# Medium for Large format Nikon



## konceptj (Jun 8, 2010)

I'm looking for a decent medium format nikon although i can settle for large if need be. What models?


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## Christie Photo (Jun 8, 2010)

umm....  I don't think Nikon ever made a roll film camera.

I have a Nikkor lens for my 4x5 (large format), but again...  I don't remember Nikon making any film cameras other than 35mm.


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## Mike_E (Jun 8, 2010)

Here you are, you 'll have to go to a large format but you can use a Nikon SLR/DSLR as a back...

Moveable Digital back 4x5 camera on Nikon D3 D300 D4000 - eBay (item 250553103728 end time Jun-22-10 01:03:17 PDT)


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## Christie Photo (Jun 8, 2010)

Mike_E said:


> Here you are....Moveable Digital back



Oh...  I thought we were talking film, here in the Film Discussion section.


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## Derrel (Jun 8, 2010)

konceptj said:


> I'm looking for a decent medium format nikon although i can settle for large if need be. What models?



I'd look for the Nikon Phantom-Flex, the original model, made April 1, 1950, from 1:00 PM to 2:45 PM in the world's shortest camera production run ever.
The Phantom-Flex used the no-longer available 620 rollfilm size, came with a 75mm f/2.8 Nikkor-Apparition lens standard, and the system had the option of a 50mm wide-angle Nikkor-Rumored f/3.5 wide-angle, plus a 110mm f/3.2 Nikkor-Bogus telephoto, as well as the matching 2x Nikkor-Comedica telephoto converter. There was also a flash unit, the Nikon Parody Flash, and there was an accessory back system called the Nikon Put-on.

Obviously, these are very,very,very hard to find. You could spend years on eBay and not find one of these medium format Nikon rollfilm cameras.


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## compur (Jun 8, 2010)

^ I've always wanted one of those but, sadly, I'll just have to be content 
with my 110-format view cameras.


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## Mike_E (Jun 8, 2010)

Christie Photo said:


> Mike_E said:
> 
> 
> > Here you are....Moveable Digital back
> ...






I'm pretty sure that an F5 will fit on that thing- as would an EM.

It takes a lot of searching Googleing "Nikon medium format" to get that far.


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## Christie Photo (Jun 8, 2010)

Mike_E said:


> I'm pretty sure that an F5 will fit on that thing- as would an EM.
> 
> It takes a lot of searching Googleing "Nikon medium format" to get that far.



Oh, I got that, Mike.

But that would then be digital photography, and not film photography.  There is no point of mounting a film camera on this thing when you can slide in a sheet holder without it.

Still, the "taking" camera will be whatever 4x5 camera you mount this onto.  The Nikon is simply acting as several small pieces of film that need to be stitched into one image.

-Pete


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## compur (Jun 8, 2010)

^ The F5 and EM are film cameras.

But, why anyone would want to hook them up to that
contraption ... I dunno.  Maybe to impress chicks?


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## Christie Photo (Jun 8, 2010)

compur said:


> ^ The F5 and EM are film cameras.
> 
> But, why anyone would want to hook them up to that
> contraption ... I dunno.  Maybe to impress chicks?



Ooops.  Looks like I was editing my post while you were entering yours.

Yeah...  this thing goes on the back of a film camera in place of the 4x5 film holder back.  It has no practical use with a second film camera mounted onto it.


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## Petraio Prime (Jun 8, 2010)

konceptj said:


> I'm looking for a decent medium format nikon although i can settle for large if need be. What models?



We are confused by your reference to "medium format". That's Hasselblad etc.


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## Mike_E (Jun 8, 2010)

My humor must be off today, any searching at all would have nixed the question.


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## Dwig (Jun 8, 2010)

Nikon has not made a medium or large format camera; at least not a regular production model. The did make a "sky camera" for scientific use that had a 180 degree fisheye permanently attached and used 120 roll film.

Historically, Nikon (originally Nippon Kogaku which roughly translates as Japan Optical Company) is/was a lens manufacturer. Cameras were more of a sideline; merely a vehicle to carry their lenses. Their interest in making their own bodies began when Canon began to make their own optics (c.mid to late '40s) instead of buying them from Nikon.

Over the years, Nikon has made lenses for a number of medium format cameras (Kowa, Bronica, ...) and for a number of years sold a line of superb large format lenses (I used their Nikkor-W 180 f/5.6 on my 4x5 field camera for a decade or so). There have been numerous rumors of Nikon developing a medium format camera. If they did, none ever made it into production. 

The most solid rumor, and its only a rumor as far as I know, is that they started designing a medium format SLR when Zenza (Bronica) started making their own lenses instead of buying Nikkors (familiar story...). Nikon abandoned the project, but to recover some of the cost they sold the design work (a common practice; Sony sold their "alpha" video cassette to JVC when they decided to go with a second, Beta, design and JVC polished the design and called it VHS) . It was supposedly Mamyia who acquired the designs from Nikon, and used portions in their original M645. How true? Who knows; but the M645's lens mount and meter coupling are rather Nikon-esque.


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## compur (Jun 8, 2010)

The Plaubel Makina 67 also had a lens by Nikon:


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