Canon F1n vs. Nikon F2? Really, is one better than the other?

snapguy · Jan 19, 2014

When the Nikon F came out it was the best 35mm system in the world. Exacta made a system but -- well, they were clunky and not too reliable. Pentax was marketed in the US by Honeywell and was a good system but had that screw-mount lens system they had to ditch and other problems. Canon then was marketed in the States by Bell and Howell and they focused on very small rangefinder cameras with non-interchangable lenses. They are wonderful, I have six.
Canon did not come roaring back until the AE-1 which woke people up to he fact that Canon makes fabulous cameras.
I've gone with Nikon since 1982 with a Leica 2R, Rolleiflexes and Yashicamats, as backups. Canons are great -- I just have not used them much.

SchwinnParamount · Jan 19, 2014

For my purposes, the F-1 and the F2 have an equivalent feature set. All I need is a reliable meter and good lenses. I normally use manual exposure and match the needle. Occasionally, I will use exposure compensation. Both cameras have that feature of course. When I want to do any zone work with a spot meter, I go to my 8x10. For artistic work where the big negative is not necessary, I use the RB-67. My 35mm cameras are for sports such as wrestling, bicycle racing, track & field. I use them for street photography too.

Les Sarile · Jan 19, 2014

So at the end of the day, it is in fact horses for courses. One is better than the other given a particular photographic requirement and whim . . .

Same for me, I appreciate them all and put them to good use as much as I can.

Ricardo Miranda · Jan 20, 2014

Regarding Long Exposures

Any of the Nikon Auto-Exposure cameras from the 70s and 80s that have an analogue circuitry can do longer exposures on AUTO than the times specified by Nikon.
These includes all of the Nikkormat/Nikon EL series, the FE/FA series and the EM/FG/FG-20 series. They can do long exposures of several minutes if needed.
But, Nikon was too honest. They could only approve the speeds for which absolute precision could be guarantee. They even removed the indication for 8 seconds from the Nikkormat EL dial.

sangetsu · Jan 20, 2014

I have had all versions of the Canon F1, and several Nikon F2 cameras. I find both cameras fun to shoot, but for all-around use, I have to side with the Nikon F2. My main reason for this choice comes down to the lenses, and in most cases, I find the AI and AIS lenses to be better performers. My Nikon F2 is an old titanium model with the plain prism, so meter issues are nonexistant, my Canon F1 is a military-issue model which still works very well.

The main reason I keep the Canon is because I love the old 35/2 concave lens, but were it not for this lens, I probably wouldn't bother.

Between the F1N and the F3, there really is no comparison, the F3 operates as smoothly as a Swiss watch, and no matter how hard I have beaten on my F3 cameras, they have never let me down. I have had a Canon F1n have a meter fail, and two other have had the high shutter speeds not work.

zanxion72 · Jan 20, 2014

Nikon F3 is much more prone to failures than the F1N(ew). The F3 makes more noise, without batteries is a dead cow with only 1/80 available. The F1N can fall from the skies on the concrete and still operate accurately, even without batteries with shutter speeds from 1/90 to 1/2000.
None of my F1s had ever had any problems and one of them, the one I use for experiments, is as if a truck had ran over it.
I had two F3s that as soon after the stopped working I had sold them for parts.

miha · Jan 20, 2014

Rambo's F3

http://camerasinthemedia.tumblr.com/post/29148351641/a-nikon-f3-in-rambo-first-blood-1985-seen

:munch:

benjiboy · Jan 20, 2014

zanxion72 said:
Nikon F3 is much more prone to failures than the F1N(ew). The F3 makes more noise, without batteries is a dead cow with only 1/80 available. The F1N can fall from the skies on the concrete and still operate accurately, even without batteries with shutter speeds from 1/90 to 1/2000.
None of my F1s had ever had any problems and one of them, the one I use for experiments, is as if a truck had ran over it.
I had two F3s that as soon after the stopped working I had sold them for parts.

