The new camera also featured a self-timer with delay time markings for extra precision, an updated metering head with a clearer metering display, and an integrated shutter lock/timed exposure lock around the shutter release collar instead of the film spool release on the F. The new F2 design brief called for a hinged back in place of the F’s pesky removable back, a new mirror lockup system that did away with the F’s bizarre ritual sacrifice of a frame of film, and battery contacts which enabled the camera body to control and communicate with the metering head for easier operation. Nikon wanted to address the lingering usability issues that had hampered the otherwise well-loved F.
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The new camera was to be manufactured to a yet unheard of standard of quality, boast an easier overall shooting experience, and retain full compatibility with the extensive Nikon lens and accessory system that had made the original F so successful.
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Instead, they spent nearly six years completely redesigning their professional camera system, hoping it would reach even greater heights than the original F. Nikon could have accomplished this by simply adding a few bells and whistles to the F and selling it as the new and improved F2, but they didn’t.
Development of the F’s eventual successor started as early as 1965 to ensure that they would not be knocked off their perch. The F was starting to show its age.īut even before the competition caught up, Nikon was making moves to stay ahead. Though the Nikon F still boasted an extremely high quality of build and the widest range of optics and accessories, smaller and slicker SLRs such as the Pentax Spotmatic and the Minolta SRT-101 represented improvements in SLR technology, introducing in-body TTL metering and more accurate average metering, respectively. But throughout the decade, other manufacturers began to embrace the SLR and make strides in the development of the format. The release of the F a decade prior propelled Nikon to heights even they couldn’t have envisioned. In the late 1960s, Nikon found themselves sitting comfortably on top of the photographic world. But the F2’s greatness didn’t just come out of nowhere it was born from the proverbial rib of Nikon’s aging flagship camera – the Nikon F.
By old-school professionals, camera repairmen, and camera historians, the Nikon F2 is still widely considered the greatest 35mm mechanical SLR of all time.Īfter spending quality time with one, I can say that the F2 has a more legitimate claim to that title than other great cameras. Remarkably, the F2’s glowing reputation has never waned since. It became the SLR par excellence of the 1970s and was standard issue for professional photographers for the better part of that decade. The camera was designed to be nothing less than the perfect expression of the professional 35mm mechanical SLR format, and it achieved exactly that. From its inception, the Nikon F2 has enjoyed a reputation rivaled by few and envied by many.
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