Nikon F?

Hi everyone...

SO here I go thinking again. Lomography is doing some different, fun, & interesting things these days, with film, cameras, and- more to the point of this thread, lenses.

They are offering Petzval lenses in a variety of mounts, and I was thinking I might try to pick up a Nikon F 35mm camera to use in combination with one of these old style brass (or aluminum, as the case may be) body lenses.

Of course it seems as though the Nikon F series cameras were built for decades, with quite a lot of variants and changes over the years. I thought I'd turn to you all to perhaps educate me a bit and also to maybe point me in the direction of a couple best options for a solid, manual Nikon F that I could put one of these cool lenses on.

Here's a link to the Petzval lens

New Petzval 80.5 f/1.9 MKII Art Lens Basic Edition Nikon F

Why not just go here Link Cameras and save yourself trouble and probably money.

Because none of their cameras come with or are set up to receive one of the cool old-style lenses? Far as I can tell, anyway.

Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lens Brass, Gold Plated - Nikon F Mount

There are a variety of cameras available, with varying amounts of automation.

The F mount is used on all from the original Nikon F, and successors, Nikkormats FT though FT3, EL, EL2, FM, FM2, FE, FE2, and some that I forgot.

Then there are the Nikon DSLRs which use the same mount.

The earlier ones use a fork shaped device to couple to a meter. AI use a different coupling, but many still have the fork.

Some AF lenses use a mechanical coupling to the camera, later ones, electronic with motor in the lens.

As far as I can tell, the lens linked doesn't have auto focus and no aperture coupling, so should

work on all F mount cameras, which is all Nikon film and digital SLRs.

Other Nikon cameras can use them with an adapter.

If I had to do it; I'd buy "something". A few threads away (<-click) a fellow photo.neter complains about the sticky rubber on his recent(ish) Nikon bodies. If a quick cheap dirty fix is needed at all, it should be doable.

If you lust after something specific, buy that. I here might be pre-AI F2 leaning, on a "it should take pictures"-base, not caring about sync speed and after "a nikonest Nikon"... But anything built manual focusing in mind - Does that include the F4? - should be fine.

if you want to use flash and especially TTL flash look for an FM2. I'd try to shop hands on, to figure out if i can live with various eye points, like the feel of a camera etc. maybe a well sorted store can also offer alternative focusing screens for the better models?

But: To have some fun with the Petzval, I'd seek a digital option!

Sorry, I see no way to focus an SLR lens succesfully at shooting aperture. Ground glass vision resolves less than the film later, so it can't predict a really sharp image. Since you (physically!) insert your f-stop, before you shoot, you don't even have the usual option to gain more DOF for your shot by stopping down further for exposure. To get "an as well as possible focused result", I'd love to stack my focusing attempts; i.e. shoot quick short bursts while moving my focus slightly. You can buy the F2 I mentioned with a motordrive and get down to 6 or less headshot attempts per roll, but I think something like a D3 would be an ideal camera to go with it, if it has to be a (D)SLR. Otherwise I'd look for a low resolution MILC with IBIS, high res EVF and high frame rate. - Z6? / A9? / A7 II(+x)?

Yes, I am serious about focusing being THE(!) issue, with that lens. I'd try to cure a next door person's shopping plans by lending out film beaters with for example a 135mm and challenging them to bring home sharp portraits 1st half of the roll wide open 2nd slightly stopped down.- Not easy to nail manual focus on an eye in a headshot at f4. - Are attempts worth the film and a subject's time & efforts?

Maybe Petzvals aren't for me. I'm challenged to see them grow into a workhorse role and recommend dabbling with an inexpensive Helios adapted on a small sensored MILC instead or for blood licking purposes before you sink 1K into a not very satisfying combo.

80/85mm f2 wasn't exactly uncommon in the days of manual focus SLRs like the F/F2.

Should be easy enough to focus.

A lot of the early fast lenses can have fairly interesting bokeh, albeit you don't get some of the funky shaped Waterhouse apertures on the Lomo Petzval.

I'm partial to the Nikkor 5.8cm f/1.4, although this isn't always the easiest to find and can be pricey. There was also an early fluted ring Nikkor-H 85mm f/1.8, although I've not used those personally.

I think one of the best cameras for experimenting with uncoupled manual lenses is a low-end Nikon digital. If you aren't too fussed by the crop factor, something like a D3300 or the like will accept any F mount lens and operate it in manual mode with no metering. I've done a lot of shots with home made macros on a D3200. It takes practice with the dim viewfinder, but you can improve, and also just get lucky.

if focusing is going to be nearly impossible anyway you don't lose much by having the small and less bright focusing screen those models provide. If you're using a tripod you can do Live View and zoom the viewfinder image in and get pretty good focusing.

I thought the F1 was Canon.

The usual Nikon meters are part of removable viewfinders, and it isn't hard to find them for sale, though they might not work any better.

The non-meter viewfinders are often more expensive.

I have a Nikon F1 but the meter is shot. I don’t know if they can be fixed (silvering?). I have some nice lenses, thinks about acquiring an FM2. Decent choice?

I have 3 FM2n Nikons and they are my favorite, however you need ai or ais lenses.

FWIW, most old slide projectors came with a Petzval design lens. Usually of 80 to 100mm focal length.

While not having the pretentious C19th styling, I'm pretty sure their image quality would be about the same as those overpriced lenses linked to.

So, for just a small amount of money, or maybe free, you could salvage the lens and focussing mount from an old slide projector. Of which there must be thousands lying around unused.

So, for just a small amount of money, or maybe free, you could salvage the lens and focussing mount from an old slide projector. Of which there must be thousands lying around unused.

