All mechanical if the bateries go all you loose is the meter, and meters are for wimps anyway. A what you see is what you get (100%) viewfinder. This is a lot rarer in SLRs than youd imagine.

All are now quite old.

If your looking for an all metal mechanical workhorse, look no further. Classicly the only camera to use to photograph the riot, fight off the looters, and hammer the nail into the wall to hold up the picture.

Customer Service

fine for a camera this old lots of people know how to play with them.

Similar Products Used:

OM2n, OM10, Zeis Icarex, Revueflex, Rico

Suberb build quality and design, some shockingly beat up examples still work well with accurate shutters. The camera bodies are simple to work on with the exception of replacing the shutter curtains so any qualified techician can clear most jams or fix minor problems. Most repairs can be done in 1-2 hours or less. Parts have become available on ebay. The best meters for these camera are the DP-3 and DP-12, they are capable of reading in near dark (ev -2!!), they did not use the ring resistor, and will last a lifetime. Many consider the weight to be a problem, I consider it a plus, more mass to reduce any mirror slap. Will work with almost every F mount lens ever made, the only exception being the new economy G series lenses that lack an aperture ring.

Age, the mirror foam should be checked and replaced when it starts to crumble. The motor drives MD-2 and MD-3 used Nylon gears on the motor shaft that are starting to split due to age, look for the MD-1 which had metal gears. The MS-1 battery holders tend to develop corrosion problems, complete disassembly and cleaning will solve this for 2-3 years, then a new cleaning will be needed. The DP-1, DP-2, and DP-11 meters used a ring resistor which is prone to buildup that will cause a jumpy meter needle, or flashing lights in the DP-2. Frequent use and exercise of these meters will minimize this problem, letting them sit makes it worse. Repairing the light meters is a very delicate task and parts can be difficult to find, plan on 4-12 hours of labor for a meter repair. These cameras require exercize, if you just let them sit things can get gummed up. Any storage should be done in a closed small box in a temp. controlled room, don't let them sit in a smoke filled room on the shelf, the smoke will gum up the works.

A great camera that slows you down enough to force you to think about your photo's. My best pics have been taken with the F2, Mamiya TLR and 4x5 View cameras, the slower pace makes me think about what I am doing. With practice one can work quickly with this camera so I do not mean to say that it will slow everyone down. It just is not a simple point and click snap shooter like the new F5. The mirror is very well damped and the design of the camera body is very durable. My first F2 purchased in 1973 is still going strong and the shutter has tested accurate for almost 30 years without adjustment. The only repair that I have ever required on an F2 (1 out of 5) was to replace a contact spring for the meter switch, a simple 30 minute repair.

Customer Service

There is none, unlike Leica, Nikon would rather forget that they ever made a camera this durable, planned Obsolescence has become Nikon's business plan.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F, Nikkormat FTN and FS, N8008S Nikon F5.

Build quality, all mechanical, Nikon lenses

For a left eyed photographer there is a tendency to push the wind lever in with your forehead shutting off the meter.

I have the F2A. I like the match needle metering. I find it easier to make small exposure adjustments with tne needle. I find that I take better pictures with this camera. I stop and think about what I am metering then after the exposure is set I concentrate on the compsistion.

Customer Service

Never used

Similar Products Used:

F,FM2N,FE,F3, Olympus OM2n,Yashicamat, Mamiya RB67,Canon Elan,Canon AT1

Lets a bad photographer like me feel what it's like to be good. Expansive viewfinder. Quality optics and resultant pictures. Bombproof construction.

Weight. Some controls are placed oddly for me (really being picky with this one)

I was lucky enough to get this camera (an F2S) from my dad, it was barely used, cased, and had 3 superb lenses. I immediately fell in love with it . . . it pushes me to learn more and be a better photographer. The overall quality and design is stunning, like a Jaguar E-type, a Barcelona chair, a Macintosh Tube Amp, or a Parker 51, this is a true classic of form and function.

Customer Service

Haven't needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Various Canon, Nikon, and Leica P&S's, and a Nikon EL2 that I didn't like nearly as much.

All mechanical opeation. Versatility. Build quality.

Weight

When I was a youngster in the 70's this was my dream camera. I finally bought one last year with a DP1 finder. I have a small collection of pre AI lenses for my Nikkormat. The quality of this camera is amazing (the way things used to be) I have an F80 that has had to be replaced for several faults. If I had to depend on a camera I would choose this one.

Customer Service

Nikon UK have around a 3 month turnaround for servicing and repair.

Similar Products Used:

F601 F80 Nikkormat FTN FG contax G

Build quality is Leicaesque. The DP12 finder works perfectly 25 years on. The shutters go on forever. They will never build another like it.

