the Nikon F2 - a Review 

Great video! There's an opaque grey window on top of the metered finders (both F & F2) that allows light in to illuminate the shutter and aperture display. If you block sufficient light from striking that window, you will see the readouts go dim or disappear altogether. If shooting from inside a car, this may happen if you're holding the camera too close to the inside roof. When I'm wearing a ballcap, I always have to turn it backwards or the bill will block the light. The DP-1 and DP-11 will also lose the meter indicator. The DP-2 and DP-12 have LED indicators for under/overexposure, so these will always be visible. Many cameras from this era with the same type of direct aperture/shutter readout will have the same problem, like the Canon F1. Later cameras started moving that illumination window to the front of the prism or directly above the aperture ring. They also started superimposing the readout within the image frame, which would eliminate this issue but also intrude into the picture area.

I have a Nikon F2SB and a Nikon FTN with Nikkor lenses (20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 55mm macro, and 85mm) that I acquired while buying, selling and repairing Nikon equipment in one of my businesses; "Dave's Nikon". In addition, I was the owner of "Four Designs Co.", converting 1960's professional Polaroid cameras (110A, 110B) to 3-1/4 X 4-1/4 Polaroid "pack film", I converted more than ten-thousand of these cameras! I have repaired thousands of different 35mm SLR cameras, and on close inspection of these cameras interiors, there was a clear and discernible quality difference of Nikon F and F2 cameras, compared to all other brands. Most other camera brands interiors were left unfinished, no anti-corrosion plating of the brass components, rough edges on components, overall, crude compared to the F and F2. Nikon's F and F2 cameras always worked flawlessly because they were constructed with absolutely the finest quality components throughout! David Riddle

I still have my late dad’s old F2 he bought as the “family camera” brand new back in 1972. What an incredible little machine, full of bells and whistles. Yes. Yes, it is the BEST 35mm camera ever made!🙏🏼

Nice video. It's always great to see younger people discovering and appreciating these hall-of-fame cameras from the 1970s, which was kind of the Golden Age of Japanese 35mm cameras. I wouldn't go as far as to say the F2 was the greatest camera ever made, but I think you *could* confidently say it was the best fully mechanical 35mm SLR ever made. And it was certainly far and away the most recognized professional 35mm camera of the 1970s. More photojournalism imagery was captured during the '70s with the F2 than any other camera. If you can pick up a DP-12 Photomic head (which makes the camera an F2AS, the last variant made), it's well worth it, because it not only has the LED readout to gauge exposure, but it also uses the faster, more accurate and more reliable silicon photo diode for exposure metering, instead of the older CdS metering cells.

Love my F2. I bought it brand new in the late 70's and still using it today. It has never failed me! Regarding the weight, carry around an F4 for awhile and you'll put the F2 in the featherweight category! 😀

There are loads of cameras that perform about the same as the F2, but for me it’s the build quality, the way it looks and the way it feels like to hold, that I know that it’s rock solid and probably the best built camera ever.

I bought an F2 in February and have fallen head over heels in love with it. This weekend, bought an F & an F3. 🤗🤗🤗🤗

Aly, thank you for your video. I bought my two F2 Nikons in '73, one silver, one black. One for color, one for b&w. I still have the black one. I've always used the DP-1 finders, and we used to have a problem in low light situations. The meter would work, but the needle is illuminated by available light, so we have to hold a lit cigarette lighter above that camera to shed light on the needle (back then, a lot of commercial photogs smoked). Since then I've worked with a Leica M3, and the Leica is a great camera in the right situation, but I still prefer my F2.

Hi Aly! Thanks for the review! I have the black F2AS that went to Sover Wong for a complete refresh even though it functioned fine and looked near mint. I thought it would be my ’ride or die’ camera, and I love it, but do struggle a bit to see all corners of the frame in the viewfinder with my glasses. I am enjoying now owning/shooting several of the cameras I lusted after in my youth, but could not afford (I’m 64 now). I still have the mint Nikon FE I bought new in 1980 and F100, my last new film camera I bought in 1999 as well as the medium format Bronica SQ-A (6x6) that I shot weddings, family portraits and events with for ten years before moving to digital. I’ve got a nice chrome ‘F’ and an F3HP to round out the arsenal. It’s so fun to be working with film again! Thanks for the inspiration and best wishes to you and your little family!

I have been shooting witn Nikons since 1967 and own more than 30 of them, with 6 of them being F2s, all with motor drives. Yes, this is my favorite 35mm camera.

