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#1
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Nikon EM (compact plastic early auto mode from the 80's)
Here's a cool little camera I got off craigslist for $40:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/edgehil...7622595498100/ The camera does aperture priority, meaning you turn the aperture ring & it picks a shutter speed. There is a limited exposure compensation button that adds two stops for backlit conditions. It also has M90 mode which just uses 1/90 second shutter speed if the battery is dead. It makes a little beeping sound when the shutter speed is dangerously slow. The viewfinder is huge, much bigger than the D700 it's shown beside. You do have to take your glasses off or move around to see the whole thing though. I'd like to see one beside a D5000 or whatever is smallest these days. The lens is a compact 'pancake' form of supposedly the same optics in the current 50/1.8 AF with a lesser coating and no AF. It's a Series-E considered a cheapo at the time but in fact a nearly flawless lens and darn fast. It doesn't focus very close though, about 2 feet. I gave it to a kid to use with a few rolls of whatever Kodak 400 color film from walgreens. The rewind arm is broken off so I fashioned a little metal chuck on a string for that g. This is partly a response to the comments on this image that I've received over the years: http://edgehill.net/Misc/photography/cameras/pg1pc4 That's the kid who is now in possession of the EM, holding my old broken Canon AE-1. He is very creative & clever with a camera, I'm hoping it's not too complicated and he actually learns the craft of photography with it. Just turn the aperture ring & watch the shutter speed. Split screen focus aid. -- Paul Furman www.edgehill.net www.baynatives.com all google groups messages filtered due to spam |
#2
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Nikon EM (compact plastic early auto mode from the 80's)
In article ,
Paul Furman wrote: Here's a cool little camera I got off craigslist for $40: http://www.flickr.com/photos/edgehil...7622595498100/ The camera does aperture priority, meaning you turn the aperture ring & it picks a shutter speed. There is a limited exposure compensation button that adds two stops for backlit conditions. It also has M90 mode which just uses 1/90 second shutter speed if the battery is dead. It makes a little beeping sound when the shutter speed is dangerously slow. The viewfinder is huge, much bigger than the D700 it's shown beside. You do have to take your glasses off or move around to see the whole thing though. I'd like to see one beside a D5000 or whatever is smallest these days. The lens is a compact 'pancake' form of supposedly the same optics in the current 50/1.8 AF with a lesser coating and no AF. It's a Series-E considered a cheapo at the time but in fact a nearly flawless lens and darn fast. It doesn't focus very close though, about 2 feet. I gave it to a kid to use with a few rolls of whatever Kodak 400 color film from walgreens. The rewind arm is broken off so I fashioned a little metal chuck on a string for that g. Mom never used a camera in her life until she went on a trip of a lifetime to China circa 1980. Pop and I set her up with an EM and the little flash that goes with it and we made her burn through a few rolls of film before she left. She came back with a hundred great shots. It got sold on eBay 25 years later. -- Al Dykes News is something someone wants to suppress, everything else is advertising. - Lord Northcliffe, publisher of the Daily Mail |
#3
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Nikon EM (compact plastic early auto mode from the 80's)
"Bruce" wrote in message ... On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:59:49 -0700, Paul Furman wrote: Here's a cool little camera I got off craigslist for $40: http://www.flickr.com/photos/edgehil...7622595498100/ The camera does aperture priority, meaning you turn the aperture ring & it picks a shutter speed. There is a limited exposure compensation button that adds two stops for backlit conditions. It also has M90 mode which just uses 1/90 second shutter speed if the battery is dead. It makes a little beeping sound when the shutter speed is dangerously slow. The viewfinder is huge, much bigger than the D700 it's shown beside. You do have to take your glasses off or move around to see the whole thing though. I'd like to see one beside a D5000 or whatever is smallest these days. The lens is a compact 