Hello and welcome to Nikon Film.

Today’s episode deals with an aspect that is rarely considered when looking at a venerable and legendary camera.

In today’s world, where people love their oppression and worship technologies that take away their ability to think and diminish their critical faculties to the point where they are no longer able to distinguish between what feels good and what is true; in a world in which we are slipping into darkness –almost without realizing it … it is refreshing to return to an epoch when technology only stood for things that “work.” It’s evocative to feel in your hands, not a device that will become obsolete in next four months, but actually holding a wealth of experiences… in the shape of a camera.

Where this camera come from? In the drawers of how many homes has it rested? What photographs have it documented? Were they amused lovers? The misery or the evasive happiness of war? Tribes of preaching trees? Unspeakable secrets, deserted streets, prostitutes, politicians…?

What were their owners like? Young and cheerful? Old and relaxed? Travelers, spies, explorers, or just people like you and me? 

Was it used to preserve a story, or to create a story? Did it document beautiful, naked secrets, or just amazing journeys? The memory of a father, serious but amused, looking at the sunset, or a first and unforgettable love? 

We will never know. But we can sense that these cameras have lived many lives. They have seen, over the decades, tears and joy. Culture and disaster. They have, impassively, stayed in the background, letting humans being humans. 

And they are still here to do their job.

If you are watching this video, you might be able to feel that personal aspect of each Nikon F.

They have a life of their own.

Fernando Robleda