Nikon F --- All it's cracked up to be?

[steveyork]

Every Nikon F I've had in the house has needed some type of repair -- erratic or, more likely, a dead meter, frozen film counter, separation or fungus in the finders, inaccurate speeds. At the very least, don't they need light seals replaced? I can see why people like them, they're cute (plain prism), functional, and affordable, with great historical significance, but to suggest they rarely need adjustment, now 40-50 years after they were made, has not been my experience. But that's pretty much true for every old camera I've possessed, whether it be Nikon, Leica or Canon. Surprisingly, some of the more out of the box reliable old cameras I've owned have been the old Zeiss stuff.

 

[MaxElmar]

People get all whacky nostalgic for their favorite cameras, but the F (F2 and F3, for me) are extremely well made, and beautifully functional. Maybe the best SLR finders - for manual focus - ever built. (Exposure info is another story.) They are clearly built for commercial service, but if they are used that way, they definitely require periodic maintenance to perform properly. In regular service, with ball bearings at key points and titanium shutters they can go a very long time between services, but they still should be serviced. Sure, you could drive your car for years without changing the oil, and maybe get away with it, but what intelligent person would do that - let alone boast of it? At this point almost all of us are dealing with 2nd hand cameras - so sure, there are inherited problems here and there. Meter problems don't count (F & F2) - meters are not part of the camera (just kidding - I hate all meters except my Gossen Digi pro). Fungus and separation are probably from abuse and/or bad storage. Film counters and inaccurate speeds are fair game - but are probably dealt with just fine with regular maintenance. If you have one of these cameras - and it hasn't been properly maintained - you owe it to yourself to send 'em in and get them a good CLA - they are SUCH A JOY when they get back in your hands. Once every 10-20 years isn't going to kill you.

Steveyork - not sure why you'd be surprised your Zeiss cameras are reliable! They may be (along with classic Leicas) the best-made cameras ever. Slightly better than the F, but not as rugged.

RonaldM - no offense intended, but I think you forgot to bring your portable bull**** detector to the Fred Maroon seminar. "Upon arrival, None of the Nikons worked and all the Leicas did." LOL!