News archive 2007
(Nov)
The NHS publications
guide has been revised and supplemented.
As of October, Robert's book is nearing completion!
(June
07, from RFF) "While everyone was sleeping, the
auction for Lecia & Nikon
cameras at Christies in London triggered a major bullish tidal
wave of higher prices for Nikon Rangefinder& SLR cameras,
lenses and accessories.
Here are a few examples:
Lot
40 Nikon F1.1 50mm lens,hood caps...Price
$9,120 USD or 4560 Pounds Sterling. Lot 21 Nikon
SP Camera with 50mm F1.4 lens Mint - with box $4080
USD pr 2040 Sterling ! Macro Rangefinder
50mm lens with hood, caps Lot 39...$4560
USD or 2280 Sterling. Lot 38 Black
SP Body "only"...$9120
USD or 4560 sterling. Lot 41 Nikon
105mm F2.5 with box / not new but near mint...$1200
USD or 600
Sterling."
This
was the last camera auction, and the end of Michael Prichard's
tenure there as director
and auctioneer. He will be missed.
(April
15) New entries have been posted in the Articles
Archive. For those looking for a list of RF lens
serial number ranges on the web, a new list by NHS member
Chris
Sap is now in the Archive.
(January
18 Kui Kaffi) NHS member, Stephen Gandy from CameraQuest.com
has assumed ownership of RFF (RangeFinderForum.com) and promises
to keep
things on
track.
News archive 2006
(July
13) NHS member Ed Schwartzreich has put a comparison
of the 50mm 1.4
Millennium Nikkor and the ASP Leica Lens online at:
www.imagere.com/edsarticles/fast50shootout.htm
(www.bythom.com - June) Nikon Updates the D2x
As predicted by some, Nikon has taken a step to improve its flagship
DSLR, the D2x... The new model is the D2xs. Note
that the D2x image quality hasn't really changed.
10th
NHS convention, May 2006 in Vienna (Official
Convention web site) Photos:
1) Michio
Akiyama (Yutaka Ohtsu, Bill Kraus, Uli Koch)
2) Nico
Van Dijk's photos
3) Christopher
Sap's photos (by Thierry Ravassod)
4) Hans
Braakhuis's Nikon Catalogus (includes links)
5) Wes
Loder's photos (go
to Vienna)
6) Paul
Comon's photos
7) Uli
Koch's photos New! Uli
organized the convention together with Hans Ploegmakers
(Wes
Loder - April 7) I recently learned that Adolph Gasser, one
of the most important persons involved with the early importation
of the
Nikon to the
United States died last month. He was 94. A camera repairman,
he rejected the initial Nikons, then told the company how to
fix them for sale in North America. He designed the first [Nikon]
camera flash sync and help Hans Liholm run the first Nikon
Camera Company,
acting as technician and marketer for the Nikon and Nikkor lenses
in the 1950-1951 period. He was an important source in my research
into this period of the Nikon's history. A more detailed obit
is available at: http://www.sfgate.com
(Jan
25) A Nikon HS member has reported receiving a NIKON USA
version of the Nikon SP Limited Edition,
complete with English manual and warranty cards (he sent
the scans to the NHS webmaster). The serial number falls
within the announced 2500 units. Additional sets have been
reported on eBay and elsewhere.
(BBC
online - Jan 19) Japanese photographic equipment maker Konica
Minolta has announced plans to withdraw
from the camera business.
Konica Minolta said the market had become too competitive,
and added
it would sell its digital camera business to Japanese
electronics giant Sony. (Konica Minota has over 30 film cameras
in production)
(CNN/AP
- Jan 13) Nikon
will stop making most film cameras.
(Nikon
USA Jan 11 www.nikonusa.com)
The cuts to Nikon's manual line, first reported in the UK, seems
to be growing. Nikon USA is only listing
two bodies and one lens to continue in production, rather than
the longer list from the UK.
Reshaping
Nikon's Film Camera Assortment.
As the film camera market shrinks and the popularity
of compact digital cameras increases, demand for products that offer advanced features
and extra value is growing rapidly. Additionally, the demand
for high performance digital SLR cameras is also steadily increasing
as customers shift from film SLRs or upgrade from compact digital cameras.
