkor-O pre-AI lens, my most-used Nikon lens for 30 years (tho I've become lured away by a recently acquired 35mm f/1.4 AIS, which has its own special charms).

 

The Nikkoex F is interesting as the only interchangeable-lens F-mount Mamiya-made Nikkorex, a missing link between the problematic fixed lens Nikkorex and the legendary indestructible Nikkormat. It really stands out as a sub-contracted product: the finish and design are nothing remotely like anything Nikon themselves mfd before or after. The various Nikkorex are a historical curiosity for any Nikon enthusiast: I'm often tempted by "Nikon Auto 35", the final iteration of fixed-lens Nikkorex with shutter-priority AE and 48mm f/2.0 Nikkor-H lens. The Auto 35 was housed in a unique squared-off body with no prism hump and recessed rear lever wind: sort of Leica R9 shaped, but with even flatter, more perfect concealment of the prism.

 

Nice photos and thanks for the good write-up on the camera.

 

I'm looked into buying one a few times, as it seems like one deserves a place in any Nikon F-mount collection. Fully operational ones seem rare in my limited looking, though, which of course is quite a difference from the nearly indestructible cameras that followed to fill this "slot" in the line-up(Nikkormats, FM series).

Thanks for the comments, always appreciated. I should add that the Nikkorex came from the auction site a couple of months ago. The seller said the slow speeds were faulty, but it just needed a bit of TLC to the mechanism below the baseplate. I replaced the film door seals but there doesn't seem to be a mirror bumper as such, although it's hard to see because of a metal plate in front of the mirror bumper position. It's worth noting that the screw in eyepieces on these are similar to, but not the same as the ones on Nikkormats, the threads are slightly different.

 

It worked perfectly during checking, but during actual use I lost a few frames due to the shutter somehow hanging or sticking. I tested it afterwards by putting through a scrap film a number of times with no problems. Using classic cameras is rarely straightforward.

Well, John, you've been a bad influence-I've just bought a claimed working Nikkorex F on "the auction site." I'm excited about it getting here.

For a brief report on VEB Pentacon's take on this sort of thing:

 

Pentina - resurrection and life

Nice work there! I’ve always loved the F2 but have an FT2 ready to go. The meter doesn’t work which is no surprise but otherwise it’s great. I think the Nikkormats are about bulletproof.

 

Rick H.

As a question to you, John, or anyone else who may know:

 

I received mine today. It's serial number is higher than yours(409831), although it is still marked "Copal Square" on the shutter strut.

 

I've found references to there being "several" styles of shutter speed dial. Mine is certainly different from yours-the fluting around the edges only goes about halfway down, and the shutter speeds from 1/125 down to B are white rather than orange/red.

 

With that said, the fact that 1/250 and up are green has me a bit confused. That would seem to suggest to me that 1/250 is the flash sync speed, although most references call it 1/125. The latter is consistent with other early Copal Squares I've handled, such as the Konicas and even up through the Nikkormat and FM cameras.

 

Does anyone know what the sync speed actually is?

Alright, I may have just answered my own question. I noticed that the "M" above the front sync port is green, and the "X" above the rear port is red/orange(corresponding with the color of the earlier shutter dials). That's in line with what I'm use to on the F, albeit without needing a chart to explain sync settings, where the "green" speeds can be used on M with something like a #6 bulb(FP bulb) while 1/125(or slower) and the X port can be used with electronic flash.

Ben, the manual is available on Mike Butkus's site here:

 

http://www.cameramanuals.org/nikon_pdf/nikon_nikkorex_f.pdf

 

There's a table of different flashbulbs and synch speeds on page 27. On my Nikkorex the X terminal is red, and the M terminal is green like yours, and the shutter speeds up to 1/125 are red (well, orange), whilst 1/250 and above are green. I'm sure the synch speed for electronic flash is 1/125, no doubt some long duration bulbs worked with faster speeds. There is a discussion about this in a thread about leaf shutter SLR's. The situation seems much more complex than I'd supposed.

I've used bulbs before with the F(and the nifty little "fan" reflector gun made for it) but it's also a bit of a nightmare and I need a manual and GN table every time I do it.

 

The F actually has 4 different sync settings by my count(red dot, green dot, white dot F, F X) which are changed by lifting up the collar around the shutter speed knob and turning until the setting you want is in the small window in front of it. FP bulbs like the GE #6 are probably the most versatile(any shutter speed works-just match the dot color to the color on the shutter speed dial for the speed you're using) but the guide number is also shutter speed dependent. That's also true of #5 bulbs, although you're not supposed to go faster than 1/125 with those. The #5 or any other "M" bulb(including but not limited to the comparable Sylvania P25, and small bulbs like M3s) are probably easiest if you set to "red dot" and stay at 1/60-they are fast enough that they can do a decent job of stopping action, while with a #6 you need to use fast shutter speeds.

 

Flash photography with bulbs can make you appreciate a lens like the 45mm f/2.8 GN, which lets you set a guide number on the lens barrel and it will vary the aperture with the focused distance.

I never realised what these dot settings meant.