Perspective

Like I said, most folks in Morocco are averse to having their photograph taken. How did I deal with that? One effective way was to try talking to them. Not many spoke english, however.

I had a whole bundle of ballpoint pens in my pocket. The ones the pharmaceutical reps give away. I handed these out to the locals. For some reason, these were a big hit. The bigger the name of the particular drug embossed on the pen, the better. I don't know why. Maybe they have a scarcity of pens there. Maybe they just appreciate the token kindness. The one in a thousand tourists who didn't just try to snap a photo.

At work, we just throw these pens away, most of the time.

That's one of the things I like about travelling. It puts things in perspective.

Play it again, Sam

I know. I promised not to do any corny Casablanca (which, by the way, was filmed entirely in Hollywood) quotes.

Just returned from Morocco. Casablanca, Fes, Rabat, and Marrakech. An amazing country, especially for photography. A bit challenging, though, since most of the people, particularly women and old men, absolutely refuse to have their picture taken. I asked a couple of people why. It was not because of religion, as I had thought, but rather because they were concerned that the photos would be misused, against Islam. This had apparently been a problem with the media and the internet. Sad.

Morocco is full of contrasts. Couscous for lunch, with french pastries for dessert. The modern Nouvelle part of the cities, and the preserved ancient medina. Beggars in the alleyways, and 20 million dollar homes (including those of Bruce Willis, Madonna) in outskirts of Marrakech. Women with face veils, and discos rocking till 7am.

Our guide, Mukhtar, was a friendly, funny, and knowledgeable guy. He was also a movie buff. Morocco has apparently been a favorite for Hollywood. A few of the films shot in Morocco: Lawrence of Arabia, Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, as well as some scenes from The Birds, and Patton. More recent movies: The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Kingdom of Heaven, Gladiator, Babel, Black Hawk Down and Hidalgo.

Another trivia tidbit: Morocco is the only Arab nation that was not conquered by the empire of the Ottoman Turks.

An amazing trip.

My Morocco set on Flickr.

Bad to the Bone

I have to admit, this is one cool-looking camera. It's the one that goes well with a worn-out wide black canvas journalist strap from the 70's. And with ripped jeans. It has attitude. A harley. If Leica was from Venus, this guy is definitely from Mars.

A little history: the camera is Nikon's S2 rangefinder. Made in the 50's, from an age before Nikon made it's first SLR, the Nikon F. This is the Black Dial version. Mine is probably one of the latest ones, with serial #61928XX.

If it looks good, it is made even better. Robert Capa had a Nikon RF around his neck when he stepped on a landmine in Indochina. The camera was blown away, but still intact and working.

Some other things I like about it:

- Mechanically, it is more "modern" than its Zeiss counterpart. Film loading is easier, for one. It also has a film advance lever and lever rewind, faster than the old knobs. It also has the conventional frame spacing on the film (unlike Kievs and Contaxes which are a pain to scan if you use a negative scanner).

- Uncluttered, bright 1:1 viewfinder.

- The camera shares some mechanics with the Nikon F (or vice versa, rather), so parts and repair are easier than, say, a contax. Also, the Nikon's shutter is simpler, more robust, and more reliable.

- It's long rangefinder base length makes focusing more accurate.

- Glass. Well, I just have one lens so far, the sonnar-formula Nikkor 50/1.4. This is the reason I bought the camera. I had been wanting to try this lens, but it is difficult to find, and costs quite a bit in leica thread mount. Lens adapters are either ridiculously expensive (for the original collectible versions), or only a little expensive if you get them from Hongkong. QC is a gamble, though.

- In general, the lenses are less expensive than their LTM counterparts. As long as you don't get carried away with the more sought-after collectible lenses. I have had the 105/2.5 and 85/2 in Leica mount, and they are very impressive.

Right now, my dilemma lies in the collector value of Nikons. I got this from another RFF'er a few months ago, just before the start of the RFF Nikon craze. The camera I bought came as a kit, with paired lens, original cap and shade, case and strap, accessory strap, film canisters with leather holders that go on the strap, same with lightmeter and case that threads on the strap. It even came with a fan-type flash, instruction manuals for the camera and meter, and a book about Nikon Rangefinder photography. The camera has hardly been used, and is working well with no need for a CLA. Should I sell the kit and look for a "beater?" Or should I just pretend I stepped back in time and enjoy it?








Some other Nikon S2 resource pages:
- Nikon Web
- Photoethnography