| | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Maker | Nikon |
| Type | 35 mm rangefinder camera |
| Lens | |
| Lens mount | Nikon 'S' bayonet mount |
| Lens | interchangeable lens |
| Sensor/medium | |
| Film format | 35mm |
| Film size | 36mm x 24mm |
| Film advance | manual |
| Film rewind | manual |
| Focusing | |
| Focus modes | Split and superposed-image rangefinder |
| Exposure/metering | |
| Exposure modes | Manual (M), and Bulb (B) |
| Exposure metering | no integrated meter |
| Flash | |
| Flash | PC Sync |
| Flash synchronization | 1/60s |
| Shutter | |
| Shutter | mechanically timed |
| Shutter speed range | 1s to 1/1000s with Bulb and 1/60s flash-sync |
| Continuous shooting | 1 FPS manual wind, 3 FPS S-36 motordrive [1] |
| Viewfinder | |
| Viewfinder | Etched frameline viewfinder |
| Viewfinder magnification | 1x |
| General | |
| Optional motor drives | S-36 motordrive |
| Dimensions | 136mm width×81mm height×43mm depth |
| Weight | 590 g (21 oz) [2] |
| Made in | Japan |
The Nikon S3 is a professional level, interchangeable lens, 35 mm film, rangefinder camera introduced in 1958. It was manufactured by the Japanese optics company Nippon Kogaku K. K. (Nikon Corporation since 1988). [3]
The S3 is mechanically similar to the Nikon SP except for a simplified viewfinder system. The viewfinder does not compensate for parallax error and the framelines are fixed (etched).
In 2000, Nikon introduced an updated, hand-assembled S3 model to celebrate the new millennium. It was quite a production to produce S3s again, as all the original dies were long gone. The new Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens for the new S3 is noticeably larger than original 50mm f/1.4 lenses.