My friend of many years, Bob, has a son, Tim who is an Army Colonel. Tim and my son were friends years ago and went to grade school together. Tim knows I am interested in photography and Nikon cameras as his dad is. About a week or so ago Tim sent me a text message saying he had met a friend, another Colonel who had inherited a few cameras. He sent me some phone photos and one of the cameras was a Nikon F2 with a DP1 meter prism. Along with the camera were three lenses and some other kit in an old very beat up Nikon hard side bag. He wanted to know if I was interested. I told him I definitely was and asked the price. He said he would get back to me. A couple of days later Tim texted me again and said the equipment was mine and he would ship it to his dad. It arrived on Friday.

What I ended up with was a Mint condition F2 with three mint lenses, a 24mm 2.8, 105mm f2.5 and a 200mm f4. Also in the bag was another focusing prism, 7 various filters, a cable release and a roll of 36 exposure Ektachrome ASA 400 film. The lenses all look pretty much brand new. With the 200mm it appears it has never been on a camera. The other two are very close as is the camera. I took a good look at the camera today before taking some not great photographs. I had a hard time finding a mark on it. The meter which I thought probably would not work seems to work fine so far. At least the needle goes side to side when I change exposure. Of particular note is the old fashioned 70's camera strap that is about 3 inches wide and about as gaudy red as one could imagine. I believe it belonged to the friend's grandfather who died. The camera was found up in the attic. It looks as if someone bought it and then put it in a Nikon bag and forgot about it. The bag as you will see is really worn and cracked. Inside there is three bayonet attachments where each lens bayonets onto the bottom of the case. The camera sits above the lenses.

All lenses are of course from the same period and when comparing the lenses to those my friend has, his were made around the same time. We saw a difference in the lens hood for the 105mm f2.5. His was much shorter than mine. Both had the buttons on each side to push in which released a circular spring. But his stopped there. Mine had another circular spring out toward the end of the hood and appeared as if it was supposed to work similarly to that which threaded into the lens EXCEPT there were no buttons to push nor any way to compress that spring. There was also nothing we could come up with as to why there was a second spring. Does anyone have one like this is described. Any idea what the second spring would be for. The 24mm has a very shallow lens hood and the 200 has a sliding lens hood permanently attached. Everything is metal and no plastic seems apparent anywhere.

I am looking forward to using this camera. I have had F2's in the past, a number of them in fact. But this one will be a keeper. Most likely I will transfer the equipment to a much lighter case as this whole outfit is incredibly heavy. A video on YouTube said the F2 was a tank, a beast of a camera. It sure is.

Dennis

My friend of many years, Bob, has a son, Tim who is an Army Colonel. Tim and my son were friends years ago and went to grade school together. Tim knows I am interested in photography and Nikon cameras as his dad is. About a week or so ago Tim sent me a text message saying he had met a friend, another Colonel who had inherited a few cameras. He sent me some phone photos and one of the cameras was a Nikon F2 with a DP1 meter prism. Along with the camera were three lenses and some other kit in an old very beat up Nikon hard side bag. He wanted to know if I was interested. I told him I definitely was and asked the price. He said he would get back to me. A couple of days later Tim texted me again and said the equipment was mine and he would ship it to his dad. It arrived on Friday.

What I ended up with was a Mint condition F2 with three mint lenses, a 24mm 2.8, 105mm f2.5 and a 200mm f4. Also in the bag was another focusing prism, 7 various filters, a cable release and a roll of 36 exposure Ektachrome ASA 400 film. The lenses all look pretty much brand new. With the 200mm it appears it has never been on a camera. The other two are very close as is the camera. I took a good look at the camera today before taking some not great photographs. I had a hard time finding a mark on it. The meter which I thought probably would not work seems to work fine so far. At least the needle goes side to side when I change exposure. Of particular note is the old fashioned 70's camera strap that is about 3 inches wide and about as gaudy red as one could imagine. I believe it belonged to the friend's grandfather who died. The camera was found up in the attic. It looks as if someone bought it and then put it in a Nikon bag and forgot about it. The bag as you will see is really worn and cracked. Inside there is three bayonet attachments where each lens bayonets onto the bottom of the case. The camera sits above the lenses.

All lenses are of course from the same period and when comparing the lenses to those my friend has, his were made around the same time. We saw a difference in the lens hood for the 105mm f2.5. His was much shorter than mine. Both had the buttons on each side to push in which released a circular spring. But his stopped there. Mine had another circular spring out toward the end of the hood and appeared as if it was supposed to work similarly to that which threaded into the lens EXCEPT there were no buttons to push nor any way to compress that spring. There was also nothing we could come up with as to why there was a second spring. Does anyone have one like this is described. Any idea what the second spring would be for. The 24mm has a very shallow lens hood and the 200 has a sliding lens hood permanently attached. Everything is metal and no plastic seems apparent anywhere.

I am looking forward to using this camera. I have had F2's in the past, a number of them in fact. But this one will be a keeper. Most likely I will transfer the equipment to a much lighter case as this whole outfit is incredibly heavy. A video on YouTube said the F2 was a tank, a beast of a camera. It sure is.

Dennis

My friend of many years, Bob, has a son, Tim who is an Army Colonel. Tim and my son were friends years ago and went to grade school together. Tim knows I am interested in photography and Nikon cameras as his dad is. About a week or so ago Tim sent me a text message saying he had met a friend, another Colonel who had inherited a few cameras. He sent me some phone photos and one of the cameras was a Nikon F2 with a DP1 meter prism. Along with the camera were three lenses and some other kit in an old very beat up Nikon hard side bag. He wanted to know if I was interested. I told him I definitely was and asked the price. He said he would get back to me. A couple of days later Tim texted me again and said the equipment was mine and he would ship it to his dad. It arrived on Friday.

What I ended up with was a Mint condition F2 with three mint lenses, a 24mm 2.8, 105mm f2.5 and a 200mm f4. Also in the bag was another focusing prism, 7 various filters, a cable release and a roll of 36 exposure Ektachrome ASA 400 film. The lenses all look pretty much brand new. With the 200mm it appears it has never been on a camera. The other two are very close as is the camera. I took a good look at the camera today before taking some not great photographs. I had a hard time finding a mark on it. The meter which I thought probably would not work seems to work fine so far. At least the needle goes side to side when I change exposure. Of particular note is the old fashioned 70's camera strap that is about 3 inches wide and about as gaudy red as one could imagine. I believe it belonged to the friend's grandfather who died. The camera was found up in the attic. It looks as if someone bought it and then put it in a Nikon bag and forgot about it. The bag as you will see is really worn and cracked. Inside there is three bayonet attachments where each lens bayonets onto the bottom of the case. The camera sits above the lenses.

All lenses are of course from the same period and when comparing the lenses to those my friend has, his were made around the same time. We saw a difference in the lens hood for the 105mm f2.5. His was much shorter than mine. Both had the buttons on each side to push in which released a circular spring. But his stopped there. Mine had another circular spring out toward the end of the hood and appeared as if it was supposed to work similarly to that which threaded into the lens EXCEPT there were no buttons to push nor any way to compress that spring. There was also nothing we could come up with as to why there was a second spring. Does anyone have one like this is described. Any idea what the second spring would be for. The 24mm has a very shallow lens hood and the 200 has a sliding lens hood permanently attached. Everything is metal and no plastic seems apparent anywhere.

I am looking forward to using this camera. I have had F2's in the past, a number of them in fact. But this one will be a keeper. Most likely I will transfer the equipment to a much lighter case as this whole outfit is incredibly heavy. A video on YouTube said the F2 was a tank, a beast of a camera. It sure is.

Dennis