Nikon S3 Rangefinder Year 2000 Factory Sealed! Unopened Very Rare!
A NEW Nikon S3 Special Commemorative Edition For Year 2000, Chrome Body (c2000) S/N 206331, Lens # 202932,
Original Factory Shrink-Wrapped With "Nikon We Take The World's Greatest Pictures" Markings.
Unopened! (some camera photos were taken from the web :-))
Nikon S3 Year 2000 Millennium Model - A reproduction of the vintage rangefinder camera Nikon S3
Nikon S3 Year 2000 Millennium (Y2K) model (hereinafter referred to as S3 Replica model) is a near duplicate of the rangefinder camera Nikon S3 released in March 1958. It was produced in limited quantity to commemorate the year 2000 millennium. The S3 Y2K was made identical as possible to the original Nikon S3 except for very minor details to accommodate the present camera operating practices, including the change in the exposure indication from "20" to "24," and the film sensitivity indication calibrated in "ISO" instead of "ASA."
Nikon started their 35 mm rangefinder camera product line with Nikon I launched in 1948, which evolved into M and S later, and the rangefinder series was valued highly as a line of main cameras until the single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras became widespread. The S series was the precursor of Nikon F and was highly regarded as a classic camera, and there was a growing call for its revival from many enthusiasts.
Nikon S3 was a relatively later model in the S series, featuring a rangefinder with the world's first life-size 1:1 viewfinder for 35mm focal length lens. The Nikon S3 Y2K precisely reproduced not only the 35mm life-size viewfinder but also the focal length adjusting gear unit arranged in the upper right of the body, and the quiet and soft shutter releasing sound called “whispering shutter” which in those days was achieved by the cloth focal-plane shutter curtains.
The S3 Replica model was produced based on orders, and the orders were accepted from April 6, 2000 to June 30, 2000. It was first shipped in October 2000 and approx. 8,000 units were sold. The standard equipment Nikkor S 50 mm f/1.4 lens was a reproduction of the lens incorporated in the Olympic version, known as the all-black chrome-finish “later series” type. It was a multi-coated lens just like the currently available Nikkor lenses to ensure a higher degree of color reproducibility.
In June 2002, Nikon S3 LIMITED EDITION BLACK was introduced in a limited quantity of 2,000 by redesigning the S3 Replica model with a black chrome finish.
Product name : Nikon S3 Year 2000 Millennium Model
with Nikkor-S 50 mm f/1.4, lens cap, and lens hood
Suggested retail price : 480,000 yen (504,000 yen including tax)
Order accepting period : April 6, 2000 to June 30, 2000
Start of sales : October 2000
Major Specifications