Semi-Frequent Questions about the Nikon F2
You could do a better job? Probably. I'll do as best as I can, though. The first part of this document is lifted (with some editing) from an email conversation that I had with Dave Nunn, who graciously allowed me to use it to help start this document.
Whoo! The F2 is hot, as people all over the world seem to be rediscovering this 1970's beauty. The oldest F2's are now 27 years old, and many of them are still quite useable (and probably just as many others have given up the ghost after many long years of front-line press service). As is so often stated, many people believe that the F2 was the last hand-built Nikon; it certainly exudes an air of quality.
What flash system is most suited to the F2?
What is an approximate second-hand value for the F2 in first class condition?
How do you lock up the mirror on a F2?
How do you open the F2?
Why does the F2 have numbers engraved on the self-timer lever?
How do I meter long time exposures with the DP-2, -3, or -12 meters?
What were the standard prisms used with the F2?
What is the difference between the F2xx's?
What does the collar around the shutter release do?
What can I do about a jumpy meter needle?
What do I do about a shutter hole?
What do all of the dials and levers on the back of the MD-2 do?
What's an MF-3?
How come the MD-3 is cheaper than the MD-2?
What is the significance of a serial number?
How do I get exposure information from non-prong lenses to the DP-1, -2, or -3 finders?
How do I know where the film plane is?
What is the appropriate sync speed with flashbulbs?
What are the different incarnations of the 55f/3.5 Micro?
How can you tell what a xx-x accessory is?
What Flash system is most suited to the F2?
According to Nikon, flashbulbs may also be used, as with the F, but without the fiddly flash-sync selector business of the F. I haven't tried using bulbs on either camera.
By the way, rumors of the fabled Vivtar-TTL ISO hotshoe adapter for the F3 are false, unless it is used with a specific flash, or unless you buy a special flash adapter (Metz SCA 344, Sunpak NE-3D). The F3 has a unique implementation of TTL; convential TTL flash metering has the sequence:
The F3, on the other hand, has no special circuitry inside the camera for flash, except the one pin that it reads on the hotshoe telling it to turn to sync speed (or slower, if selected) and turn off the ambient metering. That's why you need a special adapter for the F3 with non-Nikon flashes. Its TTL flash sequence is:
What is an approximate second-hand value for the F2 in first class condition, (including wide angle lens), in 1996?
It may seem strange that the DE-1 will often cost twice as much as a DP-1, but the DE-1 is at once elegant, compact, light, and there are no ring resistors to fail in it.
How do you lock up the mirror on an F2?
How do you open the F2?
Why does the F2 have numbers engraved on its self-timer lever?
On the other hand, you can use these as variable times for the self-timer countdown with any shutter speed -- leave the T/L collar to its regular shooting position (in the middle), set the self-timer to the appropriate delay, and trip the timer with its separate release button (revealed when the self-timer lever is moved aside).
How do I meter these long shutter speeds?
One small note of caution to DP-2 (F2S) owners: if you suddenly switch from a fairly bright to a dim metering situation, you will need to let your meter adjust to the low levels, for about a minute or two. The DP-3 and -12 do not have this "feature", since they use silicon blue photodiodes, rather than the CdS photoresistor in the DP-2.
Hey conservative freak, tell me why I should get excited about a camera with slow flash sync, finger-breaking MLU, and fiddly long time exposures.
Sometimes, buying a camera isn't all about what the mind tells you is correct. The prevailing view of camera-as-tool is quite practical, and would advise one to get the F3 or FM10; with the F2, the idea becomes tool-is-beautiful. Yes, I know that taking pictures with the F2 is inconvenient compared to today's modern cameras and that, rationally, the only people buying F2's should be collectors; on the other hand, the F2 seems to be experiencing a resurgence among camera users of all kinds -- both first-time tyros and old-hand pros. I do not consider myself a collector, and treat my F2 accordingly -- slinging it around, over my shoulder, in the bag, letting the dog trample it every so often; the beauty of the F2 (and F) for me, is not in saying, "Gee, look at these nice pictures I've taken with this camera, whose limitations I've struggled mightily to overcome," but rather in having something at hand that I am familiar with and presents no distractions in extracting a final shot from the picture at-hand. That's what a useful tool is, to me.
What were the standard prisms used with the F2?
What is the difference between the F2xx's?
Official Name = Combination = Shorthand
F2 Eyelevel = F2 with DE-1 = F2
F2 Photomic = F2 with DP-1 = F2 (Photomic)
F2 Photomic S = F2 with DP-2 = F2S
F2 Photomic SB = F2 with DP-3 = F2SB
F2 Photomic A = F2 with DP-11 = F2A
F2 Photomic AS = F2 with DP-12 = F2AS
How come the collar around the shutter release has three click-stops, a T, a L, and an unmarked one in the middle?
This feature is designed mostly for those who don't have locking cable releases and don't want to stand around squeezing a cable release for up to hours on end (I know that there's some star-trail photographers out there ...).
My meter needle is jumpy. What can I do?
Granted, you can live with the jumpiness, but it's only a matter of time before it fails (right as you see Bigfoot ... now, let's see, it's sunny-16, and right now it's patchily cloudy, and I want to expose the fur [hair/claws/fangs/horrible gaping mouth coming at you] correctly so that would be ... dang). If you don't want to spend the bucks on a DP-12, you could get a nice handheld meter, and have implements dangling from your neck all day (I did it once; not too fun).