Absolutely none.

After years of using AF cameras it was ajoy to return to the camera I used and loved in the late 1970's-the Nikon F2. I picked up a nearly mint black F2AS on eBay and when I took it out on a shoot for the first time it was an unutterable experience akin to being taken up into the third heaven. The feel, the sound, the smell of a REAL camera that you do not have to override every function in order to get the shot you want. The first roll of Kodachrome 64 came back and the shots were all in focus and all perfectly exposed. Who needs five point AF with venticular apposite matrix compound metering when the good 'ol center-weighted system hardly misses a shot? Not all technology is good technology and the joy of photography is being eroded each day with more and more complex computers to do the thinking for you. Try an F2 and experience the joy once again! The Nikkor Ais lenses are fabulous and almost as good as the Contax G series Zeiss glass (which is untouchable for contrast, saturation and sheer mind boggling sharpness). My recommendation is go for the AS finder. It is much more stable than the Dp1 or Dp11 which can suffer from a twitchy needle. Get a nice 28mm 2.8 a 35mm 1.4 and a 105mm 1.8 and create some art!

Customer Service

There are plenty of good repair guys who love these old Nikons.

Similar Products Used:

F3HP, FE2, Contax G

1. Shutter speeds from 10-1/2000. 2. Mirror lockup. 3. Great Photomic finder. 4. Wide range of ISO settings. 5. Solid. 6. T and B! 7. Smooth shutter 8. no kick from the mirror

1. limited range of max aperatures 2. finder is great but too big 3. no hot shoe! 4. can't use self timer for shutter speeds from 2-10 seconds

Don,t ask me about reliability, I have had mine for only two days. But the mostly metal outer construction, weight, and solid fit of the parts make it feel like it will last forever. The Photomic meter is pretty accurate (I am using a lens with a pretty weird f5 max aperature though, so....). It is so easy to use, and the Photomic finder makes it a little easier to set shutter speeds. Just puts the dial for changing them a little to high. The flash sync is 1/80 of a second, weird but a little better than 1/60. And being able to shoot from 2-10 seconds programmed into the camera is good, even if the way for doing it is a lil' odd. And mirror lockup too!

Customer Service

not needed

Similar Products Used:

none

excellent built very good ballance with the motordrive survives the end of the world

none

Go to the gym and enjoy this incredible machine, that will 100% give you the feeling of being a pro. Forget all the F5 and F4´s, no doubt they can do a lot fot you, but the real feeling is to work hard to enjoy your pictures and the best ever camera is the f2. The motor md2/mb1 will defenetly launch you among the top pro´s.

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

nikon f3p

Solid feel, 99% success in your photography, the "clunky" shutter sound, adaptibility to a wide choice of lenses, non- dependibility on batteries but at the same time the easiest to buy cells (SR/LR 44) , no hassles with delicate electronics, the waist level finder that I use quite a bit, the timer for settings beyond 1 second.

Not easy to get accessories. Plus they are expensive. You cant trust your present day camera shop to do a decent job on it.The contacts on the Photomic head are not stable so at times you have to wriggle it a bit to get the meter going. And the worst.. the mount for the flash is non standard, so you cant use non- Nikon flash units . I am using a Vivitar 283 on a seperate handle. In our tropical climate the lens get attacked by fungus. So its stored in air-tight containers with silica gel.Never happens with my Leica.

I got my first F2 way back in 1978.Since than I''ve used only an F2, just cant seem to get good results with anything else.When my first F2 died a sudden death at the hands of a local camera repairer, I got another one (used) through my nephew in Atlanta. You know you have a "CAMERA" with an F2 in your hands and so does everyone else who sees you using it ! Wish I was back in the 70''s or early 80''s I should have picked up a couple more.

Customer Service

What''s that?

Similar Products Used:

Canon F1, AE1,Leica R3, CL, Bronica, Olympus OM2, OM10

allmost none ..it seems that this camera has so many options and durability even compared to the standard of today.they will never make anything like it anymore!(even they could do it),maybe business is more important =money?

weight ..only this...and lack of TTL flash,but nothing seriously.

this camera is the best you almost can get,this is simply a faboulous camera The Nikon F2 has a certain carisma you cant buy anymore,when i go with it people stops and ask details of this beauty,go and find one and use all the lenses Nikon has made.I will keep mine forever. last week i was at a small photoshop in the surbub of my town and the owners still used this camera for portraits ..wauw ! what a camera!

Customer Service

never needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Nikkormat FT 2,FT 3,Nikon EM,Nikon F5,Nikon Fe-2,Canon and Leica,Mamiya and others .