Comments on: The Nikon F2 is my favorite. http://kenshukan.net/john/archives/2006/01/25/the-nikon-f2-is-my-favorite/ I’m really interested in making photographs about photographing, and photographing life which for me is often about photographing. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:45:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: John http://kenshukan.net/john/archives/2006/01/25/the-nikon-f2-is-my-favorite/#comment-1444 Mon, 30 Jan 2006 13:35:04 +0000 http://kenshukan.net/john/archives/2006/01/25/the-nikon-f2-is-my-favorite/#comment-1444 Hey cool like me you are only one more model short of having half of the Nikon F series--! When I went back to Camera Box they were very close to selling me a nice F eye level prism camera with the usual 50mm 1.4 nikkor lens. I went with that black F2 though, even though it was the same price. Actually, I suggested an FE to a friend tonight and thats what they went home with. The Pre-Ai lenses are indeed beauties- I love that knurled(?) lens barrel styling that they share. I saw an 85mm one that looked mighty fine. Hey cool like me you are only one more model short of having half of the Nikon F series–!
When I went back to Camera Box they were very close to selling me a nice F eye level prism camera with the usual 50mm 1.4 nikkor lens. I went with that black F2 though, even though it was the same price.

Actually, I suggested an FE to a friend tonight and thats what they went home with.

The Pre-Ai lenses are indeed beauties- I love that knurled(?) lens barrel styling that they share. I saw an 85mm one that looked mighty fine.

]]> by: Jim O'Connell http://kenshukan.net/john/archives/2006/01/25/the-nikon-f2-is-my-favorite/#comment-1443 Mon, 30 Jan 2006 06:51:59 +0000 http://kenshukan.net/john/archives/2006/01/25/the-nikon-f2-is-my-favorite/#comment-1443 I have yet to pick up an F2 - even to lift one up at the store and look through it. I guess I'm afraid that it will have some niceness about it that will make me want to buy one... I use a couple of F bodies, one Photomic and one plain prism, the latter getting a lot more use these days, since I gave up on built-in meters. I dropped my F3 during the snowstorm when my hands got too cold, breaking off the rewind crank, so I've got to take it to the Nikon place in Shinjuku and convince them to just sell me the parts, rather than giving it up for an expensive repair. I agree about the feel of the F3 - with the winder, it's like a block of pig iron. Love it. For a lightweight beginner body, I often recommend an FE - light and simple and pretty well-made. Using it is almost exactly like using the FM3a, with the match-needle meter, but can often be had for 12,000 yen or so, with a 50mm lens. (It can accept most any lens, too, even the Pre-AI beauties that can be had for a song around town. I have yet to pick up an F2 - even to lift one up at the store and look through it. I guess I’m afraid that it will have some niceness about it that will make me want to buy one…
I use a couple of F bodies, one Photomic and one plain prism, the latter getting a lot more use these days, since I gave up on built-in meters.
I dropped my F3 during the snowstorm when my hands got too cold, breaking off the rewind crank, so I’ve got to take it to the Nikon place in Shinjuku and convince them to just sell me the parts, rather than giving it up for an expensive repair. I agree about the feel of the F3 - with the winder, it’s like a block of pig iron. Love it.

For a lightweight beginner body, I often recommend an FE - light and simple and pretty well-made. Using it is almost exactly like using the FM3a, with the match-needle meter, but can often be had for 12,000 yen or so, with a 50mm lens. (It can accept most any lens, too, even the Pre-AI beauties that can be had for a song around town.

]]> by: John http://kenshukan.net/john/archives/2006/01/25/the-nikon-f2-is-my-favorite/#comment-1439 Wed, 25 Jan 2006 22:17:17 +0000 http://kenshukan.net/john/archives/2006/01/25/the-nikon-f2-is-my-favorite/#comment-1439 Good question- Part of the answer was that I was tired when I wrote that post, but the better answer is that a lot of the people who have asked me about what camera to get are female, and most of them were put off by the F2's weight and over all size. If weight is an issue, I suggest to them smaller cameras, particularly ones with AE. If someone told me that they want an easy to use take-with-me-everywhere first SLR, I would show them an FE2 or an FM2. But for those who like cameras and want another one for reasons of style, clunk (is this like "crunk" rap guys talk about?) and mean-ness, the F2 is hard to beat. The Canon F1 also looks good. I mostly use the F2 for outdoor stuff-- but yeah the needle can be hard to see in a darker room. If I know I will be shooting in a darker area I will use my Leica because of the CV 28mm 1.9 lens that I have mounted on it. Don't get me wrong, the Leica is not a back up camera or anything, like the F2 it is another tool that I can choose to fit my mood. Interestingly, I just read that Araki sorts his photographs not by subject matter, but by the cameras he took them with. Good question- Part of the answer was that I was tired when I wrote that post, but the better answer is that a lot of the people who have asked me about what camera to get are female, and most of them were put off by the F2’s weight and over all size. If weight is an issue, I suggest to them smaller cameras, particularly ones with AE. If someone told me that they want an easy to use take-with-me-everywhere first SLR, I would show them an FE2 or an FM2. But for those who like cameras and want another one for reasons of style, clunk (is this like “crunk” rap guys talk about?) and mean-ness, the F2 is hard to beat. The Canon F1 also looks good.

I mostly use the F2 for outdoor stuff– but yeah the needle can be hard to see in a darker room. If I know I will be shooting in a darker area I will use my Leica because of the CV 28mm 1.9 lens that I have mounted on it. Don’t get me wrong, the Leica is not a back up camera or anything, like the F2 it is another tool that I can choose to fit my mood.

Interestingly, I just read that Araki sorts his photographs not by subject matter, but by the cameras he took them with.

]]> by: nihraguk http://kenshukan.net/john/archives/2006/01/25/the-nikon-f2-is-my-favorite/#comment-1437 Wed, 25 Jan 2006 15:06:55 +0000 http://kenshukan.net/john/archives/2006/01/25/the-nikon-f2-is-my-favorite/#comment-1437 out of curiosity, why isn't an F2 on your list of recommended cameras? i've been thinking about picking up an F2 as well, even though my current 35mm lens investment is in the m42 screwmount. but it does look beautiful, all clunky/boxy and mean. especially the ones in black paint. doesn't the needle-type readout make it difficult to meter in low light? out of curiosity, why isn’t an F2 on your list of recommended cameras?

i’ve been thinking about picking up an F2 as well, even though my current 35mm lens investment is in the m42 screwmount. but it does look beautiful, all clunky/boxy and mean. especially the ones in black paint.

doesn’t the needle-type readout make it difficult to meter in low light?

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