helen.HH
To Light & Love ...
THANX EVERYONE for your thoughtful Insights !!
will peek at a few shops this weekend...just 'LOOKING'
for a well worn BLACK F of some description & one lens probably a 50 since thats my FAVirite way of seeing
made Lots of notes
will see what happens...
though i have been BAD....
and bought a 1980 75 Summilux for my M
( which leaves me w/ 2 lenses : a 1970 50 Cron & the 75 lux)
will peek at a few shops this weekend...just 'LOOKING'
for a well worn BLACK F of some description & one lens probably a 50 since thats my FAVirite way of seeing
made Lots of notes
will see what happens...
though i have been BAD....
and bought a 1980 75 Summilux for my M
( which leaves me w/ 2 lenses : a 1970 50 Cron & the 75 lux)
Last edited:
maddoc
... likes film again.
helen.HH
To Light & Love ...
eric's got the 35 1.4 with his summaron...he's the 35 MAN.....
50's get me DRUNK....I'm strictly a 50mm woman and soon to be in LOVE w/the 75
50's get me DRUNK....I'm strictly a 50mm woman and soon to be in LOVE w/the 75
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naruto
GASitis.. finally cured?
.... wait a moment ... that means you sold your 21/3.4
helen, what happened to the 35/1.2?
helen.HH
To Light & Love ...
helen, what happened to the 35/1.2?
Beautiful lens...but alas not for me
I LOVED everyone else's photos
shot two rolls but MINE lacked something ... maybe character
given back to Stephen Gandy
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
You seem to have set off on your own (lens) odyssey Helen ... 'o sister where art thou?'
helen.HH
To Light & Love ...
You seem to have set off on your own (lens) odyssey Helen ... 'o sister where art thou?'
LOL,
perhaps I should be Locked Up in a 'GLASS' menagerie....
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Dear Helen,
Black Fs are the way to go. Not F-anything: just F. The F2-3-4-5-6 are lineal descendants, with ever more disputable 'improvements', but F-anything-else is at best a less well-made Nikkormat -- and you might also want to consider a Nikkormat (I have 5 Fs and two Mats).
Most of the screens are far more usable than you might believe from internet hysteria (I have quite a few): remember that there is to some extent a trade-off between brightness and acuity. I've also got at least one aftermarket screen -- Brightscreen, as I recall -- and that's pretty good too.
My Fs range from an unbelievably ugly chrome body, with dinged prism, self-timer fallen off, etc. to a couple of black Fs with the kind of brassing and patina that make strong men weep and say, "I used to have one like that..." when they see it.
Note that black paint often costs a LOT more than chrome, and that a black prism on its own can cost more than a body on its own.
A few hints on use.
1 Make sure the rewind collar is FIRMLY twisted ALL the way towards 'advance', or the camera will appear to function perfectly while making no exposures whatsoever.
2 Strap lugs can and do wear through. I forget now whether I had two pairs replaced or three. My repairer used harder steel lugs from another camera entirely.
3 Film counters can get sticky but are easy to unstick.
4 Fred's experience notwithstanding, the F36 motors aren't all that clever. Every now and then they will fire an entire roll for no apparent reason. This is from personal experience of using Fs with matched motors, bought new and well maintained, in an AV production house. I must have put hundreds of rolls through those cameras myself, and others used them too. Also, they're bloody great heavy things.
5 The metered heads (Photomic series) are huge, crude and (today) no longer reliable or easily reparable. Go for a plain prism.
Cheers,
R.
Black Fs are the way to go. Not F-anything: just F. The F2-3-4-5-6 are lineal descendants, with ever more disputable 'improvements', but F-anything-else is at best a less well-made Nikkormat -- and you might also want to consider a Nikkormat (I have 5 Fs and two Mats).
Most of the screens are far more usable than you might believe from internet hysteria (I have quite a few): remember that there is to some extent a trade-off between brightness and acuity. I've also got at least one aftermarket screen -- Brightscreen, as I recall -- and that's pretty good too.
My Fs range from an unbelievably ugly chrome body, with dinged prism, self-timer fallen off, etc. to a couple of black Fs with the kind of brassing and patina that make strong men weep and say, "I used to have one like that..." when they see it.
Note that black paint often costs a LOT more than chrome, and that a black prism on its own can cost more than a body on its own.
A few hints on use.
