Thank you gents.
Now that I take a closer look at it, you are correct. It is not real leather. That's what happens when you stare at Vulcanite for 10 years. Anything that doesn't overtly look like rubber, becomes leather.
🙄
Anyhow, this afternoon I cleaned the covering with some mild soapy water and a toothbrush and it too is in surprisingly good shape. No cracks and just a tiny little peeling in one corner, that I'm going to leave alone for the moment.
Now, that she is clean I regret not taking a before and after shot. The camera was truly filthy and that's probably the reason why I got it for less than $100. There's no mold, but it must have sat on a shelf somewhere for eons, because the dirt was so thick that the camera practically looked like it had faded. Good thing it had a body cap on it.
I'm all for leaving the camera as original as possible. I would only restore a camera if it truly was a wreck and even then I would have to make a decision if it's dilapidated condition was of historical significance. I prefer preservation.
It's a relatively early body (#6434###), but has some of the traits of later cameras (selftimer lever, prism label, motor coupling etc).
http://www.nikonhs.org/article_archive/Ken_Article/f_ken.html
This is my first F.
I have two F3-P with MD-4 motors, that I am very fond of, but this is very different. The F is so simple and elegant. It will be a perfect compliment to my Leica M bodies.
Coming from the Leica M series, the F is an interesting camera. The first thing you notice when you pick it up is that it just feels right. That's very important. I remember the first time someone handed me an M body. 10 minutes later I walked out of the store with it. Broke, but very happy. I'm really not sure what makes or breaks a camera in that sense. After a short period there were several other cameras on the market, that were very similar to the F, but they just seem to miss the mark for some reason. With the F it's been an instant friendship.
The F is very finely machined where it needs to be and surprisingly simple in other areas. But there is no doubt that this is an incredibly well made and durable piece of machinery. I'm going to send her in for a CLA, but I was rather surprised to see that even after sitting on a shelf for maybe decades, the shutter speeds sound and look quite accurate.
I just mounted a nice Nikkor-H.C 2/50 on it and it looks great. I really can't wait to take her out for some shooting.
🙂
