Help a commoner!

Picked up a Nikon F2 with DP1 (finder/meterbox?? I’m unsure). I removed the DP1, it seems to have some sort of corrosion. I can’t turn the shutter speed dial at all, and I had to get my husband to put some excessive force on the black lever in order to move it to the downward position so that it could be removed from the camera. There’s a light blue residue in some areas. Attaching pictures. Is there anything I can do? If not, should this be trashed? Could it be used for parts? Thanks in advance!

Not sure. Immersion in salt water at some point?

You could try cotton swabs or cotton buds with white vinegar to clean off the blue/green. Presumably there must be copper there somewhere, maybe that's from screws.
If there's a lot of white corrosion of the aluminium and that's not just on the outer surfaces, it may be a hiding to nothing - needing excessive force does not sound promising.
Think these also take a couple of button cells, which may also have leaked given it looks it's been a bit neglected for some time.

Welcome!

Buy a DE-1 finder

Kiu

Yes, Welcome to the best place on the Net.

Anyone know of a repair manual or guide out there for this brave new member?

B2 (;->

Basic user manual


Service manual (not free)

It looks like toast to me. But not the tasty, buttered kind. Probably best to look for a replacement finder. Give KEH a try.

Also check the camera body closely. If the finder is that badly damaged, the camera body may also have corrosion and damage. More toast.


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You make us all feel royal, calling yourself a commoner....

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Hmmm, Have you tried hitting it with a Hammer?

That advice may not necassarily be the correct advice to use for this, but its what I do for every problem. 😎

This is the DP-1 finder for the F2 -- no batteries in that finder, unlike the finders for the F. That said, there could be corrosion inside the finder that affects the meter anyway. So it may be ruined for purposes of metering, though you still can use it for viewing.

Now that you have it off the camera, are you able to turn the shutter speed dial? If so, then you can use it, just without metering. I do note in one of your pictures what looks like a ding on the knurled portion of the shutter speed dial, between the ASA 1600 and 3200 settings. Maybe that is interfering with turning the dial? (Can you lift and turn the film speed dial? Not important if the meter is shot, but may contribute to the difficulty in setting the shutter speed.)

Replacement DP-1 finders should not be hard to find, and not too expensive. The F2/DP-1 is a great camera -- the best of the film Fs, I think. Good luck.

The small lever for releasing the viewfinder lock must first be pressed in and then swung forward.
It puzzles me that the lever remains in the swung-forward position. Normally, it should spring back.

Therefore, I suspect that the viewfinder is corroded internally. I suspect.

Many things can be repaired, some only at great expense, and some simply cannot be.

The DP-1 viewfinder is relatively inexpensive. But make sure the listing states that it is in working order.

Age takes its toll not only on us but also on the internal mechanics of old Nikon viewfinders.
Specifically, the resistor rings inside the viewfinder can develop contact problems, causing the needle to jerk.

But with the F2, you have the option of choosing from several different viewfinders.

I hope you still enjoy the most beautiful, best, most versatile camera ever made. I already have five of them.
Of three DP-1 finders, two work without problems and one has the tremor problem.

As Alpsman mentioned, the resistor ring on the Photomic finder can fail. For more information on that, and a host of other F2 info, see Sover Wong's excellent website. BTW, as you must already know, there are no batteries in the F2 finders; the batteries are in the base of the camera. Have you checked the camera's operation, ie is the shutter firing and does a lens stop down as it should? Another possible fix for the corrosion is electronic contact cleaner. It is available, in the U.S., at auto parts stores. Most come in a spray can; spray a small amount in the can's cap and then use a toothpick to apply tiny amounts to the shutter speed dial while holding the finder vertically so the cleaner will go into the side of the dial. The F2 is a wonderful camera and can survive disasters that have felled lesser beasts, including Leica rangefinders. Good luck.