C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →rangefinder-35mm
The Nikon S2 (1954-1958) was a significant refinement of the original Nikon S, addressing the earlier camera's frame-size inconsistency and extending the shutter speed range. Where the Nikon I had used a non-standard 24x32mm frame and the Nikon S had made corrections, the S2 definitively standardized on the full 24x36mm format used by Leica and the Contax system - resolving any ambiguity in the Nikon RF line. The top shutter speed increased to 1/1000s, the fastest available on any Japanese rangefinder at the time.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The first fully-resolved Nikon rangefinder: full 24x36mm frame, 1/1000s top speed, and the same mount that would carry Nikkor glass to the top of photojournalism.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm (full 24x36mm) |
| Mount | Nikon S bayonet (Contax-compatible) |
| Years | 1954-1958 |
| Shutter | 1s - 1/1000s + B, horizontal cloth curtain |
| Flash sync | ~1/50s (X sync) |
| Meter | None |
| Modes | Manual |
| Battery | None |
The S2 appeared in 1954, the same year Leica introduced the M3 - its direct rival in the premium rangefinder market. Where the M3 set a new benchmark for viewfinder brightness and the bayonet-based M mount, the S2 competed on optical quality and price. Nikon priced its system below Leica while offering lenses that many photographers rated as equal or superior.
Production continued until 1958, when the SP superseded it as Nikon's flagship. The S2 remained in use by working photojournalists well into the 1960s - a durable, reliable tool. Nippon Kogaku also offered a black-paint version of the S2 in small quantities; these are now the most collectible variants.
The S2's run overlapped with the introduction of the Nikon SP (1957) and ended as Nikon was developing the F SLR, which would launch in 1959 and redirect the company's professional product line entirely.
The S2 is the camera that cemented Nikon's standing among working photographers. By 1954-1957 the Nikon RF system - lenses and bodies together - had become the tool of choice for a significant portion of the world's photojournalists, particularly those covering Asia. The S2's combination of fast Nikkor glass, mechanical reliability, and price competitive with (not premium to) Leica drove adoption in newsrooms that could not afford multiple Leica kits.
The full-frame standardization in the S2 also made the system interoperable with darkroom equipment and film standards already calibrated to 24x36mm, removing a practical friction point of the earlier Nikon I bodies.
Nikon S bayonet mount, compatible with all Nikon S-series glass from the original S through the SP and S3. Notable Nikkor lenses of the S2 era:
Contax RF bayonet lenses (Zeiss, Jupiter) are dimensionally compatible; verify registration before relying on them for critical work.
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
View profile →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →Nikon S2
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