Overview | |
---|---|
Type | 35 mm rangefinder camera |
Lens | |
Lens | interchangeable lens, Nikon 'S' bayonet mount |
Sensor/medium | |
Film format | 35mm |
Film size | 36mm x 24mm |
Film advance | manual |
Film rewind | manual |
Focusing | |
Focus modes | Split and superposed-image rangefinder |
Exposure/metering | |
Exposure modes | Manual (M), and Bulb (B) |
Exposure metering | no integrated meter |
Flash | |
Flash | PC Sync |
Flash synchronization | 1/60s |
Shutter | |
Shutter | mechanically timed |
Shutter speed range | 1s to 1/1000s with Bulb and 1/60s flash-sync |
Continuous shooting | 1 FPS manual wind, 3 FPS S-36 motordrive [1] |
Viewfinder | |
Viewfinder | Etched frameline viewfinder |
Viewfinder magnification | 1x |
General | |
Optional motor drives | S-36 motordrive |
Dimensions | 136mm width×81mm height×43mm depth |
Weight | 590 g [2] |
Made in | Japan |
The Nikon S3 is a professional level, interchangeable lens, 35 mm film, rangefinder camera introduced in 1958. It was manufactured by the Japanese optics company Nippon Kogaku K. K. ( Nikon Corporation since 1988). [3]
The S3 is mechanically similar to the Nikon SP except for a simplified viewfinder system. The viewfinder does not compensate for parallax error and the framelines are fixed (etched).
In 2000, Nikon introduced an updated, hand-assembled S3 model to celebrate the new millennium. It was quite a production to produce S3s again, as all the original dies were long gone. The new Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens for the new S3 is noticeably larger than original 50mm f/1.4 lenses.