The F2 was Nikon’s mechanical, manual flagship camera of the 1970s. Rugged and reliable construction along with a complete system of lenses, backs, viewfinders and other accessories made it the professional’s choice.
I was a dedicated Olympus user in the 80s: they were compact, capable and tough. My first exposure to Nikon was at my university’s newspaper. The pool cameras were motor-driven FMs and an F2, even though the F3 had been available for years. I didn’t use the F2 much – with its motor drive and a 180mm lens it was like wearing a boat anchor. I’d instead use my Olympus or the slightly slower but much lighter FMs.
When I got back into 35mm photography in 2012 I needed a fast camera for a project I was working on so I chose a Nikon F5. By 2015 I didn’t need the speed and weight of the F5 so I switched to FE2s for many projects. Even though my initial experience with F2s wasn’t positive, when the opportunity to purchase an F2AS came up I thought I’d give it another try. I ended up loving it and sold the FE2s a couple of months later. I now own the Nikon F2AS and two F2A bodies, and they’ve been my primary 35mm cameras for the past year.
So much has been written and spoken about the Nikon F2 in the nearly 50 years since its debut. My intention here is to give a quick tour of the camera, discuss what accessories I find useful, and describe what I like and dislike about using it as an everyday camera in the 21st century.
Finders and functionality
Throughout its approximately 10 years of production, the Nikon F2 body underwent few exterior changes. The major updates were to the Photomic metering finders which increased sensitivity, offered needle or LED indicators, and added compatibility with AI lenses.
Some controls, as well as the metering indicators, depend on the finder. All of the metered viewfinders show the exposure indicator, shutter speed and aperture in the finder. There are two main groups of F2 finders, those which were made to work with Nikon’s non-AI lenses and those made to work with AI and later lenses.
The Nikon F2 is unique in the Nikon world in that each main camera configuration (body + finder) as sold by Nikon, has a dedicated name:
- Nikon F2 (Body + DE-1 prism – 1971-76)
- Nikon F2 Photomic (Body + DP-1 metered prism – 1971-76)
- Nikon F2S Photomic (Body + DP-2 metered prism, 1973-76)
- Nikon F2SB Photomic (Body + DP-3 metered prism, 1976-77)
- Nikon F2A Photomic (Body + DP-11 metered prism, 1977-80)
- Nikon F2AS Photomic (Body + DP-12 metered prism, 1977-80)
There were a number of other finders available but not sold in a kit configuration. Here’s a quick breakdown of the five metered prism options from the six shown above:
Non-AI lens finders
When a lens is mounted on a body with a non-AI finder the aperture ring must be rotated to the smallest then largest f-stop to couple the lens properly.
- DP-1 (F2 Photomic): CdS meter, needle indicator, EV 1-17.
- DP-2 (F2S Photomic): CdS meter, 2-LED indicator, EV -2-17.
- DP-3 (F2SB Photomic): Silicon photodiode meter, 3-LED indicator, eyepiece shutter, EV -2-17.
(EV ratings are at ISO 100.)
Both the DP-1 and 2 have over/under exposure indicators on the top plate. The DP-3 only has a correct exposure LED on top. They’ll work fine with any lens that has meter coupling prongs on the aperture ring.
AI lens finders
Non-AI lenses can be used in stop-down mode by pushing the meter coupling lever up and out of the way. The DP-11 has the over/under exposure indicator on top while the DP-12 only has a correct exposure LED.
- DP-11 (F2A Photomic): CdS meter, needle indicator, EV 1-17.
- DP-12 (F2AS Photomic): Silicon photodiode meter, LED indicator, eyepiece shutter, EV -2-17.
I’ve noticed that the needle indicator has a slight lag in responding to rapid changes in light. Both of my DP-11s measure a stop slower than the DP-12, which matches my handheld exposure meter.
Non-metered options include a plain pentaprism, 2 different waist level finders, and an action finder.
Nikon F2 alternatives
The F3 offers an electronically controlled shutter with the same speed range and flash sync as the F2, along with auto exposure and the same bulletproof build quality. This is the first camera where the high-speed motor drive MD-4 was easy to use.
The original FM and FE allow shooting with both AI and non-AI lenses, standard hot shoes and 1/125 flash sync speed. The FM2 and FE2 are smaller and lighter, and both have a higher top shutter speed (1/4000), standard hot shoes, and a faster flash sync speed (1/250).
The FE2 also has an aperture priority auto mode, but requires a battery to function. The FM3A offers the best of both: a hybrid shutter that works without a battery and offers aperture priority auto. Unfortunately, it’s very expensive.