Durable.
Mechanical.
Extensive choice of lenses, new and old.
Large, full field viewfinder image helps with composition.
Controls fall easily to hand - this is a heavy camera, but its size makes it more natural to use than an FM2.

Photomic heads seem to be an ugly addition to a classic camera.
My DP-2 broke when it fell off a bunk bed, although it was repaired for $40.
Battery will be finished quickly if you leave the meter on.
Plastic gear in MD-3 breaks easily - find an MD-2.

Don't worry about your camera-just use it! Taking pictures become second nature with an F-2. And as long as you don't shoot transparencies, you don't need a meter while you're outdoors in daylight. Try it! How much are you squinting against the light? or look at the sky; estimate the exposure, check it against the meter. With a bit of practice, you'll be within half a stop.

Similar Products Used:

FM2/T. FM2n. Canon AE1. Zenit-E !

Built well. Controls logically placed. Easy to use. Many lenses, Nikkor and independents, available and reasonably priced.
Fine optics available.

Heavy. Original Photomic meter prism requires coupler on lens for wide open metering (minor weakness). Mounting a flash unit is a minor inconvenience.

In spite of its size and weight,I believe that the F2 is the best manual slr camera that Nikon (or anyone else) has ever made. Using it keeps you close to photography.

Customer Service

No experience.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F, Nikkormat FT2,Minolta SRT-101

Images produced are only limited by the availability of lenses and the photographers imagination. Built like a tank to last a lifetime

Go for the solid state metering of the SB prism as the standard Photomic finders become unreliable over the years

A modern day classic, fully capable of producing images that will stand the test against the majority of todays 'do-it-all' cameras

Customer Service

None of my SB equipped models have needed servicing yet, so cannot comment

Similar Products Used:

Nikn F, Nikkormat FT series, Nikon F4 (YUK!), Nikon Pronea range (Also YUK!)

Body was nearly indestructible. Shutters worked well even after treatment bordering on abuse.

Photomic meter heads were just plain junk. Had to have mine recalibrated ($$$!) 2x in 3 years. Finally drove me to Canon products. Motor drive ridiculously expensive, heavy and loud.

I replaced my F2, Nikkormat and Nikkor lenses with a Canon A-1 and T90 and a bagful of Canon FDs and never regretted my decision.

Customer Service

Expensive and unsympathetic about Photomic head shortcomings.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F, Nikkormat FT2
Canon A-1, T90

Only camera that survived falling off the back of a speeding 750 Honda twenty years ago and is still being used to this day. On a recent photo shoot in Canyonlands National Park, my associate was using an F5 which failed due to a battery poop-out. He left the site in disgust while my 25 year old F2 kept on truck'n. I'm the only one who has images from that location.

Prism head should be used instead of the Photomic heads because dust migrates into the viewfinder. Must be sent in for repair to have viewfinder cleaned. Meter hasn't worked in 15 years!

The F2 will be used as my primary camera with an F5 as backup.

Customer Service

Certainly not!

Similar Products Used:

Cannon FTB, Nikon F

THIS CAMERA IS A TANK! YOU NEED TO WORKOUT THE BICEPS IN ORDER TO TAKE THAT MAGNIFICENT SHOT. THIS DARN THING NEVER FAILED ME. ALL MANUAL AND SUPERIOR TO MOST IF NOT ALL CAMERAS I'VE OWNED. ALSO, THE LENS MOUNT IS UNIVERSAL TO ALL OF THE NIKON LINE-UP. THE MAIN REASON I OWNED THIS CAMERA IS IT'S STRAIGHT FORWARD CONTROLS, DURABILITY, AND MARKET VALUE. I STILL SEE THESE CAMERAS BEING SOLD AROUND $500-$700. GOOD INVESTMENT WITH A PIECE OF MIND IN IT'S CAPABILITY. A PLUS!!

