What's your favorite film Nikon F Series ?

[Jeremy Z]

They're popular cameras now. Back in the day, they were popular with pros. Now, they're not used much by pros, but by amateurs.

I've tried an original F. Too clunky, esp. the film loading

F2 was nice. Clunky meter/prism and heavy, but I can see the appeal.

F3 - I handled one and was impressed by the smoothness of the advance lever. I read later that it has a ball bearing there. I may get one, one day. Not impressed with the on-camera flash provisions, but I guess pros didn't use on-camera flash that often.

F4 - These are gi-normous, but one of these might be my next camera. They're currently around $200 US on FeeBay. When I see

F5, F6 - Never seen one in the rubber.

****************

Right now, my film Nikons are as follows:

• N90s - "Semi-pro" Very solid and super cheap on FeeBay right now. I paid $21 for a good one.
• FG - Great little camera; under-rated. I got two, for $30 each.
• "One Touch" L35AF3 - Their 2nd generation of prime-lensed P&S. This is probably my favorite P&S camera. (though the original Stylus/mju is up there, too)

 

[css9450]

I have a few of them..... A favorite? Probably the F2. I really ought to use it more often. I have film in my F3 right now just to take advantage of the new viewfinder I got for it (my F3 is an F3AF and the AF viewfinder is tough to focus manually) so I got a "regular" (non-HP) finder for it recently.


Another favorite would be the FA; a camera that often gets forgotten around here as the FM/FE series is extremely popular.

 

[B-9]

Nikon F5,
You wont need for anything else.

F4,
Clunky but really the winner for AI-AIS glass if you need Matrix Metering

F3,
Super smooth and the obvious option for most people being small.

F2,
Nothing like a F2 fresh from Sover. Ive owned a absolute slew of them over the years you can never go wrong with one.

F,
Is for casual shooter and collectors. The film loading is absolutely dismal when you consider the F2 is not much more money. Ive owned a slew of as well.

 

[splitimageview]

Had my F2A since 1979, Sover freshened it up for another few decades of use. Big and heavy but not as big/heavy as some; ultra reliable and great viewfinder. The extended height shutter dial made it easy to adjust the speeds; could quickly set things just by feel.

For a smaller body, the FE2. There is something special about the bright and snappy focusing screens in this series, noticeably superior to other brands.

Loved my F4 and F5 back in the day but no need for fast motors any longer. Just too big and heavy with all those AA batteries.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Easy.
F2AS for me, mine also Soverized a couple of years ago. Have had all the Fs except the F4. Bought an F6 new, probably the most “capable” 35mm film camera I ever owned, too capable for me. Had that same time as the F2AS, thought about it long and hard and sold the F6, kept the F2AS. Don’t need AF, personally, and don’t like menus except in restaurants.
Love the feel of a nice F2 every bit as much as a perfect M3, though not similar.
Choice of around 84 different finder screens, I think it was.
People who are always going on about cameras being “too heavy” whatever that means, should avoid this one as it is apparently a bank vault shrunk down to camera size.

F2 says, “I am a Camera, my metering is fabulous, I am indestructible, titanium bends just looking at me, I won’t need service or adjustment for 50 years, or 12,000 rolls, now get out of my way!”

Some day going to go full gonzo and get the motor drive to frighten the neighbors.

 

[Keith]

Aside form my F6 which I've just sold I've never partaken ... been tempted by the high point viewfinder of an F3 occasionally but then there's the lenses. Another slippery slope!

 

[dtcls100]

F6 and F2AS

F6 and F2AS

I have handled them all and the F6 and F2AS are my favorites. They fall on opposite ends of the spectrum. The F6 is the most technologically advanced and refined of all of the F-series cameras, while the F2AS is the pinnacle of the mechanical SLRs.

F6 because it is the most advanced, most ergonomic and most capable of all of the F-series cameras. Also has perhaps the best viewfinder (except for maybe the F2 with H-series full frame microprism focusing screen). Works with full matrix metering on all Nikon Ai and Ai-S lenses and can even be modified by Nikon to work with non-Ai lenses. Capable 11 pt AF (similar to that in D2x) and wonderful MF capability. Surprisingly quiet and refined, but rugged and very comfortable in the hand with its rubberized cover (that never gets sticky like the F100). Fully compatible with Nikon film and digital flashes. Black finish one of the most durable I have seen on any camera. Only real drawback is that it is not fully functional with Nikon's newest electronic aperture lenses in that you can only shoot wide open.