The wonderful hybrid electro- mechanical hybrid Titanium shutter is one of the reasons use new F1's, some of the other reasons are the superb weather sealing at forty points around the body, and they are so tough you could knock steel tent pegs into permafrost with them and they would still work.

SchwinnParamount · Jan 20, 2014

zanxion72 said:
Nikon F3 is much more prone to failures than the F1N(ew). The F3 makes more noise, without batteries is a dead cow with only 1/80 available. ....

Excellent, now we're getting to some real NFL level trash talk

benjiboy · Jan 20, 2014

SchwinnParamount said:
Excellent, now we're getting to some real NFL level trash talk

The truth hurts, the F3 does only has one shutter speed of 1/80 sec if the battery fails

miha · Jan 20, 2014

Mechanical shutters lack the precision of electronically timed units.

clayne · Jan 20, 2014

How many great images have been made on F3s vs F-1s? Fondle your Canon all day - but what counts is what is produced with it.

Richard S. (rich815) · Jan 20, 2014

If Rambo used an F3, well 'nuff said.

Chan Tran · Jan 20, 2014

miha said:
Mechanical shutters lack the precision of electronically timed units.

Not sure which last longer but the fully electronic shutter of the F3 is very nice and accurate. Fully mechanical shutter of the F2 isn't as accurate in the slower speed but they are also nice. The hybrid shutter of the F1 makes things complicated and not so much in accuracy.

SchwinnParamount · Jan 20, 2014

I dare you all to see the difference in a negative between one exposed at 1/60th of a second and one exposed at 1/57th of a second. Your fancy-pants electronic shutter that hits at exactly 1/60th while it is working is great, but I would rather have 1/57th of a second than a fail.... know what I mean?

The only thing worse than a shutter that won't fire is 3 turnovers in the 4th quarter and a painful season ending loss to a FAR BETTER football team from Seattle... and rumor has it that they all carry the Canon F-1 in their travel bags.

lxdude · Jan 20, 2014

Well, the actual accuracy standard up to 1/500th (if I remember correctly) is 20%, and 25% above that. So 1/60th could be an actual 1/48th to 1/72nd. Still, that is a fifth of a stop, which is well within film latitude. I used all-mechanical shutter cameras for many years with transparency film, and had no problems. I did find that I learned the tendencies of camera bodies at certain speeds, and lenses at certain apertures, and would sometimes vary exposure a little bit on the aperture ring (1/4 stop or so) from the exposure I determined, in order to get what I wanted. This was only with transparency film, where the difference in the final product (the slide) was perceptible in some images.

Chan Tran · Jan 21, 2014

SchwinnParamount said:
I dare you all to see the difference in a negative between one exposed at 1/60th of a second and one exposed at 1/57th of a second. Your fancy-pants electronic shutter that hits at exactly 1/60th while it is working is great, but I would rather have 1/57th of a second than a fail.... know what I mean?

The only thing worse than a shutter that won't fire is 3 turnovers in the 4th quarter and a painful season ending loss to a FAR BETTER football team from Seattle... and rumor has it that they all carry the Canon F-1 in their travel bags.

1/60 is well within the tolerance of the F3 and also 1/57. But when one calibrate the F3 the shutter speed one aim for is 1/64.

benjiboy · Jan 21, 2014

Chan Tran said:
Not sure which last longer but the fully electronic shutter of the F3 is very nice and accurate. Fully mechanical shutter of the F2 isn't as accurate in the slower speed but they are also nice. The hybrid shutter of the F1 makes things complicated and not so much in accuracy.[/QUOTE

]

"The hybrid shutter of the F1 makes things complicated and not so much in accuracy "

Click to expand...

"

Have you actually ever owned a New Canon F1, or are your remarks purely conjecture ?

E. von Hoegh · Jan 21, 2014

benjiboy said:
The truth hurts, the F3 does only has one shutter speed of 1/80 sec if the battery fails

Which is precisely why, after experience with an OM4, I will never have a camera with an electronic shutter or is battery dependent in any way.

benjiboy · Jan 21, 2014

E. von Hoegh said:
Which is precisely why, after experience with an OM4, I will never have a camera with an electronic shutter or is battery dependent in any way.

