arhphotographic

This camera has been on my wish list since I started my return to film. However due to the price that a good Nikon F commands these days, I have contentented myself with using the various Nikomat models, all of which I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed. In fact among my first camera reviews was the Nikomat FT N which can be found Here

I finally acquired a Nikon F, the first professional SLR model that Nikon produced, when a not so expensive one became available online.

Selfie

I am so thrilled to finally own this objet d’art of my camera world that I’m not quite sure where to start. So much has already been written about this camera, but here is my personal take on it.

I like all mechanical cameras and the Nikon F does not disappoint in that regard. It weights in at about 780 grams, 100 more than my Nikomat’s. And that’s without a lens! Yet despite its heft it was well balanced with the lenses I attached to it.

Speaking of lenses. With the lenses I have, when they are mounted, I have to rotate the aperture ring from it’s highest f number then back to it’s lowest which then means my lens is now configured to work with the light meter. This is often referred to as the “Nikon shuffle.”

My Nikon F is fitted with the FTN meter head that provides through the lens metering late 60’s/ 70’s style. The meter head is a separate device that gets slotted onto the camera. To get an accurate exposure I look through the viewfinder and change shutter speed and/or aperture until the meter needle is centre. This appears in a window cutout that is situated at the top of the viewfinder. There are a number of different heads that can be fitted according to your tastes. In fact there are a whole host of different focus screens and attachments and its this modular approach to the camera that makes it so appealing in my opinion. The meter head I have was inclined to underexpose by about two stops. However the batteries died half way through the first film, probably due to the fact I forgot that it has to be turned off otherwise is always on. There is an Off and On button on the head. On fitting alkaline batteries that are actually a little higher in voltage than the 1.3V mercury batteries which are no longer produced, I found that I could meter using the head and get pretty accurate exposures.

To insert a film into the camera is a little different. There is no ‘pull up the film rewind and pop open door’. Rather you have an unlock screw on the baseplate that allows you take the whole of the back off, and then replace when you have attached the film to the spindle. Certainly not the easiest manoeuvre while out and about but ok when you can load the film in the comfort of home. On every film camera I own, I have had to replace the light seals around the doors, except this one. In fact as far as I can tell, there are none that can be replaced and the first film developed seems to confirm the soundness of the film chamber. I quite like this as it gives the camera a definite old school feel.

Here are some of my first images.

Road to Nowhere

Catkins

Basket Ball Hoop

When you want something for a while it can be disappointing when you finally get it. This was NOT the case with my Nikon F and it will definitely be appearing in future posts, as will be its successors 🙂