Even old high quality projector lenses are cheap these days. Maybe a year or two back, I paid $10 for a Buhl lens in Kodak mount that now resides on my Ektagraphic III. It's a 10.5" lens(~266mm), which is a bit long for home projection, but is good enough that I'll deal with having to put it in the next room or other end of the hallway :)

I have a Kodak 2.5in lens for the Carousel that I got I believe from Goodwill.

Good for home projection in a small room when you can't get so far away.

I was looking at Nikon F2s on e bay last night. Asking prices are darn reasonable

The F2 Photomic and F2A tend to be.

Don't look at F2AS or F2SB prices :) . Also avoid plain prisms if you want to avoid sticker shock.

I was looking at Nikon F2s on e bay last night. Asking prices are darn reasonable

It seems the hardest F2 to find is one that doesn't work. They are truly at the pinnacle of reliability.

The reason the Lomo lens will be hard to focus on any SLR, film or digital, is because it lacks AUTO APERTURE -- if you want f/5.6, you must insert the waterhouse stop and that makes SLR mirror darker. Lenses made for the camera have auto aperture -- you always look through at widest open aperture for bright focusing and then aperture closes down only at moment of exposure and opens up again. MIRRORLESS systems have solved this issue because it adjusts -- even if you set the camera to "show what you get" as opposed to "always optimized no matter your exposure" -- the "what you get" at f/5.6 or f/8 or f/11 is still optimized to be easy to see and focus, not too dark.

However -- you can argue that the WHOLE POINT of Petzval and other antique designs is to be shot WIDE OPEN almost always, to get swirly bokeh.

Now -- for the camera -- what you want IS the original Nikon F body, BUT with the METERLESS prism that is smaller and more elegant than the boxy meter prisms of that era. The meters all need modification and service today, you don't them and for that reason the meterless prism is a lot more expensive than any metered head, opposite of 50 years ago LOL! Body without any prism is cheap; you most likely need to buy them separate because the metered heads were state of the art and more popular back then.

I like Nikon F better than F2 because quieter shutter. F2 also came with a meterless head and the F ones will fit it too. F2 has 2000 highest shutter speed, hinged rather than Contax/Leica style back that completely comes off and falls into mud, higher speed flash sync if I remember right, and the meter heads for it are smaller and lighter and use modern batteries without modification. But it is LOUD. A beast. And the last meter heads, F2A and F2AS model, connect to modern AI and AIS lens without that silly earlier prong.

FM is good. FM2 is louder shutter again. FM3A is last and best and expensive now. For battery powered, FE, FE2, FA, FG, F3 are all good. Avoid EM because no manual control of shutter speeds. F4 is a beast. F5 is still kind of a beast. F6 was a last hurrah and I've never seen one in the wild. F100, last of the smaller modern film cameras, is GREAT if you still want to use a film camera as an autofocus, program matrix metering, workhorse machine-gun. The very successful full frame digital D700, D600/610, D750, D800/810, etc., are all essentially digital versions of the film F100. Avoid all the semi-modern ones with Nxx or 4-numbers, although they are cheap: I've have found them fully working for $5 and $10. They are ugly, loud, and if you're gonna go that route go F100.

The meters all need modification and service today,

Funny, I've only had one completely dead one in several years, and that was one that had a corroded battery in it.

A few have need a quick clean of the ring resistor(I put carbon tet on it and work it around) to cure jumpy needles.

Otherwise, they're mostly accurate used with hearing aid batteries or the little adapters that let you fit a silver cell in and drop the voltage.

There are better meters out there, and the F2SB/F2AS are many times better. Still, though, the F meters are serviceable if not particularly elegant.

Get ready to dig deep for a non-metered prism. My last one was close to $300, although part of that was the low SN and also the attached(working) clip-on Meter 2. The non-metered prisms are especially prone to silvering damage. F FTNs(the FTN is the last and best metered prism for the F) can often be had for $100-150.

I don't recommend mixing and matching F and F2 meter prism. First of all, the F2 prism is worth a pile of money-nearly as much as an F2AS. To fit it on an F, you'll have to remove the name plate on the camera. An F prism on an F2 just looks strange to my eye.

I have a dozen F2s. Some are quiet and some are loud. Freshly serviced ones seem to mostly be quiet.

Encyclopedic:

Nikon F and Its System - Preface

"the F meters are serviceable if not particularly elegant" -- exactly! In 2020, if it isn't elegant, why use it?

"Get ready to dig deep for a non-metered prism. My last one was close to $300, although part of that was the low SN and also the attached(working) clip-on Meter 2. The non-metered prisms are especially prone to silvering damage. F FTNs(the FTN is the last and best metered prism for the F) can often be had for $100-150." -- TRUE. But elegance always has a price tag.

"I don't recommend mixing and matching F and F2 meter prism. First of all, the F2 prism is worth a pile of money-nearly as much as an F2AS. To fit it on an F, you'll have to remove the name plate on the camera. An F prism on an F2 just looks strange to my eye" -- putting F prism on F2 is what I'm talking about, it's totally fine. And other way around, what's in a name plate? Two screws, put in safe place. I agree that F2 is fine with meter because not so big as FTN and previous F meter heads. F with any meter is just too big and inelegant :) F with non-meter prism is almost a Leica. For these reasons I like the FM3a the best but truthfully I do shoot 35mm film these days it's usually on a Leica or a point-and-shoot.

"I have a dozen F2s. Some are quiet and some are loud. Freshly serviced ones seem to mostly be quiet." -- I have never used an F2 as quiet as a F. I'm down to one F2A, and when it was freshly serviced by Sover Wong it was still loud. Have somehow accumulated a whole bunch of Fs with various prisms and meter heads and try to shoot a roll through them every year or two.