Restoring a Nikon F

[colyn]

Many have been ruined by idiots with oil -- smell 'em before you buy 'em.

About a year ago I won a Nikon F off eBay. The first thing I noticed when I unboxed it was the strong odor of WD-40. I contacted the seller to let him know I was returning it but he said no. Had to file an eBay complaint to get my money back.

He even claimed that you are supposed to spray it twice a year to keep it working right...

 

[colyn]

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

I've got both as we speak and the F's are noticeably quieter..

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.

Brass helps to absorb sound. Hard plastics tend amplify sound but yes different metals and plastics do have differing affects..

 

[Livesteamer]

Don't let the looks fool you. Long ago I owned the worlds ugliest F but it worked very well. I traded it to Thompson Photo in Knoxville, with some cash, for a clean early, plain prism F in black. The black F is lovely but about once every 300 exposures the shutter fires but the mirror does not function. Has a motor plate on the bottom. It may have had a lot of use. Joe

 

[puderse]

used F

used F

In '69 or '70 I bought 2 Fs. I was an army still photographer and wanted my own that I didn't have to share. Some days I would dip and dunk 30 rolls of film at a time with some left over for tomorrow.

Did that for years under all kinds of awful conditions.

A couple of years ago I sent one to Dave Easterwood cause the slow speeds were getting a bit slow.

Every time I take out my Contax or M39 or any rangefinder for that matter, and later pick up my F, I know why it was such a hit.

Let Dave CLA it. If the meter head needs updating to modern batteries he can do it or you can send the head to a Tech. that specializes in F meters.

The camera will last longer than you do.

 

[photomoof]

Don't let the looks fool you. Long ago I owned the worlds ugliest F but it worked very well. I traded it to Thompson Photo in Knoxville, with some cash, for a clean early, plain prism F in black. The black F is lovely but about once every 300 exposures the shutter fires but the mirror does not function. Has a motor plate on the bottom. It may have had a lot of use. Joe

Agreed I have seen ugly cameras that work beautifully, I had an M3 glass plate that looked miserable, worked perfectly.

But a mint camera is usually just that -- mint. There are exceptions if they are stored poorly.

 

[Timmyjoe]

If the meter head needs updating to modern batteries he can do it or you can send the head to a Tech. that specializes in F meters.

Right now I'm using one of those CRIS (sp) adapters and an old Mercury battery that my brother had in his freezer since like 1982 (he bought a bunch of them way back when and froze them. Most were DOA when removed from the freezer, but this one still works). Not sure how long this set up will last, but it sure is fun shooting with it right now.

 

[Huss]

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.

Exactly how both my Fs are, and they work perfectly.

 

[colyn]

If the meter head needs updating to modern batteries he can do it or you can send the head to a Tech. that specializes in F meters.

My preferred method is to add 2 schotty diodes inline with the battery chamber. No adjustment needed since the diodes drop the through voltage to the proper 2.7 volts using silver oxide 357 button cells with a hollowed out 625's or someone has an adapter on eBay that will hold 2ea. 357 cells.

 

[Godfrey]

Sover Wong told me he will rebuild and update F Photomic heads as well as F2 heads. Recently I had two Fs (the 1960*plain prism and a 1972-1973 black w FTn head), but I gave the black one to a friend of mine, so I'm sticking with just the plain prism.

I figure if I want another metered film body besides the F6 I'll get a nice FM2n, but I really have about as many 35mm film cameras as I want at this point.

BTW, you should never put batteries in the freezer. Any water in the battery crystallizes and damages it when frozen. Much better to put them in the cold drawer of your refrigerator ... I have*a small stock of original PX625 mercury cells in the refrigerator from the late 1980s and early 1990s that are still as-new. I just keep them in a plastic freezer bag with a couple of silica gel bags with them, in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator.

G

 

[_goodtimez]

The F is my icon. I love them and keep repairing and maintaining them. I think even a clunky F when used normally could provide several more decades of satisfaction.
Below are a few of my F details:

Nikon F sun bathing afternoon by Joan, on Flickr

Nikon F photomic repair by Joan, on Flickr

Nikon F photomic repair by Joan, on Flickr

NIKON F-36 by Joan, on Flickr

Nikon F photomic repair by Joan, on Flickr

Below is an F slow speeds mechanism video:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/84879...ez-dpuiDo-iT2BMv-jiziPu-jizXRw-dpuiV7-5MM46c/