f3hp: auto AND manual?

[former member]

The original FM2, Fm2n, and FE2 had honeycomb Titanium vertical travel blades. Different from the Titanium Foil horizontal travel curtains. The process used for the honeycomb curtains was supposed to be an issue, and Nikon dropped it. The Finished product is fine, producing it was the issue.

 

[gary2881]

Paul, I know this is not what you are looking for, but this might be an alternative. I have a N90s1 that I use with AI lenses. It has a very nice viewfinder with illuminated info. A titanium blade shutter, 30 sec to 1/8000 shutter. With AI lenses you get center weighted and spot metering. Manual shutter speed control is a wheel almost under your thumb. Automatic film advance. It is powered by 4 aa batteries.

The biggest advantage with this camera is that KEH has a supply of them for less than $50. Some as low a $31.

The non slip coating on the back of mine was sticky, but hair spray and lighter fluid removes it leaving a smooth surface.

Anyway, I thought I would give you something else to think about.

Gary

 

[nobbylon]

OK from what or for what?

Bob

Bob,
sorry I was joking around, I'd just got in from the pub and saw the discussion on aluminium, titanium etc and thought jeez, who cares? if it works it works😀
j

 

[nobbylon]

They are very pretty...

But I end up grabbing the F2SB and F2AS first.

Brian,
The unmetered F2 is still definately the nicest, cleanest looking camera that's ever been made.
Completely impractical for me though as I do like having a meter. The F2AS is also my favorite F2,
regards john

 

[Nikon Bob]

Bob,
sorry I was joking around, I'd just got in from the pub and saw the discussion on aluminium, titanium etc and thought jeez, who cares? if it works it works😀
j

OK and you are right, who cares if it works it works. I have the feeling some people are being sold a bill off goods by being led to believe that the titanium shutters are better/rare/exotic and therefore dermand a premium for them.

Bob

 

[nobbylon]

I understand the change was made due to manufacturing cost. It was cheaper to make the aluminium blades. The titanium blades had some failures and were replaced by alluminium. I'd bet that most of the early failures were from pro's shooting with drives and shooting a lot. I think at normal usage, if it hasn't failed by now it isn't going to, titanium or aluminium.
Anyone worrying about this should just buy an F camera and be done with it.
I actually picked my aluminium shutter fm2n up for €75, shot 2 rolls and sold it for €100.

 

[sevo]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Nikon move to aluminum to gain a faster shutter speed?

No, there was a increase in speed from 1/200 to 1/250 rundown time between the initial FM2 and the later FM2n/FE2/FA - but the FM2n had titanium shutter blades for the first two or three years or so of its existence as well. Aluminium blades were eventually introduced to cut on production and inventory cost, as many later (AF) Nikons used essentially the same shutter technology, and design improvements had in the meantime allowed for using less fragile aluminium blades at the same shutter speed.

 

[rbsinto]

The DE-1 has grown into the most expensive F2 finder short of the sports finder - due the migration away from Photomics finders with dead electronics to a supposedly eternal solution and the DE-1 itself getting more scarce, being rather vulnerable to prism damage.

However, the DE-1 has no significant merits beyond looks and weight. Personally I'd get a dead pre-AI Photomic if I were in the market for a unmetered F2 finder - these are dirt cheap, and even broken or without a battery they'll display the aperture (in a much more legible form than the AI direct readout scale) and time in finder.

Luckily I bought mine about twenty-odd years ago. It was damaged in that there was a small inverted vee-shaped chip in the glass centered at the very top of the frame, so the seller only wanted $35.00 for it. I actually never use it on my F2, but keep it permanently mounted on my F. Except for the chip there are no other visual impairments to the view through the prism and I honestly never notice the chip when I'm shooting with it.
And you're right about the weight. I much prefer this small, light meterless prism to a heavy, bulky dead photomic head.