Rating Reviewed by: John Falkenstine(Unregistered User)
(Expert)
Review Date January 11, 2008
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for 1 to 3 months
Review 1 of 45
Price Paid:
$45.00
from Ebay
Summary: This particular Nikon F attracted me because it was in horrible condition and nobody was bidding on it. I purchased it as a display piece but after putting batteries in the light meter it turned out to be fully functional. The Ho-hum Lentar 21mm lens on the front appeared to be new, or never used. A trip to Mexico and a roll of Kodak 200 film showed that it was working just fine. I've wanted one of these since High School and this particular one was built in September of 1968, right after my graduation. It is incrediby worn, at the front the paint is completely worn through where previous owners' hands just wore right through. Wherever it has been, it must have been quite an adventure that nobody will ever know. The shutter is worn shiny, but it works and works and works....The Lentar lens is giving excellent results.
Strengths: Appears to be made from a solid chunk of steel hogged out on a mill. Can be used as a deadly weapon in emergencies. Well built superb quality still shows through its very worn exterior. Available high quality lens availability is terrific. It was a beautiful piece of machinery in the sixties, and it still is so to this day...Makes contemporary SLRs look toy-like and fragile.
Weaknesses: It has no real weaknesses. Film loading requires a relaxed attitude.
Similar Products Used: Nikon F2s, Many other Nikons.
Summary: How I wanted one of these when I was growing up in the 60's! I can remember a Dutch kid moved next door to us when I was in junior high and had brought an FT over with him. I was still using a little Kodak Pony 135 and I was so jealous. I could finally afford an FTn by the mid seventies when I was in college. By then the F2 was out and so many amateurs were trading in beautiful F's. I fell in love with the F all over again. Heavy? You bet. Felt like you could hammer nails with the thing. Beautifully solid, and so honest. Yes, honest. Controls were where they should be and did what they should, no fuss. My favorite lens was the 105 2.5 (still one of my favorites) and it balanced perfectly with the body weight. I also had the awesome 85 1.8, a well used example, and with these, a 50 macro and a 24, and I was ready for anything. The only thing I didn't like was the removable back which made reloading a pain at times. Gladly they fixed this on the F2. As we all know now, the F was very closely related to the SP RF, which meant it was pretested by the time it came out. Weakest component on these cameras for daily use now is the metering finders; the carbon track goes bad. Plus, they use mercury batteries. However, put a plain prism on it and it'll serve you forever. It made Nikon and made SLR's the camera to have. One of the most significant cameras in photo history and a very usable one, too!
Strengths: reliability, construction quality, flexibility, ready availability used
Weaknesses: old metering finders, clumsy removable back
Similar Products Used: You name it--just about every brand, most significant models
Customer Service: My Nikon service center in Houston was superb
Summary: I have the Photomic 'T' meter prism on the Nikon F body. The Minolta SRT 102 was my first SLR which I bought in 1974; in 1982 I got rid of my Minolta & it's lenses and went with the Olympus OM1n & 3 lenses. I got the Nikon in 1997 second hand only because it was a camera I wanted so many years ago and couldn't afford it when it was new. The Nikon is built to last; like a post & beam home. It feels stronger and better built than my old Minolta or my Olympus. I only have the Nikkor 50mm 1.4 lens but the slides I've takn with it are just as sharp as the 50mm lens on my Minolta or my Olympus, in spite of being 10 years older than the Minolta or Olympus. Even though my Nikon has obvious cosmetic signs of use, the film advance, shutter speed, meter and lens focusing all work smoothly. Not bad for a 40 year old camera!