With
film cameras accounting for an ever smaller percentage of Nikon's
total sales volume, the company has decided to concentrate
its vast resources toward those business categories that continue
to demonstrate the strongest growth. Consequently, as Nikon
focuses more on the digital camera business, the company must
adopt appropriate measures to ensure its continued success.
With that, the Nikon film camera lineup will be reshaped, allowing
more of Nikon's planning, engineering and manufacturing resources
to be focused on the digital products that now drive our thriving
industry. The measures that Nikon will adopt include discontinuing
production of all large format Nikkor lenses and enlarging
lenses, as well as several of our film camera bodies, manual focus Nikkor interchangeable
lenses and related accessories. Sales of these products will cease
as supplies are depleted.
Importantly,
Nikon's film camera business will continue with our flagship
model F6(TM) and with the FM10(TM), allowing
the Nikon brand to continue serving the two strongest segments of the
35mm film camera market. Both
professionals and dedicated amateurs who continue to view film
as their preferred format along with students in need of an
economical camera to learn the fundamentals
of photography will have ideal Nikon products from which to choose. Additionally,
Nikon will continue to produce the manual focus 85mm f/2.8D PC
Micro-Nikkor(R) .
(Jan
11 - Jarle Aasland) The end of an era seems to draw near.
Nikon UK www.nikon.co.uk announces
that Nikon will end production of manual focus lenses,
cameras.
Only the F6, FM10 and the
following
MF lenses
will
be made
in the
future: Nikkor 20mm f/2.8, Nikkor
24mm f/2.8, Nikkor 28mm f/2.8, Nikkor 35mm f/1.4, Nikkor
50mm f/1.2, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4, Micro-Nikkor
55mm f/2.8, Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8, PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D
(not yet reported by Nikon USA)
News
Archive 05, 04
(Dec) NikonNet
and 'Legends Behind the Lens' Honored Al Satterwhite in November.
Congardulations are in order this NHS member, many of you will remember
him from his NYC convention presentation, where he showed his personal
work.
(Nov) The
10th NHS Convention will be held in Vienna on May 21
2006. Co-host Uli Koch has set up a web page at www.nikon-f.de/html/conv.html for
convention information.
(Oct,19, Macintouch.com)
Apple also introduced Aperture, a new application to
provide "post-production" features for photographers, include
support for working with RAW images from start to finish, non-destructive
editing, versioning, a Stacks feature for grouping shots based on the
time interval between exposures, a full-screen workspace that can span
multiple displays, and extensive support for metadata tags. Other features
include a virtual loupe and virtual light table, side-by-side image
viewing at magnifications up to 800%, a complete color-managed workflow
with support for device-specific ColorSync profiles, photo adjustment
tools, project management tools, layout and authoring tools for web
pages and photo books, and more.
(July,
05) Robert Rotoloni has learned the the publication date of his new Nikon
Compendium, published by Hove Photo Books, may be substantially
delayed. He has asked members and friends to contact
his publisher.
(7/7/05)
From Klaus Harms:
Nikon Fotografie-Forum (German
language only)
"We are the largest German Nikon-forum, for asking and answering questions
about Nikon products.. analog and digital, professional and hobby photographers!..
for all who would like to meet Nikon-fans in Europe!"
(5/23/2005)
Robert Rotoloni and Stephen Gandy announce the availability of the NHS
Special Edition Voigtlander Bessa R2S Heliar S 50/3.5 Set, learn
more here.
(3/30/2005)
Stephen Gandy reports — "I was in Japan last week, one shop
in about 30 had a new black SP." Prices are likely to be high,
since these cameras were purchased through the direct retail sales lottery.
One has already appeared on eBay at 12,000 USD, no buyers.
(1/14/2005)
Nikon Japan announced
today they will be selling 2500 Nikon SP cameras with
a special all black 35mm f1.8 lens. At this time they are
not announcing sales in the US or Europe. PDF
here. Price is expected to be set at 690,000 Yen, currently
about $6700 USD.
