A military staple is coming to an end
Back in the ancient days, when dinosaurs stalked the Earth, daily orders were posted on stone tablets, and the Russians acted like they wanted to conquer Europe (waitaholdit…) probably one of the most common sights around any military installation was the hordes of junior enlisted folks toting SLRs. No, not the legendary Self-Loading Rifle of Brit fame, but the Single-Lens Reflex camera. Sure, you could shoot your snaps with a 110 or later even a 35mm disposable, but a real camera was a Nikon F, or possibly a good Canon, Minolta or Pentax. Timing was everything – one pic for one push of the shutter, and since the mirror blacked out at the instant of exposure, you had to learn to time your exposures to j-u-s-t before what you wanted to capture, and wait till your film was developed to see if you really got what you wanted.
The biggest news in the camera industry this month is that Nikon is reportedly halting development of new SLR cameras, marking the end of a 63-year run. From now on, it will focus exclusively on mirrorless Z mount models like the Z6, Z50 and recently-launched Z9 flagship.
This is a seismic industry change, as Nikon has a storied history with SLRs going back to the iconic Nikon F launched in 1959. But it’s not the only company going in this direction: Canon already confirmed that the EOS-1DX Mark III will be its final flagship DSLR, and Sony moved to selling only mirrorless cameras last year.
In many ways the newer cameras are far superior to the old ones – autofocus, speed of repeat shots, no blacking out when the shutter is pressed – and I like to think that there will still be GIs roaming the streets of wherever they get stationed clicking away their memories. But here’s to the older warhorses!
Category: America, Cold War, Science and Technology
Ex-PH2 up!
In my younger days at CAX in 1997 – Pentax K-1000 at the ready.
Had a good Nikon SLR oncet upon a time – disappeared during a family reunion (probably due to some non-family in the AO) and never been able to afford another.
Still got my Cannon TX slr that I got back in 1977 or so a 50mm lens that came with it and a 100-200mm zoom. Unfortunately, the 50mm lens is broken and 35mm film is hard to come by. Not to mention that it is hard to find a place that still does wet processing.
Gifted my 1972 vintage Minolta and Yashika, with a plethora of lenses, to my Baby Girl when she was a Journalism Student at the Dawg Pound in Athens. That would of been around ’99. Bought them at the PX in Wiesbaden and was one of those hordes TAD (Traveling Around Drinking) keeping the Soviet Bear at bay in the ETO. No telling what they are worth to a collector. Probably no where near what the Rolex watch that I shoulda bought would be.
Still enjoying a Canon 5D MkIV that does everything, excellent video. It is a wee bit bulky but compared with the old Sinar C, it’ll do for awhile.
The newer rigs are pretty fancy and may actually be a little less costly, feature for feature.
Still have a few Nikons from another era, last was an F3 HP.
wow, started Out in 75 with an Argus split ring viewfinder, Bought a Yashica at the orlando NEX, Had it stolen In the BEQ at Mare island, then Bought a Hanimex and Kit with two lenses, 2x and 3x teleconverters and a Nice suit Case… jammed it up with Lava dust At Pearl Harbor… had a pentax auto 110 SLR…neet Miniature Camera,with 3 lenses. And i’ve worked My way Up through Kodak andCanon digitals from 2-16 megapixel
This Is Hale Bopp from My last roll of film. Hanimex 35 w/150mm, 2x and 3x so about 600 MM..
Name edited to protect PII.
AW1
I bought a Nikon FG with a motor drive autowinder. I photographed soldiers I reenlisted and the base photo lab made copies for them to send home to family. I was the unofficial photographer for my units. 😷
I still have my Nikon D 80 and when I took the Adult Education SLR class in Florida, the majority of people that were taking the class had Canons and us Nikon owners were outnumbered. Even the instructor had a SLR Canon and told us that Canons were easier to use that Nikons. Your opinion Ex-PH2
I have a Canon TL, AE1 and a Nikon D80…I work with the newer Nikon Z6 at work, it’s a game changer. Not surprised everyone’s moved on. The physical limitations of a mechanical shutter/mirror are gone. It has stupid high ISO and speed settings that have revolutionized photography for amateurs, enthusiasts and pros alike.