Saturday, May 1, 2010

just got 1

Mikami introduced the Speed Magny 100 for the Nikon F in the beginning of the sixties ; the idea was to be able to produce full size instant pictures using a “small format” 35mm camera. To achieve this, the image is picked up by a relay lens placed at the film plane, sent on the 45° mirror that reflects it through a 50/2.8 Nikon enlarging lens that blows it up before sending it again on another 45° mirror and finally on the Polaroid film. The long optical path “eats” about 5 stops of light, so a shutter speed of 1/250s becomes 1/8s. Due to optical design, Speed Magnys are not compatible with lenses shorter than 85mm, except a few. A Speed Magny is a complete assembly that replaces the standard back of the camera. The unit is further secured on the camera by screwing it using the tripod socket.

Nikon bought Mikami around 1966 and kept producing Speed Magny units until the early eighties ! However, most of them were for the F, and it’s quite uncommon to find them for the F2 or F3 cameras. With many models with some variations produced in relatively small quantities, these unusual accessories deserve a place in any Nikon collection !

The Speed Magny 100-2 for the Nikon F2 is in almost mint condition, with very localized light brassing on a few spots.
Improvements over the original 100 back for the F include an integral “dark slide” for dismounting the back without fogging the film inside and a different camera tripod securing system. It uses standard Polaroid 8.5 x 10.8cm instant film, including 669, 665 P/N, and 679.
Specific features give Polaroid fans extra creativity in image and emulsion transfer, since very large aperture lenses, zoom or macro lenses can be used to produce unique results. 



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