Got the Nikon F Photomic Tn back from my tech and it feels like a new camera. The lens itself feels great with the restoration. I might get them all done at some point.

Bill,

Nice! Am currently waiting for the other Nikkormat FTn to arrive. Had to pawn off my F FTn for a bit, due to some changes in my photography patterns, thanks to my sister giving birth to a baby girl in early July. When she starts moving around, I'm ready, now that I have an F5, in addition to my F4, F3P, F2A, etc. I will have my F FTn back sometime later next month, though, so I won't be leaving the group anytime soon.

-J

Forgive me father, for I have sinned... Got another F2. This time, a F2 Photomic. In chrome.

Good morning, John Nikon F3HP:

It is nice to know that you are still engaged in your quest to provide Nikon cameras to the world. Also that you read messages posted by other camera addicts.

I will save a place for you in the line for the Confessional Booth, my son.

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

When they ask you how many megapixels you have in your camera, just tell them; "I use activated silver-bromide crystals for my image storage medium."

John Nikon F3HP,

Good call on the F2, all is forgiven......

Tanks, Uncle Bill.

Ralph, for now, I'm going to try to stick with accumulation NAS, instead of purge NAS... ;-) Anyway, are you planning to hit Doug before you head down to Newport for the gathering? I may be visiting him for a lens cap for my newly acquired 24f2.8 Nikkor-NC. Lens didn't come with one. Might also see if Glazer's would be willing to sell their DP-12 prism that's on their F2/T body that they've been trying to sell on eBait. I figure that since the body doesn't have its original prism anyway, that they probably won't care if I trade them a DP-11 for it. I would trade them the DP-1, but that's too far gone to swap out with a DP-12.

-J

Good morning, John;

No, I cannot make it to Doug's before departing. Too many things assigned to me to be done. By the way, he handed to me a Nikomat on Wednesday. I hate being a recognized known addict. I do need to get the top-of-pentaprism flash mount for it.

Doug did have for me a metal pin 52 mm lens cap for "The 1960's Nikon Project."

I am waiting for my lunch to be ready while doing this. Departure for Newport will be today. I am packaging things now for ease of transport. It should be interesting. I admit that I had hoped that you would be able to come also.

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

When they ask you how many megapixels you have in your camera, just tell them; "I use activated silver-bromide crystals for my image storage medium."

Ralph,

Black or chrome? I know that Doug has a bunch of chrome ones, and should have a black Nikomat shoe, if the body he handed you was #4641470, since I donated one with that body.

Anyway, have fun on the trip.

-J

Anyone have any suggestions where I can pick up a hood for my 45mm f2.8 GN auto, serial number 712xxx? I have the correct lens caps but need the hood. Am not a collector just a shooter who wants to have everything "right." Thanks.

Hey Jerry... I'll see if I can locate an HN-4 for ya... BTW: wound up being promoted to moderator status over @ Nikonians.

Just checked Pacific Rim Camera. No dice there. Might be a KEH thing, but I'll check locally tom'w and see what I find.

-J

Good morning, John;

For this one, chrome will be fine. It is a chrome body with leatherette on the pentaprism part of the top. Doug does have at least one in stock that came with this sample. An interesting camera. I may need to take it back for an adjustment; it does not seem to produce the shutter speeds expected from the position of the setting ring. They are off four positions.

The US Pacific Northwest Regional gathering was very good. Yes, do set aside the third weekend in September in 2009 for the next annual gathering.

It is a good thing that I have the F and F2 bodies, because if I had to rely on just the Nikomat body, I might not qualify for this group. The heading does not mention the Nikomat name plate.

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

Good Evening, Ralph...

Meh, shouldn't matter, because of it being a Nikomat. Most people know that a Nikomat is essentially the same as a Nikkormat.