Came here from your Kiev4A vid, the Nikon F2 was my first ever film camera and slr, i loved it so much i had to get a Titan a month later

Part of the fun of the F2 (as well as the F) is that you can tap into the wonderful, classic Nikon lenses from the 60's and 70's. And with a Photonic A meter, you can use the later AI lenses. I got mine in '75 and it is still in the regular rotation. I would agree that is the best mechanical SLR 35 ever made, and they will still be in use for many more years to come.

Thanks for your insight and experience with this camera, a true hand built mechanical masterpiece. My F2A and F2AS models have undergone CLA and upgrades by Sover Wong and will still be performing brilliantly for my grandchildren. The F2AS meter is accurate at -2 EV which was quite an accomplishment in the late 1970's. For a lighter weight Nikon camera to complement the F2 I have found the FM2/T to be exceptional

It's great to see and hear you again! 4:20, bayonet mount that works with all Nikon cameras before and after - This was actually the norm, particularly for SLR camera makers from the 1950s onward. Good cameras were expensive (e.g., my Minolta XG-1 outfit cost me $350 in 1979; that would be like spending nearly $1500 today), and just about anything that went wrong with a SLR could be fixed short of having your camera crushed by a motor vehicle. (When I was in high school in the late 1970s, the photography club's Pentax SLR - might have been a Pentax ES - got dropped with a heavy lens attached. The lens mount area was partially torn out and bent by the impact, and I thought for sure they'd just replace it. Nope, it was still worth fixing, and they sent the body out for repair.) The major camera manufacturers knew they were making products intended to last a lifetime, so they had plenty of incentive to keep the lens mounts consistent. One incentive was that it enabled them to keep selling new lenses to existing customers. Another was that it enabled them to leverage a customer's own investment in lenses when they decided to buy additional cameras (even back then, serious photographers often owned and used two or more cameras), upgrade to a SLR body with newer technology or needed to replace a lost, stolen or badly damaged body. Obviously, if one had a collection of lenses already, it made financial sense to keep such purchases "in the family". So SLR makers usually made wholesale changes to the mounting system only if there was a good reason to do so. For example, when I was shopping for my first SLR, I didn't even look at Pentax, because all the Pentax models I had ever seen had screw mount lenses, and I knew from my high school photography club that screw mounts could be easily damaged by cross-threading when changing lenses. (There was no Internet yet, and I hadn't yet discovered photography magazines, so I was unaware that Pentax had introduced their K bayonet mount some years before. That's too bad, in retrospect, because the Pentax MX, ME and ME Super were terrific alternatives to the Minolta XG-1 that I bought, although I never regretted buying that Minolta. But I assume Pentax was aware of the shortcomings and reputation of the screw mount, and that was why they switched to their K mount in the mid 1970s.)

My F2 went from one of the most bulky and awkward cameras to one one of my favorite cameras once I switched from the metered prism to the non metered eye level prism. It feels beautiful with the smaller eye level prism.

Nikon made an accessory flash hot-shoe called the AS-1 for the F2 that slided and locked over the rewind lever allowing the use a flash unit synchronized through electrical contacts. It came with the camera when newly purchased.

Love my F2 but then again like heavier cameras. I grew up shooting heavy film cameras so I prefer something larger and heavier ( unless size and weight doesn’t suit my method of travel ). I have an F, F2, F3 with md-4, and an F5 and they are all fantastic but all different shooting experiences. When I need to go compact and light I pick up my old FG that I’ve had for 27 years. When I’m not shooting film my D850 with vertical grip is my workhorse.

I like the F2, but in my opinion I would choose the F3 and the FM3A over the F2. For you, I'm sure the FM3A would be the perfect choice ... 1/4000, mechanical if the battery runs out, light and the perfect viewfinder, but a little on the expensive side ... the F3 on the other hand is as far as I know the most produced one, so you can find it for cheap ... only my point of view. Whatever, keep doing what you do ... I like your content. BR Christoph

I inherited an F2. I do think it is too top heavy. I bought a used F3 HP. You would love the viewfinder with eye glasses. Nice balance.

I bought my F2 Photomic 20 years ago and had it CLA'd by Sover Wong. When he returned it he said "it looks like new on the outside and now it is like new on the inside". It is on my desk as I type this fitted with a Nikkor=S 50mm f1.4 with the beautiful amber coating.

