How old is the Nikon F ?

How old is the Nikon F ?

 

I'm new to Nikon - before Katrina I had Minolta cameras. Will I be able to

mount my newer Nikon lenses to a Nikon F?

 

I know that I won't be able to use any of the auto features, that there will

be no feed back, and that my digital-only lenses won't fit.

 

 

Thanks.

The Nikon F was introduced in 1959 and discontinued in 1973. You will be able to mount any Nikon lens, but you will have metering only with lenses that have an aperture ring and the metal prong on the top. The Nikon F FTn was my first Nikon, my dad let me use it in 1983 when he bought a new FE2. Wonderful camera that I still have to this day hanging in my closet. It hasn't had a roll of film shot through it since the early 1990s though.

 

Dave

As Dave said & the metal prong is also referred to as rabbit ears.

 

See for a bunch of Nikon F info:

 

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/michaeliu/cameras/nikonf/sitemap.htm

 

Good Luck

In most cases the first 2 numbers of the serial number are the year that a nikon F was made.

Actually the first two numbers are NOT the year the nikon f body was made, thos myth started in the later 1960's; when the years and numbers did match, thru luck. My used Nikon F I got in 1962 starts with a 64; like all the bodies from 1959 on for many years.

I bought my Nikon F (w/FTn finder) new back in March 1973 and still have it and it still works perfectly! If you look at your AF and AF-D lenses carefully at the aperture ring near f/5.6 you'll see a couple of very faint tick marks...those are the marks for the screw holes for adding a meter coupling shoe/prong and you can still get it done. I believe that John White (www.aiconversions.com) still does it for a very reasonable fee (~$10). Once the prong is added, an AF/AF-D lens (non-DX, non-G) operates just the same as any lens from that era on that camera...nice, huh? (And still works the same as it always did on your newer Nikons.)

 

George

Wow. Thanks for all of the quick responses. And, yes, I see the marks for the screws - really neat information.

 

Of course, I know little about the Nikons, and didn't know much about the Minoltas, either. So, I have a lot of learning to do at my age.

As stated above, if it has rabbit ears, it will work and meter with any Photomic F. If it has an aperture ring but no rabbit ears, you'll have to do stop-down metering. If you are using a meterless F, oboviously metering concerns are nil, and any lens with an aperture ring will function fine (assuming it is for 35 mm. format).

Kelly

 

My Nikon F which I bought new in July 1967 has a serial number starting with "68".

Nikon F2a, F2s, F2as, F3's,fe's, fm's & Nikkormat FT3 and some others can use the new AI, AIS manual focus lenses and most AF lenses.

 

Rick

IF I were you I would contact Nikon Technical Support in El Sugundo(sp?), CA. I believe it is a 1-800 number. They will definately be able to help you.

 

Cheers,

 

F Stop

Try looking here: http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/michaeliu/cameras/nikonf/index.htm

I'll third the statement that the first two digits are NOT intended to show the year, but it's

close in some cases.

 

FWIW, I used Nikon Fs (straight, no meter) professionally when they were practically given

away to promote the model. I'd break one or two a year and throw the body away, but

keep the back, focusing screen and prism. Ended up with a lot of parts. :)

 

Please keep in mind that while the F is a wonderful camera, it is very old, parts are no

longer made and repair can be an issue.

<snip>"I'd break one or two a year..."<snip>

 

Wow! How did you manage to do that? The F had/has a reputation for being one of the strongest 35mm bodies ever. I've beaten up more than a few of them over the years, and the ONLY one that didn't bounce back is the one I dropped into the ocean! :-)