built like a tank, Manual camera, needs no batries, lens quality, the reputation of the name (Nikon).- Engine Repair

none . . .

I bought two LX''s for work (pathology) back in the early 80''s. I still have them and they still work well, with only one of them having required a full overhaul during this period. My colleagues use Nikons (as I do domestically) but I have never once had any reason to doubt that first decision. This is one of the very best 35mmSLR''s EVER. Carmichael Christmas Light Installation

None v. .

No camera today will last as long ans the Nikon f . Most probably cannot be reproduced as manufacturers are only experienced with press fit assemblies and cheap electonics.
It is worth it to have one Nikon F to takes pictures of very special occasions that will last for a life time (as opposed to numerics subjest to have your material lost or unreadable).

The fotomics are a real disaster, forget those and use a pocket photometer. Best is to buy a Nikon f with the standard prism.

As a back up for serious photography, I would recomend the Nikon F, a piece of art. Unless you love it, I would stay away for the black unit, designed at the request of the journalists, but difficult to maintain immaculate as paint fade away very quickly if you use your camera frequently. If you prefer a more modern unit, go for the F4-S, also built like a tank. Hope this comments will help your choice.

Customer Service

NO

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F4-S

built like a tank, Manual camera, needs no batries, lens quality, the reputation of the name (Nikon).

No when you consider the camera is 50 years old.

I like old manual film cameras where nothing is automatic and you have a small limit of shots before you must reload. This type of camera forces one to know the basics of photography (focus, shutter speed and lens opening settings) The "F" is well built and feels so good in my hands. When people see me using it they stare at me, some ask questions about it. When used to full advantage, the photos are excelent. I also use Leica M-2 and the Nikon "F" is in that same top catagory of fine cameras.

Customer Service

never used

Similar Products Used:

Leica M-2, Pentax ZX5 N, pentax K-1000, Pentax K10 D, Mamiya C 330, Rollie 2.8D, Rollie 3.5F, pentax 645N, Graflex Norita with 80mm f/2.

The F1 Apollo is a piece of art, practically impossible to remake these days where finance manning prevail.
A life time camera for a civilized photographer!

Repair/maintenance might become difficult, specialists are getting old and youngters not interested or incompetents for this technology.

The future of the Nikon F and comparable cameras depends on the related service: Film supply and processing.
The Numeric will certainly end the argentic era before ten years, photography becoming too democratic, automatized with instant results for people having to know nothing about photography. .

Longevity and precision engineering.

The failure of the Photomic metering head is well documented, but, if you read Roger Hicks in Amateur Photographer in Great Britain or Shutterbug magazine in America, you will know that he advocated estimating the exposure based on experience........."surprisingly easy after a while" and I agree.

After using Leica M series for many years for professional work, I bought a Nikon F Photomic FTN black body in the autumn ( fall) of last year. I have some experience of these cameras after using them professionally for quite some time before changing to Leica. It's a mistake to think that Leica gear is small and light - a small outfit of M3 body and the trilogy of 35-50-90mm lenses with a Weston meter and Invercone attachment are quite weighty! I had noticed the F on a dealer's website and gave into temptation. The FTN variant was the 4th Photomic finder to be fitted to these cameras and the last. Of course it does not work or else, considering the condition ( very fair) I would have been paying £500 and not £145! I've started buying lenses and aim to pick up 24/28/35/50/85/105, plus a new black Billingham bag. The camera is very tactile and it is not surprising that they were extensively used by the best in the business. I have a picture taken in 1970 of Snowdon ( Anthony Armstrong- Jones, Lord Snowdon) using two black F's while shooting in Venice - one with a 28 and one with a 200mm lens. People on this post have mentioned using them as weapons, I feel that they portray, possibly more than later cameras, the epitome of "an old-fashioned camera" so it makes me wonder if a mugger would bother you? Fact is, as some have commented, if attacked, hit them with it! Certainly will not harm the camera and will only add to the legendary status they already enjoy. I fully agree that we will still be using these when the plastic digitals are filling up the landfill sites ( garbage dumps)

Customer Service

AP carries advertisements for camera repairers but the writer has yet to have need of one. Even my 1933 Leica 111 works just fine

Similar Products Used:

Nikkormat, FM, FE, Canon F1,

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.

It has no real weaknesses. Film loading requires a relaxed attitude.

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.

Customer Service

Not needed.

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Nikon F2s, Many other Nikons.

reliability, construction quality, flexibility, ready availability used

old metering finders, clumsy removable back

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!

Customer Service

My Nikon service center in Houston was superb

Similar Products Used:

You name it--just about every brand, most significant models

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.

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.

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!

Similar Products Used:

Minolta SRT 102 Olympus OM1n

Solidity, accuracy, reliability, style, heft, currently affordability vs original price

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.

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.

Customer Service

Well, it can be hard to find a good serviceperson for these, and it takes a while, but I mean, the camera lasts forever.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax K2, Pentax K1000, Pentax MX, Konica Autoreflex, Zeiss-Ikon Contaflex, Nikon FM3a, Nikon F80, Nikon N75