I own the F2 and F3 and they are both different. The F2 is my favorite mechanical Nikon 35mm camera. For the size and aperture priority, I prefer the F3.

For a second,, during your intro, I thought you were sporting a Nikon watch 😛 ... Love the F2. Such a great camera. Thank you Aly :)

I love my F2. I have the DP12 finder, but I agree with you that it's a beast to carry around all day. Also, I have the same problem of seeing the meter at the bottom of the view finder. I also wear glasses so that might be the issue, that I can't press my eye full on to the viewfinder. Love your channel. Keep up the good work.

The Nikon F2 is the best camera ever made on several levels. Just as a camera it is simple, mechanical, and built like a tank. If you want a meter, there are several flavors of metered prisims that you could pop on the basic body. For the most part, the crispness, color and contrast of the Nikkor lenses were unbeatable. This camera inspired me to become a professional photojournalist when I accidentally discovered it in 1978 as a freshman in college. One of my dorm mates saw me using my grandfathers old canon rangefinder and said he had a Nikon under his bed that he wasn't using and I could use it anytime I wanted. I said bring it over. It seems a little odd to obsess about a inanimate object but using this camera just felt amazing. The thing that made this camera so different then anything else I had seen (before I saw this camera I had decided on a minonlta SRT 201 luckily I never got it) was customization that was possible. Nikon designed this camera to be a system camera. A wide catalog of interchangeable lenses of course but also the wide variety of finders, motors, screens, being able to use it with no finder and just look at the ground glass, The possibilities made my head spin and imagination run wild. The B screen fundamentally changed the way I took pictures and improved images immensely. And yes, the F2 and F does have a hot shoe. You just need the As-1 hotshoe adapter that slides into the groves on the rewind crank. I got a small job teaching middle school kids B/W photography. I'm still a working photojournalist so I use Canon digital for work now but have kept almost every piece of camera gear I ever bought. Had too. As a journalist the gear really takes a cosmetic beating. Anyway. I had Almost every camera I ever bought. Except the F2. I went through college with that camera and several years into my first job. I wound up selling it because it had gotten to be a maintenance hog. I bough an f3, I always regretted that. So with the class coming up I just purchases an F2A on ebay and waiting for it arrival. No motor yet. If you really want to have some fun, get an Md-1/Mb-2 motor. Thats really a nice motor. Thanks for the channel. Here's a link to serial numbers and years those numbers were produced - www.destoutz.ch/typ_production_data_f2.html

Great review Aly. The F2 is on my list of cameras I have to try before my time is up.

Fellow F2 owner here. Nice review, thanks for doing this. I'm 6' 3" with large hands so OK with the size and weight, but I can see how they could be a drawback for some people. After hearing your pros and cons on the F2 I'd be interested to hear what you have to say about the Nikon FM and/or FM2, it seems like one of them would be right in your wheelhouse.

I just got one recently. Feels very good to shoot with.

Cool video Aly! The F2 is still certainly a camera on my radar. Seems like a joy to shoot with.

Long have used cameras with Canon FD. At the end the A1 and the T90. But I noticed that I was either shooting manually or with aperture priority. I loved the T90 because of its multi-spot metering. In the meantime I have ended up with the Olympus OM 4 (Ti). It does exactly that. Aperture Priority and Multispot. At the same time, it is very compact.

I started learning to shoot film on medium format cameras. I tried 35mm and never found a camera I liked…until I tried the F2. I’ve fallen in love with that camera. 35mm is all I shoot now.

I agree, beautiful camera. my 1st I really learned on so it's nostalgic for me. I'm pulling out the F TN for its classic feel. I have just about all the bits you can have for the F F2 including my favorite Q-135mm f4 macro & P-105mm f4 bellows w/ PB-4 bellows & slide & copy stand kit. So much fun. The "TV" sports action finder is my favorite.

Try the DP-1 meter head. The needle is easier to use in bright sunlight. LEDs in the 1970s were gee-whiz features, but in truth they are less ergonomic than the analog needle that they emulate.

The F2 is a great camera, I used an OG F2 Photomic; is it the greatest? It is one of the greatest made! While I've since passed my on to another photographer, I somewhat regret it, so I will always watch for another body for a good price. Excellent video and images, as always!

Great video

I always wanted one of these. I do have an FM though, and that is a fantastic camera (though shutter only goes to /1000). Much lighter than the F2 but still built like a tank (someone once told me that the FM might be the most solid 35mm camera ever made).

