Buying an F2 from a slitlamp?

[nickthetasmaniac]

Hi all,

I'm looking at picking up a very clean, late serial F2/DE1 that has apparently spent most (all?) it's life on a Nikon photographic slitlamp. Now, until this afternoon I'd never heard of a slitlamp...

So, I have two questions.

First, can anyone identify the screw-mount adapter and confirm that it's just mounts to the bayonet? Ie. is it easy to get off or could it be permanently attached?

Second, any cautionary tales regarding buying a camera that spent it's life conducting eye exams? I'm guessing there's pros (lived a sheltered life and never spent time hanging around some professionals neck shooting F1 or a war) and cons (probably only shot at a few shutter speeds)...

Thoughts would be much appreciated

Thanks

 

[Freakscene]

With any ex-technical camera the main factor is how many frames has it fired. I have some technical cameras that have always been in a lab and look unused but have fired 200,000 frames. Others need a CLA because they are used little and infrequently.

I can’t help with the adapter, sorry - I’m not familiar with the specific use. But at a lab I worked at, years ago, we had an optometrist client who used TMY and liked it developed to CI 0.68. High contrast.

Marty

 

[Rob-F]

It looks like the original lens mounting flange is still there, and I see the release lever. This makes me thing the adapter is simply mounted to the flange, and could be removed.
Is it returnable? If so, and the price is right, so that there is money left for a CLA, it might be worth the trouble to try it. If not, I'd pass.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Nikon made an F-Mount to L39 adapter, for use with bellows and enlarger lenses. This is not that one, or other 3rd party adapters that I've seen. The lens release would be left in place even if the F-Mount was removed and a new mount put in place.

If it is cheap: like less than the cost of the DE-1, you have nothing to lose. Buying an F2 with no viewfinder: dirt cheap. Buying one with a DP-1 or DP-2 with bad meter, just as cheap. Then- you have a nice DE-1 to use on it.

If there is an F-Mount under the mystery mount, even better.

 

[Beemermark]

With any ex-technical camera the main factor is how many frames has it fired. I have some technical cameras that have always been in a lab and look unused but have fired 200,000 frames. Others need a CLA because they are used little and infrequently.

I can’t help with the adapter, sorry - I’m not familiar with the specific use. But at a lab I worked at, years ago, we had an optometrist client who used TMY and liked it developed to CI 0.68. High contrast.

Marty

Many years ago a friend and I bought M1 cameras from a hospital auction. They looked brand new and were cheap. Getting home and opening the back for an inspection we saw that so much film had been run through the cameras that a ~26mm grove had been worn in the film pressure plate.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Looking at the sideview of the adapter sitting on the mount: it looks like the original F-Mount is there, looks identical to one of my F2's that I just stared at from the same position.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Thanks for the responses all.

I asked the same question in Sover Wong’s fb group and I’m getting some mixed reports. Some saying that the adapter should be straightforward to remove, others saying that the whole mount assembly was different and would take a lot of work to get back to original. I’m not sure as it certainly looks like the original mount is still there in the side view...

I’ll try and chase the seller for more info (and get a photo of the pressure plate ).

 

[Beemermark]

Nikon F2's aren't that expensive. Why buy such an unknown?

 

[Phil_F_NM]

The lab I worked for back in 2006 used to develop all the Tech Pan from a local ophthalmologist. That office used a setup not unlike what you have there, with a lens mounted on a bellows or an extension tube. These were 1:1 or greater magnification images of the retina, so the shortest kit would technically be a Micro-Nikkor attached to an extension tube. But the imaging of the retina has to use a lens placed very close to the eye in order to shoot through the pupil of the eye itself, so a macro bellows makes sense. I bet you just have a standard metric adapter or T mount adapter on that F2.
Now, the camera itself will probably need at least a CLA if not parts replaced. These cameras only did imaging using one shutter speed, to ensure that all the exam exposures were uniform. As was previously stated, you may want to have the seller send you a photo of the pressure plate but then when you get it, send it off to Sover for an overhaul, if you can swing that. Who knows, it may be in perfect condition and functioning at all speeds accurately. Or it could be almost worn out, or anything in-between.

Nikon F2's aren't that expensive. Why buy such an unknown?

Because of a pristine looking DE1. F2 bodies aren't expensive, DE1 prisms are.

Phil Forrest