Photographers/Journalists & Their Nikons/Nikkors

[chambeshi]

This late, brave photographer bequeathed an priceless legacy to future civilizations. We only hope they learn from these photographs. Although I have read about the disaster, I only learnt of the significance and origins of these photos from this posting. I will now include them in lectures to ecology / earth system science students when we cover the really ugly aspects of the Anthropocene. Thank you for posting

You're welcome and thanks for identifying the tele Nikkor.
I'm sorry but I don't understand your question - "Do you read me Fives, Nikon?"

Borrowing from procedure when using radio communication (military, emergency services etc) where 1 through 5 is a proxy for strength and/or legibility of the transmission. 5 is loud and clearly understandable; one translation "Do you read me Loud and Clear, Nikon?" My apologies for using inappropriate expressions in jest :-) Basically, their marketing and R&D departments have gone to sleep (?)....

On a different and more pertinent topic, there are too many excellent products discontinued by Nikon that would still be successful. Each of us can list their own missing favourites. Besides a lighter, portable 400 prime telephoto, the Micro-Nikkors with a proper aperture ring; the Micro-Nikkor 70-180 Zoom; close up lenses (filter mounted). I learnt yesterday from a high profile camera shop that a Used 6T (62mm) can sell for 300 pounds. I will get the Kenko set!!

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Blame EU regulations for the demise of the 3T/4T/5T/6T. Unhealthy glass. As if the photographer would eat his close-up attachments. I certainly will refrain from devouring any of my many samples of these excellent auxiliary lenses.

Neither the AF 200/4 ED nor the AF 70-180/4.5-5.6 Micro-Nikkor became very popular and only sold in modest numbers. Nikon has kept the 200/4 ED current though, so the Mothership is hardly to blame in this regard.

The 55/2.8 and 105/2.8 Micro-Nikkors are still listed by Nikon as being in production. They are manual focus and have aperture rings. The 45/2.8 and 85/2.8 tilt-shift lenses are manual focus, have aperture rings ,and are designated Micro-Nikkor.

I agree Nikon could take better care of their legacy to the benefit of photographers not enamoured by AFS and plastics technology, but as shown above, the situation is not totally hopeless. Besides, there are hundreds of thousands of these older lenses in circulation and all are easy to get hold of on a second-hand market.

[Hugh_3170]

Yes, Igor Kostine's legacy will live on.  Somehow the radiation damage to the negative that his image was printed from heightens the impact of the dreadful situation.

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Nikon's 5T and 6T do pop up on Ebay - they are not cheap there either, but quite a lot less than 300 quid.  Even the 3T and 4T can still be found on occassion. 

Canon still build their 250D (4 diopters) and their 500D (2 diopters) close up lenses in 52mm, 58mm, 72mm, and 77mm sizes.  Like the 5T and 6T, they are also a good quality product but they are not inexpensive either - as you will see if you brouse through the Ebay listings.

Are the Kenko offerings single or double element lenses?  If single, it may still be worth hunting down the Nikon or Canon offerings, which are designed and built to a higher specification than the single element offerings.

This late, brave photographer bequeathed an priceless legacy to future civilizations. .......................................
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I learnt yesterday from a high profile camera shop that a Used 6T (62mm) can sell for 300 pounds. I will get the Kenko set!!

[RonVol]

Huynh Thanh My (alias - HUYNH CONG LA)

Born: June 1, 1937, in Long An, Vietnam.
Died: October 10, 1965, near Can Tho, Vietnam.

Although he was only 5'3 and weighed just 55kg, Huynh Thanh My was one of the toughest photographers of the Vietnam War. He had a Bachelor of Arts Degree and for several years he carried heavy network-news equipment around the battlefield for CBS, until he was lured to AP in 1963 to work as a staff photographer.

In May, 1965, he was wounded by machine gun fire (see photos no. 01 & 02 below) but returned to the front lines as soon as he was released from the hospital (see photo no. 03 below). While covering a fight between the Viet Cong and SVN Rangers in the Mekong Delta later that year, Huynh Thanh My was wounded in the chest and arm. As he waited to be evacuated by helicopter, the enemy overran the makeshift aid station and killed the wounded (see image below of front-page article). Nearly the entire Saigon Press Corps marched in Huynh Thanh My's funeral procession to the Mac Dinh Chi cemetary.

Huynh left behind his 19-year-old widow and seven-month-old daughter. His younger brother, Huynh Cong Ut was hired by the AP in 1965 and covered the rest of the war, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Better known as Nick Ut, he now lives in Los Angeles.

[Tristin]

Powerful images Ron, thank you for sharing.

[atpaula]

Very touching. Thank you for sharing.

[pluton]

Canon still build their 250D (4 diopters) and their 500D (2 diopters) close up lenses in 52mm, 58mm, 72mm, and 77mm sizes.  Like the 5T and 6T, they are also a good quality product but they are not inexpensive either - as you will see if you brouse through the Ebay listings.

The Canon 250D has never been available larger than 58mm, unfortunately.

[Hugh_3170]

Keith, you are quite correct - thanks for this clarification.

The Canon 250D has never been available larger than 58mm, unfortunately.

[RonVol]

Italian photographer Ugo Mulas holding a rarely seen *NIKKOR* F and UD-Nikkor 20mm f/3.5.
Photo by Gianni Berengo Gardin.

[Chayelle]

These photos and stories are really fantastic!
And the pictures of Huynh Thanh My really show what abuse these Nikons can take...

Thank you for posting this thread!   

[Akira]

Kyoichi Sawada, a Pulitzer Prize awarded photographer, was mostly know to use Leica.  But he was also using Nikon for longer lenses.

The black Nikon F in this image appears to be attached with Nikkor Auto 135/3.5.

[Akira]

Taizo Ichinose is another famous Japanese war photographer.  He used F2 as his main body and Nikomat (Japanese domestic version of Nikkormat).

He had used F which had been shot (he survived by that time).

[RonVol]

Taizo Ichinose is another famous Japanese war photographer.  He used F2 as his main body and Nikomat (Japanese domestic version of Nikkormat).

He had used F which had been shot (he survived by that time).

Great photos Akira, thanks for sharing.

[RonVol]

Everybody's favourite scientist/journalist Carl Sagan with an F2, not sure what the Nikkor is.
From his 13-part TV series 'Cosmos - A Personal Voyage', 1980.
In this particular episode he's talking about travelling at the speed of light and how it effects time, e.g. 'time dilation'.

[Akira]

Great photos Akira, thanks for sharing.

You are welcome, Ron.  The story of Huynh Thanh My you shared is well worth reading.  Thank you for sharing and wish you a Happy New Year!

Carl Sagan might be using Ai 135/2.8?  Stopped fully down?!