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1969 Nikon Price List
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Mar 26, 2020 17:43:45   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
burkphoto wrote:
Full name was Nikon F, Photomic FTn. I own one. Yes, the difference was the viewfinder. The standard Nikon F came with just an optical pentaprism viewfinder and NO meter. The Nikon F, Photomic FTn has the center-weighted meter-equipped viewfinder.

As I recall, there were at least five viewfinders for the Nikon F.

Mine was originally the FTn with 50mm f/1.4. It sold in the USA for $443 list, but few people paid that, unless they were wealthy or uninformed. Discounts of 20% or more were common then.

$443 in 1969 equates to roughly $3,135 in 2020, according to my inflation calculator app. That's why, as a 14-year old in 1969, I bought a Nikkormat FTn with 50mm f/1.4 instead. It was $237.95 at Altman's in Chicago (which equates to roughly $1684 in 2020). I had earned it by selling prints to classmates and the yearbook staff at my school (images made with a borrowed Canon FX).

I inherited the FTn in 1972, when my step-uncle died. He had bought it in Hong Kong, a week before his death. It had half a roll of exposed Ektachrome in it.

After living with about 20 different film cameras and 10 digital cameras over the years, I have to reflect that the Nikon FTn was elegant, rugged as a tank, precise... but awkward to use, and ergonomically challenging and quirky. The Nikon F3, on the other hand, was my favorite 35mm SLR of all time. I have one of those, too. I had two of them at one time. It was all I ever needed in a 35mm film camera.
Full name was Nikon F, Photomic FTn. I own one. Ye... (show quote)


Hi Bill,

I bought a Nikon F Photomic with the 50mm f/1.4 and the 35mm f/3.5 lens as my first Nikon. I was a student at Brook's at the time. Everyone was buying the Nikon F because it was said to be so sharp and so like a fool, I traded my Leica M3 and lenses in for the Nikon. It was the biggest mistake of my life. The Leica allowed me to make 16" x 20" and larger B&W prints that were sharp while the Nikon images could not hold up to that much enlargement without loosing sharpness. The problem with some of the early Nikon F lenses were that they were in fact process lenses designed to look good on the lens charts that magazines of the time used to judge lenses for their product reviews and also because Nikon had not yet learned how to color correct lenses to the degree that Leica had. I ended up selling my Nikons and going to the Rollie's and large format cameras for a number of years after that. In any case, I switched back to Nikons about 25 ago because Nikon resolved the issues that some of those early lenses had.

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Mar 26, 2020 17:46:14   #
MoT Loc: Barrington, IL
 
In 1969 I bought a Mamyia-Sekor 1000 DTS (?) which included a Sekor 50mm f:/1.8 lens. The camera was able to switch between spot and area in camera metering. It was a gem as I could not afford a Nikon at that time but I took some wonderful pictures with it. The technology of both the cameras and lenses has changed in a way none of us could have predicted at the time. What will the future bring?

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Mar 26, 2020 17:47:47   #
littlemagic
 
JimmyDK wrote:
During my early days in the USAF my camera was a Mamiya Sekor 35mm range finder that I purchased at an AF Exchange at an air base in the upper peninsula of Michigan. In 1971 the AF sent me to Misawa AB, Japan where the BX had a fabulous assortment of cameras. I walked in one day intent on purchasing the popular Asahi Pentax Spotmatic for $125. Next to it was sitting a Nikon FTN with the 50mm f1.4 lens for $192. I still have the FTN. I went digital with the Coolpix 990 (3.3MP) in 2000. My current Nikon is the D750.
During my early days in the USAF my camera was a M... (show quote)


i was shooting mostly corporate stuff back then, mostly on Kodachrome 25 or 64. Bracketing was essential, not only for exposure but sharpness --- focus and shake.

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Mar 26, 2020 19:31:53   #
Sally A
 
Oh, the memories! In 1972 I worked as the international personnel officer at a bank. Any time one of our commercial lending officers returned from Hong Kong or Tokyo, they brought me a Nikon body or lens at lower cost than here in the US. Over a two year period I developed the perfect set up. I loved all of my collection, from my wide angle to the 80mm-200 zoom. I had two bodies a Nikon of some sort with the phonemic head, and a Nikkormat that was easy to use. My 55mm. lens 1.2 was magic for low light. I need to go look at it all again. I know all of that stuff is around someplace! And, I still miss Kodachrome :-)

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Mar 26, 2020 20:23:28   #
Paul Diamond Loc: Atlanta, GA, USA
 
In 1966, I didn't buy a Nikon - no TTL metering. So I bought a Topcon RE Super with 50mm F1.4 lens and a TTL meter on the mirror (pattern of slits in the mirror allowed light to reach the meter. Couldn't afford the USA Topcon Super D, sold by a future employer, Beseler. So my RE Super came from Switzerland. In 1968, I bought a Hassie 500C, 80mm F2.8 Zeiss lens and 120 film back for around $595. Added the 150 mm, quick focus lens handles and an extra back to take to college, RIT.

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Mar 26, 2020 23:41:22   #
Kissinger Loc: Colorado
 
As a new member, first i think we should thank all the "vets" for their service. For myself I bought a Olympus Pen FT at the PX in Thailand. I sold that went i went to Germany where I picked up the Minolta SRT 101 which i used for many years til i wore that sucka out. Thanks again for a great forum.

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Mar 27, 2020 02:59:48   #
mjmoly
 
Yes. I had two Nikon FTN’s in my quiver. And a friend bought a Nikon 300mm for me while he was in Japan. Ah, the good old days.

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Mar 27, 2020 07:57:11   #
Peteso Loc: Blacks Hills
 
This is pretty funny. Just a couple of years earlier, I worked at Central Camera in Chicago, which is still there. At this stage of my life, I couldn’t afford these prices, but was able to buy directly from Nikon at 50% of retail price. That’s how I got started in photography, with good gear, including a B&W darkroom. Thanks for sharing this.

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Mar 30, 2020 14:48:49   #
Flyerace Loc: Mt Pleasant, WI
 
I bought my Nikon FTN that year. It came with the 50mm f1.4.. I bought the camera, with a few additional lenses, in St Thomas. That was the place to go for deals.

Great camera. Wonderful thing to learn on. Put it to work for many years. I shot everything that did and didn't move. That was when I fell in love with photography. I've stayed with Nikon over the years and have 7 cameras. All of them had lots to offer and over the years, I've learned tons.

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