Nikon S3
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | 35 mm rangefinder camera |
| Lens | |
| Lens | interchangeable lens, Nikon 'S' bayonet mount |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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).
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.