The current kit...

[sir pball]

Cameras, L-R: Nikkormat EL wearing a Nikkor-S 50/1.4 and Hanimex flash, Nikon D7100 wearing a Nikkor AF-S 18-300/3.5-6.3 VR and Nikon SB-800 flash, Nikon D5100 wearing a Tamron 18-270/3.5-6.3 VC.

Lenses, L-R: Zoom-Nikkor 35-200/3.5-4.5, Nikkor 35/1.8, Micro-Nikkor 55/3.5.

My favorite is actually the Nikkormat; with the 50mm lens and Tri-X 400 pushed to 1600 it's not "retro" in any way…it's an absolutely period-correct 1972 punk/street rig. Camera, lens, and film were all available before Blondie dropped their first album.

And yes I do plan on getting out and shooting, but family pictures are always fun!

[sir pball]

1. I shared this elsewhere and someone asked me where my portrait lens was...

So out of spite I have just bought a super-clean Nikkor-P Auto 105mm f/2.5 non-AI, for a whopping $189 all-in, which will work perfectly on my Nikkormat and is no different optically (it lacks the AI groove, but that's a non-issue) from the lens that shot Afghan Girl.

I'm very much looking forward to getting some Porta 400 and seeing just how beautiful people can be.

[George McGovern]

3. Real nice bodies/lenses/flashes! The 105 f/2.5 should be fun! Way to go sir pball.

I no longer shoot film and hadn't heard of Portra 400. So I looked it up.

"Portra 400 is widely regarded as one of the best all-around color negative films available, largely due to its incredible exposure latitude. It handles overexposure exceptionally well, maintaining highlight detail and smooth tonal transitions, while still offering flexibility in less-than-ideal lighting.
The film is known for its warm, natural color palette, medium contrast, and excellent skin tone reproduction. Colors are clean and balanced, making Portra 400 a great choice for portraits, weddings, travel, landscapes, and everyday photography. Its versatility is what sets it apart – it performs just as well in
bright daylight as it does in overcast or lower light situations."
https://thedarkroom.com/film/portra-400/

[sir pball]

5. It's one of the best ways to shoot portraits, period.

Last edited Sat Jun 27, 2026, 10:47 PM - Edit history (1)

It does have great latitude, I tried pushing it to 1600 a few times but when it's processed for the push it looks virtually identical so, why bother. But the skin tones are what really make it, there's literally nothing out there that makes humans, of all colors, look so gorgeous. Even well-manipulated digital can't quite match its look…there's a reason it's not just 35mm, but available in sheets from 4x5 up to the full 8x10. I can't even begin to imagine what an 8x10 contact print would look like.

ETA, TIL you can't contact print a color negative since you need to filter out the orange background…large format color negatives are meant to be scanned. That said an 8x10 sheet on a drum scanner would be around 400-600 megapixel effective resolution.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Wow, my dear sir pball! That's quite a collection.

What did you use to get this picture?

[sir pball]

6. Samsung Galaxy S23 lol

In all seriousness it's one of the best cameras I have, and not just because the best camera is the one you have on you at the time…it's sharp, the colors are gorgeous, it shoots up to 50 Mpix, the only real issue is the three fixed focal lengths.

[usonian]

4. I enjoy your post. There's always something to learn.

It's late, so I'll share some of my photographic journey later on.

It started in 1970 and had a rather quick intersection with my Coast Guard days.

Since I had a physics degree, optics came naturally to me, and I self learned optical engineering (well, everything) and worked at that for some time.

I especially like the simpler lenses made up to the 80's or so, and can copy you the design forms for all lenses of that era.

Contained in "Photographic Lenses" by Neblette.

The 55mm micro nikkor was my first slr lens. It is ultra sharp.

Quiz. Do you know what the suffix letters, as in Nikkor-P, Nikkor-H, and so on signify?,No lookup or asking Claude.

Details at 11.

[sir pball]

7. Penta and Hexa, duh. Been a Nikon geek for like 40 years :D

Ohh, I like you.

My turn…I have a later version of the 55/3.thats a P-C. What's the C for?

[usonian]

8. No lookup, I'd venture perspective control, but that's only for wide angles.

"C" doesn't mean apo, and I don't recall any lens that has no focusing helicals, like the Hasselblad 135mm (bellows only).

It's not "C" mount, because I actually have a Nikon F to C-mount (little video camera) adapter.

And that's all I can guess without cheating.

Looks like you stumped the band. I have all the old brochures but don't recall this.

But you never know. Having had a friend who worked in a camera store, I got a 500 mm f/5 "cat" that is not formally listed in my old literature.

I had a second busy day in a row today, so I may go through my living camera history museum a bit later tonight.

[sir pball]

9. "PC-Nikkor" is perspective control, but "Nikkor P - C" is...

…Penta - Coated. The earliest 55 Micros had the most basic single coating, the second generation had a more sophisticated multicoating. I have both, but sadly my P - C isn't AI so I can only use it on my Nikkormat. I have pondered seeing if I can switch the AI aperture ring from the P to the P - C but taking apart a lens seems like a REALLY bad idea for an amateur.

On a side note, I do actually have a PC-Nikkor 35mm/2,8…it's very finicky.

[usonian]

10. I never heard of penta-coating, ever.

HOWEVER, I was going to brag on my first "multi-coated" lens, the 24mm f/2.8.

I just pulled it out of the SLR bag and lo and behold, it's a NIKKOR-N•C

So, there;'s the C. I would have come up with the answer if I had only looked in the SLR bag.

As for AI, I recall that people would cut that notch for you. It's quite simple, actually.

I sent in the F2 for checkup and it was prohibitive to repair, so I picked up a used FM body for less than the repairs (all checked out) It is the last model that would accommodate non-AI lenses. You push a button and the "AI" follower pops up, out of harm's way.

Then again, the Z bodies will take every damn F lens, no harm, with the FTZ adapter. When I went mirrorless after years and years of the coolpix (which I still use) I went kind of bonkers with all the old lenses and the adapter.

I un-recommend the catadioptric lenses. The front is sealed, so you can hear wind blowing out the back as you focus. I do suspect this of having dropped some dust on the sensor. A spot of dust affects one frame of film and every frame of a digital sensor.

I resist the temptation to get new telephoto lenses. The Coolpix cameras each cost less than a new telephoto. Sure, 6X sensor and 16 megapix, Laws of optics demand the small sensor for that outrageous zoom. I picked up a used 400mm f/5.6 NIKKOR*ED (AI) and I'm looking for meds to cure its ED.

Nice results using it on the mirrorless with the FTZ adapter and one extension tube to get some butterfly photos when the yerba santa plants were providing lots of pollen for them.

It's for fun, right? (unless you do this for a living)

All those old lenses were verboten on Nikons newer than the FM, and until mirrorless showed up. I gather that they broke the AI coupling pin? Glad that I found the FM.