Camera Talk

My old father gave me his Nikon F (it is a Photonic type, with the 50mm/1.4). I understand now why this camera defined a generation of photography.



It may be big and heavy, but not a control out of place.

Nice shot, Julio. I had the same Nikon long ago. Unfortunately, it was stolen. Back then I thought it very de rigeur. Now, I don't think I'd be willing to cart around anything so heavy. But, I wish I still had it.
--- James

I've had a couple through the years. Talk about getting it right the first time, the F defined reliability, and the lens mount is still going strong. Nice shot, Julio.

Very nice Julio. I have the same set up as well and love using it.

Thanks for the comments! Still getting used to the beast, just out of the first roll.

The Photomic meter is dead, which does not matter too much. But I wonder why Photomics die with such unanimity. Maybe someone knows? Does not fit with the reliability fame of the F.

Now, some fun looking for Nikkors. Already got a 28mm/3.5, as a starter.

Nice shot taken at the dock! The F is such a pleasure to use that one forgets the weight. A good wide strap helps. I personally prefer the unmetered prism on the F, for one thing most of the metered heads have electrical issues unless repaired and re-calibrated for modern batteries (certainly possible). Using the unmetered prism will also reduce the camera footprint a bit. The F era lenses like your 50/1.4 are still insanely sharp and reliable, especially stopped down a tad.

Very nice, you can't beat the Nikon F-series cameras, eh? I have an FM2 and I still use it as my go-to cameras. Yes, it's heavy, but who cares!

Congrats on the Nikon F, Julio. That's a great camera that you will enjoy a lot. I am very fond of mine too, although I like my F2 even more. Luckily both of my Photomics still work very well. The one on my F is a late FTN model with the short slit on the front and the F2 has the AI version with LEDs (DP12?) which makes it an F2AS.

Thanks! I got a 135mm to go with the 50 and 28, so I am fixed for with lenses for the time being. I'm going to get a reasonable bag for the set, so I can keep it around.

Now, I read that an F2 Photomic prism can be used in the F (taking out the Nikon nameplate in the F body, which is not hard). Any of you have done it?

Now, I read that an F2 Photomic prism can be used in the F (taking out the Nikon nameplate in the F body, which is not hard). Any of you have done it?

Hi Julio,
I have never tried it myself since I do not have the plain unmetered prism for either the F or the F2, but I remember having read about it on the NikonMF group years ago. If you plan to use an F2 Photomic head on your F, remember that it might fit mechanically but you won't be able to meter since the battery of the F2 is in the camera base and the F2 Photomic needs two contacts under the eyepiece to draw current, which the F does not have.