It does sound like the mirror box isn't synched properly with the shutter. I'd have him swap the nameplate onto the Nikkormat FTn that came with it, then give you that body instead. Either that, or ask him for #4471739, which was my last chrome FTn. Late model with the plastic tip wind and self-timer levers.

Just got a black FTn in beater condition. Meter's dead, unless the top cover is removed, then it will work. Switch is shorting out against a dent in the top cover, next to the wind lever. Guess I do have to visit the Doug for a replacement top cover, or a parts body with a decent cover...

I'll plan on it... Might not stay for the whole weekend, since that's also the weekend of the St. Demetrios Greek Festival.

-J

Old Nikon school lover here as well. I have a F2 that looks like it was used to drive nails, tent stakes, etc. Also looks like someone tried to run it over with a Mack cement truck. But to me I think the old beaters have more charm then the F2 that looks like it's had 5 rolls of film run through it. I bought it about 8 years ago in that shape then got a Photomic meter in decent shape and what blew my mind is when I ran some Kodachrome through it and the slides came out more or less spot on for metering and as you know Kodachrome is not too forgiving of being under or overexposed. The other thing I like is that non-ai lenses are dirt cheap for user ones. IIRC my F2, meter, 24, 28, 35, 50, 55 micro and 85 lenses cost about $500 total and I have something that will outlast my D40 by about 25 years.

Good morning, John Nikon F3HP;

My error, coupled with my apologies.

The annual gathering for the US Pacific Northwest Regional group APUG gathering is the second (2nd) full weekend in September, not the third as mentioned in my previous posting. I still have many nice memories of this event. I also look forward to the coming gathering in Vancouver next year.

One of the other things I want to do is to call the kite shop in Newport to ask if they still have a remaining sample of last year's production of a certain kite model. It has some interesting features that were not carried over to this year's model, and would make a nice addition to the kite collection. I do admit to having an obvious obsessive-compulsive element in my personality. Anyone who has 79 kites already clearly needs another one, right? One curious point is that many of my cameras were cheaper than this intended kite purchase.

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

When they ask you how many megapixels you have in your camera, just tell them; "I use activated silver-bromide crystals for my image storage medium."

Good morning, Ralph:

Ah, ok.

With respect to the kite, go for it. I won't stop your KAS. Nor will I stop your MAS and NAS...

-J

Good morning;

In the continuing saga, the latest acquisition just came back from the local camera pusher after CLA and a minor "repair." This is a Nikomat FTn with a 50 mm f 1.4 lens.

It had a curious anomaly with the shutter speed ring; "B" was located at 1/4 second, 1 second at 1/8th second, et cetera. All better now. It is a nice camera, but I am surprised at the weight; 3 pounds in the never-ready case.

The camera tester says that the Copal Square focal plane shutter is very close. Nice.

I realize that this is a Nikomat, so it is the stepchild in the family. I hope you will not be too discriminating with me because of this. I could get one of the Nikkormat pentaprism face plates for it. Would that make it OK? Or would you still check the serial number?

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

Ralph,

It's no stepchild. If anything the Nikkormat is, since Nikon couldn't call it what it was supposed to be, outside Japan. You're one of the chosen few, to have the actual Nikomat nameplate... But, if you insist, I'll have a chrome FT2 style Nikkormat nameplate soon.

Good morning to photographers who appreciate the early Nikon SLR cameras;

The 1960's Nikon Project is nearing completion. Today a Nikon SB-7 Thyristor Flash Unit was handed to me to go on the rewind knob of the blackbody Nikon F. My goal was to assemble a collection of Nikon equipment representative of what an advanced amateur might have carried back in the late 1960's. I think that it is coming close.

So far there is the Nikon F Blackbody with Photomic FTn in a black case, 28 mm f 3.5, 35 mm f 2.8, 55 mm f 3.5 Macro with "M" ring, 58 mm f 1.4, 105 mm f 2.5, 135 mm f 3.5, and a 200 mm f 4.0; all pre-AI. All of the lenses are in the brown Nikon leather cases. There are 52 mm chrome ring filters to fit all of the lenses. There are the Number 0, 1, and 2 attachment close-up lenses in their individual brown leather cases. There is a non-automatic extension tube set in the brown leather case. And now I have the SB-7 electronic flash; not the SB-7E.

