Nikon F repair recommendation please

Well it's years since I posted on here but I have been thinking recently about trying to make some time to get back in the darkroom. Last night I decided to get a Nikon out rather than the MF or LF that I have been using.

I also set aside an hour to "exercise" some of the cameras as I believe it's not good for them to sit idle for really long periods. The third camera out was my gorgeous Nikon F that I love to pieces. I fired the shutter on various speeds, locked the mirror, tried self timer and then it all went wrong! The film advance lever moves, the mirror comes up but the shutter curtains don't move at all. This results in the camera never cocking.

I'm desperate to get it mended properly as I love using it. Sover Wong would be my choice but I understand he only does F2s. Could anyone recommend a really good UK based repair company that they have experience of please?

Although additional exercise and cleaning with tiny, tiny amounts of naphtha might still reanimate your F, lots of Nikon F bodies, some-said to be working- even with prisms/finders are less than US$200 on eBay. So a repair might be uneconomical unless there is some kind of sentimental factor.

JDMvW, Thank you for your reply. It does hold some sentimental value so I will keep looking for recommendations. I may try Aperture in London.

I didn't know Aperture did repairs, although I suppose it makes sense. (I mostly think of them as being 90% a coffee shop, from their time on the site where the camera museum now lives. They were always friendly, so I wish them well, although they glared at me a bit when I tried to give them good wishes but not buy anything recently. I think my TC-16A came from them. Shame they sold the 300mm f/2, though the 1000mm f/6.3 is still lurking in the camera museum.)

 

I assume Nikon UK won't touch an F? They're in Kingston-Upon-Thames, which isn't that far away from central London.

Nikon UK not interested nor are some of the "Top" Nikon repair centres in the UK. One wont even look at the F4

Not UK, but good - he did some work on one of my older Nikons (F 2, and was willing to work on my F Photomic) at a fair price. rjriggins11@comcast.net<rjriggins11@comcast.net>;

Thanks for that Sandy. I will look into it.

Thanks for reporting back, Jim. Good to know if I ever start collecting!

Andrew, I hope you do start collecting. High quality film cameras are cheap now and if you get hold of a vintage bulb type flash gun as well its great fun.

Decent MF, LF and ULF can be had for sensible money too. I have a 16"x20" and the results are mind blowing.

Thanks, Jim. I've always fancied a 5x4, although having just picked up a D850 and a Sigma 85mm Art, I'm going to have to keep my shopping under control for a bit. Hopefully not for so long that 5x4 film gets discontinued. Some day. For now, I have three Canon SLRs, a Bessa R, a Pentax 645 and some compacts to be getting on with!

Many decades ago I had an F that I loved dearly, with the small elegant prism. The exposures were slightly uneven and the shop said the shutter brake(s) were worn out and no repair was possible because no parts were available. I sold it for peanuts, but wish I still had it. Depending on the problem you might want to shop around for another one.

Conrad,

 

Thanks for your reply. I think I will send it off and get a couple of quotes.

These cameras become old friends after a while and I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to it yet.