Restoring a Nikon F

Timmyjoe

Timmyjoe

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When it was looking like my F2 was not going to be fixable, I went searching for a replacement body and found a very inexpensive Nikon F, that has obviously had some miles on it. I find I really enjoy shooting with it, but everything on the camera is a bit loose and maybe a tad "crunchy".

Is there someone in the States who completely rebuilds these Nikon F bodies? This is a late Apollo body with a FTN finder that actually works. Would be nice to have it tightened up and smoothed out.

Best,
-Tim
 
There are only minimal parts for these cameras. So a complete rebuild is no longer possible. A lot of collectors have stashes of parts, but speaking for myself I horde them for collectables.

Buy a lightly used F and have the speeds adjusted. The Nikon F is not rare enough to throw hundreds of dollars at.
 
I agree, unless it is a early, collectible version, the repair bill is likely to exceed the price of a working camera. Nice looking Nikon F FTN's that need only minor adjustment to the shutter timing can be had for about $100€ - the only thing likely to be beyond fixing (at least in the long run) is their FTN meter. If your body was cheap relative to that, you should consider it a working meter donor, and keep it for parts. If you paid a working camera price, ask for a refund...
 
Thanks for everyone's input. I just processed the first roll I shot with the camera and it's working perfectly, and much to my surprise the meter gave me spot on exposures.

I really like the camera and can see it ending up in my "keeper" stable. It's just a bit rattly and crunchy right now and I'm exploring ways to possibly address that.
 
Glad it's working well.

To me, it's always better to pay for a service on a camera I already know is working than to buy a replacement with condition unknown. So I'd send it out for a CLA and inspection.

G
 
Buy a nice looking F and have a CLA done on it. Ratty ones were usually used by pro shooters, and the shutters are probably approaching failure. I shot a lot of sports back in the day when I used F's with motor drives, and could kill the shutters pretty quickly. They seemed to die after a couple of thousand rolls of film.

I've picked up several like new F's over the years, though, for $100 to $150.

Great cameras.
 
I also agree that servicing and maintaining a good camera should not be overly impacted by the current market value. A fine camera is a fine camera regardless of its MV. For example a well sorted out Nikormat has almost no MV but is a great camera to use.
 
Timmyjoe said:
When it was looking like my F2 was not going to be fixable, I went searching for a replacement body and found a very inexpensive Nikon F, that has obviously had some miles on it. I find I really enjoy shooting with it, but everything on the camera is a bit loose and maybe a tad "crunchy".

Is there someone in the States who completely rebuilds these Nikon F bodies? This is a late Apollo body with a FTN finder that actually works. Would be nice to have it tightened up and smoothed out.

Best,
-Tim
Click to expand...

Last week you told us about your 1973 F2 which was suffering from shutter bounce. I advised you to buy another cleaner F2 (without finder) for not that much on eBay.

Now you took the plunge for an used F with everything "a bit loose and maybe a tad crunchy" on it.

I have to admit - I don't quite understand your strategy.
 
Highway 61 said:
Last week you told us about your 1973 F2 which was suffering from shutter bounce. I advised you to buy another cleaner F2 (without finder) for not that much on eBay.

Now you took the plunge for an used F with everything "a bit loose and maybe a tad crunchy" on it.

I have to admit - I don't quite understand your strategy.
Click to expand...

I bought this camera for the body, with the plan of using the F2's DE-1 with it, thinking the F2 was not going to be salvageable. I got it at a very good price and the seller told me that mechanically the body was sound (which my first roll of film through it proved to be the case). When it arrived it had the FTN finder which I originally planned to remove (to replace with the DE-1), but when I put a couple batteries in the FTN, I saw it still worked. The test roll shows that it not only works, but is still accurate. And I really like the way this camera feels, so I'd like to get it back to as close to original mechanically as I can, so I can use it for many years. Not a difficult strategy to understand, really.
 
Timmyjoe said:
... It's just a bit rattly and crunchy right now and I'm exploring ways to possibly address that.
Click to expand...

You should find another F or two to compare. Fs are great bodies, but are normally somewhat less smooth than an F2. The wind level is supposed to be loose, somewhat wobbly, and the wind tension is not as uniform throughout the travel as an F2.
 
The F was not as smooth as the F2 and has just been stated the wind lever is slightly loose.

One advantage the F has over the F2 is a quieter shutter. I think one reason for this is the F used metal light baffles whereas the F2 used plastic. Metal absorbs sound better than plastic..
 
colyn said:
The F was not as smooth as the F2 and has just been stated the wind lever is slightly loose.

One advantage the F has over the F2 is a quieter shutter. I think one reason for this is the F used metal light baffles whereas the F2 used plastic. Metal absorbs sound better than plastic..
Click to expand...

Having owned and used both F and F2 side by side, I never noticed that one was quieter than the other.

Whether metal absorbs sound better than plastic is a toss-up based upon what specific metals and plastics are used and how the design is implemented. Some device designs switched to plastic are much quieter, others are noisier.

G
 
Well I am experiencing both the things you guys are talking about. The slightly loose and a tad bit crunchy wind lever concerned me, and I did notice how quiet the shutter is. I think I'll just shoot with it for a while and see how it does.

Thanks again for the info.
 
Timmyjoe said:
Well I am experiencing both the things you guys are talking about. The slightly loose and a tad bit crunchy wind lever concerned me, and I did notice how quiet the shutter is. I think I'll just shoot with it for a while and see how it does.

Thanks again for the info.
Click to expand...

Good idea. IMHO, the point of buying a cheap beater is to beat on it more and not spend a dime on it.

Nikon F's used with the later drives run in high speed wear out. JP Owens says 1000 rolls, might be about right, never counted -- but I think the pro sports photographer I worked for put more like 10,000 rolls through his. Never say a broken shutter tape.

The other ones do not. If an F is worn out, it is time to junk it, they have ball bearing shutters, made from titanium, they take a long time to wear out. If they have never been "fixed" with a CLA, the speeds will likely be right on. Many have been ruined by idiots with oil -- smell 'em before you buy 'em.

Nothing nicer than a new black F, just hop in your time machine.

attachment.php
 
Contact Sebastian from Camera Works in Durham NC & explain to him the condition of the camera & see what he can do for you. He CLA'd my Canon AE-1 program few years ago costing $80 & am very satisfied. I was advised by a fellow shooter who had his Nikon SLR, can't remember which, but he was well pleased.

Don't pay no mind to what people say. If the camera feels special to you then by all means have it repaired. My wife gave me my Canon so to me it's special & was well worth the money spent.

http://www.cameraworks-durham.com/services.html
 
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