Why Do You Prefer the Nikon F Over the F2?

[Contarama]

The F mount is what is truly special... 🙂

 

[Pirate]

What's a Camera thread without pictures??

 

[literiter]

Oh, we are discussing cameras! I thought it was Scotch!

 

[Contarama]

Who cares about the location of the shutter button...use the timer instead!

 

[Robert Lai]

Pirate, you obviously have impeccably good taste in choosing cameras. An F3 HP with MD4 and a beautiful black F!

I have the F3 (non HP)+MD4 too. That was my first Nikon, and really the only camera I've ever needed. Only recently did I acquire a chrome F with plain prism. Looking through the finder, there is a real familial feeling between the F and F3. Both offer a 100% finder view without anything inside the viewing frame. On the F3, the meter readouts are outside the viewfinder image.

Yes, compared to Leica, Nikons (not Nikon's) are very inexpensive.
I don't find the Nikkors too far behind the Leicas (as SLR lenses, the wides have barrel distortion). The exception for me is your 35 2.8. I had one in AIS, and my sample was very fuzzy.

 

[Pirate]

Thank you Robert!

I don't think I've used this 35mm lens much, if I have, it's been a while. And that F3 is an F3P. Found it at KEH a while back but it was only marked as an HP, so to me, I got it for a steal... I love the F3 as much as the F, both Vintage Fantastic!

 

[mynikonf2]

The F mount is what is truly special... 🙂

Amen!!! It's that glass that you can actually afford. You can afford to mount many different focal length lens on that F mount camera, which ever F mount camera that may be. IMHO you would be hard pressed to tell if an image was produced with a $2500+ Leica lens or a similar focal length Nikkor, without a careful loop study of the negs & even then most of us would still get it wrong. I know there are many "experts" that will dispute that but the bottom line is does it matter to me?
Anyway, there are so many Nikkor jewels that have that same "F mount" that I can afford to experiment with several different lens, until I find the kit that's right for my vision. 🙄😀
KEY WORD: Affordability

 

[ray*j*gun]

In a different thread the issue of repairing the FTn head was discussed and I said I would research the cost. Essex Camera will repair and calibrate the FTn head for $60.00. I figured the same folks that were chatting in that thread would be looking at this one.

 

[Keith]

What's a Camera thread without pictures??

As a self confessed Zuikoholic ... I have to say that looks pretty classy Pirate! 😀

 

[Pirate]

Thank you Keith! That one is a joy to shoot. I need to run another roll through her soon too, I've been shooting way too much 120 lately. This one needs to get out and run a bit 😀

 

[rbsinto]

No, the F2 lever can't go onto an F.

Different mounting completely.

But, I have often transplanted the Apollo F lever onto my user Nikons. I really like the black plastic tip and smoother contour.

Vick

I always preferred the F2s plastic tipped advance levers to the naked metal ones, so I turned the one on my beater F into an Apollo type by making a mold of an F2 plastic tip from tinfoil, and filling it with epoxy. After filing and some additional shaping, I glued it to the metal tip, then masked and sprayed the plastic in gloss black.