F2AS -- if you like mechanical pro grade SLRs, this is it. Solid, simple, great film advance, shutter release (with Nikon soft release made for this camera), and fantastic viewfinder (get H-series focusing screens). I bought one of the optional machined and anodized aluminum screw on grips, which make the camera much more ergonomic. One weakness is that on many F2AS bodies, the meter display becomes somewhat unstable, due to a resistor element being worn down. Sover Wong sells custom made replacements that can last a lifetime or over 1 million turns of the aperture ring.

 

[peterm1]

My absolute all time favorite is the original Nikon F with a non metering prism. It is a superbly engineered "brick" (AKA brick outhouse) of a camera that just does what it is supposed to do. If you cannot afford or find one of these in the condition which is acceptable to you then I would say a good substitute is a later Nikkormat. The Nikkormat FTn or FT2 are models I would go for. They are the Nikon F equivalents for non Pro users.

But I still have, and occasionally use, my old Nikon F801s and in the practical usability stakes would have to say this is my favorite partly because of AF (though it is pretty slow by modern standards) but mostly because of its metering system. It seems to me it is even more bullet proof than say the F90 and F90s that followed and is a plain, no nonsense early AF camera built pretty much as Nikons should be built.

 

[shimokita]

F3P with F3HP as a backup...

SB-12 and SB-28 Nikon Flash
SMDV Flash Wave III TX and RX

 

[Pál_K]

My pro-level Nikons consist of:
2 plain-prism F's
3 F2 Photomics (DP-1 heads)
2 F2S's, one with MD-1, MB-1 combo
2 F3/T's, one with MD-4
2 F4s's

The plain-prism F's are the most enjoyable for me. Fancy viewfinder features appeal to me too much: I become transfixed at the gadgetry and don't look at the image. The simplicity, solidity, and ruggedness of the F appeals to me.

The F2 metering heads are clunky when changing aperture or shutter speed. Ergonomically overall and with more refined features, the F2 is a more capable camera than the F. Equally solid. I've avoided F2A and F2AS because they require stop-down metering of pre-AI lenses. The F2 Photomic and F2S can meter both pre-AI and AI wide open and I don't mind the lens-mounting aperture-ring twist ritual.

The F3/T handles well. Smooth. Viewfinder is a disaster with the little LCD readout.

The F4s is, as Rockwell stated, the Rosetta Stone of compatibility between Nikon lenses. I can mount and use my pre-AI lenses (stop-down metering), all AI lenses normally, all AF-D lenses normally, and AF G lenses (in P, Ph, or S modes). It's a fun camera to use and I like it because it's the last professional Nikon to have external dedicated controls for every and all functions. There are no menus or spinning mode selector wheels. Every control has a specific set of fixed positions it can be placed in. As an engineer, this appeals to me. What does not appeal to me is the total reliance on so many electromechanical subsystems - because the more such subsystems, the higher the chance of failure.

The F5 and F6 don't appeal to me. I don't like their controls and total reliance on electronic subsystems.

... best viewfinder (except for maybe the F2 with H-series full frame microprism focusing screen) ...

I've had an H screen on one of my F3/T's since the 1990's - the all-microprism viewing field is wonderful.

My absolute all time favorite is the original Nikon F with a non metering prism... I would say a good substitute is a later Nikkormat. The Nikkormat FTn or FT2 are models I would go for. They are the Nikon F equivalents for non Pro users.
...

Agree about the plain-prism F. I also deliberately chose to get a Nikkormat FT2 because that is the only model that both accepts a modern battery and also allows metering of pre-AI and AI lenses wide open (FT3 requires stop-down of pre-AI).