'pancake' form of supposedly the same optics in the current 50/1.8 AF with a lesser coating and no AF. It's a Series-E considered a cheapo at the time but in fact a nearly flawless lens and darn fast. It doesn't focus very close though, about 2 feet. I gave it to a kid to use with a few rolls of whatever Kodak 400 color film from walgreens. The rewind arm is broken off so I fashioned a little metal chuck on a string for that g. This is partly a response to the comments on this image that I've received over the years: http://edgehill.net/Misc/photography/cameras/pg1pc4 That's the kid who is now in possession of the EM, holding my old broken Canon AE-1. He is very creative & clever with a camera, I'm hoping it's not too complicated and he actually learns the craft of photography with it. Just turn the aperture ring & watch the shutter speed. Split screen focus aid. The EM is a delight to use. It was supposedly aimed at women, being very small, light and simple to use. Whatever, it is a seriously good camera. It's a pity that the winder broke off, because the EM has the silkiest, smoothest film transport of any Nikon 35mm SLR. It shares the ball-bearing system from the Nikon F3. The EM only has one exposure mode, aperture priority, and there is no exposure compensation other than by adjusting the film speed dial. But it has an extremely useful backlight button on the back which increases exposure by 1.5 stops by lengthening the exposure time. The outside may be plastic but the chassis is sturdy, made from the same die cast magnesium alloy as Nikon's professional SLRs. The lens pictured is one of the last Series E 50mm f/1.8 optics. The earlier versions had an inferior coating, but the later versions had the same full multi-coating that was given to Nikkors. In fact the 50mm f/1.8 "pancake" Nikkor was optically identical - the Series E was such a good design that it was also adopted as a Nikkor. As you say, it carried over into the AF line and has been given even better multi-coating. It is one of the sharpest lenses ever made, of any brand, but it has very harsh bokeh. The Series E lenses include some real gems, and no bad performers. They were made under contract by Cosina and Kiron, and included such gems as the 75-150mm f/3.5, which (like all Series E zooms) has a constant maximum aperture and one of the very best combinations of sharpness and smooth bokeh of any zoom lens ever made. Many professional Nikon users kept one in their bag, and many of them pleaded with Nikon to make a full AIS Nikkor version. Alas, Nikon never did. The 28mm and 35mm Series E lenses were competent but unexceptional, with the 28mm going forward to become the optical design for the 28mm f/2.8 AF Nikkor. The 100mm f/2.8 is one of Nikon's best portrait lenses, almost the equal of the legendary 105mm f/2.5 Nikkor, with a strong combination of sharpness and smooth bokeh. The 70-200mm f/4 was a very good, sharp lens. Its optics were used for the 70-200mm f/4 AF Nikkor, which was later replaced by a far inferior f/4-5.6 version. The later variable aperture lens sold like hot cakes on the basis of one good review (Pop Photo?) but anyone who tested it themselves, rather than taking a magazine review on trust, found it to be a mediocre performer. Keep looking for Series E lenses. They sell for next to nothing and, with the EM body, will make a very good outfit for that kid. ;-) You sure hit a lot of "nails on the heads" with your lens info (being an inveterate lens checker, I came up with the same conclusions in my Nikkor lens evaluations list, at -- http://www.donferrario.com/ruether/slemn.html. BTW, there were a few good samples of the 35mm f2.5 around, and I found one good one of the 28mm f2.8 E and the one good early AF version of the same, but generally these were so-so at best, as you say. The E 50, 100, 135, and 75-150 were exceptionally good, and the 70-210 was very good, as you also say - and I agree with your assessment of the variable-aperture version of the last (WHY did Nikon do that???). As far as bodies, I still have a Nikon FG (based on the EM, but it looks and feels nicer, and has M-AP-SP-P exposure modes and TTL flash control. BTW, I have it and some E/AF-version lenses for sale... --DR |
#4
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Nikon EM (compact plastic early auto mode from the 80's)