Great video. Love your content keep it coming ;-)

You can mount a flash on the left side with an accessory shoe same as the f

The F3 HP would suit you better in every single category you mention.

Nice, nice, nice, review, camera, photos.

Wonderful video!

Nice video. Is it the X-T4? So film like :) Great review.

So cool !🥰

Nice choice, Aly. My F2 wears a DP-1 finder. As much as I love its ergonomics, I still slightly prefer my F "Apollo" with non-metered prism finder for its ruggedness. Either way, I enjoy a fairly extensive collection of vintage Nikkor glass. :)

Dear Ally: What is the name of the book you show in the beginning of your video? I’m a Nikon fanboy and have always used Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses since the 80s. Among the different F2s my favourite is the F2S Photomic, much caused by the versatile finder and its look. My favourite Nikon SLR camera was the F4 with Nikkor lenses from 15mm to 400mm. Thanks for answering my question as soon as possible. Ivar from Norway.

Thank you 🙏 I’m thinking either between a f1 or f2 .

I've been shooting with my F2 variants a lot this spring and it's a great workhorse camera. That considering weight, the F2 has some heft, I don't think that much more than the F, compared to the F4S, F4E and the F5, its downright light.

I got a Nikon F2 Black body and it got the Nikon MD-1 and Nikon MB-1 motor drives it also got the Nikon DS-1 meter which fits on the Left side of the camera and I need to buy a exposure meter HEAD for it and get the camera FIXED and I only paid £10.00 for ALL of them from a camera shop in London in 2023 and when I get the camera repaired it will worth over £300 to as much as £700.00

It is because of the glasses. Don't know if it is possible to get diopter correction on F2. I have -4 so "correction" makes it easier to shoot..

Excellent review. I have the F2AS and I find the LED's in the viewfinder difficult to use. I don't know if there's an F2 prism that offers a simple needle/circle meter/finder, but I'd be keen to find out.

I love the way this camera look. too bad the digital version doesn't look like that. I might even buy one just to put on a shelf and look at it.

More like best mechanical 35mm slr ever made.Also these use for flash A device that slides on the raised rails on each side of the rewind crank. It has A hot shoe on it's top. Nikon and other brands made it.

Does the selftimer take exposures of 10 seconds? Or does it take an exposure 10 seconds after you push the button?

I have a F, F2, F3 & F4 and while I like the F2 the F3 is my favorite. As for the best camera ever I’m not so sure. The original F set the form that all SLR’s have to this day so there is no doubt that F & F2 were very influential. As for the best I think I will stick with my Hasselblad 500C or 503CX. I’ve stopped using the metered finders on my F & F2 and use either the simple prism or the larger sport finder which are both non-metered finders. I did drop my F onetime from about 3 feet and as the old joke goes the rock it landed on will be getting out the hospital soon. If you need a lighter body and lens setup maybe look into an Olympus OM-1 thur 10. Great lenses and very small and light.

I think the Nikon F2 is already a piece of art itself. I own one since new. It’s a Photomic version from 1971. It was the last hand-build SLR camera from the Nippon Kogaku, K.K. assembly line. The Photomic SB variant (with DP-3) from 1976 is the rarest among the series. Only about a year of production before Nikon switched to Ai I prefer the F2 over the F3 just because of it’d work even without a battery since I only use a Sekonic hand held meter. I used it only a few times since new and kept it inside a sealed type storage container with silica gel with other Nikon stuffs. I later found it’s a bit bigger and heavy after using a Canon A-1 🎉

Fuji Sushi Nikon

F2 AS

Best camera ever made: NIKON F 2+ 1

I have one, it’s broken

I've owned two F2AS models. I sold the first and immediately regretted it, so I bought the second. I'll never sell it. Yes it's heavy, but compared to my Canon F1 (new) with concave 35mm lens, it's a breeze. I agree that Wayne Yung's grips are terrific. I use them on the F2, F3, and FM3A. They're lightweight anodized aluminum, so not that heavy. I've never had an issue with seeing the viewfinder with the DP12. But I don't use glasses with it. Maybe you could try an eyecup, or get a diopter that would allow you to shoot without glasses. You can use pre-AI lenses in stop down mode with the DP12. But I've had a pre-AI 20mm lens converted to AI and it works wonderfully on my F2AS. A guy near me in Ann Arbor specializes in these conversions, at reasonable prices. He's at www dot aiconversions dot com. Love your great reviews!