Nikon F – The First High-End Professional Camera In History

Nikon F – The First High-End Professional Camera In History

Over the decades, the journey from analog cameras to today's digital cameras has been marked by a brand from Japan called Nikon. This article will take you back in time to experience that journey through each Nikon SLR camera as well as the improvement and upgrade in each version.

The first Nikon camera was actually a rangefinder and was used by journalists for documenting the Korean War in the early 1950s. However, here we will only cover the SLR series. If you want to learn more about Nikon's rangefinder line, you can read the book Nikon Rangefinder Camera written by Robert Rotoloni. This massive work contains very detailed information and images about each generation of Nikon rangefinder cameras.

Back to the world of SLRs, the camera that started it all, the one that Ken Rockwell describes as putting Leica in a coffin, is the Nikon F. Speaking of the Nikon F, the most important design feature of this machine is the F-mount. It is so amazing that even now, in the age of digital cameras, Nikon still uses the F-mount that was first introduced in 1959!

The Nikon F is the first one in the line of SLR cameras for professional of the company. In fact, we can say that the Nikon F is a Nikon rangefinder with a pentaprism added, although previous rangefinders did not carry the F-mount, but the parts such as the titanium shutter, the back cover, the speed control ring or the buttons… are almost identical. However, that the titanium shutter in Nikon rangefinders is only available in the Nikon SP version with serial numbers from 6214000 onwards. The first 100 Nikon F cameras actually had cloth shutters. The Nikon F was the first Nikons camera that have changeable prism and focus screen, as well as equipped with a range of accessories and features among the best in the SLR world at the time.

Everyone who have used the Nikon F has all admitted its durability and reliability. After years, the machine has not changed much. Even so, during the production of more than 1 million pieces between 1959 and 1974, the company has continuously improved the camera with new materials and technologies from its own research.

The first Nikon F came with non-light meter prism, aka pyramid prism, the viewfinder was designed to be rectangular, but at the end, when the Nikon F2 was about to be released, the company changed from rectangular to circular. The circle form is more convenient when using other accessories. Early generations that used a rectangular design required an accessory to change to a round shape to attach other items. The prism can be removed by pressing the small button on the upper left back of the body. This button is also can be used to remove the screen. At the time of launch, this was the only prism available for the Nikon F and therefore, if you want to measure exposure, you need an external meter that connects to the speed and aperture ring. The photographer measures the exposure correctly by adjusting the speed and aperture so that the 2 needles on the top of the meter coincide. This is the only option, until 1962, the company had to introduce the new prism with integrated light meter.

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