![]() All around, these lenses produce stunning images. Other lenses I have enjoyed using on my F2 include the 35mm f/1.4 Ai-S, 28mm f/2 Ai, 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S, and the Tokina 90mm f/2.5 AT-X Macro. As such, the lens that has lived on my F2 for the last several years is a 35mm f/2. It’s exceptionally soft wide open and I don’t really think it has decent sharpness or micro contrast until f/2.8. That lens, however, is not particularly amazing. The most stereotypical lens that comes with an F2 is the 50mm f/1.4. I would think this can go without saying but just in case, Nikon glass is amazing. If you have an F2 already but haven’t tried out other focusing screens, I highly recommend it. At the time when I had two copies of the camera (and original Photomic and the SB Photomic) I would pick up every focusing screen I came across just to see what I liked. The ability to change out the focusing screen is for sure one of my favorite attributes of the F2 – easily the most underrated. Quite honestly, there are so many bells and whistles available with that camera that I’ve never even considered getting anything else for the camera aside from the focusing screen. ![]() Want to have an auto winder? You can get it. Want to have auto exposure? There’s a tool for that. Want to change out the focusing screen for something else? There are over a dozen to choose from (I personally prefer the “H” model which is a full screen of micro prisms). Want a digital back that can print the time and a note on the film? They have that. Just about everything you can think of can be changed out. This is the part where there is quite honestly more to talk about than I have room for. Image of Burnt Nikon F2 Courtesy Of Matt Seal Accessories It used to be 1/30th but I think the loss of some of the dampener made it land a bit too hard at slower speeds. It looked a little rough after but worked just fine from shutter speeds of 1/60th or faster for a 35mm lens. On my first F2, it was pretty brittle from years of not using and me changing out the focusing screen. The only thing that could possibly be conceived as a weakness of the F2 is the mirror dampener. So much so that a good friend of mine had one survive a house fire and it still works (see below). It’s such a solid, well built machine that feels unstoppable. I would best just about anything that if someone was to shoot through a couple rolls using an F2 and then picked up a Pentax, Minolta, or Canon, you’d be disappointed. Build QualityĪs I mentioned above, the build quality of the F2 is superb. The S model using the DP-2 prism is kind of the odd man out still using “+ > < -” LEDs. Similarly, the AS (DP-12 prism) and the SB (DP-3 prism) offer the same performance metering using “+ 0 -” LEDs. Otherwise, the A model (using the DP-11 prism) and the original model (using the DP-1 prism) are the exact same prism which use a more primitive metering needle which can be a bit difficult see when there isn’t ample light coming through the top of the meter. ![]() The biggest difference between the A and AS models and their earlier counterparts is that they only work with Ai-S lenses whereas the other lenses can work on all mechanical Nikon F mount lenses so long as they have the meter coupling shoe (a.k.a., “rabbit ears”) to communicate the aperture you’ve got the lens set to with the metering prism. Of the primary 5 models of the F2, the only difference between them is the metering prism. ![]() Other editions were made as well but are far rarer and more expensive. There are 5 different “Photomic” models of the F2 which have a metering prism that use the original body: original, S, SB, A, and AS. To start, they’re pretty affordable and can be had for around $125-$150 for the body of the cheapest model. They were made for nearly 10 years (1971-1980) before it was replaced by the F3 an electronic camera compared with the all mechanical F2. The Nikon F2, however, is on a level entirely on its own. I don’t mean to knock on other 35mm cameras – I still have a soft spot in my heart for a good copy of a Minolta X-370 (my first camera growing up) or a Pentax Spotmatic (my father’s camera from his time in the service). Once you get used to it, most alternatives just seem cheap or flimsy. If you’ve ever used a Nikon F2 before, you already know that it is rare to find such quality in a 35mm camera or even a digital camera for that matter.
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