inherited a Nikon F

<p>I have inherited a Nikon F from my late father with the serial # beginning with 678 I have no idea if it is an F2 or any other number the instruction manual does not state any information there is a lense attatched that reads NIKKOR-S auto f=50mm and a TIFFIN 52mm Sky 1-A 95-210mm. can you give me any information on this? or point me in the right direction.<br />><br />> Thanks Jeff</p>

<p>Jeff - post some pictures of the camera and lens, it really helps identify what you have.</p>

<p>sorry about your loss jeff</p>

<p>assuming that the camera has the standard prism, one way to differentiate between an f and an f2 is the location of the shutter release. if it's at the bottom of half of the top plate, it's an f. if it's at the top half, it's an f2</p>

<p>you can check <a href="http://www.destoutz.ch/typ_production_data_f.html">this site</a> for more info on the serial no. based on your serial, it should be an f</p>

<p>irrc, the nikkor s is the first generation f-mount 50mm f1.4. lovely lens</p>

<p>Condolences on your loss Jeffrey.<br>

Nikon's F camera serial numbers and their date of manufacture can be found <a href="http://www.destoutz.ch/typ_production_data_f.html">here</a> and show that your late father's camera was made sometime between Nov 1966 to Jan 1967. This date means that it's definitely a Nikon F, not F2. The lens sounds contemporary with the camera and will be a pre-Ai 7 element f/1.4 single-coated "standard" 50mm lens. WARNING: You should not attempt to fit that lens on any modern Nikon DSLR until you've checked out its compatibility. The lens may have been Ai converted to make it compatible with all modern Nikons, but I doubt it if the kit is in original condition.</p>

<p>The Nikon F2 wasn't introduced until 1972 and had (IMO) much better ergonomics, with the shutter release being moved forward to the front of the top-plate, a plastic cover being added to the leverwind and a more rounded body with less sharp corners. Some items like the prism and screens can be interchanged between the two, but on the whole the F2 is a completely different camera from the original F.</p>

<p>There's some more complete information on the Nikon F and the Nikkor-S lens available <a href="http://www.mir.com.my/michaeliu/cameras/nikonf/">here</a>.</p>

<p>Tiffen is a maker of screw in filters, so if you have a 95-210mm lens, it is something else. Screw off the filter and read what is on the front bezel of the lens. It might be a Soligor.</p>

<p>Any of the Nikkor-S 50mm lenses are good. The f/2 is the original Nikon F lens, I think, and the f/1.4 is a later, also superb, lens.</p>

<p>I have both an original F (with the simple prism) and an F2. The F2 is more evolved, but I'd be hard put to choose between them if I could only keep one. If the camera has a meter (perhaps not working) in a cumbersome looking prism head, it's a "Photomic". The original, non-metering prism is preferred by most people these days.</p>

<p>This is a very usable camera. I think using it would be a swell way of honoring your father.</p>

<p>An instruction manual for it can be downloaded from Butkus.com ( http://www.butkus.org/chinon/nikon/nikon_f/nikon_f.htm ). If you go up a level, there are Photomic manuals as well, if that is what is on the camera.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I've been using older cameras (mostly from the 1930s) for the past year now. You can learn a lot from them, and have a lot of fun! A Nikon F is a very historically signifcant camera.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<p>And,the Nikon F,despite noted design differences,is really the camera that started the design wars.<br>

Was the F2 so much of an improvement ? Added complexity,true,many more components,true.<br>

The F2 series are more likely to need complex service,and have a well deserved reputation for needed maintenance before they can be considered reliable.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>A good web resource for finding out more about Nikons is here:</p>

<p>http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/</p>

<p>Pictures, lore and instructions on all sorts of Nikons. The F is a great old camera, and well worth running some film through. </p>

<p>A serial number of 678xxxx places your F in approximately 1966-67. This was a transition period between the Photomic T and TN models.</p>

<p>"The F2 series are more likely to need complex service,and have a well deserved reputation for needed maintenance before they can be considered reliable." - Rubbish! Have you even owned an F2 Ian?</p>

<p>In essence the F2 is just an F with a more rounded body and better placement of the controls. The innards of the body are no more complex than those of the F - I know because I've stripped an F2 down completely. I have 2 fully working F2s that have needed no mechanical maintenance whatsoever since they were made over 40 years ago. Even a deep and ugly dent near the frame counter of one of them didn't stop it working. Another I rescued from being thrown away because it was basically used down to the brass, but it still works fine.</p>

<p>It's true that the Photomic finders for the F2 are a bit more complex and sophisticated than those for the F, but the introduction of Ai coupling meant that lens changing was slightly swifter without having to do the "Nikon Shuffle" to engage the fork and pin.</p>

<p>My F with Griptac covering.</p>

<p><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6077/6082182885_afaab6171b_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="429" /></p>