Is F2 Viewfinder lifesize?

Does the F2 have a 1:1 (lifesize) viewfinder with a 50mm lens?

Thanks.

100%

 

See:

http://mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf2/htmls/indexa.htm

The Nikon F2 finders provide a 100% view of the image area, but the viewfinder image

magnification with a 50mm lens at infinity is 0.8X, slightly smaller than life size.

The 100% figure only means that it shows 100% of what will be captured on film. In other words, the edges of the frame are exactly the same as the edges of the negative.

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The viewfinder magnification is measuring something different. If you mount a 50mm lens, open both eyes, and look with one eye directly at a scene, and the other eye through the camera viewfinder, which eye will objects more magnified, and by how much?

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With a 105mm lens, the viewfinder image is clearly magnified with respect to real life. With a 24mm lens, the viewfinder image is smaller than what is seen in real life. Viewfinder magnfication statistics are usually quoted with a 50mm lens.

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The F2 has at least 8 viewfinders available that I can think of off the top of my head. They have different magnifications. I seem to remember, but am not certain, that the photomic heads all have slightly less than 1x magnification when used with a 50mm lens.

What Richard said is true.

 

I'd add the caveat that valid viewfinder specifications should be made with the "normal" lens of the camera--50mm in the case of a 35mm camera (24x36mm format).

 

If you should look at the specifications for a DSLR with a cropped (APS-C) format, the normal lens is 28mm. Some camera manufacturers list the viewfinder magnification of an APS-C camera with a 50mm lens--which is a telephoto on an APS-C camera. Thus, they wind up with consumer camera appearing to have better specifications than professional cameras. To validly compare apples with apples, you have to compare the specifications of magnification with the "normal" lens for that format.

It's not too hard to figure out how close a viewfinder is to life size. Your eye can accommodate a little variation. Try looking through the camera with both eyes open. If the viewfinder is within a close degree of life size, you'll be able to see more or less normally, and the camera will appear transparent. The best example of this with a 50 I've found so far is a Minolta X370. My Nikon F becomes transparent at around 70 mm.

I'm with Matthew. Wasn't the once-popular 58mm focal length made to optimize this effect? My crusty old SRT101 with a sweet 58/1.4MC Rokkor does the two-eye trick perfectly.

The simple answer, which applies to both the F and F2. With a 50mm focal length, the viewfinder magnification is 0.80X. With a 58mm focal length (the original "normal" for the F back in 1959), the viewfinder magnification is 0.93X - nearly lifesize.

 

BTW, the veiwfinder magnification for the "action" prisms is 0.60X so you do pay a price for that much higher eyepoint.

Thanks, Guys.