Nikon SLR

Minolta XM vs Nikon F2

Minolta XM Compared to the Nikon F2 – Between Myth and Market – By Alex Peter

By / February 13, 2023 / SLRs / 8 Comments

In 1973, the year of the Minolta XM’s launch, Minolta had been serving the consumer market very successfully for several years with the SR-T . There, it was a hard-to-beat queen. In total, about 3.6 million cameras of the SR-T series were sold. The SR-T was a cash cow for Minolta. Despite different versions and further developments, it was basically always the same camera. virtues of extreme robustness, high reliability and simple operation, were important to millions of photographers. No matter what the condition, an SR-T can almost always be triggered, and reliably. It and the outstanding Rokkor lenses were the basis for the success of the Minolta brand, which lasted for a good three decades. Why did Minolta dare to take the risk of entering the pro camp with the XM in 1973?

Nikon FM2 Camera Review – Joy in Simplicity – By Ted Ayre

By / December 28, 2022 / SLRs / 34 Comments

Like many millennials I grew up in the 90’s with family point-and-shoots, quickly watching them disappear for digital compacts in the 00’s, and then those being ditched for the latest iPhone onwards. Like many of you I also preferred to be behind the camera, it gave me a sense of social purpose when I was feeling anxious to fit in at parties or events. For a while I was interested in photography along with my music obsession, but both fizzled out as I took on adult responsibilities. However, recently I’ve been more interested in connecting with hobbies again, and discovering ‘a sense of self’ that I felt I had lost.

F801 body

Nikon F801 (N8008) Review – A Numbers Game – By Tony Warren

By / December 27, 2022 / SLRs / 19 Comments

I sold my last film SLR in the late 1990s before my flirtation with digital, which quite quickly lost its appeal and I drifted back to film, continuing with digital mainly as a practical necessity in this modern age. That last film SLR was a Nikon F601 and one of the best cameras I had used up to that time. A few years ago I found a Nikon F801 in a local auction, a model reputed to have been one of the best pro quality models below the later top of the line F90/F100/F4 and so on. Now going from an F601 to an F801 may seem like a step up but is in fact a step backwards. The F601 came later in the time line and incorporated many features from the F801 plus a few improvements of its own. Nikon’s model numbering was somewhat confusing at the time, so bringing the prosumer range back in line with the, still not in date sequence, 301/401/501 numbering probably made sense from a marketing point of view.

Nikon Pronea 6i – Retired & Expired: Experimenting with APS film – By Isaac D. Pacheco

By / September 21, 2022 / SLRs / 2 Comments

For as long as I can remember, I have loved receiving packages through the mail. The mystery and surprise of unwrapping a stamp-covered parcel is truly one of life’s simple pleasures. Imagine my joy then to recently discover on my doorstep a small paper-wrapped box addressed to me from an old friend and former journalism colleague. Inside the package, I was delighted to find a lost relic of film photography’s penultimate chapter: an IX240-format camera and expired (but unused) Advanced Photo System (APS) film. The letter included with the gift explained that my friend had long since transitioned away from using film, and thought I might get a kick out of experimenting with her old Nikon Pronea 6i SLR since I still use NIKKOR F-mount lenses.

Nikon F2AS

Nikon F2AS Review – The Camera That Filled The Void – By Chris Barrett

By / September 3, 2022 / SLRs / 12 Comments

On a sticky early morning lines of cars crawling up the small highway give way to vendors for miles on either side of the small country highway. It’s the first weekend of August and the World’s Longest Yard Sale is in full swing for its 35th year in a row. I grew up at the start of it, or for some the end. On top of Noccalula Falls it begins every year, like a three day celebration for antiques, cool finds, and that one thing you know you shouldn’t have bought, but did anyways.
I felt this way about my Black Nikon F2AS, at first. I already had a chrome F2, but never liked the look of it. I used it extensively, but the chrome never filled the void. Looks aren’t everything, sure, but why settle for less!

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