Black S2 bodies sell for a LOT more than chrome bodies (including those with a black dial). For example, later "black dial" versions sell for more than those with a chrome dial. As always, the price depends on several factors. You'll find nice S2's (including a 50mm lens) costing anywhere from $500 to $1000, or so. More than 56.000 units were made, making it the most common Nikon rangefinder ever. It has the best 50mm viewfinder of any Nikon rangefinder, and is less expensive than the later SP, S3 and S4 models. The camera is still considered a favourite among many Nikon rangefinder users (yes, there are still people using these things - myself included). Undoubtedly, the S2 was a big step forward compared to previous Nikon models. A single bottom opening key, making it easier to change film.Improved flare baffling in film chamber.1/1000 second top shutter speed (compared to 1/500 on previous models).Lever rewind (again, earlier models used a rewind knob).Lever film advance (earlier Nikon models used an awkward knob).
The S2 included many great features, like:
Earlier models used a slightly smaller 24x32mm (Nikon I) and 24x34mm (Nikon M and S) format. The S2 was the first Nikon camera to use a standard 24x36mm film format. When a local seller offered me this pretty camera with a pristine 5cm f/1.4 Nikkor lens, I just had to get it. I've always wanted one of the early Nikon rangefinders. This is the real thing: A Nikon S2 rangefinder camera from 1955!
And no - I'm not talking about Fujifilm's S2 Pro 6.17 megapixel DSLR from 2002 or Nikon's own Coolpix S2 announced in May 2005. Never thought mounting a lens was inconvenient, I prefer this mount over the screw mount.Having collected many of the early digital SLR bodies from Nikon and Kodak, I was thrilled to find a very nice and fully functional S2 in September 2005. I have never shot with a Nikon rangefinder but have held the Nikon M in my hand and it felt identical to the Contax. Using the Contax was a pleasure, focusing was accurate and easy, and the shutter worked well. I often think to buy another one, but his black Nikon F is still with me and that camera means a lot more to me. I miss the camera, it was in good working condition, though the meter was not.
I later sold it (big regret) to upgrade to a Bronica ETRS SLR system.
I found this lens to be sharp in all situations and shot some color and black and white film through it. His Contax had the eveready case and a pre-war uncoated 5cm f2 Carl Zeiss Sonnar collapsible lens. When I was in college I began to shoot with his Contax though I had been given a Nikon FE2 as a high school graduation gift. My father had a Contax IIIa rangefinder camera before he bought his black Nikon F with the FTn finder in 1969 when I was born. There must be some internal changes, also, besides the obvious mirror, etc., because the S2 had a separate slow shutter speed mechanism.Īnyone here into Nikon rangefinders and can tell me what I am missing? For now I will be satisfied with a plain prism Nikon F which appears to be a Nikon rangefinder with a different viewfinder. I don't have any idea what a good price is for such a camera, and I never consider cameras to be an investment, except in my mental health. Of course, I have no idea how high he/she would have gone, but I was at my threshold of pain. So I jumped into the bidding, and set my top bid in the low 4 hundreds, and lost to someone in the last minute by a bid $10 higher than mine.
I have never even held a Nikon rangefinder, but they intrigue me. The seller had a near perfect trusted score, and the photos showed EX++ cosmetics, and it was advertised to be in perfect working condition. Speaking of non-trusted vendors, I was looking for Nikon odds and ends on baywatch, and stumbled on an auction for a Nikon S2 with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens. I will still spring for exceptional bargains, but usually only from trusted vendors. I still look for accessories, and with my eyesight, a correcting diopter lens excites me more than a new (to me) camera body. As a result of old age and a glut of film cameras, my desire to acquire has tapered off.