Nikon F: The Start
When I sat down to type my first real post for this blog, I had huge ambitions and ended up writing 1,000 words that made sense to me. When I asked my bride to proofread it for me, I could see the look on her face change with every sentence and I knew for certain it was far too much “stuff” all at once. I managed to cram almost 100 years of history into 5 paragraphs, and honestly when I went back and read it myself it was the ramblings of someone way too excited about what they were writing. I suspect my main audience is more interested in what I can create and what I think about when I’m doing it. So, I decided I would start where I truly began to understand what I was doing and not just hoping to get lucky with a decent shot occasionally.
When I started looking around at what type of film camera was “best” and read numerous articles of what the most famous and desirable version were, the Nikon F was mentioned invariably as the most influential. In comparison to later models, it’s just a huge clunky block of metal. It has sharp edges, is difficult to load film into and doesn’t really offer anything in the line of technology that can’t be had cheaper elsewhere. The thing is does offer is absolute reliability, ability to use 50+ years of terrific lenses and the feeling you are absolutely using a camera people will notice.
The Nikon F was first introduced in 1959 and took over a big part of the photography market. I once read it was so popular Leica almost went out of business because of this singular release. It was their first professional single lens reflex (SLR). An SLR simplifies the process to make a well composed, focused photo. Looking through the viewfinder is a direct reflection of the image coming through the front glass of the lens. With the F, Nikon allowed each photographer the option of choosing the style of viewfinder they prefer. In the 24 years they actively produced it, there were three main types created: 1. Eyelevel finder, 2. Waist level finder, 3. Metered eyelevel finder. Currently the most desirable version is the basic unmetered eye level finder. In my opinion it is the best looking of all the styles, and I’ve yet to find the version with the light meter that works. The waist level finder is quite cool though as it lets you hold the camera much lower while focusing and allows you to create a more “heroic” point of view when taking portraits or when you just want a lower focus and don’t feel like laying on the ground. It’s super easy to change between finders as it only requires a single button push and 10-15 seconds. The design of this body allows for 100% reliability despite the modularity. It was used regularly in active combat areas during the Vietnam War by photojournalists, and still today by hobbyists. I’ve had 4 different copies of it and every single one has worked perfectly despite being over 50 years old with no maintenance and being stored in basements and garages for the past 20 years. I was fortunate enough to get one from the original owner and still have all the original packaging and paperwork. I have become a sucker for these kinds of finds and have no plan to ever get rid of it.
For me the most important of any camera system are the lenses available for it. The Nikon F can use any lens that has been made by Nikon since 1959 up through currently available models. If it has an aperture ring, it can be used. When I first started shooting Nikon bodies, I desperately wanted a 50mm f1.4 lens. It’s a nice big chunk of glass and takes such amazing pictures. It’s sharp and fast. I have both a very early version from around 1972 as well as a newer improved version from 1981. Zoom lenses from the same time frame are generally terrible. I was given a copy of the 43-86mm which is considered the worst zoom lens ever made. I won’t ever use it, but it’s kind of a neat thing to own for the novelty. I’m pretty sure the original owner felt the same way, because it looks brand new despite being almost 60 years old. It is known to take pictures that are not sharp with light flares and just generally looks terrible. It’s bad enough it set back the reputation of zoom lenses in general for years. Fortunately, lens technology has improved drastically and now are generally just as good as fixed prime lenses like the 50mm I mentioned earlier. I have an 80-200mm f2.8 autofocus lens I’ve really liked using on all my Nikon cameras and have taken some of my favorite photos of my family with it…usually despite their objections. All three of them are beautiful people but have grown tired of being the first subject I look to whenever I put a new roll of film in anything.
Nikon has unfortunately removed the aperture rings from current lens models, so they are not able to be used with these old cameras
When it comes to using a distinctive piece of equipment, the Nikon F always gets attention when I take it out. In fact, I would say commands attention would be an accurate description. Not only is it large and blocky, but the sound the shutter makes can best be described as a THWUNK. It is loud enough I’ve had people turn around to see what was happening on a somewhat busy street. Loading film isn’t an easy one-handed process like it is on newer cameras. In order to put in a new roll, you need to remove the back of it entirely and then carefully replace it afterward. If you don’t like or want attention this is not the camera for you. It’s a very fun time though if you want to have random people ask you questions like “do they even still sell film?” and “do you develop your own film?”.
Overall, if you want a camera that only has the absolute basics and feel comfortable having to do every single aspect of photography manually you need to jump online and find someone with one of these for sale right now.
