Nikon F2

Overview

Nikon F2

Tokyo, Japan

I bought this camera in 2004 at a flea market in Gainesville, Florida. Forty dollars. The shutter was sticking at 1/500. I took it apart on my kitchen table, cleaned the shutter blades, put it back together. It worked. That was the beginning of all of this.

The F2 is a fully mechanical camera. No batteries required for the shutter. The DP-1 finder I have on it has a meter, but the camera functions without it. In Florida, where heat and humidity can kill electronics, that matters.

I've put more film through this camera than any other. It's been to the Keys, to the Everglades, to the beach at Clearwater at 2 in the afternoon in August. It has never failed.

History

The F2 replaced the original Nikon F in 1971 and was produced until 1980. It was Nikon's professional workhorse through most of the 1970s -- the camera used by photojournalists covering Vietnam, the Olympics, and everything in between.

The titanium shutter is the F2's most notable feature. It's faster and more durable than the cloth shutters used in most cameras of the era. The top speed of 1/2000 was unusually fast for the time.

The interchangeable finder system is genuinely useful. The DP-1 is the standard metered finder. The DE-1 is an unmetered eye-level finder. There are waist-level finders, action finders, and photomic finders with different metering patterns. I use the DP-1 for most shooting.

The F2 was replaced by the F3 in 1980. The F3 is a better camera in some ways -- the meter is more sophisticated, the finder is brighter. But the F2 is fully mechanical and the F3 is not. For film shooting in Florida, I'll take the F2.

Worth owning?

The F2 is worth owning if you want a fully mechanical professional 35mm SLR with access to a large system of lenses and accessories. The Nikon F mount has been in continuous production since 1959. There are more lenses available for it than for any other mount.

The camera is built to last. I've seen F2s that have been used hard for fifty years and still work. The titanium shutter is essentially indestructible under normal use.

Prices are reasonable. A clean F2 with DP-1 finder runs $150 to $400 depending on condition. That's a lot of camera for the money.

CLA notes

The F2 CLA is straightforward. The shutter blades are titanium and durable. The main issue is usually old lubricant on the blades and in the slow-speed governor. I clean the blades with naphtha on a cotton swab, working carefully to avoid bending them.

The mirror damper is always replaced on any F2 I work on. The original foam has almost certainly deteriorated. I use 1mm self-adhesive foam cut to size.

The DP-1 meter is checked and calibrated against a known-accurate meter. The meter cell is a CdS type and can be tested with a multimeter. If the cell is dead, replacements are available.

After a CLA, I verify shutter speeds with a tester and run a test roll before returning the camera to use. The F2 is reliable once serviced and rarely needs attention again for years.