a $30,000 Nikkorex?

table1349 · Jul 16, 2016

Some people will pay stupid prices for things. Perfect example: 1943 Willys JEEP1-5 HP

As for the wooden body F, believe what you want. I read of it at a brick and mortar photography shop in a couple of their professional resource books covering virtually every known film camera ever made. A special order product that was never available on the general market will not have the notoriety of a consumer product.

compur · Jul 16, 2016

gryphonslair99 said:
A special order product that was never available on the general market will not have the notoriety of a consumer product.

Well, that's the thing. It's the special cameras that do gain the notoriety because of their rarity.

Like these:
Nikon SLR Rare and Unusual

and these:
Special and rare models of Nikon Cameras

I also question the existence of the wooden Nikon on engineering grounds. I'm familiar with the innards of 35mm SLRs having worked on many of them and I just don't see such a thing happening or even any valid reason for trying. I mean, if rust is the issue there are rust resistant metals such as stainless steel or aluminum that would be far easier to engineer than a wood body.

Perhaps someone has confused a Nikon in a teak presentation box or a Nikon SLR replica carved in wood or something along those lines. But an actual working Nikon SLR special edition made of wood would be quite famous indeed.

table1349 · Jul 16, 2016

compur said:
gryphonslair99 said:

A special order product that was never available on the general market will not have the notoriety of a consumer product.

Click to expand...

Well, that's the thing. It's the special cameras that do gain the notoriety because of their rarity.

Like these:
Nikon SLR Rare and Unusual

and these:
Special and rare models of Nikon Cameras

I also question the existence of the wooden Nikon on engineering grounds. I'm familiar with the innards of 35mm SLRs having worked on many of them and I just don't see such a thing happening or even any valid reason for trying. I mean, if rust is the issue there are rust resistant metals such as stainless steel or aluminum that would be far easier to engineer than a wood body.

Perhaps someone has confused a Nikon in a teak presentation box or a Nikon SLR replica carved in wood or something along those lines. But an actual working Nikon SLR special edition made of wood would be quite famous indeed.

Top of the page from you link:
"This list is not represented as being complete...no one knows all of them except maybe Nikon, and they are not talking."

Didn't see the US Navy Spy Camera listed on either of your links either.

compur · Jul 17, 2016

Well, I'd like to see this wooden Nikon some day ... :1219:

... if it doesn't get eaten by termites.

table1349 · Jul 17, 2016

I would to. I suspect that a titanium frame that sold at auction a while back was what was used for them as well as couple other speciality bodies as the titanium is rust resistant.

It wasn't a composit titanium/steel frame as was in their "Titanium" model, rather a full titanium frame.

compur · Jul 17, 2016

I thought you said it was wood. Now it's titanium?

table1349 · Jul 17, 2016

It has a wooden outside shell instead of the standard thin sheet metal/fake leather shell that will rust in high humidity, wet environments. Thus the full titanium inner frame that holds the working parts. '

This is the 24K gold Nikon FA.

Do you think the whole camera is made of 24K gold???

Hate to tell you, it's not. It is 24K gold plate on the exposed external surfaces.

The Teak wood Nikon was teak wood body. I would suspect but do not know for sure, since no picture of one is known to exist, that it probably accepted a titanium clad viewfinder assembly.

compur · Jul 17, 2016

First you said it had a "teak wood body."

Then you changed it to "wooden shell over a metal frame" and give me a face palm.

I think we're done here but I'll say one thing: Your avatar was an excellent choice.

table1349 · Jul 17, 2016

compur said:
First you said it had a "teak wood body."

Then you changed it to "wooden shell over a metal frame" and give me a face palm.

I think we're done here but I'll say one thing: Your avatar was an excellent choice.

You didn't answer the question, do you think the 24K gold Nikon FA is completely made of 24K gold???