Will the real best manual Nikon SLR please stand up?

[sevo]

How many F2 cameras have you seen? I haven't seen many,

I may have gone through more than a dozen - at some time I owned five. Currently I own two (plus another beater body missing a few parts), one of which by the way has been serviced by Sover Wong. None of mine ever had shutter issues attributable to anything other than dirt - and none was ever left uncocked while I still used them for work, motorised.

 

[Fraser]

Just did a quick test of normal 24 hours of shooting and here are the results 😀
16fbpicFMvF2_01 by f4saregreat!, on Flickr

 

[Roger Hicks]

How many F2 cameras have you seen? .. .

At least dozens; probably scores; quite possibly hundreds. When I started as a professional (mid-70s) the F was giving way to the F2. That's how I got my first Fs: the studio was upgrading to F2s. I still think the F is a better looking camera, and there's no doubt that it's more historically important, but the important thing is that this was 40+ years ago. Arguing about which old camera is "best" is an odd hobby. As I said in an earlier post, "best" doesn't really mean very much in any context.

Also, the risks of springs going rusty, or losing their tension if the shutter is left cocked, are very, very easy to exaggerate. With anything resembling reasonable care and attention, Fs and F2s (and most other cameras of any marque) remain usable for decades. The biggest risk to any of them is gumming up from lack of use.

Cheers,

R.

 

[ray*j*gun]

I still think the F is a better looking camera, and there's no doubt that it's more historically important, but the important thing is that this was 40+ years ago. Arguing about which old camera is "best" is an odd hobby. As I said in an earlier post, "best" doesn't really mean very much in any context.


Cheers,

R.[/quote]

Yes, Roger but its fun and isnt that at least part of what the forum is about?

I have 2 F's at the moment and have had others in the past. Also I have not been able to resist the bargain prices of Nikkormats in the last 5 years or so.

 

[splitimageview]

I've had my F2A since 1979, and recently sent it to Sover. It never exhibited any problems but I wanted to freshen it up. It's good to go for another 40 years now. 😉

 

[Roger Hicks]

I still think the F is a better looking camera, and there's no doubt that it's more historically important, but the important thing is that this was 40+ years ago. Arguing about which old camera is "best" is an odd hobby. As I said in an earlier post, "best" doesn't really mean very much in any context.


Cheers,

R.

Yes, Roger but its fun and isnt that at least part of what the forum is about?

I have 2 F's at the moment and have had others in the past. Also I have not been able to resist the bargain prices of Nikkormats in the last 5 years or so.[/QUOTE]
Dear Raymond,

Sure, but it's all a question of how you phrase it. "Which is your favourite, and why" is not the same question as "Which is the best".

I think I'm down to 4 Fs and 2 Nikkormats.

Edit: I see we've both screwed up in different ways with the quote function...

Cheers,

R.

 

[nikonhswebmaster]

I understand that, but they left them behind when the FM series came out.
Which naturally suggests that pros thought the FM series were better, as they wouldn't have otherwise used them.
An argument could be made that they wore out their F/F2s, but if that was the case why are there so many ones still out there working just fine? As well as plenty barely used ones still available.

I knew a lot of pros in the '80s and never knew anyone with an FM, all the people I worked with were still using F2's, and then like me moved to the F3HP. The "special tweezers" were enough to keep me from buying an FM.

Some hung onto the F2 until the F4. I personally never even owned an F2 but moved from F to F3HP.

To me the FM was just an updated Nikkormat.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

In manual exposure mode the FE/FE2 match needle (and bar) exposure meter display is excellent.

Chris

 

[Mark C]

I started using F's fairly early after taking up photography. I think they seemed a little out of date even in the early 70's, but delivered the goods with rock solid reliability and 100 percent viewfinder. I used F2's at a couple newspapers and remember the hinged back being a blessing for that work, but never developed any particular fondness for that model. I somehow missed the F3 entirely and had never even handled one until about 5 years ago, but now I appreciate why it was so well liked during its very long production run.

The F has to be my all time favorite SLR of any brand for pure mechanical delight. All of those old fashioned features just add to the joy of using it now. I've never picked one up that didn't work, and have never had one serviced, though I'm sure they could benefit from some TLC. Mine all have straight prism finders, and I don't feel any fondness for their metered heads.

As a pure picture taking machine, the F3 wins my vote.

