5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

By janourda

Hallo, my name is Jano Urda and I am freelance photographer, camera trader and repairer. I can say, I do care to keep film alive, for me, for us. This time, my friend on the road was legendary Nikon F with my all time favourite Nikkor lens – the Nikkor H 28mm f3.5 , which to me, seems perfect. There is just nothing else I need in terms of picture quality, build and handling.

And yes, 28mm is my go to focal length, I shoot almost all of my work with a 28mm lens. I travel every day by train, to the university and of course I carry my cameras with me, because you never know what is going to happen. And this time, it was just right. I met a group of gipsy kids. A common here, asking for cash, food even cigarettes. I thought “hmm thats good light over there”, so I firmly grabbed my black F and set it to 1/125th and 5.6. As almost always, loaded with Kodak Trix 400 – my favourite film. And the story told itself.

I just meet them on the train. When I later did prints of these in my darkroom, I felt exactly the same as I was there in that moment. Mission accomplished.

Some links :
https://www.instagram.com/jano_urda/ – My personal work
https://www.instagram.com/35120cameras/ – Things I am doing for film community.

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About The Author

By janourda
I am jano urda, freelance photographer, camera and film lover. I run 35120cameras, in order to sell, repair and save film cameras.
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Comments

Nick on 5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

Comment posted: 18/11/2018

Great shots!

28mm is a fantastic fl when used with care to tell a story, and your use here is sublime.

More please!
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Daniel Castelli on 5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

Comment posted: 18/11/2018

Just a few thoughts:
1. Your work shows the value of ALWAYS carrying a camera while you're out & about;
2. Once again, a post showing how useful and serviceable film cameras are in this post 20th century time;
3. A nice, classic looking vignette/slice of life encounter on your way to your destination. This must have made your day!
4. Yeah! Darkroom!
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janourda replied:

Comment posted: 18/11/2018

:) thanks! I a working on few more 5 frames and reviews...they will appear soon!

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Des on 5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

Comment posted: 19/11/2018

"go to focal length", really, "go to". Why are you writing in cliches and hackneyed phrases?
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Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 19/11/2018

Eh? Go to (go-to) just denotes most commonly used or relied upon. That’s not cliche, it’s just a turn of phrase. What an odd criticism to make! https://www.dictionary.com/browse/go-to

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Jano replied:

Comment posted: 19/11/2018

I can not see any cliché here. Just enjoy 5 frames with..

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Zach Bielinski on 5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

Comment posted: 19/11/2018

I don’t know why the other guy felt the need to comment about your choice of words.

I too am a big fan of the 28mm. It comes in after 50mm as my favorite and most used focal length. Wide, but still controllable. I own the lens here, but the one I use is the f/2 version, good for when the light really starts to go or when I’m inside. You shot the focal length where I think it really shines: between 0.5-2m. The first image is my favorite, but I really enjoyed how you gave it short and to the point and showed a sequence. Tri-X is also one of my favorite films.
Keep up the good work!
I find the f/3.5 to be very sharp in the middle, but the corners never seem to really catch up, even stopped down.
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Dan replied:

Comment posted: 19/11/2018

The way it renders is lovely though, those pre-AI Nikkors just have that x-factor. My Nikkor-S 50mm 1.4 has no right to make as lovely pictures as it does, it is inferior in every technical way to later versions (except build quality) Yet I reach for it every time I need a fifty.

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Wayne on 5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

Comment posted: 19/11/2018

I have to say that this may be my favorite set (as a complete set) of photos I have seen in this "Five Frames" series on 35mmc. Very entertaining. I appreciate your selection of the 28/3.5 lens as a favorite. While Nikon is not among the brands I shoot, as I mature in my photography experience, I find I am less and less obsessed with lens speed. Thanks for taking time to compose and post.
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Blinx replied:

Comment posted: 19/11/2018

I agree Wayne, a fine set of photos by any standard. I own the last short lived AIS version of this lens, and these shots are typical of the slightly old school rendering.

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Nathanael on 5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

Comment posted: 19/11/2018

nice photos, nice moment !!
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Daniel Castelli on 5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

Comment posted: 19/11/2018

Dear Des,
I'm not sure what nationality Mr. Urda is, but I know, if I tried to translate my American English into a non-English language, it'd be full of fractured phrases. As I think about it, our [USA] beloved 'fanny pack' nomenclature has an entirely different meaning in the UK.
Why not just enjoy the photos from Mr. Urda [which I happed to like] and his story. My first camera was a used Nikon F, and it finally left my service in 1973 when it was stolen. I replaced it with a used F2. These cameras were almost indestructible. It never failed to produce, and I could count on it.
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Ernie on 5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

Comment posted: 20/11/2018

What a great tale and a great set of photos. Keep it up, 28mm fl looks great on these.
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Charles Morgan on 5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

Comment posted: 20/11/2018

Really gorgeous photos, thank you!
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Camera Review Blog No. 28 – Nikon F – Alex Luyckx | Blog on 5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

Comment posted: 17/05/2019

[…] Further Reading Don’t just take my word on the Nikon F, check out these other reviews of this classic camera. – Mike Eckman Dot Com – Nikon F Review – 35mmc – Five Frames with my dear Nikon F […]
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Camera Review Blog No. 28 – Nikon F – Alex Luyckx | Blog on 5 frames with my dear Nikon F and Nikkor 28mm f3.5 – by Jano Urda

Comment posted: 13/02/2023

[…] F, check out these other reviews of this classic camera. Mike Eckman Dot Com – Nikon F Review 35mmc – Five Frames with my dear Nikon F Aly’s Vintage Camera Ally – The Nikon F, The Camera that will outlive […]
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