Nikon F2 - the last completely "pre-AI" Nikon

<p><strong>Nikon F2 Photomic (DP1)</strong><br />1971-1980<br />Kadlubek Nr. NIN0510</p>

<p>This is covering pretty well known territory, so I'll keep it short.<br /><br />There are a lot of decent sources on features and history:<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F2">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F2</a><br /><a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf2/htmls/index.htm">http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf2/htmls/index.htm</a><br />(I was unable to search on Photo.net because the server was cranky)<br /><br />Those who are Nikonistas (I am actually an apostate, not be confused with a prostate or a prostrate), will need little introduction to this camera. It is one of the classic Nikons with incremental and evolutionary improvements to the legendary Nikon F.<br /><br />Not the least of the improvements is a new and less top-heavy meter finder, the Photomic DP1, which lets the whole camera balance much more nicely than the various massive Photomic finders on the Nikon F.<br /><br /><br />For me the importance of this upgrade is that it gives me a fully manual camera with a TTL metering head that will still take all my old pre-AI Nikkor lenses without modification (whee!). It still requires the manual twisting of the aperture ring to 'index' the meter. This is known as the "Nikon twist". Many of us did this for so long that our wrists still twitch on mounting a lens, even a Canon EOS lens.<br /><br />By 1977, the automatic indexing became standard. The Nikon F3 still had a tab that could be turned down to mount pre-AI lenses, but I am not sure whether this allowed open aperture TTL metering or not. In any case, I won't be getting a Nikon F3 any time soon.<br /><br /><br />Another reason I bid on this was that it also had the <strong>Zoom-Nikkor 43-86mm f/3.5</strong> lens (mine is the AI lens, Kadlubek Nr. NIK4030), which I understand to be Nikon's third zoom lens ever (see <a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/zoomsMF/4386mm.htm">http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/zoomsMF/4386mm.htm</a> for more details). It seems to be related to the non-interchangeable zoom lens on the infamous Nikkorex Zoom 35, a camera that may or may not have been copied from the Pentina of KW, at least both were fairly spectacular fails.<br /><br /><br />By today's standard the zoom range is risible--so little wide angle and so little telephoto. Still it was one of the most popular lenses Nikon made and was revised and sold over nearly 18 years(!). Mine has the perforated indexing prongs of the transitional period.<br />This is a sort of milestone for me, however. This is the first actual AI lens that I have ever owned. All the rest are pre-AI. <br /><br />Anyhow, there is no shortage of information on this camera, so I will show the obligatory picture of the camera and lens first:</p><div></div>

<p>Then I will proceed to the ritual baring of the banal, still more campus shots from my university.<br /><br />Here is the boat house for rental canoes and paddle boats at the Campus Lake<br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>Some flowers around the boat house and school of engineering.</p><div></div>

<p>And here is the inevitable brick wall - on the left is at 86mm, center 60mm, right 43mm.</p><div></div>

<p>That's all folks.</p>

<p>I was fairly well pleased with the zoom lens. Better than I ever expected. I find the convenience of TTL metering makes the F2 a camera I will use, but I still think the Nikon F is more beautiful.<br /> Still prefer the overall convenience of the Nikkormat EL, but for a Classic camera, this is very nice indeed. Almost as much fun as a Praktica, but without the adventure. ;)</p>

<p>JDM--excellent!<br>

I bought an F2 in 1972 and have used them ever since--great cameras!<br>

Well thought out and still easy to use.<br>

Thanks for posting. Yours is a beauty...<br>

Paul</p>

<p>I didn't get a major bargain on this one -- paid middling sort of eBay price for it, but when it came it was much cleaner and nicer than it had looked in the pictures. All in all, I'm pleased to have it, and it was a bargain considering its condition.</p>

<p>The meter on the Photomic head seems to be a little off. The negatives were fairly light, but I'm not sure if the batteries can affect that - these look like they've been around for a while, but when I checked against my Gossen it wasn't so bad. I won't shoot any slide film in it until I get this sorted out, but then I rarely shoot slide film any more anyhow. This, by the way, was Walgreens' ISO 200 C/N film - pretty clearly Fuji in origin.</p>

<p>"Nikon twist"? <br>

Don't you mean "The Nikon Shuffle"?<br>

"You move it to the left - you move it to the right"</p>

<p>Gritcha-gritcha!</p>

<p>I still do that Nikon shuffle even when using AIS lenses! Very hard to beat the habit. A lot of people rate the F2 as the best ever manual camera, maybe a long shot....maybe not. Whatever, it is still a fabulous camera, not quite as cool as the F, but a better camera to use.<br>

Your shots look good, that zoom lens has a poor reputation, but I have found them to be quite good, certainly well made.</p>

<p>I also still, after several years, do the shuffle on my F3 unless I consciously remind myself not to. Since I still also use F's, I suppose it's better to forget not to do it than to forget to do it.</p>

<p>Great write-up, <strong>JDM</strong>. The F2 certainly shows it's F1 heritage, the F1 and a Nikkormat EL being the only Nikons I've ever owned, and then only briefly. There is a workman-like quality about the camera I really admire.</p>