 

[Livesteamer]

For several years in the 1970's I owned and used the worlds ugliest Nikon F. I bought it from the local camera shop, clearly beaten and heavily used but it never failed and worked smoothly. I was in college working for yearbook, newspaper and development shooting maybe ten rolls a week. I traded it in to Thompson photo in Knoxville as part payment on an early, black F with a plain prism which I still have. Wonderful, tough cameras. Joe

 

[DanskDynamit]

I own only two, F and FM and FM feels better while shooting because of the shutter button position. Oh and also the FM can mount a huge variety of nikkor lenses from Pre-AI to AI-s, AF-s, etc.

 

[aizan]

since we're really talking about which one is the best to get the thumbs up of approval from camera geeks, the f is clearly the best for all the reasons stated above.

 

[Huss]

I

Honestly, I do not know anyone who used the FM series professionally. We were all excited about the new F2 as it refined what I believe is still the best manual SLR ever made, the F.

So, I have to ask what photojournalists switched to the FM series. Most used them as a second or more likely third body.

Hmm, The Guardian, The Times, The Observer, The Sun, The Daily Star, The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Evening Use, The Daily Mirror, The Sunday Mirror.
To name just a few newspapers in England.

 

[CameraQuest]

Hmm, The Guardian, The Times, The Observer, The Sun, The Daily Star, The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Evening Use, The Daily Mirror, The Sunday Mirror.
To name just a few newspapers in England.

That ad only shows the papers were trying to save a few bucks on lower cost cameras.

There was never any question during their production that the Nikon F and F2's were the best made, the most reliable, the most versatile cameras that Nikon made.
To most Nikon fans the FM/FE family of cameras can only be among the best if you add cost into the equation.

Many people have sold pics from their iphones. Does that make them pros or an iphone a pro camera or the best pro camera?
Yes and no, it all depends upon your definitions.

Stephen

 

[sevo]

An ad? As an argument? Sorry, but camera manufacturer endorsed photographers always are required to give their smiling faces for the publicity of the sponsors (lesser) consumer products, regardless whether they use or like them or not - that is the whole point of sponsorship deals.

We can safely assume that the guys in that ad did not consider the FM/FE so utterly horrible that they switched to Canon F-1 (or paid for their own F3 and lenses) rather than be shown with one in their hands, but it does not tell whether they ever used one as their main camera...

 

[Bill Clark]

In the 1970's I looked at both the Nikon F and the Nikkormat. Both were pretty reasonable as I bought some stuff at various ports when in Asia. Price really wasn't a factor for me at least as either camera body was around $200 back then, with the Nikkormat a little less but not much less as I recall.

I opted for the Nikkormat as, I was told in Japan, the quality of both was the same with the Nikon F with the removeable light meter. The Nikkormat was just the right size for me. And it still works just fine after 45 years!

 

[nikonhswebmaster]

Hmm, The Guardian, The Times, The Observer, The Sun, The Daily Star, The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Evening Use, The Daily Mirror, The Sunday Mirror.
To name just a few newspapers in England.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a...street_photographers_ad_final_zps8net1slg.jpg

An ad?

Collectors from Japan used to write me about the Nikkor 21mm screw mount lens, because Olden camera once listed it in an ad. They were convinced if something was in print, it was true.

Nikon and Canon ran variations of this silly ad for years.

 

[BillBingham2]

Hmm.....IMG]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a249/Desmolicious/nikon_fleet_street_photographers_ad_final_zps8net1slg.jpg[/IMG]

Someone has confused marketing, advertising, sales generation, and saving the paper money with facts.

B2 (;->

 

[nikonhswebmaster]

In the 1970's I looked at both the Nikon F and the Nikkormat. Both were pretty reasonable as I bought some stuff at various ports when in Asia. ... And it still works just fine after 45 years!

In the US about $60 as I remember. I bought one for my dad, but to me it was just an awful sounding camera, not that the F was a Leica, but the "thunk" of that vertical shutter just made me feel like everyone for 5 blocks heard it and looked.🙂

 

[Robert Lai]

Sover sends you progress report photos of your camera as he makes his repairs. I have been surprised at how much foam is used in the F and F2 (especially the F2). All of this will eventually decay, and require replacement by someone like Sover. Also, this foam inside the pentaprism pulls the silver off the prism as it decays. Thus, takes some looking to find F or F2 prisms that are still fully silvered. Even then, if you don't send it to Sover to remove the old foam, the prism will eventually get damaged with time.

Early Canons such as the FX, FP, FT, etc had the same issue. The repairer has to be able to remove this potentially deadly foam off.

Once the foam issue has been addressed (only Sover, to my knowledge ever addresses this thoroughly for the F and F2), then the cameras are very reliable and durable.

As much as I love the F3, I know that the lack of replacements for the LCD will be its ultimate demise. Lack of electronic replacement parts will also be the death of the F4, F5, and F6.