THE VIEW FINDER METER IS NOT VERY RELIABLE. ALWAYS DEAD! TRY TO BUY A SIMPLE FINDER WITH THE METER. IT'S BETTER TO USE A HAND HELD METER! IN MY OPINION THEY ALSO LOOK BETTER.

IT'S A NIKON!

Similar Products Used:

CANON AE-1, A-1, & F-1
MINOLTA MXG, X-700, & XG-9
OLYMPUS OM-1 & 2

My F2AS has all of the features I want in a camera, especially depth-of-field preview and mirror lock-up. Plus it's reliable, rugged, fun, practically weatherproof, mechanical (not reliant on batteries), versitile and accurate.

Daylight fill-flash is a challenge but not impossible. That's it.

I'll never give up my F2AS (blk)! There's hardly a situation I can't handle with this camera. And it's never given me a problem. Nikon also made many, many accessories for the F2 system so there are alot of reliable used F2 accessories out there. Why would one shoot with anything else?

Customer Service

Never a problem.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta SR-T 102, XK & XE-7. Nikon F, FM, FE, EM, FA, Nikkormat FTN, FT-3. Olympus OM1. Pentax KM & ME Super. Zeiss-Iko

Reliability, build quality, robustness,

Wieght, its heavy

How does a camera qualify to become a classic camera? This in itself is quite an emotive question! However, if you count reliability, adaptability, robustness and build quality as prerequisites, then this camera is surely a classic. It will appeal to any photographer who understands the limits of centre weighed metering, who demands high quality, reliabilty and adaptabilty. Finally, the system associated with Nikon is vast, the lens quality legendary, just hold an F2 and you'll never part with it. My advice, however, buy a AR-1 Shoft Shutter Release, it really complements the F2, and most of all saves your fingers!

Customer Service

Greys of Westminster, Nikon Specialists, London Uk, the best Nikon and only sole Nikon dealers in the World! and I'm not getting any commision for this!

Similar Products Used:

Nikon F
Pentax Lx
Canon F1N AE

Nearly unbreakable
Great latch mechanisms for Photometer housing
Quality materials all over, which result in great fir to this day.
I have the black version, and still use the original shine cloth that came with camera-despite of a few scratches here and there, black is hanging tough

Very heavy
Dust can get to screen rather easily

I love this camera, and have kept it even if I don't shoot that many rolls with it now. I still recommend it as a great camera for those who want to get introduced to serious photography. You can take this camera anywhere (I worked with it in the Amazon Rainforest twice, and in several other nasty areas, it - and Nikkor AI lenses-survived beautifully)

Customer Service

Sent camera in for maintenance a few times, always great service from Nikon.

Similar Products Used:

Nikkormat
Nikon FM2n

Top-notch, hand-made quality of the 70's. It's not a consumer toy, it's built as a professional tool.

Simple and intuitive mechanics. Did I mention it's a solid, unbreakable work of art?

The eyepiece mount for LED-type viewfinders is slightly rounder than the needle meter viewfinders; for some reason this makes the eyepiece easier to fall out. Better to use none.

The following is very subjective, but I hope it could be helpful.

I've been using the F2 for a very long time. 5 years ago I upgraded to the F3 and I immediately noticed the "improvements". But then photography became boring because modern cameras made many variables that go into the art of photography invisible. The F3 definately "solved" many of the limitations of mechanical design: lighter, quieter, and smaller. But I felt very much dislocated with the film.

Then I switched to the F4, but it just wasn't my style. Too rugged and action-oriented. I still have the F4, it's a very reliable no-brainer field camera.

Perhaps I'm a purist. When I take pictures I think only about composition, lens angle, exposure, and depth of view, and nothing more. If you're taking action shots, stick to the latest technology. If you're a manual kind of person, try out the F2. It's the best manual camera ever made.

Customer Service

Had body tweaked after 10 years of use. Tightened up the speed dial tension and adjusted the minor mirror lock lever. Not cheap. Camera places charges a premium for vintage camera service.

Similar Products Used:

Owned: F3, F4