[Sam_I_am]

I picked this kit up last week. One owner. Typical third party zooms, winder, and 2x converter. I have not even dusted them off, picture is just how I brought them home. Lens is MD 50/1:1.7

[LesDMess]

Fujica ST801 Version 1 & 2

Version 1

Version 2

I've kept an eye out for the raised letter version for quite awhile now and I haven't seen many. Lovely pieces!

---------- Post added 07-05-22 at 09:14 PM ----------

I picked this kit up last week. One owner. Typical third party zooms, winder, and 2x converter. I have not even dusted them off, picture is just how I brought them home. Lens is MD 50/1:1.7

A very nice kit!

[Eyewanders]

I picked this kit up last week. One owner. Typical third party zooms, winder, and 2x converter. I have not even dusted them off, picture is just how I brought them home. Lens is MD 50/1:1.7

You'll get a flat spot in that hood if you park that kit too long.

[Driline]

I picked this kit up last week. One owner. Typical third party zooms, winder, and 2x converter. I have not even dusted them off, picture is just how I brought them home. Lens is MD 50/1:1.7

Looks like a nice kit. I’ve been interested in the differences between the Minolta X-370 and X-570. My X-370 has impressed me with the 50mm 1.7 lens and the sharp photos it’s able to produce.

[spiralcity]

Nikon FG With Wider





This is the first SLR I ever purchased brand new. It has been with me for many, many years. I had to remove the rubber coating from the back film door. Other than that, this camera remains in excellent condition considering how much I put it to use.

Nikon N70

[Driline]

I just completed a 36 roll of Kodak Ektar 100 with my Canon A-1 using the Canon FD 50mm Macro 3.5 lens. So far this seems like the best SLR of the bunch. Maybe it's the lens but the photo's are all quite sharp and render well.

[spiralcity]

This is the last in my Fujica ST801 trio. This is perhaps the roughest camera (cosmetically) that I own. This Fujica displays brassing, dings and dents, but functions as it should.

[Sam_I_am]

This is the last in my Fujica ST801 trio. This is perhaps the roughest camera (cosmetically) that I own. This Fujica displays brassing, dings and dents, but functions as it should.

...if only it could talk...

[LesDMess]

I just completed a 36 roll of Kodak Ektar 100 with my Canon A-1 using the Canon FD 50mm Macro 3.5 lens. So far this seems like the best SLR of the bunch. Maybe it's the lens but the photo's are all quite sharp and render well.

The combination of Ektar 100 and that macro lens will always lead to very sharp pictures. Love the colors too so great job from capture to end result!

[TwoUptons]

I just completed a 36 roll of Kodak Ektar 100 with my Canon A-1 using the Canon FD 50mm Macro 3.5 lens. So far this seems like the best SLR of the bunch. Maybe it's the lens but the photo's are all quite sharp and render well.

The A1 was always my favorite of the Canon SLRs.
All the features I needed, none of the extra weirdness...

But it's not the camera

-Eric

[Driline]

The A1 was always my favorite of the Canon SLRs.
All the features I needed, none of the extra weirdness...

But it's not the camera

-Eric

I’ll probably sell my Canon AE-1 program then. I don’t really need 2 canons. But I would like to keep one of each other major SLR of that vintage.

[TwoUptons]

While I've had the F for a while, I didn't have any of these three lenses a week ago...



What we have here is a late Non-AI 24mm f2.8 (multicoated!) with a tiny bit of fungus in the rear element.
I was all ready to have a go cleaning it out, but it has a floating rear element and is considered a pain to work on.
I did not feel the right vibes to break it open...
I'll shoot it a bit and see how it does. I did zap the fungus with a UV light... maybe that will kill it dead...

Also, an earlier 135mm f2.8 Non-AI. This had some really ugly fungus that was on an inner surface of a rear element, but it cleaned out really well.
The front element is scuffed, probably from life in a dirty camera bag with no cap.

Finally, the Nikon 43-86 f3.5 zoom.
The first generation of this lens frequently makes lists of the worst lenses Nikon has ever made, and I've shot a little with one of those early ones. Yep. terrible. Late in the Non-Ai period they changed the optical formula to something that supposedly wasn't horrible. This is the slightly newer version of that, and it is Ai. We'll see. There's a birthday party tomorrow...I hope it's decent. It looks really good on the F with that hood...

A couple of things I'll note in general...
Old Nikon lenses are not put together the same way as old Pentax lenses. They are "poofier", with more empty space.
Many of them put all the optics in one big chunk of stuff with all the mechanism elsewhere... there's good and bad to that...
Focus feel is not anywhere near as good on these lenses as the Takumars of the same vintage.
The 135mm Nikkor f2.8 is nowhere near the build quality as my Takumar 135mm f2.5... we'll find about optics soon...
Bayonet mounts are awesome... but Nikon's metering implementation on the Nikkormats is so bad...
The F is so much better... if it had a real hot shoe, it would almost never annoy me...

-Eric

[andrewd]

I agree that focus feel on Nikkors is not in the same league as Pentax lenses. In my experience the older pre-AI Nikkors are better than AI and AIs lenses. AIs lenses are terrible for focus feel. 100% of the AIs lenses I own have had dried out helical grease that gives a very loose focus feel and requires a moderately expensive service to fix. I have not had this in lenses of any other brand.

I disagree with your criticism of Nikkormat metering. I have recently picked up an FT2 and I think the metering system is best in class of cameras from the same era. I like how the on-off switch is linked to the advance lever. I love how you can do the metering using the top plate before lifting the camera to eye, and I like how it uses modern batteries. The only criticism is that the needle movement direction in the viewfinder in unintuitive (more light moves the needle down) but some other cameras of the era also did this.

The spotty stop down metering is much slower to use and the meter needle is very slow to react. The SRT has a very inconvenient on-off switch on the base of the camera. I never use lens caps when out taking pictures so the lack of a usable power switch means my batteries are constantly draining for the whole outing.

[TwoUptons]

I agree that focus feel on Nikkors is not in the same league as Pentax lenses. In my experience the older pre-AI Nikkors are better than AI and AIs lenses. AIs lenses are terrible for focus feel. 100% of the AIs lenses I own have had dried out helical grease that gives a very loose focus feel and requires a moderately expensive service to fix. I have not had this in lenses of any other brand.

I disagree with your criticism of Nikkormat metering. I have recently picked up an FT2 and I think the metering system is best in class of cameras from the same era. I like how the on-off switch is linked to the advance lever. I love how you can do the metering using the top plate before lifting the camera to eye, and I like how it uses modern batteries. The only criticism is that the needle movement direction in the viewfinder in unintuitive (more light moves the needle down) but some other cameras of the era also did this.

The spotty stop down metering is much slower to use and the meter needle is very slow to react. The SRT has a very inconvenient on-off switch on the base of the camera. I never use lens caps when out taking pictures so the lack of a usable power switch means my batteries are constantly draining for the whole outing.

Ah, sorry. The link with the lens (are you at f5.6?) is the real pain.
I so wish they'd done it like the "grown-up" Nikons.
I do like the exterior meters though, that's fun.

-Eric

[andrewd]

Yes a little bit easier to mount a lens on the F. My F is not working unfortunately. It needs a full mechanical and meter service. One day I will try to find a clean working example with the plain prism finder.