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Laurence
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 4809
Location: Western Washington State
Expire: 2016-06-19
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 Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:58 pm Post subject: Nikon F, F2AS, F3AS |
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Laurence wrote:
I've always wanted a Nikon F series camera, strictly for sentimental value and extraordinary workmanship.
I am torn between the various F series, but sure like the F2AS.
Do any of you have a Nikon F series camera, and could make some recommendations?
_________________
Assent, and you are sane;
Demur,—you ’re straightway dangerous,
And handled with a chain.
Emily Dickinson
Cameras and Lenses in Use:
Yashica Mat 124 w/ Yashinon 80/3.5,
CV Apo-Lanthar 90/3.5SL, (Thank you Klaus),
Pentax 645,
Flek 50,
Pentax-A 150
Pentax-A 120 Macro
Voigtlander Vitomatic I w/Color Skopar 50/2.8
Konica TC and zoom lenses (thanks Carsten)
Contax AX
Yashica ML 50/2
Yashica ML 35/2.8
Carl Zeiss Contax 50/1.4
Tamron Adaptall SP 17/3.5
Tamron Adaptall 28/2.5
Tamron Adaptall SP 300/2.8 LD (IF)
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Attila
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 57865
Location: Hungary
Expire: 2025-11-18
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| Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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Attila wrote:
NIKON FA ... FA is my signature abbrev LOL
_________________
-------------------------------
Items on sale on Ebay
Sony NEX-7 Carl Zeiss Planar 85mm f1.4, Minolta MD 35mm f1.8, Konica 135mm f2.5, Minolta MD 50mm f1.2, Minolta MD 250mm f5.6, Carl Zeiss Sonnar 180mm f2.8
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Laurence
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 4809
Location: Western Washington State
Expire: 2016-06-19
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| Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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Laurence wrote:
BEAUTIFUL bookend! 
_________________
Assent, and you are sane;
Demur,—you ’re straightway dangerous,
And handled with a chain.
Emily Dickinson
Cameras and Lenses in Use:
Yashica Mat 124 w/ Yashinon 80/3.5,
CV Apo-Lanthar 90/3.5SL, (Thank you Klaus),
Pentax 645,
Flek 50,
Pentax-A 150
Pentax-A 120 Macro
Voigtlander Vitomatic I w/Color Skopar 50/2.8
Konica TC and zoom lenses (thanks Carsten)
Contax AX
Yashica ML 50/2
Yashica ML 35/2.8
Carl Zeiss Contax 50/1.4
Tamron Adaptall SP 17/3.5
Tamron Adaptall 28/2.5
Tamron Adaptall SP 300/2.8 LD (IF)
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koji
Joined: 21 Jul 2008
Posts: 2107
Location: Hiroshima, Japan
Expire: 2012-12-27
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 1:50 am Post subject: |
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koji wrote:
If you like truly mechanical one, pick F2 with normal finder
If you do not mind some electronics, pick F6 (superb finder)
That's my recommendation.
_________________
Our Home Page has 18,200 photos in 575 directories today.
Lenses: https://www.pbase.com/kkawakami/top_level_my_lenses |
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Katastrofo
Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 10405
Location: USA
Expire: 2013-11-19
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 2:13 am Post subject: |
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Katastrofo wrote:
You guys and your pretty little cameras, meet "Riff" who spent his first years
of life doing duty in "Nam with an army photojournalist:
Love this cam and am sending it off this fall to get completely pimped. |
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glockman99
Joined: 23 Jul 2008
Posts: 233
Location: Aberdeen, WA USA
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| Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 5:14 am Post subject: |
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glockman99 wrote:
I will suggest the F4s, eventho I don't think that's what you are looking for...But, I still LOVE mine.
It's hard to beat the F2 with the "A" meterhead...That match-needle metering is pretty quick and easy to use. The original F model is nice, but can be a hassle to reload with film if in a hurry, (and without 3 hands).
Actually, the F4s is high on my list, Glockman! I love the style, and I have never had a camera with AF capabilities.
_________________
Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA USA
glockman99@hotmail.com
The film cameras I use are:
Nikon F4s, Nikon F3HP with MD4 (X2), Nikon N8008, Nikon N8008s. |
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dof
Joined: 04 Feb 2009
Posts: 339
Location: Southern California
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| Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:02 pm Post subject: Re: Nikon F, F2AS, F3AS |
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dof wrote:
| Laurence wrote: |
I've always wanted a Nikon F series camera, strictly for sentimental value and extraordinary workmanship.
