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Nikon Rangefinder PA Portable Copy Stand
Today all Nikon Rangefinder stands are quite rare. This is the last and most elaborate of them, the PA brought out shortly after the SP. It's portable, sturdy, and very easy to use.
Without SLR groundglass focusing, the PA substituted the smoothly working system above. The mounts for the ground glass focusing eyepiece and the camera are connected. Raising one moves the other into position, and vice versa. Thus you focus on the groundglass as shown on the left, slide the camera body into position as shown in the middle pic, and then take the picture with the camera body precisely in position, as shown on the right. Shown mounted on the PA copy stand is an SP body, along with the 50/3.5 Micro and its diaphragm collar.
The lever at the 5 o'clock position on the camera body locks and unlocks the camera body to the copy stand. Note the built in bellows which allows 1/3 to 1:1 magnification with the 50/3.5, and the incredibly sturdy construction.
Beneath the large micro collar is the small 50/3.5 Micro Nikkor. The box for the PA stand is handsomely made of beautiful hardwood. These were the days before Nikon discovered the many joys of plastic. 50/3.5 Micro
The box for the stand opens up, and upside down becomes the copy stand base -- thus the copy stand post mount on the side of the box. The SP is shown for scale. Copy stand courtesy of Bob Knowles.
Revised: November 26, 2003 . Copyright © 1998-2002 Stephen Gandy. All rights reserved. This means you may NOT copy and re-use the text or the pictures in ANY other internet or printed publication of ANY kind. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.