I am a cameraholic

[james_kennedy9]

<p>Yes I am, and I have more cameras that I have never used than those that I have actually burned a roll of film with.</p>

<p>When chided by friends about having a zillion cameras that I haven't used, I always respond that I know a lot of stamp collectors that have not written a letter in years.</p>

<p>Part of my psychosis come from my father, who came to the US in 1912 as a 12 year old from Scotland. He started in the WV coal mines and I can truthfully say, that when he let go of a firmly clutched nickel, the Indian was kissing the Buffalo's ass. </p>

<p><br />But as Jackie Kennedy realized when married to Aristotle Onassis, old age is creeping up on me, I have only a few niches I would love to fill. One is the very un-classic Nikon F6, which will go down as the culmination of the film era. </p>

<p>The other is the Nikon rangefinders of the 50s. They have always been outside of my range of reasonable prices, but I pose the following question to those of you who have actually used a Nikon RF.</p>

<p>Isn't a Nikon F with a plain prism the equivalent of a Nikon RF with a different view finder?</p>

<p>Any other big differences? </p>

<p> </p>

[chuck_foreman1]

<p>Reasonable question! Or conclusion! I also have never had the pleasure of using a Nikon RF.. also outside my pain level of price. Your comparison is how I see it too. I mean really one of the first system SLRs was the Exakta with a waistlevel/prism finder.<br>

The Leicas and Contaxs of the day used focal plane shutters and later or initially a rangefinder focusing INSTEAD OF a<br>

GG focusing system. I think they (Nikon) married the bayonet beauty of the Contax with the shutter simplicity of the Leica.<br>

Later they started considering the prism as an, as you said "different view finder" So were the early Nikon Fs !</p>

 

[david_carroll4]

<p>Take a look at Nico van Dijk's Nikon site (excellent) specifically here (http://www.nicovandijk.net/nikonf.htm) to see how similar the F and the previous rangefinders were. The F really does look just like a rangefinder with a prism grafted on.</p>

[paul_wheatland]

<p>My Mikon F, all original from 1959, early serial number compared to my Nikon S-2 from 1958. These cameras I purchased within the past two years from two independent camera stores in New England who sadly were closing their doors forever. These cameras back in the '50's and 60's were out of my price league and now that I'm almost 70, I am able to scout around and buy these wonderful cameras at far less than collector prices (but not at thrift shop prices, though).</p><div></div>

[carbon_dragon]

<p>The Nikon F6 is only the pinnacle of one vision of film photography, not the only one. I might put the Contax RTS III in that place instead. Not as a sports camera, but a camera designed for ultimate image quality both with it's lenses and it's gimmicky vacuum pressure plate. Or perhaps we might list the Leica M6 or M7 as another "pinnacle".</p>

<p>I'm betting people could come up with lots of other candidates too. Just as today there is not one "greatest" digital camera because each one has different advantages.</p>

[Brad Cloven]

<p>I hope to never acquire anything more modern than my Nikon F3HP. Technology makes my skin crawl. On rare occassions, I do like autoexposure. Otherwise, leave me the heck alone!</p>

[allancobb]

<p>It's a compulsion, it really is! Lately, I've been amassing what seems to be a truckload of M42 screw-mounts, beginning with my re-acquaintance with the beloved Yashica TL-Electro followed by a bunch of Honeywell Pentaxes ranging from the Heiland H2 to the Spotmatic. If there's a twelve-step program, I could care less... I'm having too much fun!</p>

[james_kennedy9]

<p>Thank you all for your comments. I envy you, Paul, for your good fortune, and David Carroll, thanks for that link (a keeper), and Chuck, you always have something good to add. To the others, I was considering the F6 as the culmination of Nikon pro SLRs. I have a Nikon F3HP, and this camera may have the most beautiful finish of all Nikons.<br>

I really admire the effort of the Nikon company to maintain compatibility of the F mount lenses, and I enjoy using my older MF lenses on my D300.<br>

In this era, when top notch, expensive DSLRs seem to have a half-life of 18 months, I really respect those products from genius that seem to be eternal.<br>

Another example is the Auto-5 shotgun designed by John Browning of Morgan UT. John Browning seems to have designed just about every gun you can think of.<br>

The Auto-5 was in production from 1903 to 1998. <br>

And I will consider my Nikon F's to be the SLR version of the famous RFs of the early 50s.</p>

[john_dey]

<p>Hmm, Your list of the pinnacle of film cameras is interesting. Its more like the "last" of the film cameras. After reading that film camera sales only represent 5% of Leica sales it made me want to order a custom MP even at $5K it might be a good investment as it might be one of the last great film cameras ever made. Used prices of F6's seem to be dropping just due the shear lack of interest in film cameras.</p>