Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I am doing this for almost ten years and haven’t experienced such a mind-changing camera system before. The Nikon S Rangefinders certainly have their flaws but they are also remarkable, overlooked and underrated. We explored the entire system and break down the differences, the history and today’s usability.
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In this episode, Greg, Jules and I review the Nikon S rangefinder series. This video was sparked when one of our long-time viewers was kind enough to lend us a Nikon S3 Y2K version. Jules got so excited about the camera that he ended up getting a Nikon S4 which I had purchased for him during a trip to Tokyo and then a Nikon S2 plus fitting lenses. In the process, I was bitten by the bug as well and ended up purchasing a Nikon S2 as well and really enjoy shooting it as a long-time Leica aficionado. Last but not least, we purchased a Nikon SP to complete the set.
We decided to look at all the Nikon S rangefinders together as they are quite similar offering a life-size viewfinder, excellent build quality and mechanical operation as well as high-quality Nikkor lenses to use on it. Thanks to Voigtländer, there are even some modern lenses available for the Nikon S mount which are often overlooked. Historically, these rangefinders are closely tied to the famous Nikon F SLRs. Nikon S rangefinders are arguably underrated and often overshadowed by the much more successful Leica M rangefinders - but they also played an important historical role and had famous proponents like David Douglas Duncan back then. The Nikon S has some of its roots in the Contax which was a fierce competitor to Leica at the time. But while Nikon and Leica kept improving, Contax didn’t continue to push for innovation. So there is a lot to discuss and understand in detail here.
As always, Greg, Jules and I took the cameras out on various photo walks and I also used the Nikon S4 during a portrait session.
Cameras used:
Nikon S2
Nikon S3 Y2K Edition
Nikon S4
Nikon SP
Voigtländer Bessa R2S
Lenses used:
Voigtländer 21mm f/4 SC-Skopar
W-Nikkor C 3,5cm f/2.5
Nikkor-H 5cm f/2.0
Nikkor-S 5cm f/1.4
Voigtländer 85mm f/3.5 S APO LANTHAR
Nikkor-P C 10,5cm f/2.5
Films used:
Ilford FP4
Ilford Delta 400
Harman Phoenix 200 (I)
Fuji Velvia 50
If you enjoy our videos and like to follow us on Instagram, find us here: instagram.com/analog_insights
I am doing this for almost ten years and haven’t experienced such a mind-changing camera system before. The Nikon S Rangefinders certainly have their flaws but they are also remarkable, overlooked and underrated. We explored the entire system and break down the differences, the history and today’s usability.
--------
In this episode, Greg, Jules and I review the Nikon S rangefinder series. This video was sparked when one of our long-time viewers was kind enough to lend us a Nikon S3 Y2K version. Jules got so excited about the camera that he ended up getting a Nikon S4 which I had purchased for him during a trip to Tokyo and then a Nikon S2 plus fitting lenses. In the process, I was bitten by the bug as well and ended up purchasing a Nikon S2 as well and really enjoy shooting it as a long-time Leica aficionado. Last but not least, we purchased a Nikon SP to complete the set.
We decided to look at all the Nikon S rangefinders together as they are quite similar offering a life-size viewfinder, excellent build quality and mechanical operation as well as high-quality Nikkor lenses to use on it. Thanks to Voigtländer, there are even some modern lenses available for the Nikon S mount which are often overlooked. Historically, these rangefinders are closely tied to the famous Nikon F SLRs. Nikon S rangefinders are arguably underrated and often overshadowed by the much more successful Leica M rangefinders - but they also played an important historical role and had famous proponents like David Douglas Duncan back then. The Nikon S has some of its roots in the Contax which was a fierce competitor to Leica at the time. But while Nikon and Leica kept improving, Contax didn’t continue to push for innovation. So there is a lot to discuss and understand in detail here.
As always, Greg, Jules and I took the cameras out on various photo walks and I also used the Nikon S4 during a portrait session.
Cameras used:
Nikon S2
Nikon S3 Y2K Edition
Nikon S4
Nikon SP
Voigtländer Bessa R2S
Lenses used:
Voigtländer 21mm f/4 SC-Skopar
W-Nikkor C 3,5cm f/2.5
Nikkor-H 5cm f/2.0
Nikkor-S 5cm f/1.4
Voigtländer 85mm f/3.5 S APO LANTHAR
Nikkor-P C 10,5cm f/2.5
Films used:
Ilford FP4
Ilford Delta 400
Harman Phoenix 200 (I)
Fuji Velvia 50
If you enjoy our videos and like to follow us on Instagram, find us here: instagram.com/analog_insights