Nikkormats are totally underrated and underpriced today; they're a bargain compared to the overhyped K1000. Consider the FT2:
- modern battery, center-weighted metering, plus can turn meter off
- easy DOF preview
- mirror lock-up
- self timer
- shutter speeds visible in finder
- meter reading visible on top plate
- elegant frame counter 🙂
- any F lens can be mounted

(the aperture-priority equivalent of this is my EL2 - beautiful viewfinder and elegant craftsmanship)

 

[1750Shooter]

FM-3A. I’ve had it forever & it just works.

 

[Huss]

I’ve pretty much got them all including Soverized F2s, F3p and F3Ltd.
And my favourite is the F4.

 

[Pál_K]

FM-3A. I’ve had it forever & it just works.

FM-3a: the last great mechanical Nikon (with optional electronic operation).

Bought one when they came out. I'd buy another simply because they're so good.

 

[narsuitus]

I have owned and used the following Nikon cameras:
F
F2
F3
F4
EM
L35
N70
N2000
Nikonos III
D200

The F and F3 are the only ones I no longer own and use.
I sold the F to get the F2.
I sold the manual focus F3 to get the auto focus F4.

My personal favorite is the Nikon F2 titanium. I once owned two of them but sold them when collectors drove the price so high that I was afraid to use them for fear of devaluing them.

I now own and use three Nikon F2 bodies with non-metered prisms.


Nikon F2 by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

They're popular cameras now. Back in the day, they were popular with pros. Now, they're not used much by pros, but by amateurs.

I've tried an original F. Too clunky, esp. the film loading

F2 was nice. Clunky meter/prism and heavy, but I can see the appeal.

F3 - I handled one and was impressed by the smoothness of the advance lever. I read later that it has a ball bearing there. I may get one, one day. Not impressed with the on-camera flash provisions, but I guess pros didn't use on-camera flash that often.

F4 - These are gi-normous, but one of these might be my next camera. They're currently around $200 US on FeeBay. When I see

F5, F6 - Never seen one in the rubber.

****************

Right now, my film Nikons are as follows:

• N90s - "Semi-pro" Very solid and super cheap on FeeBay right now. I paid $21 for a good one.
• FG - Great little camera; under-rated. I got two, for $30 each.
• "One Touch" L35AF3 - Their 2nd generation of prime-lensed P&S. This is probably my favorite P&S camera. (though the original Stylus/mju is up there, too)

There are plenty of cameras that are harder to load than an F. A Barnack for starters. I'm sorry, but I really don't see what the problem is. Clunky is relative. Lock the mirror up and the F shutter is actually fairly smooth. Granted, the MLU implementation in the F design, isn't perfect.

 

[B-9]

The F4s is the best value in used Nikons.

100-150$ for a pro Nikon with drive?

It’s insanity. Matrix metering!

Relatively bullet proof but I HATE the smooth rubber grips.

 

[Scottboarding]

The F3hp! I've never been that excited using a camera before. The film advance is so smooth, the stronger-then-most center weighted meter is fantastic, the VF is awesome, and it's great having aperture priority should I ever need it (haven't so far, but it's nice knowing it's there).

 

[Ccoppola82]

I have 2 f3Hp’s and an FM2n.

The F3’s are just beautiful to me. Timeless styling and has a very durable feel. The fm2n actually feels like a toy next to it but benefits from it being mechanically operable with no battery up to 1/4000th. That and being lighter would make me take it for hiking, but the F3 would be the camera I would take around town or for everyday use. It’s still heavy but with a 50mm 1.8 pancake it’s quite manageable.

 

[Pál_K]

Some old Nikons are a bargain.

Within the last few years at swap meets I've seen fully mechanically functioning Nikkormat FTN's for $15. Slow speeds work, no shutter capping, other functions seem ok. Couldn't test the meter. So, for $150, someone could get 10 such cameras for students.

F4s's I've seen for under $250. There are probably some that sell for even less. But it's a fair bit more effort to verify functionality.

 

[ktmrider]

The original and the camera that revolutionized photojournalism is still my favorite, the Nikon F with plain prism. I have it combined with one of the best normal lenses ever made-55f3.5 Micro Nikkor. It actually does everything my film Leica's do and a few things they don't.

And those saying it has awkward film loading have obviously never used an M2/M3.