"David Ruether" wrote in message ... You sure hit a lot of "nails on the heads" with your lens info (being an inveterate lens checker, I came up with the same conclusions in my Nikkor lens evaluations list, at -- http://www.donferrario.com/ruether/slemn.html. BTW, there were a few good samples of the 35mm f2.5 around, and I found one good one of the 28mm f2.8 E and the one good early AF version of the same, but generally these were so-so at best, as you say. The E 50, 100, 135, and 75-150 were exceptionally good, and the 70-210 was very good, as you also say - and I agree with your assessment of the variable-aperture version of the last (WHY did Nikon do that???). As far as bodies, I still have a Nikon FG (based on the EM, but it looks and feels nicer, and has M-AP-SP-P exposure modes and TTL flash control. BTW, I have it and some E/AF-version lenses for sale... --DR I forgot to mention the very good 36-72mm f3.5 (constant). BTW, I have (mint) FG, 28mm AF (a rare sharp one), 36-72mm, 100mm, and 70-210mm for sale (not cheap, but given their condition and their having been thoroughly tested/selected, reasonable....;-). --DR |
#5
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Nikon EM (compact plastic early auto mode from the 80's)
"Bruce" wrote in message news "David Ruether" wrote in message ... I forgot to mention the very good 36-72mm f3.5 (constant). BTW, I have (mint) FG, 28mm AF (a rare sharp one), 36-72mm, 100mm, and 70-210mm [f4 constant] for sale (not cheap, but given their condition and their having been thoroughly tested/selected, reasonable....;-). Thanks for the kind words, David. We rarely disagree on things Nikon, and I am always happy to refer to your lens evaluations for lenses I am not familiar with. For the avoidance of doubt, that's praise indeed. ;-) Thanks! ;-) It's at - http://www.donferrario.com/ruether/slemn.html (a "plug"...;-). The reason Nikon replaced the AF Nikkor 70-210mm f/4 (E Series optics) with the very inferior f/4-f/5.6 version was that Kiron withdrew from making the lenses. It was already due for a refresh from AF to AF-N, mainly to change the hard, thin focusing ring to something wider and rubberised. The contract for the new lens went to Tokina, whose staff complemented included several ex-Nikon designers and production engineers. Whether Kiron bid for the contract I do not know. The 36-72mm f/3.5 Nikon Series E was indeed a very good lens. The focal length was actually 35-70mm but the lens would have been confused with the larger, heavier and far more expensive AIS Nikkor 35-70mm f/3.5. The AIS was a superlative lens, as is its AF(-D) Nikkor 35-70mm f/2.8 successor, which is still one of my favourites, and this tended to overshadow the Series E lens, which was more than good enough for photojournalist work and would have put less stress on PJs' shoulders. ;-) The Series E lens had the virtue of being compact, light and decently sharp, but suffered from light fall-off when used wide open or stopped down to f/5.6. At f/8 the illumination was more or less even. Flare resistance was poor without a hood because the front element was not recessed, but the delightful clamp-on dedicated lens hood (the only accessory metal hood in the whole Series E range) gave excellent shading. I used one on my Nikon FA body and was pleased with the results, but I also had an AIS Nikkor 35-70mm f/3.3-4.5 whose handling I preferred on account of its two touch zoom/focusing. That was a good lens, but not quite as sharp as the Series E. Thanks for the plethora of info! The AIS 35-70 f3.3-4.5 was for me one of the easiest wide angle zooms to focus, but I found it (and others of the same range) not wide-range enough to be satisfactory. The later 28-70mm f3.5-4.5 AF was very good, small, and light (and now FS...;-), but I have since replaced it with the excellent 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 (although at that point, I stopped shooting much of anything - and I also have a mint FA body FS...). Cosina also made a so-called "AIS Nikkor" for the FE-10/FM-10 that looked much the same but it gave atrocious results. It could be identified by the f/3.5-4.8 maximum aperture. It was probably the worst optic ever to carry the Nikon brand. :-( It could not have been worse than the early version of the 43-86mm f3.5 (the later version was MUCH, MUCH better!) - the early one was a true "pop-bottle bottom"! ;-) |
#6
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Nikon EM (compact plastic early auto mode from the 80's)