How does this sound? Is this fairly representative? Are there any other accessories or other lenses you think should be included? I have thought about including a 24 mm f 2.8, but I am not sure. I also looked for a BC-7 folding fan reflector bulb type flash gun, but I do not have anything to feed it. I also have tried to find a leather bag, Type FB-11A, FB-12, or FB-13, but that has also proven to be elusive.

What do you think?

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

Ralph,

The SB-7 is too new for the 1960's Nikon Project. Was made in the late '70s. At least, you got the rarer version of the SB-7, since most of the units you see for sale are the "E" version. Try to locate the SB-1. That will be more indicative as to what was sold by Nikon as an electronic flash when the F was for sale. Flash bulbs, contact Doug. I'm sure he still has some boxes. He also has three BC-7 flash units.

For a compartment case, check here: http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/catalog/ch39.htm

Stock # 111292 would be a perfect fit for an F kit. Either that or #108871. More period correct than the cases you're mentioning, which were sold in the '80s.

Lens-wise, I'd look for a 20f3.5 Nikkor-UD. Was introduced near the end of the '60s. Probably would be a more noticeable jump from 28mm, than the 24mm.

-J

Good Morning Ralph,

Just verified my Nikon F2A Photomic owner's manual. Manual was printed in January 1977. The three flashes it mentions are the BC-7, SB-2, and SB-5. Doesn't even mention the SB-7 or SB-7E.

-J

Ralph

The BC-7 is too much fun to miss. Let me know if you ever need some Ag-1s...

Good morning;

What a response. I had no idea what sort of ideas, suggestions, comments, recommendations, (and even corrections) and encouragement would result from describing this "retro" or "period" photography effort, "The 1960's Nikon Project." Thank you. Clearly this is not something that I could do alone. You are providing the information needed to make this not only real, but also true.

In looking at my own resources, I do indeed see that the Nikon Dealer's Handbook I have is dated in the late 1970's; mainly 1978. Yes, the SB-7 is later, but it is still a nice electronic flash unit, and it does work. Probably the correct one for that time, the SB-1, will not be easy to find. Oh, well. Even trying to find a replacement Honeywell Strobonar 600 (or the later 660) and the 510 volt battery pack that I had then is not easy. I do recall taking some very long range flash photographs with that flash on TX-400 film at f 1.4.

John had suggested a source for the Nikon SB-7 bulb type flash gun, but when the shop owner was approached, he said that he did not think that anyone would want "that kind of thing," so all three of them were thrown away. This is the kind of thing that makes working with older equipment a trial at times, and it also gives the emotions a bit of a roller coaster ride.

For the folding flash gun that I had (another of the casualties of the death of a marriage), I had obtained a little two inch parabolic reflector plug-in bayonet base AG-1 bulb adapter to go into the flash gun socket. That reflector was stripped of its silver paint, polished, copper plated, nickel plated, base chrome plated, and then finally lustrous chrome plated. This produced an optical system that gave me every bit of light available from the AG-1 and AG-1B flash bulbs. It worked quite well. I was proud of the optical qualities of that adapter.

If another Nikon BC-7 Flash Gun becomes available, I will remember the kind offer of something to feed it.

Again, for the suggestions and encouragement, I thank you.

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

Ralph, the third one that he chucked was one I got off eBait. Just keep searching for Nikon BC-7.

-J

You can't go wrong with an Honeywell Tilt-a-mite, or any of the similar beasts. But the BC-7 IS undeniable cool.

Geez, sure seems like everyone got quiet. Currently have three 'mats. Two FT2's and one black FTn, in addition to the F FTn, which should be coming home soon.