A walk with Nikon F

[bakemono]

Ever had one of those perfect autumn afternoons - when it's late in the day, the air is perfectly clear, wind is blowing and sun is shining?
No other season has the same 'clarity'.

On one such day I went out to test my 'new' Nikon F.
It's ugly as sin, beat up, brassed, the prism is dented and scuffed.
I cleaned and refoamed the prism, changed whatever foams needed changing, oiled the shutter advance lever and went out with a 50mm f2 non-ai lens.

Here are the results

 

[Paulbe]

Wow---nice pix, bakemono! The 50/2 has always been an excellent lens. Show us a picture of the camera, too! Thanks!
Paul

 

[grouchos_tash]

It looked like a lovely afternoon. It feels good to relax on a walk with a 'new' camera to play with. Unfortunately I've been very busy over the past weekends, I'm looking forward to some Autumn Saturdays like this 🙂

PS We do need to see the camera 😉

 

[leicapixie]

The "F" is one of few cameras, the only one I know that simply works.
No fussy trips to Solms, Wetzlar or Noo Joisy.
It pulls Fuji film, right out cassette on July day, without hesitating.
My meters are finally stopped, but the exposures roll on.
A brutal male camera, that has pinched fingers, cut my forehead.
Yet, ILOVE IT. My F3 is swift, suave, way too smooth.
Always wondering if film is advancing..😀
A "F" and one feels, NO! is a a photographer.

 

[bakemono]

Since my digital wonder is broken, here's a pic from it's ebay listing.
Notice the 'replacement screw' on the mount and how, not just the paint, but brass itself has been worn down on the black parts.

I've since removed the 'paint job' on the prism, but it might have been better to actually keep it, as what's under it is not much better haha

 

[ray*j*gun]

Excellent old school stuff. F11 and be there...with an F....

 

[Ronald M]

Darkroom is reopening after 10 years because my son wants to learn darkroom. He has only been digital and some scanning.

Just as I went digital, I found a decent F2, Nikormat Ft, and FE 2. All the old foam was replaced with yarn like the movie cameras use. The F2 was nice and functional except for the bulk of the prism. F2 prisms are scarce and expensive, but I found a
very nice F2 with plain prism for $200 on Ebay. Heck the prisms are more than that, so I now have two F2 cameras

I also have a large number of AiS lenses that I use on digital. Also found was fllm in the freezer. Initial test show cameras work and films is still good.

 

[farlymac]

Nice walk around with a great classic. I was out yesterday with mine. Only thing I've had to do with it is add an AR-1, but it could use some new seals.

My walk-around kit (minus the 28mm which turns out to have some internal damage).


Four Lenses and an F by P F McFarland, on Flickr

PF

 

[Huss]

Excellent photos! What film did you use and did you use a filter on the lens?

 

[yanchep_mike]

Nice walk around with great results. The F has but one problem, it seems to multiply.
Just watch her.

 

[Paulbe]

bakemono--thanks for the pic of the camera. As you said--it has seen some "previous use!" Still a beauty...
Paul

 

[Tom A]

Nikon F's do multiply - it is a rare swap-meet that I visit without buying one! They are cheap (reasonably so) and however beaten up they are, they still keeps working. It is , in my opinion, a bench mark camera. Spares are plentiful, they are quite easy to fix, poke at various things with a screwdriver - or, if nothing else helps - bang it against the table!
The lens selection is astounding, old lenses and new lenses - still works with them.
I am at the moment waiting for a Nokton 58mm f1.4 which is designed to look like the old Nikkor 58 f1.4 but with all the benefits of modern lens manufacturing (glass, coatings etc). The original 58mm f1.4 was not Nikon's best glass - but the new one promises to be stellar.

 

[bakemono]

Thanks for the comments guys!

The F really is a great camera, it feels just right in hand and is built to last.
I had some doubts about the shutter button's placement before holding one in hand, but the doubts are gone, the finger position seems more natural than the 'regular' position

Nice walk around with great results. The F has but one problem, it seems to multiply.
Just watch her.

I know what you mean, I do have an itch for a black body with eyelevel prism. Gotta keep it under control though, too many cameras as it is 🙂

Excellent photos! What film did you use and did you use a filter on the lens?

These were shot with Rollei Retro 400s and developed in HC-110 dilution B.
It's a nice combo for landscapes, but for some reason it tends to brighten skin tones too much from time to time. Perhaps too much red sensitivity?

There was no filter on the lens, but a couple of photos got a bit of 'digital graduated ND filter' to even out the sky and ground. It's amazing how much dynamic range there is in the film.

 

[presspass]

I had mine out last week, both plain prism chrome cameras, with pre-Ai lenses. Some shots incident metered, some 'Sunny 16' although they were in the shade, and everything worked just as if it were 1967 all over again.

 

[Tom A]

[/url]H 010 #5 Ode to the Nikon F #5 by T&T and Mr B Abrahamsson, on Flickr[/IMG]

A small selection go my F's!!! They tend to accumulate fast you. I have added the battery pack to the F36 and can now scare small children and seagulls by having it "rattle" away. I use a mixture of classic old lenses and the new ones. Of course, a 105f2.5 - the ultimate Nikkor lens in my opinion as well as some Zeiss ZF lenses and Voigtlander lenses. The F also has the added benefit of taking the Nikon Rangefinder reload able cassettes.
The dust in this shot comes from using Orwo Td 21 copy film (about 6 iso), fine grain but attracts dust with a vengeance!

 

[Cameron]

Killed it with this one! Love the F.

 

[Mark C]

I have way too many cameras, but always come back to the F. I would keep my Leicas if I had to chose only one, but actually enjoy the feel of a plain prism F even more. I suppose a lot of it is just nostalgia for me since I started on them, but there is just something primitive, but wonderful, about the film advance, the solidity of the rewind crank (and the crazy rewind collar), the removable back, and the shutter release. Though this is a camera where I strongly prefer having a soft release button.

I've been taking mine for walks the past few days too. I've been revisiting some of my favorite lenses, and exploring a few that I haven't spent much time with.

 

[robert blu]

Love these photos, thanks bakemono! For sure a good camera and a good photographer!
robert

 

[jarski]

My walk-around kit (minus the 28mm which turns out to have some internal damage).

my 105 looks almost exactly like yours, except its Nikkor-P.C and serial is 506161, so am assuming its younger.

 

[michaelwj]

Fantastic photos.

Are you sure this is just one afternoon and not a months worth of shooting 😀