"Bruce" wrote in message ... On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:55:11 -0400, "David Ruether" wrote: The later 28-70mm f3.5-4.5 AF was very good, small, and light (and now FS...;-), Indeed, a surprisingly good lens for its low price. It was designed for use with the F601 (N6006) SLR, which had a built-in flash. The compact dimensions of the lens were chosen to avoid obscuring the flash at closer focusing distances. This compromise meant that there was a little more light fall-off when the lens was used wide open, but it was otherwise quite a sparkling performer. I once compared the Nikkor 28-70mm f3.5-4.5 at f5.6 with the Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS, the Nikkor 28mm f1.4 AF, and the Nikkor 28mm f4 PC shooting trees and city-scape with the same back-lit framing, taken aimed toward a hazy-bright sky. For various reasons, I would have expected the f2.8 to have "won" for sharpness and brilliance, but the "winners" were the 28-70mm zoom and the 28mm PC(!). I was surprised... but I have since replaced it with the excellent 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 (although at that point, I stopped shooting much of anything...) That's a lens I haven't tried. The previous 24-85mm f/2.8-4 was optically something of a disappointment, but the verdict seems to be that the later f/3.5-4.5 version is very much better. It is quite remarkable, being sharp to the corners full-frame at all FLs and focus distances (DIFFICULT to get in a zoom!). In addition, it is as good as the excellent 24mm f2.8 Nikkor at the same stops, and its performance continues evenly through the rest of its range (which means that as the FLs get longer, performance falls ever more behind the ever better non-zooms in its range). Compared with the 35mm f2 AF, the 35mm is somewhat better, the 50mm f1.4 is noticeably better, and the superb 85mm f1.8 AF is quite noticeably better. BUT, none of those are zooms, and the zoom really is a very good one. Its only major flaw is rather severe linear distortion... It could not have been worse than the early version of the 43-86mm f3.5 (the later version was MUCH, MUCH better!) - the early one was a true "pop-bottle bottom"! ;-) Once again, the early 43-86mm isn't a lens I have used, although I have bench test results for one that are very poor indeed. It is often said to be the zoom lens that gave all zoom lenses a bad name. ;-) Yes. It was a very early compact zoom that was popular with photojournalists (who[m ;-] I often accused of caring little about image quality...;-), but its performance was truly disgusting. I don't remember what the first Nikkor (or other) WA zoom was that had good performance (maybe the 35-70mm f3.5? Or 28-45mm f4.5?). I just looked up the URL on my own web site that lists URLs for other sites (at http://www.donferrario.com/ruether/Nikon-URLs.htm), which includes one that lists introduction dates for the various Nikkors (at http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html). It looks like the earliest good Nikkor zoom was the 28-45mm f4.5, introduced in Sept. of 1975. It wasn't a great zoom (or very wide range or fast), but it was good, and FAR better than the earlier-version 43-86mm. --DR |
#7
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Nikon EM (compact plastic early auto mode from the 80's)
"David Ruether" wrote:
Cosina also made a so-called "AIS Nikkor" for the FE-10/FM-10 that looked much the same but it gave atrocious results. It could be identified by the f/3.5-4.8 maximum aperture. It was probably the worst optic ever to carry the Nikon brand. :-( It could not have been worse than the early version of the 43-86mm f3.5 (the later version was MUCH, MUCH better!) - the early one was a true "pop-bottle bottom"! ;-) I'd rank the 60-180mm f/4.5~5.6 IX-Nikkor in between the Cosina 35-70 and the 1st generation 43-86mm in the race to the bottom. Deciphering keiretsu agreements is well beyond my ability. Nikon has consistently denied that any AF lenses were manufactured "out of house," but the 70-210mm f/4 -E and -AF lenses are both very close cousins of the 80-200mm f/4 AI-S, and Nikon could have easily continued production in house. The decision to downsize the 70-210mm was also made with the knowledge that a new 80-200mm f/2.8 AF was "in the pipeline." So I believe the decision to downsize the 70-210mm was marketing- based rather than contractual and based on the same "AF is for amateurs" mentality that nearly doomed Nikon. -- Michael Benveniste -- (Clarification needed) It was all so different before everything changed. |
#8
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Nikon EM (compact plastic early auto mode from the 80's)
"Mike Benveniste" wrote in message ...
