Thanks for the kind words! On these shoots - for some reason - there’s usually a technical incentive. This one mainly because I was rating the film at EI 800. In hindsight I probably shouldn’t have done that. I would have had a more usable range of f/stops had I used 100 speed film. But the weather was crappy, and I thought I needed more speed. Along with that, I wasn’t sure how accurate the faster shutter speeds are on this cameras. Typically, the most accurate ones on these old manually-controlled shutters will be 1/60, 1/125, 1/250. The higher ones will tend to be a bit slow. If the camera had a CLA, I’d trust them all. But since I hadn’t had that done - and I don’t know if it had been done prior to me owning it - I was erring on the side of caution. There were a couple of shots that I was able to pull off f/2. But that was it. I should’ve planned better.

Thanks, Joe! I like to be as comprehensive as I can with a particular system. I’ll admit, though, that this Nikon case came about just because of its cool factor :-). The accessories in some of the other videos usually came about as a solution to certain inherent shortcomings of the cameras themselves. Take the Yashica Electro 35 - no close focusing - so they made the Auto-Up to allow for that. And non-interchangeable lenses - so they made some auxiliary lenses for it. In all cases I try to point out these shortcomings and what the solutions are (if any). Thanks so much for the comment and your continued support of the channel!

Nikon absolutely set the bar with the “F”. It was perfectly simple AND robust. And that’s what we all want, right? Something that’s great and durable. Thanks for watching!

What an incredible surprise gift! I’ve never had the opportunity to even hold a Nikon rangefinder. But it’s on my bucket list. Have fun!

Not surprising at all. Those cameras were built to last. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks as always!

Nice to hear from a close neighbor! I’m envious of the F6. I’m sure it’s a fantastic machine. And of course the F is simply legendary. I’m sure it feels like a world of difference between the two!

I love to hear these stories of passing down a camera to the next generation. These are amazing tools and it’s sad to see any sitting on shelf or in a box in the attic. That being said, my kids have zero interest in photography outside of their smartphones. So, kudos to your daughter! And yes - the F-mount was one of the best ideas ever. Pentax did the same thing, eventually, with their K-mount. Their lenses will still mount on modern DSLRs (or at least some of them). But Nikon did this 15 years earlier. Brilliant move.

I think “piece of jewelry” could be an accurate description here. Everything just fits together well and operates with a smoothness you don’t always find.

Thanks for watching!

The armpit solution sounds reasonable enough. I did end up shooting at 800, but 400 would have been fine in retrospect. And I did push-process slightly. I was certain that the Tri-X would perfectly handle it. I do think my metering was off on some of these. It was the first time I’d used that Minolta meter in a while. I may need to check it against my others.

Thanks for tuning in! Gotta say I’m jealous of the F2AS. I have a “regular” F2 Photomic, but it’s surely one of my favorites. I definitely prefer it over the F, but the F has such a rich history it’s a shame not to own one. Glad you like the B&W shots!

Sounds about right!

I’m in agreement. Having the lens ready to go on as soon as you pick it up is a huge help. I’ve read where some don’t like the design due to the rear element being exposed to potentially humid air that might lead to fungus growth. So I just put a bunch of silica gel packs underneath the mounts. Besides Nikon, I’ve only seen one other 3rd party manufacturer make a case with the built-in mounts. But I don’t recall who that was or which mount it was (but it was probably a K-Mount). And it doesn’t look like Nikon did it for very long, either.

@@vintagecameradigest K-mount you say? If that's the case I'm intrigued as I've a lot of k-mount cameras both film and digital

I can’t swear to it, but I *think* that’s what it was.

Thanks for the tip! And it must’ve been a common thing back then. I’ve heard the same tip from others who heard it from old pros. Problem solved! Thanks for watching!

My F2 is on the list and just waiting for it’s moment! And I agree. Nikon fixed just about every issue the F had (which really wasn’t that many) and made the F2 one of the best cameras ever. An excellent camera by any measure!

It is definitely a cool case - Nikon FB-5. For the longest time I thought Nikon was the only one who did this sort of thing. But I’ve seen one in the last year by 3rd party maker that I think had Pentax K-Mount bayonets. As for the screens, as my eyes get older and my astigmatism gets worse i need all the help I can get!

Not much to complain about for sure. I WOULD like a 1/2000 shutter speed, but that’s what the F2 is for :-)

I’ll need to get out my F1 and see which is easier to change the screens. But you’re probably right about that. And I’ll let my wife know you like her tree 🌲

That was exactly what happened to me. I’ve had the F for a few years, but the meter prism wasn’t working. That seems to be a common story with the old prisms. So a lot people end up looking for the plain eye-level version. You can find just the prisms by themselves on eBay, but they tend to be pretty pricey. I ended up just buying a second F that wasn’t in complete working order, but it did have the plain prism. So at least I have a good body and a good prism now.

Thank you! I usually do a curves adjustment in Photoshop to set the highlight and black point and get the best contrast. But I hardly ever go beyond that.

Not really a different compositional approach unless the color is a major part of the subject. I do B&W mostly because sometimes I find color too “literal” of an interpretation. B&W let’s me remove that variable and concentrate on light and shadow. Maybe it’s a cop out. Could be. But I can also process the B&W at home and get consistent results. Home-processing color is not for me. As for close-up and details, I’ve found it’s good for seeing new ways to photograph rather mundane subjects

Yes! the hotshoe. Can’t believe we’d have to wait until the F4 to get that.