More specifically, if you are having trouble with your ring resistor, you might want to try:
- Cleaning the Ring Resistor
- Southeast Camera Repair
- 6300 Jimmy Carter Blvd
- Norcross, GA 30071
- (770)441-7700
- Many thanks to Tyler Knapp, who has used this repair shop and wanted to share it with everyone.
Why does my camera weigh so much?
If you don't believe me, or are a diehard metal fan, tell me that it's as easy to dent an F3/T as it is to dent a regular F3. One more:
- Have materials advanced since 1971?
- Yes.
- Are quality materials available for lighter weight?
- Yes.
Used in the places that camera designers feel fit, it's likely to last as long as a comparable metal part while delivering tremendous weight savings. I'm not saying that I'm a huge fan of plastic (please, fiber-reinforced polycarbonate), just that I'm no longer a metal fanatic. If you want to really argue about it, just post something like "(material of your choice here) rules and (alternative material) is crap" on the Usenet.
- Is plastic crap?
- No.
What do I do when I have a hole in the shutter?
What do all of the dials and levers on the back of the MD-2(1) do?
You can set the countdown timer knob to count down the appropriate number of frames before it stops shooting pictures, or you can put it in "S" to allow an indefinite amount of pictures to be taken.
To rewind the film, first push up on the rewind button lever (push the silver button in the middle of this lever first), then hold the small button to the left of the rewind engagement lever down and push the engagement lever to the right. To stop the rewind, just push the engagment lever back to the left.
To open the back, flip the opening lever out and push it to the left.
The firing rate control dictates the speed of the motor, as well as the minimum shutter speed required to sustain the speed. Falling below the speed is not catastrophic, as long as you don't do it regularly; however, be advised that the motor will mindlessly advance the film whether or not the exposure has been completed. After all, if you're going to take pictures at about 1/8th or slower, the motordrive doesn't really need to be turned on.
Note that the MD-1 lacks the rewind contacts (for the MF-3) on the back of the drive and has a large, square firing button, rather than the small, round button of the MD-2. Both buttons are detachable, for "remote" (i.e. in-your-pocket) triggering.
Hold on. The MF-3 is a stop back for the F2?
So what's the bun, huh?
How come the MD-3 is so much cheaper than the MD-2 (or MD-1)?
My serial number is 76xxxxx. What's significant about it?
"Moose" Peterson says that early (71xxxxx and 72xxxxx) F2's have a small problem with the take-up spool: these can supposedly cause some frame overlap when using a motordrive (but should be fine if you wind-by-hand).
I've received information in the past weeks that there do exist chrome 73's and black 74's. Apparently Nikon changed the serial numbering scheme with the 75's and later (which should follow the even = chrome / odd = black system).
How do I get exposure information from lenses/objects without the coupling prong (or for lenses slower than f/5.6) on the prong-metering finders (DP-1, -2, -3)?
For the AI finders (DP-11 and -12), press the aperture coupling tab upwards (towards the finder) and to the right (i.e. towards the rewind knob) until it locks into place. To drop it down again, slide the release to the right.
When doing macrophotography, what is the exact film-plane-to-subject distance?
Hey! I don't want to have to buy an F just to use flashbulbs, so let me know how to set the appropriate sync.
+------+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | |2|1| | | |x| | | | | | | | | | bulb |0|0|5|2|1| | | | | | | | | | | type |0|0|0|5|2|8|6|3|1| | | | | | | |0|0|0|0|5|0|0|0|5|8|4|2|1|B| +------+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | FP | | | | | |%|%| | | | | | | | +------+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | M |%|%|%|%| |%|%| | | | | | | | +------+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | MF |%|%|%|%|%|%|%| | | | | | | | +------+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ "%" -- shutter speed cannot be used " " -- shutter speed can be used
Yes, it seems strange to me, too, that you can't fire at the "sync" speed of 1/80 with any bulb.
What different models of the 55f/3.5 Micro did Nikon offer, anyways?
where [mag ratio] is the magnification ratio in use, i.e.(effective aperture) = (set aperture)*(1 + [mag ratio])
When I say X1:X2, I mean that X1 is the feature size on the film, and X2 is the physical feature size, e.g. 1:3 implies that an object that is 30mm long will be reproduced as an image 10mm long on film.a picture taken at 1:2 has a [mag ratio] = 0.5
a picture taken at 1:1 has a [mag ratio] = 1.0
a picture taken at 2:1 has a [mag ratio] = 2.0, etc.
How can you tell what a xx-x accessory is?
Nikon used a fairly consistent naming system for its line of accessories beginning in the late 60's with its flash units, and eventually spreading across the line. The first two letters let you know what sort of product it is, and the trailing number tells you in what order it was introduced, e.g. a xx-4 will predate a xx-5. Note that in some cases, there may not be a xx-1. Although Nikon never officially gave a product a certain xx-x designation, it still counts as the first product of its class, and Nikon did not reuse the designation.
For example, when Nikon introduced its first bellows unit, it was designated "Bellows 1" and was designed for the S-series rangefinders. The version with the F-mount was designated "Bellows 2" (later Bellows 2a, with a minor modification). When Nikon started using their xx-x naming convention, the next bellows to be introduced was named the PB-3 (a fairly rare and very compact octagonal bellows unit), rather than starting over at PB-1. The AP-2 panorama head is another good example. On the other hand, Nikon did start over at DA-1, DE-1, etc. with the F2 line of finders.
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