"Bruce" wrote in message news "David Ruether" wrote in message ... Cosina also made a so-called "AIS Nikkor" for the FE-10/FM-10 that looked much the same but it gave atrocious results. It could be identified by the f/3.5-4.8 maximum aperture. It was probably the worst optic ever to carry the Nikon brand. :-( It could not have been worse than the early version of the 43-86mm f3.5 (the later version was MUCH, MUCH better!) - the early one was a true "pop-bottle bottom"! ;-) I'd rank the 60-180mm f/4.5~5.6 IX-Nikkor in between the Cosina 35-70 and the 1st generation 43-86mm in the race to the bottom. Hmmm...8^) (I have never tried any of the Nikkor "Icks" lenses...;-) Deciphering keiretsu agreements is well beyond my ability. Nikon has consistently denied that any AF lenses were manufactured "out of house," but the 70-210mm f/4 -E and -AF lenses are both very close cousins of the 80-200mm f/4 AI-S, and Nikon could have easily continued production in house. The decision to downsize the 70-210mm was also made with the knowledge that a new 80-200mm f/2.8 AF was "in the pipeline." Yes. And look how popular the excellent Canon f4 lens in the same range now is...! Sometimes one wonders about Nikon marketing... :-( So I believe the decision to downsize the 70-210mm was marketing- based rather than contractual and based on the same "AF is for amateurs" mentality that nearly doomed Nikon. -- Michael Benveniste -- Likely true, I guess, even if at the long end the lens had a ridiculously slow maximum aperture for a relatively short tele of f5.6... --DR |
#9
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Nikon EM (compact plastic early auto mode from the 80's)
David Ruether wrote:
Bruce wrote: David Ruether wrote: The later 28-70mm f3.5-4.5 AF was very good, small, and light (and now FS...;-), Indeed, a surprisingly good lens for its low price. It was designed for use with the F601 (N6006) SLR, which had a built-in flash. The compact dimensions of the lens were chosen to avoid obscuring the flash at closer focusing distances. This compromise meant that there was a little more light fall-off when the lens was used wide open, but it was otherwise quite a sparkling performer. I once compared the Nikkor 28-70mm f3.5-4.5 at f5.6 with the Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS, the Nikkor 28mm f1.4 AF, and the Nikkor 28mm f4 PC I almost put a 28mm f/2 on the EM. shooting trees and city-scape with the same back-lit framing, taken aimed toward a hazy-bright sky. For various reasons, I would have expected the f2.8 to have "won" for sharpness and brilliance, but the "winners" were the 28-70mm zoom and the 28mm PC(!). I was surprised... but I have since replaced it with the excellent 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 (although at that point, I stopped shooting much of anything...) That's a lens I haven't tried. The previous 24-85mm f/2.8-4 was optically something of a disappointment, but the verdict seems to be that the later f/3.5-4.5 version is very much better. It is quite remarkable, being sharp to the corners full-frame at all FLs and focus distances (DIFFICULT to get in a zoom!). In addition, it is as good as the excellent 24mm f2.8 Nikkor at the same stops, and Or the 24/2.8 but little chance to experiment with DOF. its performance continues evenly through the rest of its range (which means that as the FLs get longer, performance falls ever more behind the ever better non-zooms in its range). Compared with the 35mm f2 AF, the 35mm is somewhat better, the 50mm f1.4 is noticeably better, and the superb 85mm f1.8 AF is quite noticeably better. BUT, none of those are zooms, and the zoom really is a very good one. Its only major flaw is rather severe linear distortion... It could not have been worse than the early version of the 43-86mm f3.5 (the later version was MUCH, MUCH better!) - the early one was a true "pop-bottle bottom"! ;-) Once again, the early 43-86mm isn't a lens I have used, although I have bench test results for one that are very poor indeed. It is often said to be the zoom lens that gave all zoom lenses a bad name. ;-) Yes. It was a very early compact zoom that was popular with photojournalists (who[m ;-] I often accused of caring little about image quality...;-), but its performance was truly disgusting. I don't remember what the first Nikkor (or other) WA zoom was that had good performance (maybe the 35-70mm f3.5? Or 28-45mm f4.5?). I just looked up the URL on my own web site that lists URLs for other sites (at http://www.donferrario.com/ruether/Nikon-URLs.htm), which includes one that lists introduction dates for the various Nikkors (at http://www.photosynthesis.co.nz/nikon/serialno.html). It looks like the earliest good Nikkor zoom was the 28-45mm f4.5, introduced in Sept. of 1975. It wasn't a great zoom (or very wide range or fast), but it was good, and FAR better than the earlier-version 43-86mm. --DR -- Paul Furman www.edgehill.net www.baynatives.com all google groups messages filtered due to spam |
#10
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Nikon EM (compact plastic early auto mode from the 80's)
"Paul Furman" wrote in message ... David Ruether wrote: I once compared the Nikkor 28-70mm f3.5-4.5 at f5.6 with the Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS, the Nikkor 28mm f1.4 AF, and the Nikkor 28mm f4 PC I almost put a 28mm f/2 on the EM. In other checks with these, at f5.6 (with my usual infinity target), the Nikkor 28mm f2 was a tad sharper than the f2.8 - but at f2.8, the results reversed (with multiple samples). Or the 24/2.8 but little chance to experiment with DOF. -- Paul Furman Oh, so you did not take the risky EM/FG20/FG DOF-checking move of partially unbayonetting the lens until the aperture stopped down, huh? 8^) --DR |
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