Do Nikon F2 Cameras Have Brass

Whether you already take a 35mm film camera or are looking to become ane, the Nikon F2 is about as good as an SLR photographic camera can possibly be.

If you've ever used a Nikon F2 before, you already know that it is rare to discover such quality in a 35mm camera or fifty-fifty a digital camera for that matter. Once you get used to information technology, nigh alternatives but seem cheap or flimsy. I don't hateful to knock on other 35mm cameras – I still have a soft spot in my middle for a good copy of a Minolta X-370 (my first camera growing up) or a Pentax Spotmatic (my father's camera from his time in the service). The Nikon F2, nevertheless, is on a level entirely on its own. They were made for nearly x years (1971-1980) before it was replaced past the F3; an electronic photographic camera compared with the all mechanical F2.

To outset, they're pretty affordable and can be had for around $125-$150 for the body of the cheapest model. And yes, at that place is more than i model. In that location are 5 different "Photomic" models of the F2 which take a metering prism that employ the original body: original, Southward, SB, A, and AS. Other editions were made too simply are far rarer and more expensive. Of the chief five models of the F2, the simply difference between them is the metering prism. The biggest departure betwixt the A and Every bit models and their earlier counterparts is that they simply piece of work with Ai-S lenses whereas the other lenses can piece of work on all mechanical Nikon F mount lenses and then long as they have the meter coupling shoe (a.k.a., "rabbit ears") to communicate the aperture you've got the lens ready to with the metering prism. Otherwise, the A model (using the DP-11 prism) and the original model (using the DP-1 prism) are the exact same prism which use a more primitive metering needle which tin be a scrap hard encounter when there isn't ample light coming through the top of the meter. Similarly, the Every bit (DP-12 prism) and the SB (DP-three prism) offer the same performance metering using "+ 0 -" LEDs. The S model using the DP-two prism is kind of the odd man out still using "+ > < -" LEDs.

Build Quality

Every bit I mentioned in a higher place, the build quality of the F2 is superb. I would best just about anything that if someone was to shoot through a couple rolls using an F2 and then picked up a Pentax, Minolta, or Canon, you'd be disappointed. It'due south such a solid, well congenital machine that feels unstoppable. Then much and then that a good friend of mine had one survive a firm fire and information technology still works (see below). I kid you lot not. The simply thing that could maybe be conceived as a weakness of the F2 is the mirror dampener. On my outset F2, it was pretty brittle from years of not using and me irresolute out the focusing screen. Information technology looked a little crude after but worked merely fine from shutter speeds of 1/60th or faster for a 35mm lens. It used to exist 1/30th just I think the loss of some of the dampener made it state a bit too hard at slower speeds.

Image of Burnt Nikon F2 Courtesy Of Matt Seal

Accessories

This is the part where there is quite honestly more to talk about than I have room for. Only about everything you can call back of can exist inverse out. Desire a digital dorsum that can print the fourth dimension and a note on the motion picture? They take that. Want to modify out the focusing screen for something else? At that place are over a dozen to choose from (I personally prefer the "H" model which is a full screen of micro prisms). Want to add together a hot shoe? Easily done. Desire to take auto exposure? There's a tool for that. Want to have an auto winder? You can go it.
Quite honestly, there are so many bells and whistles available with that camera that I've never fifty-fifty considered getting anything else for the photographic camera aside from the focusing screen. The power to change out the focusing screen is for certain 1 of my favorite attributes of the F2 – easily the most underrated. At the time when I had two copies of the photographic camera (and original Photomic and the SB Photomic) I would pick upwardly every focusing screen I came across just to come across what I liked. If yous have an F2 already merely haven't tried out other focusing screens, I highly recommend it.

Lens Offerings

I would call up this tin can go without saying but just in case, Nikon glass is amazing. The nigh stereotypical lens that comes with an F2 is the 50mm f/1.iv. That lens, notwithstanding, is not particularly astonishing. It's exceptionally soft wide open and I don't really recall it has decent sharpness or micro contrast until f/2.8. As such, the lens that has lived on my F2 for the last several years is a 35mm f/2. Other lenses I have enjoyed using on my F2 include the 35mm f/1.four Ai-S, 28mm f/2 Ai, 28mm f/2.eight Ai-S, and the Tokina 90mm f/2.5 AT-X Macro. All around, these lenses produce stunning images.

What I Liked

Price. It isn't as cheap as a Pentax K1000, Minolta X-370, Canon AE-i, or whatever other mutual cameras are readily available but information technology's worth the extra cost
Lens selection is amazing
Shutter speeds range from 10 seconds to 1/2000th of a second
Cocky-timer comes in clutch on vacations
Depth of field preview tin can be really helpful
The ability to change the focusing screen is an nether rated benefit
All manual operation means if you can meter yourself, yous don't need batteries

What I Didn't Like

Depending on whether you have the A or AS model or 1 of the earlier models, you may non be able to use all manual focus lenses
It is considerably heavier than the bulk of other common 35mm cameras
I have constitute information technology to be too easily to accidentally leave the meter on and kill the batteries. It's just happened twice but was very inconvenient both times

Conclusion

I firmly believe that the F2 is the best all mechanical 35mm you can get. It is so versatile, durable, and consistent that there is no SLR competitor for me. I already had a pretty pregnant Nikon all manual lens drove from my days of using my Sony a7 exclusively and then I was able to have a lens selection gear up to go the day I bought the camera simply even if I didn't, the lenses are non unreasonable and the bulk of them are really solid glass.

Have y'all ever shot with a Nikon F2? What were your experiences? For you, how does it measure upwardly to other 35mm SLRs?