Fall/Winter
2004
(Dec 28,
2004, from Jean-Christophe) The French language Nikon web site, Nikon
Passion, has just been upgraded to version 2. The URL has also
changed, it is now www.nikonpassion.com.
(Dec 24,
2004, from Takayuki Kawai) Mr. Takateru Koakimoto,
past president of Nippon Kogaku, passed away on 12/20/2004. He was 91
years old. There will be a memorial service at Tokyo Kaikan in Marunouchi,
Tokyo on Wednesday, February 9, 2005. He was one of the Nikon senior
executives who generously participated in and supported the NHS Tokyo Convention
in 1996. We will all miss him.
(Nov
9, 2004) The rumors persist that there will be a new SP in January
of 2005. While unconfirmed by any of my sources, the rumor
has not gone away, leaving many Nikon users convinced there is some
truth there. What a "new" SP will be remains unclear, will
it be a new camera, or a re-release like the S3? Another rebadged Cosina?
(Oct) Hans
Braakhuis has revised his "Nikon
Catalogus" site on the web and includes some English pages.
He publishes the latest updates to his "Nikon Catalogus" print
version, so owners of his book can keep it up to date.
(Sept. 7,
2004-Takayuki Kawai and Hayao "nekosan" Tanabe) "There
will be a memorial service for Mr. Shigetada Fukuoka, former president
of Nippon Kogaku on 27 October. It will be held between 11:30 a.m.
and 1:00 p.m. in Rose Room, 9th floor of Tokyo Kaikan (http://www.kaikan.co.jp/)
which is located right next to the Nikon Headquarters building
in Marunouchi, Tokyo. He was 86 when he passed away due to heart failure
on 7 September. As you know he is the man who decided to promote the
motor drive for Nikon S2, among his other achievements."
(Sept.
2004, Hove Photo Books, West Sussex) "We will have a NIKON
title available for the spring of 2005. This will be a very
extensive, extremely well-illustrated book which will be of considerable
interest to the Nikon collector and enthusiast. We will say no
more at this stage, until the book is nearly ready to go to the printer. We
are planning to have a dummy book with cover and possibly a chapter
included to show at Photokina, just to whet the appetite!!"
Several
NHS members report that the Nikon Rangefinder Compendium by Robert
Rotoloni and Tony Hurst is now being shown
at Photokina.
Jean-Christophe
Dichant has started up a new French site dedicated to Nikon for French
speakers. He tells me it is now growing quite fast, with an
active forum and up to 150 visitors a day. http://nikonpassion.free.fr/
Spring/Summer
2004
(MELVILLE,
N.Y., Sept. 16, 2004) Nikon today announced two new flagship SLR cameras
that reflect Nikon's commitment to offer professional photographers
tools of the highest caliber. The new Nikon D2X™ 12.4 megapixel
professional digital SLR camera and the Nikon F6™ 35mm film SLR
camera embody Nikon's hallmark quality, design, uncompromising construction
and radical new features that promise to inspire photographers to push
the limits of their creativity. (OK, do they talk like that at home? "Dear
your hallmark professional dinner has inspired me to pursue our life
together more diligently.")
Michelangelo
Antonioni's 1966 film, Blow-Up, was released
on DVD in February of 2004, but is just now widely available. Staring
Vanessa Redgrave and David Hemmings, it features the Nikon F in
a way that made thousands of budding photographers lust for one. (click
on image for studio still)
(05/08/2004)
PARIS — Legendary French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson,
has died at age 95. No one else has ever come close. He defined 35mm
photography for many of us.
Truman Capote - Paris
(5/19/04)
from Mike Simons... "a colorful and always entertaining photography
writer. Simon Nathan passed away on May 19th.
(5/15/04) Nikon
One created in Photoshop on eBay. Don't miss this if you trade
on eBay! Revised, back for "sale" a third time!
(4/19/04
moved from top of homepage) Photographs
from the NHS convention by Michio Akiyama Matsuya
sale, and the Nikon show at the JCII Museum.
(4/05/04)
Hans Braakhuis has compiled an extensive list of books related to the
Nikon camera, now posted on the NHS publications
page.
