# The $100 camera...



## Pixeldawg1 (Sep 7, 2020)

Picked up this bad boy for a Benjamin yesterday. It is a model S with a 135mm F3.5 lens. The shutter isn't working, but I plan to get it repaired and use the camera. Thrilled to have this.


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## Space Face (Sep 8, 2020)

What's a Benjamin?


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## petrochemist (Sep 8, 2020)

Space Face said:


> What's a Benjamin?


I'm guessing it's American slang for a $100 bill. I think I've heard it before & it ties in with the thread title.

Nice camera, you don't often see Nikon Rangefinders.


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## Derrel (Sep 8, 2020)

Benjamin Franklin has been on the US $100 bill for quite some decades now


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## Space Face (Sep 8, 2020)

petrochemist said:


> Space Face said:
> 
> 
> > What's a Benjamin?
> ...





Derrel said:


> Benjamin Franklin has been on the US $100 bill for quite some decades now



Ah, got you now.  I'm not familiar with the graphics of the US Dollar but yeah, that makes sense now.  Cheers for the clarification


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## compur (Sep 8, 2020)

Here in LA we call them bucks. As in, "Most motel rooms are about a buck a night."


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## webestang64 (Sep 8, 2020)

Don't forget "C-Note".

Nice Nikon.


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## Derrel (Sep 8, 2020)

There is an old reference to a sawbuck. I never can remember if that is a $5 bill or a $10 bill. The reference is way before my time but I think I once saw it on an episode of McHale's Navy.


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## compur (Sep 8, 2020)

A sawbuck is $10. A fin is $5. 
A $20 bill is a double sawbuck.


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## Derrel (Sep 8, 2020)

compur said:


> A sawbuck is $10. A fin is $5.
> A $20 bill is a double sawbuck.



About what era are these slang terms from? The world war II era? Or earlier than that? Or the 1950s?


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## photoflyer (Sep 8, 2020)

OMG this thread took a turn.  

Even if it doesn't work it is quite decorative.


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## nmoody (Sep 8, 2020)

It looks like it was stored nicely. Nice find


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## photoflyer (Sep 8, 2020)

Oh, and very nice photo of the camera.


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## compur (Sep 8, 2020)

Derrel said:


> compur said:
> 
> 
> > A sawbuck is $10. A fin is $5.
> ...



1930s-40s I'd say. I watch a lot of old movies and this is the lingo of that period. They also used "bits" as in 2 bits = 25 cents, 4 bits, etc.
$1 bill was an ace or a simolean, $2 bill was a deuce.
There are other ones too.


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## Derrel (Sep 8, 2020)

I believe that Stephan Gandys site www.cameraquest.com has an informational article or two about the Nikon s series rangefinder cameras


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## Pixeldawg1 (Sep 8, 2020)

Sorry I am getting to this late. Yes, a one hundred dollar bill. Here in China, Mao is on all the bills- except the 1/2 RMB note and 1/10th of an RMB note (Both of which are quite beautiful, but fairly rare, too...), so we say "50 Mao's" or "100 Mao's". Anyway, a bargain at $100, I think.


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## Pixeldawg1 (Sep 8, 2020)

petrochemist said:


> Space Face said:
> 
> 
> > What's a Benjamin?
> ...



Funny you should say that. I have been looking for one for 15 years, and a few weeks ago, a friend had a "moving sale" for his collection and had a Nikon S2 rangefinder for sale at a good price and I purchased it. Now, this S model (which is the model previous to the S2) plopped into my lap, so hunted 15 years and suddenly have two. How lucky is that? My goal is to eventually own one of every camera produced by Nikon. Most likely won't get a "1" because they are such rare beasts- only 400 ever produced and I envision some wealthy person with a big walk in safe hoarding all of the available ones... So far, I have 9 Nikons, Including an F, F2, F3, F4 both Nikkormat and Nikomat, D300 and N1AW1. A ways to go yet.


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## Pixeldawg1 (Sep 8, 2020)

Derrel said:


> I believe that Stephan Gandys site www.cameraquest.com has an informational article or two about the Nikon s series rangefinder cameras



I'll have to check that out. Thanks!


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## Derrel (Sep 8, 2020)

There were some nice new Voigtlander-branded lenses made for this camera beginning in 2005. These were the only multi-coated lenses ever made in the Nikon S-mount.

The cameraquest.com website was just about the only source to purchase these lenses from.


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## Pixeldawg1 (Sep 8, 2020)

Derrel said:


> There were some nice new Voigtlander-branded lenses made for this camera beginning in 2005. These were the only multi-coated lenses ever made in the Nikon S-mount.
> 
> The cameraquest.com website was just about the only source to purchase these lenses from.



I was actually reading about them on the page you supplied. They are being discontinued though, so I will have to buy one before they are gone. I am particularly interested in the wide(er) angle lenses. A great page to read and again, thanks Derrel!


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## Derrel (Sep 8, 2020)

The 21mm looks intriguing....I " think" they made a 25 mm lens, which I think might be quite useful . I used to like the 24 mm length quite a bit, as well as 28 mm. My last rangefinder was a Bessa R which used Leica thread Mount lenses. I had a 35, a 50, and a 75, which was a nice setup.


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## Derrel (Sep 8, 2020)

Bessa R with 35 f/ 1.7 aspherical, 50 mm f/1.5 aspherical, and 75 mm f/2.5.


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## Derrel (Sep 8, 2020)

A 135 mm lens is about as long as is practical on a rangefinder, unless you are using a reflex housing, and I am not sure that Nikon ever made one for the S series cameras. For several decades Leica made the Visoflex line of reflex housings.

An accessory bright line finder might be very nice to have when you are using the 135 mm lens. otherwise the viewfinder lines system would give you a very small area to work with.

Once you have this puppy repaired, you are in for some good times.


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## Pixeldawg1 (Sep 8, 2020)

Derrel said:


> The 21mm looks intriguing....I " think" they made a 25 mm lens, which I think might be quite useful . I used to like the 24 mm length quite a bit, as well as 28 mm. My last rangefinder was a Bessa R which used Leica thread Mount lenses. I had a 35, a 50, and a 75, which was a nice setup.



The 21mm is the one I would consider. I also have a Bessa-T that is a limited anniversary edition (only 500 made), so it would be cool to take it out shooting. I tend to gravitate to the 20mm and find the 28 too much like a 35mm lens, so like the "wider" look of a 20mm.


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## The Barbarian (Sep 9, 2020)

I'm so envious.  I'd really like one of those.


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## Pixeldawg1 (Sep 9, 2020)

The Barbarian said:


> I'm so envious.  I'd really like one of those.



Thanks! The irony is that I have looked for one for 15 years now and they have been in trashy condition, too expensive or not for sale. Then, suddenly I have two of them and paid a grand total of less than $500 for BOTH, with a 135mm and a 50mm lens on each. So, this all happened for me in the last month. Don't give up if you want one, they are out there! The one shown is an S and here is the S2...


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