I swapped out an “F” screen for a “K” screen. The “F” has a large micro-prism spot, and that’s it. The “K” screen has the “usual” micro prism collar around a split-image. I have more info on these screens on my site. Just scroll down to the Sales Brochure section. Also - F screens are interchangeable with F2 screens. So, the K screen I put in was really for the F2, as I don’t think there was a K option for the F at the time of release. vintagecameradigest.com/manuals/

Also - to your question about equipment: I’m lucky that my “day job” is freelancing photography and video - mostly video these days. So, I do have access to decent gear. Currently the set-up includes a Canon C70 camera, Sigma Art-series lenses, a couple of Amaran LEDs with soft boxes, and Audio-Technical mics. In the field I mostly use a GoPro Hero 10 with a Media Mod and Sony wireless mic system.

Yes those very early ones have the cloth shutters. But I think they were replaced with the titanium foil pretty soon.

Or how about an F2? I think it may be my favorite of the F-Series.

​@@vintagecameradigestwill look. Thank you for the reply.

You absolutely have to give Asahi Pentax credit. They went straight into SLR production - never having a rangefinder model at all. And I think, if we talk about overall SLR impact, Pentax has had the greatest influence. My angle in this video is more of how the F impacted the pro photography sector and practically dominated photo-journalism until at least the early 1980s. Yes, other makers had pro-level SLRs, but they just didn’t catch on at the right time to give the Nikon F-system (and later F2 and F3) a run for the money. Although a splendid camera, the pro-level Pentax LX didn’t hit the stage until 1980. And I’ll never understand why it took them that long to release something to compete with the Nikons and Canons. Now the reality is that not everyone is a “pro” or needed a camera of that level. What Pentax was able to do with the awesome Spotmatic series is make SLR photography available to the masses. It was reasonably priced, had excellent lenses, numerous accessories, and was reliable. I think it did for the 60s what Canon did with the AE-1 in the 70s. And as I said earlier, it’s significance can’t be overstated. Thanks for the excellent comment!

@@vintagecameradigest Thanks for your reply. I think the "F" is a phenomenal camera, even though I believe the "F2" to be infinitely superior. You have gone a long way in addressing the essence of my comments, being, Nikon grabbed the Pentax concept, refined it, and ran with it, leaving every other manufacturer of the day eating dust. I love Nikon, in fact I own several, my personal all time favourites, F2, FM2, and the F5. However, I still own three mint examples of the Spotmatic, two silver bodies, one black, and I still marvel at these diminutive, masterpieces of innovation, and ask the question, "How The Hell Did They Do It?"

Exactly! The Spotties are small-ish and incredibly refined. And they feel good in the hand. It’s been a while since I’ve had mine out on a shoot, and you’ve inspired me to put it in a bag with a few nice Takumars and see what I can find. I’m even fond of the S2/H2 bodies prior to the Spotmatics. Nice and compact. Oh, and by the way, the F2 is indeed a much better camera than the F - no arguments there at all! Cheers!

@@vintagecameradigest Enjoy your shoot, and keep up the good work, it's nice to engage with someone that's on the same page!

Many thanks!

LOL! Maybe not that bad 😁

LoL! Yes, KEH is only about an hour away from here… I don’t know the exact number of working cameras I have, but probably in the 80-90 range. Yes, I need help.

@@vintagecameradigest I need help too! :)

We’ll have our own support group!

@@vintagecameradigest no such thing as too many.

So far, all of these are mine. I’ve been collecting (hoarding) for the last 2 decades. And most are in usable shape. It’s a sickness really. :-)

@@vintagecameradigest It's only a sickness if it has big negative effects on life. 👍

Luckily, this brings me nothing but joy!

That bag is the Nikon FB-5. Very cool concept.

@@vintagecameradigest Thank you! It looks unusual, but interesting.

Definitely interesting. Lots of wasted space though.

I can switch between both, but lately I’ve been wearing a contact lens in my right eye only. Getting old.

I agree. It served that purpose pretty well.

Yes, you’re correct on that, as well.

Probably depends on which side of the pond you’re on…

@@vintagecameradigest I suppose it would start with whether you’d pronounce Nippon as Nyppon but people in Japan wouldn’t add a ‘y’.

Makes sense. I wouldn’t pronounce NIkkor (lenses) as Ny-Kor, but Nick-or. Or Nippon as Ny-pon. Ah…the subtleties of language and translation

I recently picked up an F3, and it didn’t blow me away. It is a fine camera, no doubt, but I may like the F2 better. I do have the first version of the Canon F-1 and do like it a lot. The New F-1 is still on my wish list. But it’s price point is consistently out of sync with my bank account. One day, though!

@@vintagecameradigest I have one Canon New F-1 that is close to be worn out and one that is mint which I was very lucky to buy new unopened in 1999 from the Canon head quarter in Europe.I can see on ebay that the prices starts from US $200 which I think is an alright price.

Yes, $200 isn’t a bad price. Is that with the AE Finder? Or just the standard prism? I believe I’d want to go for the AE finder for the added flexibility. I need to get back on eBay and look.

@@vintagecameradigest Yes with AE finder