Strengths: I appreciate the thought that went into the design. The pentaprism with it's built-in meter could be removed and upgraded easily to avoid obsolescence or to mount other types of finders. You could easily attach professional accessories like motor drives or bulk film backs. The Minolta SRT102 had a fixed prism and no provision for motor drive or bulk film backs. The Minolta was not a professional camera, more likely for advanced amateurs. Interestingly, my Olympus OM1n has many of the professional capabilities of the Nikon, but even though it never failed me, it never felt as rock-like and durable as the Nikon. It is remarkable that the Nikon F camera, designed in 1959
was still being sold new into the 1970's with just changes in the removeable prism. Everyone seemed to have Nikon equipment in the 1970's. I worked in college newspaper and all they had was Nikon equipment which was incompatible with my Minolta outfit.
Weaknesses: The weight! I've been back-packing with my OM1n & 3 lenses; after hiking 10-15 miles I could notice a big differece compared to my old Minolta outfit. I never went backpacking with the Nikon, but I can only imagine what a Nikon F & 3 Nikkor lenses would hav been like. Also, in order to mount the lens you must make sure the pentarism pin aligns with the diaphragm notch on the lens, otherwise the meter won't work. This makes changing lenses a little more difficult. The Minolta and Olympus cameras were much simpler in this respect. To be completely fair, Nikon did make a simpler camera called the Nikkormat which had a fixed prism like the Minolta and did not require the fiddly meter to lens coupling of the Nikon F.
Similar Products Used: Minolta SRT 102
Olympus OM1n
Summary: The Nikon F is the classic, quintessential professional 35mm camera. Mine is a 1967 model with Nippon Kokagu engraved on the top. It has a Photomic finder with unfortunately a dead meter. But the viewfinder itself is incredibly good compared to just about all of today's plastic fantastics and digital wonders. I use it with a variety of original non-AI Nikkors which complement the camera beautifully. First of all, all ergonomics and function aside, this is one heavy, meaty camera. It was the camera model used in the movie "Blow", and many others, and to this day, people notice you when you are out with this baby. It attracts attention, screaming "Hey, this is a REAL man's camera". In actual use, the body itself and all of its controls feel solid like no other camera on the market today. These were built to last. It has all the traditional controls, and they are all in the expected locations. It's a very comfortable camera to use. Used with the non-AI Nikkors of the same vintage, this camera takes beautiful photographs, with a classic Nikon look. I particularly like using it with my 105/2.5 Nikkor, for the absolutely beautiful rendition of out of focus highlights. I have had other more "modern" cameras, including current all-electronic ones, but I prefer using my Nikon F by far over any other camera I have or have ever had. To make an analogy, it's kind of like driving a 1960's muscle car compared to today's sewing machines on wheels, or a classic Ducati or Norton motorcycle. I don't think of it as a vintage camera at all. To me, a Nikon F is forever and always will be a current camera. At the prices these F's sell today, they are superb values.
Strengths: Solidity, accuracy, reliability, style, heft, currently affordability vs original price
Weaknesses: The back is not hinged. It comes off completely to remove and load film, but, it's a quirk that kind of makes it special, and that somehow connects it with the Zeiss-Ikon Contax and Contaflex cameras that preceded it.
Rating Reviewed by: Christian M Fisker(Unregistered User)
(Professional)
Review Date October 25, 2003
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year
Visitors rate this review 5.00 of 5,
1 votes
Review 5 of 45
Price Paid:
$0.00
from a gift
Summary: What can i say more than this historywriter of a camera hasnt written? vietnam war, all kinds of conflicts,famous persons U name them..this One has been there and Done it!;.Making the photos together with the persons & the camera(s) no matter what !!it simply works and go on and on and on..it is probably one of the strongest cams in the world besides the F2!
Its still a dream to use,i simply like it a lot and still use it occasionally with great respect and joy,i mainly use handheld Meter and have great perfect exposures with all the famed Nikkor lens gears in front of me.
Although i still prefer my Nikon F2 ,i use this F as back up.It will never let anyone down!
Thanks Nikon ...thanks..
Love Chr M Fisker.
Strengths: all; a true true classic
Weaknesses: none
Similar Products Used: Nikon F2,minolta srt 101,leica,..
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