1 Make sure the rewind collar is FIRMLY twisted ALL the way towards 'advance', or the camera will appear to function perfectly while making no exposures whatsoever.
2 Strap lugs can and do wear through. I forget now whether I had two pairs replaced or three. My repairer used harder steel lugs from another camera entirely.
3 Film counters can get sticky but are easy to unstick.
4 Fred's experience notwithstanding, the F36 motors aren't all that clever. Every now and then they will fire an entire roll for no apparent reason. This is from personal experience of using Fs with matched motors, bought new and well maintained, in an AV production house. I must have put hundreds of rolls through those cameras myself, and others used them too. Also, they're bloody great heavy things.
5 The metered heads (Photomic series) are huge, crude and (today) no longer reliable or easily reparable. Go for a plain prism.
Cheers,
R.
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Vickko
Veteran
oh, and I'm thinking of selling my "super nice black NKG Nikon F", in my goal of reducing my collection.
I love the look of the black F, it is such a quintessential design.
But, must take advantage when I have "reverse GAS"
...Vick
I love the look of the black F, it is such a quintessential design.
But, must take advantage when I have "reverse GAS"
...Vick
parsec1
parsec1
Another story. Coming home very late from a days hard work at the Sunday Express, might have been Live Aid can't remember anyway left a couple of F2as's with motors and flashes attached laying on the back seat of my car. Me Escort RS, once again if I remember, anyway somewhere in Dagenham ( East London ) pulled up sharply at the rear end of a traffic light queue. Both cameras slid back on the seat and the cameras and flashes started to go off in the car. Oh dear must be 'The Bill '(Police for the non English amongst ye) assumed the drivers in front and the traffic parted the lights changed to green and I drove straight through. Such is life .
helen.HH
To Light & Love ...
maddoc
... likes film again.
.. wasn't jon(manjiro) looking for one of these ?
cary
Well-known
Yesterday I photographed about a dozen items to be sold on that auction site, using my black F, 85mm f1.8 Nikkor and Broncolor strobes. I have used this combo for eleven years and have been very sucessfull in clearing unwanted clutter in my house, to date I have made about $40k. For those of you thinking of getting one I say if you can afford it GO! It is a great tool for tanking photos, is a joy to use and looks real cool! It is a little heavy compared to the FM/FE series, flash mounts on the rewind crank, film back is not hinged, 1/60 sync speed, standard prisms are hard to find, but the F is still a joy to use! I have never really have been temped to get the F2, for my uses the F does everything I need it to.
P. Lynn Miller
Well-known
There is/was a nice user black Nikon F with a 105/2.5 in the classifieds.
I tried tofind it, but it's not listed anymore (unless I missed it).
david.elliott
Well-known
ornate_wrasse
Moderator
If someone wants to purchase a Nikon F with three lenses, the following is available at my local pro photo store for the paltry sum of $495:
Nikon F
35mm 3.5
50mm 1.4
105mm 2.5
I held it in my hands and inspected it. I won't be buying it as I already have an FM2N that I like a lot and I'm interested in a CV lens for my M6 that they have at the same store.
If anyone wants the link, I'll be happy to provide it.
Helen: I am going to send my thoughts on your purchase of a Nikon body in a separate PM.
All the best,
Ellen
Nikon F
35mm 3.5
50mm 1.4
105mm 2.5
I held it in my hands and inspected it. I won't be buying it as I already have an FM2N that I like a lot and I'm interested in a CV lens for my M6 that they have at the same store.
If anyone wants the link, I'll be happy to provide it.
Helen: I am going to send my thoughts on your purchase of a Nikon body in a separate PM.
All the best,
Ellen
helen.HH
To Light & Love ...
ornate wrasse: THANK YOU awaiting your THOUGHTS ....
is that a brassed old Nikon F in your local Shoppe ????
Mr Roger Hicks: Thank sooo Much...I ADORE YOU for your Input
xoxo to YOU & Frances
is that a brassed old Nikon F in your local Shoppe ????
Mr Roger Hicks: Thank sooo Much...I ADORE YOU for your Input
xoxo to YOU & Frances
mynikonf2
OEM
No, but I do have a mint black (later Nikon logo) F with the Ftn photomic finder + mint prism finder & a mint- 58/1.4 that I'd be willing to work a trade on a SP or black dial S2, any takers????