That's your choice and I respect it, but it hasn't been my experience of over 25 years of use with the Canon New F1's, T90, EF, or even the consumer grade A1, that although I hated the camera since I bought it second hand in 1980, it was ( as were all my canons ) very reliable since the day got it, I eventually gave it to my niece last year who is still using it.

E. von Hoegh · Jan 21, 2014

benjiboy said:
That's your choice and I respect it, but it hasn't been my experience of over 25 years of use with the Canon NewF1's, T90, EF, or even the A1 that although I hated the camera and I did buy it second hand in 1980 It was very reliable since the day got it, I eventually gave it to my niece last year who is still using it.

Mine was an early -4, they ate batteries. It seemed like every time I went to use the thing, I had to replace the battery - the later ones did not have this issue. But it put a permanent bad taste in my mouth regarding cameras which turn into paperweights without electricity.

benjiboy · Jan 21, 2014

E. von Hoegh said:
Mine was an early -4, they ate batteries. It seemed like every time I went to use the thing, I had to replace the battery - the later ones did not have this issue. But it put a permanent bad taste in my mouth regarding cameras which turn into paperweights without electricity.

I used to manage photographic stores for more than 20 years, when the O.M 4 first came out and they were on quota from Olympus U.K our group of 10 shops were only allocated 7 by them between them, and every one we sold was returned by the customer because they ate batteries, our company's directors told Olympus that we wouldn't buy any more from them until the fault was sorted out. Eventually Olympus wrote us a letter that said that the fault had been caused by design error in the central processing unit and they had sent all their U.K stock back to Japan to have the newly designed C.P.U fitted.
With due respect you can't judge all electronic cameras by one notorious example, solid state electronics I.M.O. can be just as reliable as mechanical ones because their are no moving parts, no metal on mental wear, and I speak as a former apprentice trained mechanical engineer.

Mainecoonmaniac · Jan 21, 2014

Will this settle it?

Just kidding, but I think it might come down to preference. There are tons of digital gear heads out there constantly upgrading. I've shot with my Canon F-1 since the 80's and I'm perfectly happy. For me, it's all about making images and the camera is really secondary. But I'm going to drop a D bomb here. It's fun to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vz94bdlVVlc

E. von Hoegh · Jan 21, 2014

benjiboy said:
I used to manage photographic stores for more than 20 years, when the O.M 4 first came out and they were on quota from Olympus U.K our group of 10 shops were only allocated 7 by them between them, and every one we sold was returned by the customer because they ate batteries, our company's directors told Olympus that we wouldn't buy any more from them until the fault was sorted out. Eventually Olympus wrote us a letter that said that the fault had been caused by design error in the central processing unit and they had sent all their U.K stock back to Japan to have the newly designed C.P.U fitted.
With due respect you can't judge all electronic cameras by one notorious example, solid state electronics I.M.O. can be just as reliable as mechanical ones because their are no moving parts, no metal on mental wear, and I speak as a former apprentice trained mechanical engineer.

More so. Some seem to have an amost infinite TBF. But, I can't repair an integrated CPU. I can repair - as well as fabricate any unobtainable part - a mechanically timed shutter. Q.E.D.

benjiboy · Jan 21, 2014

E. von Hoegh said:
More so. Some seem to have an amost infinite TBF. But, I can't repair an integrated CPU. I can repair - as well as fabricate any unobtainable part - a mechanically timed shutter. Q.E.D.

Modern photographic equipment isn't designed to be repaired by the man in the street in mind, they are such complex electro- mechanical devices that the kitchen table tinkerer doesn't stand a hope in hell of effecting a correct repair because they lack the knowledge, skills training, tools and test equipment, I'm a trained precision engineer and although I have the service manuals for all my cameras the more I study them the less I feel inclined to attempt to service them., I only use them to lend to my camera repairer if he needs them if they need to be serviced.

Canon F1n vs. Nikon F2? Really, is one better than the other?

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