Sorting out the Nikon S

 When I first acquired and used a Nikon S in the mid-1960s I really had no idea about the development of Nikon's rangefinder line.

 For instance, I was unaware at that point that the dimensions of the negatives the camera made were slightly different from the standard of the time.

 

The film strip at the top of the above image is from the Nikon S.  Below that is a strip from my Leica IIIa showing the 24 x 36 dimension of the frame which was the standard for European and U.S. 35mm cameras.  The frames from the Nikon S are spaced slightly wider and are just 34mm across. That really makes no practical difference in image acquisition, though it does make cutting the strips into manageable sizes a little easier.

I shot a test roll of Kentmere 400 to verify the functioning of the camera.  I think the resolution and contrast from the 1.4/50mm lens look good.  I'll try to do something more creative in the next round.

I don't see a lot of pictures being posted online from the Nikon S, though the Nikon rangefinders are clearly popular with collectors judging by the sale prices.  The S-model is the most accessible economically, while prices for earlier and later models as well as lenses and accessories approach the stratospheric.  I'll likely settle for just the addition of a generic lens cover.

(Jason Schneider has posted a history of early Nikon lens development on Rangefinder Forum.)