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I bought my first Nikon, an F with a Photomic finder, in 1967 and used it and a couple of Leica IIIC's freelancing for local newspapers in Atlanta. In June of 1972, I traded the F plus another one I'd acquired and both of the Leica's for two Nikon F2's, one with the MD1 motor drive and one without. I later added an MD2 motor drive to the 2nd F2 and those where what paid my way through college. I still have the F2 with the MD1, along with the 50mm/f1.4 non-ai Nikkor lens that came with it, and except for light seals and an occasional CLA, that camera has never been in the shop. I currently have 16 "F" series Nikons from F's to F5's, along with a couple of dozen other Nikons and a number of medium format cameras from the studio days, but if I had to choose just one camera to keep, it would be my original F2. It's all mechanical and sunny 16 works when the batteries are dead, batteries are readily available, it will take just about every Nikkor lens I have and be happy, I can still get it repaired in the unlikely situation that it needs it and for over 40 years, it has been my go-to camera. If a hammer had a lens, it would be a Nikon F2. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
First of all, I love my Spotmatics, let me get that clear. And for compact SLRs the Pentax MX (K-mount) is hard to beat. But the Nikon F2 is such an incredible camera. I liked it so much that after awhile I bought another one. An all mechanical camera that works even if the batteries fail. !00% viewfinder coverage. And with the A (or AS) finder installed, takes almost all Nikon lenses, past or present, including AF lenses. The other part I like is that the camera is really rugged. Most cameras that have been used a lot by a pro and the camera looks it with dings and dents etc, well the inside will reflect that heavy use. My first F2A looked like that , but I paid a low price and figured I could have it CLA'd. When I put a roll of film through to see what would happen, the images were flawless. Of course the seals and mirror bump foam were intact, but all the mechanical parts work as well. This current F2A has an unusual screen with a grid on it for architectural photography that makes it easy to line up the horizon for hand held landscape photography. This camera is easy to love. Get one.Read full review
The Nikon F2 is a legend, and rightly so. Other SLRs, even mechanical ones, added features or capabilities, but none were ever as well-made, durable, versatile and just simple "right" as the F2. Everything looks and feels exactly as it should, and absent electronic capabilities added in future generations, there is simply no way to improve upon it. Any camera is basically just a light-tight box to hold the film flat and the lens at a precise distance, with a means of briefly allowing light to pass through the lens and onto the film in as controlled a manner as possible. They all do the same thing, but none does it mechanically with as much precision and quality as the Nikon F2. It is simply the very best mechanical 35mm SLR camera ever made, by anyone, ever. Get one.
Verified purchase: No
The Nikon F2a is the finest all mechanical camera Nikon has ever put out. Incredibly well made it simply stays out of your way and let's you do the thinking. This is a stunning camera that makes me want to be out there looking for that next great shot.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The Nikon F2 Photomic film camera is not only a camera of now legendary status, it is also, arguably, considered by many as the best SLR film camera produced by Nikon... Not bad for a product discontinued nearly 30 years ago in such a competitive and technology driven world as that of camera design. The camera had a feel of solidity seldom encountered in modern products. It feel heavy and big, but at the same time surprisingly comfortable and fits firmly in your hands. It is worth noting that I was interested in this specific camera for several reasons. Firstly, it was a later model (serial number 802XXXX), which means that it was not only likely to be in better condition, but also wasn't going to be regarded as a priceless collectible. These are wonderful tools to use for any serious photographer and is is sometimes disconcerting that some intend to pay several thousands of Dollars for a camera which they just intend to keep on a shelf or in a box... Second, its previous owner had had the camera modified to receive a special gridded viewfinder screen, which is perfect for using the camera for architectural photography or on a copy stand, which is also what I intend to use it for. Another bonus, is that this probably reduced the price of the camera even further as collectors only bid high on unmodified cameras in original condition. Third and lastly, the camera had obviously been kept very well by a professional photographer and so was stil in exceptional condition for its age: It is scratchless, except for the bottom where it was attached to a motordrive, and the back, where ther is a small window to put a label as a reminder of what film you're using. Another big bonus of the F2, as opposed to its forebear, the iconic Nikon F, which is also, as a matter of fact, my everyday camera, is that the meter head is always center weighted, which means that it measures light from the centre of the picture, rather than the whole of the frame and is designed to accept modern bateries. Normally, a Nikon F meter head needs to be recalibrated for this, (an often costly operation that only few professional repaimen know how to carry out properly) Also, as soon as I put new batteries in the camera, the light meter started measuring light accurately. Of course, before you decide to buy such a piece of equipment, I would recommend that you communicate with the seller in order to ensure that you are fully aware of the condition of the product you are buying. Many cameras sold on ebay are in apaling condition and I only got lucky because I knew I was buying from a local reputable seller who knew his products inside out. One last piece of advice: The F2 is a top of the range professional camera and its operation is 100% manual; also, it require at least basic knowledge of photography before you can start shooting away and so is definitely not for the novice. Bearing this in mind, it clearly outperforms many current models and it is sad that the supply of these superb mnachines is now dwindling because of lack of interest, lack of care, or machine falling into the wrong hands, a market now driven towards amateur point and shoot models, or simply collectors driving up the prices because of some strange obsession with serial numbers. If anybody from Nikon is reading this, I simply want to say this as a conclusion: This was your very best model, if you wanted to make a new batch, you'd probably sell them for a lot more than the few dollars I got mine forRead full review
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