I am torn between the various F series, but sure like the F2AS.
Do any of you have a Nikon F series camera, and could make some recommendations? |
I have used F and F2 models. Both are excellent and very well built. The
F2A and F2AS are pricey due to collector interest. If you're mostly
interested in shooting rather than collecting, you might prefer staying with
pre-F2A models due to lower prices. The difference is in the finders and
the fact that F2A/AS models are AI compatible while earlier versions are
not.
If you don't need the removable prism of the F2 models you might like
the EL/ELW/EL2 models.
This is my EL:
It's one of the few Nikon models that provides Auto-exposure with both
AI and non-AI lenses (as well as manual mode). Any lens with the
meter coupling prong works equally well. These cameras are also
built like tanks and have mirror lockup, DOF preview and good meters. |
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PaulC
Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 2318
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| Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:58 am Post subject: |
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PaulC wrote:
| Seymore wrote: |
| Hard to beat an old F w/FTN metering head... |
It's like owning a Sherman tank. And with the F you use the cheap non-AI versions of the lenses.
The trouble with the "photonic" metering head is that it is impossible to get the mercury batteries it takes and there seem to be problems with all the alternatives on offer (variable voltages or short battery life).
Now, if somebody could produce a decent replacement cell ....
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View or buy my photos at:
http://shutterstock.com/g/paulcowan |
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scsambrook
Joined: 29 Mar 2009
Posts: 2167
Location: Glasgow Scotland
Expire: 2011-11-18
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| Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:55 am Post subject: |
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scsambrook wrote:
| PaulC wrote: |
| Seymore wrote: |
| Hard to beat an old F w/FTN metering head... |
The trouble with the "photonic" metering head is that it is impossible to get the mercury batteries it takes and there seem to be problems with all the alternatives on offer (variable voltages or short battery life).
Now, if somebody could produce a decent replacement cell .... |
PaulC - try
http://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/
I think they will have the answer to your problem.
_________________
Stephen
Equipment: Pentax DSLR for casual shooting, Lumix G1 and Fuji XE-1 for playing with old lenses, and Leica M8 because I still like the optical rangefinder system. |
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cooltouch
Joined: 15 Jan 2009
Posts: 9096
Location: Houston, Texas
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| Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 5:54 am Post subject: |
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cooltouch wrote:
I have owned Fs, F2s, and F3s, and they all have their good points.
If you're thinking about picking up an F and want to use a metered finder, get one with the FTN finder. It works much better than all the others. Otherwise, go with one with the plain prism finder.
If you're thinking about an F2, things get more complicated when it comes to the finders. There's more than just price to consider:
First, if you're not worried about an onboard meter, then just look for an F2 with the DE-1 (eye level) finder. No worries regarding the meter. Strangely, however, sometimes I find these cameras going for a premium over those that have metered finders. Oh well. BTW, I own an F2 identical to the one that Koji shows above.
The DP-1 finder, which came on the "F2 Photomic" was Nikon's standard metered finder for the F2, and is the most common. Make sure it works and that the needle doesn't jump when you rotate the aperture ring or the shutter speed dial. The jumpiness can be a sign of the meter's resistor beginning to fail.
The DP-2 finder, which came with the F2S, was a bizarre thing. Big and looking more like a house's roofline. It was the first of the F2 finders that had a slow speed dial for metering down to 10 seconds.
The DP-3 finder, which made the camera an F2SB, was a much-needed update to the DP-2. It kept the slow-metering capability but improved the viewfinder meter readout, and it got rid of the odd hump on top of the finder the DP-2 had.
The DP-11 and DP-12 finders are the AI versions of the DP-1 and DP-3, respectively. They turn the F2 into an F2A (DP-11) or F2AS (DP-12). These two finders go for a premium for two reasons: 1) they use the AI meter coupling, 2) they are newer, thus theoretically are more reliable.
I've also owned a couple of F3s. I like the ergonomics of the F3, and I also came to appreciate the 80/20 metering pattern that it uses. (Most other Nikons use a 60/40 pattern) The tight pattern was very useful when shooting with narrow lattitude slide film. Coupled with the MD-4 motor drive, it was considerably lighter than an F2 with MD-2/MB-1 attached.
Of the three, I still prefer the F2. It is more comfortable in my hands than the F, and just feels solid. I prefer mechanical cameras over battery dependent ones, so it gets the nod over the F3 -- or any later F-series as far as that goes.
Best,
Michael |
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