Nikon's 2005 SP reissue — modern-build top-line Contax-derived S-mount rangefinder, cloth shutter.
The Nikon SP 2005 is a limited reissue of the 1957 Nikon SP, Nikon's top rangefinder, produced in 2005 as a modern-manufacture recreation. The original SP was the most sophisticated of Nikon's Contax-derived S-mount bodies, and the reissue brought its multi-frame finder back for collectors and users.
It is a 35mm coupled-rangefinder camera using the Nikon S mount, a Contax-derived bayonet. In the manner of the original SP, its viewfinder system provides projected frame lines covering a range of focal lengths, including a separate wide-angle finder window. The shutter is a mechanical cloth focal-plane unit firing without a battery, with no built-in meter.
The SP 2005 offers the elaborate finder and full S-mount lens compatibility of Nikon's premier rangefinder in newly built condition, suiting documentary, street and reportage photographers who want the classic handling without the wear of an original. It rewards manual, hand-metered shooting and pairs with reissued and vintage Nikkor S-mount optics.
Being a recent reissue, these are usually in fresh or collected condition, but still check the rangefinder patch for contrast and accurate vertical and horizontal alignment, and inspect the multi-frame finder for haze. Test the cloth shutter across all speeds for capping and slow-speed accuracy, confirm the mount and transport, and verify completeness and packaging. There is no meter or battery to test.