<p>http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/10-worst.htm</p>

<p>ehm... take with grain of salt:)</p>

<p>I like the boat house picture; has a serene and inviting atmosphere even to sit around and meditate. Sort of a recall of "Walden". The colours are very good too. Thanks for the post. sp.</p>

<p>Fortunately, this 43-86mm zoom is one of the later ones. As Bjørn Rørslett says, ". . . many people are unaware that Nikon replaced the first 9-element version with a markedly improved new 11-element design in 1976. The last optical version had serial numbers starting at 774 071 and continued into the AI epoch." </p>

<p>More here:<br>

<a href="http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_zoom_02.html#MF43-86">Zoom-Nikkor 43-86 mm f/3.5</a></p>

<p>In my day, by the way, it <em>was</em> called the "twist" and not only by me. I cannot speak for those who were later corrupted by AI. It was called that because it is a twist, not a shuffle (something done with the feet, although others may use their feet for this, I know not) :|<br /> Although my 43-86 is the later, "improved" version, this is yet another example of the Hypnoken's lack of understanding of history, technology, and judging things by the standards of their day. The original Zoomar is awful by modern standards, but it takes time for technology to evolve, and not all zooms -- even today-- are "better than primes". :-|<</p>

<p>Bjørn, on the other hand, might be a Swede, so he probably deserves sympathy. On the other hand, if he's Danish or Norwegian, well, who can tell? In any case, either he is echoing the Hypnoken, or the other way around - note the phrasing used.</p>

<p>I've been tempted to buy one of the old pre-AI Nikkor 43-86mm zooms just to see how awful it really is. They're cheap these days. (I understand the AI version, which I also have not used, is much better.) But I spend most of my time trying to take fairly decent pictures, not intentionally dreadful ones, so I have so far resisted this particular temptation.</p>

<p>I have two F2 bodies, mostly because the first one I got has an occasional tendency to jam when advancing the film. I got them with different finders; the original DP-1 and a DP-2. I use the DP-2 more often. The F2 is indeed a wonderful camera. I love the F as well, but the F2's improved Photomic finders and its hinged back are definite pluses.</p>

<p>Oh, and since it hasn't been mentioned in this discussion yet, I may as well note another thing I like about the F2: It can be either a pre-AI or an AI camera simply by changing finders. The original DP-1, DP-2 and DP-3 finders have the traditional lever that catches in the pre-AI prong, whereas the later DP-11, DP-12, and DP-13 finders have AI followers. This is not quite as convenient as simply flipping up a tab (as on the F3, FM, and FE) but it's still rather nice to have the option.</p>

<p>One of the things I discovered when I started buying Minolta SLRs earlier this year is that Nikon's AI feature (introduced in 1977) is virtually identical to Minolta's meter coupling mechanism, other than the obvious fact that Minolta's aperture rings turn in the opposite direction to stop down. Minolta introduced this feature in 1966 with their MC lenses and SRT cameras. Suddenly it seems sort of weird how Nikonistas trumpet AI as some sort of great leap forward, when it was actually rather imitative.</p>

<p>Chubby Checker came out with the "Twist" in 1960<br>

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4xy0n_chubby-checker-the-twist_music</p>

<p>But it was based on a song written in 1959 -- <em>the same year that Nikon introduced the Nikon F lenses with the index prong.</em></p>

<p>You would ask us to believe this just happened by chance? Hah! I think not!</p>

 

<p>I got one recently simply because they are cheap now (for some reason) and because I kind of miss my F3HP (which I think is the best manual focus camera ever made). There is a tiny problem with it, though, because every now and then the mirror doesn't go all the way up when using slower speeds. I think it's not too much of a big deal.</p>

<p>At least I can use my pre-AI 105/2.5 now. :-)</p>

<p>JDM, you wouldn't happen to have links to larger images somwhere would you? The ones posted are showing signs of jpeg compression it's hard to appreciate the quality of the lens through them.<br>

As for the F2, I think it is the best of the F series. The original F has its place in history, but let's be honest here, it's clumsy camera with many deficiencies. The F2 basically corrects them all. From a better shutter release location, to a proper mirror lock up - and you could even load film while the camera was mounted on a tripod.<br>

I admit to liking the looks of the F a little bit more, but the F2 is a nice looking camera in its own right.</p>

I've never had the pleasure but what Dave G just said sounds sensible. I do like the look of the original F but put in comparison to those improvements mentioned I would likely too be happy with such a coveted machine. I was close once to buying a Nikormat for 100,00 US$ back in the mid 1980s, and did receive for nothing an EM body from an Uncle moving up to a better Nikon model. Which was stolen from my car while at a swap meet buying a lens in 1988. Came out with the lens, and the camera was gone! Your F2 looks great and I'm gald for the price it was in better shape than you expected Happy shooting!

<p>Hah, many non-AI are still going strong. I had a prong put on my 75-150mm zoom just so I could meter at full aperture on non-AI cameras.</p>

<p>Dave G. and other<br>

Sorry, with my new PS copy, I went overboard on the compression, What I will do is post a couple more images.<br>

These are taken in the courtyard of the Engineering School</p><div></div>

<p>and a detail</p><div></div>