Does your F2 make a loud "ping" when you fire it?

chip j · May 29, 2017

Mine does-I just got it, and the ping when the mirror slaps down is quite annoying.

fstop · May 29, 2017

Had a car that would ping on 87 octane, try high test.

Sounds like a mirror damper issue.

Michael Guzzi · May 29, 2017

PIIINNNNNNG..... yes mine does it too. I don't find it a nuisance though.

Terry Breedlove · May 29, 2017

Mine does not

Sirius Glass · May 29, 2017

fstop said:
Sounds like a mirror damper issue.

I agree that it sounds like a mirror damper issue.

Les Sarile · May 29, 2017

Not on mine.

Eventually it seems unintended pinging may occur in some of these mechanical bodies. I am guessing that since there are a lot of tensioned metal to metal contacts that eventually a part or two goes off spec enough. It may not be as loud as you think but we all seem to have a resonant frequency where a note bothers us the most. And once noticed it is likely hard to ignore.

jimjm · May 29, 2017

I have 2 F2 bodies that do that - as the mirror slaps back down. A third body is quiet. Probably not loud enough for anyone but me to notice it though.

John_Nikon_F · May 30, 2017

The mirror cushion foams on the sides of the mirror have gone bad. That's one of the things that Sover Wong does replace when he services an F2. Yes, it's not cheap to have him work on an F2. And, yes, there's now a backlog of a few months, but, if you want your F2 working like new again, it's worth it.

-J

AgX · May 30, 2017

Cushion foams? How is the exact position of the mirror then established over time?

Willyekerslike · May 30, 2017

Mine do not but I have just had them serviced by Sover Wong.?...

chip j · May 30, 2017

I'm sending my F2 back and will never touch one again. I don't think Nikon got a pro camera right until the F3.

Kino · May 30, 2017

chip j said:
I'm sending my F2 back and will never touch one again. I don't think Nikon got a pro camera right until the F3.

Seriously?!? The camera needs servicing. Don't make such sweeping generalizations based upon practically no knowledge...

monkowa · May 30, 2017

chip j said:
I'm sending my F2 back and will never touch one again. I don't think Nikon got a pro camera right until the F3.

Harumph!

Huss · May 30, 2017

chip j said:
I'm sending my F2 back and will never touch one again. I don't think Nikon got a pro camera right until the F3.

You totally should send it back. Why bother with having to change the mirror damper foam (a 5 minute and $10 task for the complete seal kit) on a 40 year old camera?

Leigh B · May 30, 2017

chip j said:
I don't think Nikon got a pro camera right until the F3.

Well, the F3 was introduced in 1980.

The F2 remained in production until 2000, 20 years after the F3 came out, because pro demand was so high.

it seems a world full of pro photographers disagree with you.

- Leigh

fstop · May 30, 2017

chip j said:
I'm sending my F2 back and will never touch one again. I don't think Nikon got a pro camera right until the F3.

Well a lot of guys might disagree with you, but when you are right you are right.

fstop · May 30, 2017

Leigh B said:
Well, the F3 was introduced in 1980.

The F2 remained in production until 2000, 20 years after the F3 came out, because pro demand was so high.

it seems a world full of pro photographers disagree with you.

- Leigh

Lets see some factory documentation of that statement, I believe you are wrong.

chip j · May 30, 2017

He sure IS wrong!

jimjm · May 30, 2017

Leigh B said:
Well, the F3 was introduced in 1980.

The F2 remained in production until 2000, 20 years after the F3 came out, because pro demand was so high.

it seems a world full of pro photographers disagree with you.

- Leigh

Respectfully have to disagree with you on that one, Leigh. The F2 was in production for about 10 years, from 1971 to 1980. It was the F3 that was made almost 20 years, from 1980 to '99.

Nevertheless, the F2 is/was an awesome camera. During the 70's, and even for a few years after the F3 came out, it was the dominant 35mm body for Pros. Many were hesitant to use a battery-dependent camera.

CMoore · May 30, 2017

I have 3x Nikon F2...none of them ping like that. They sound about as Noisy/Quiet as any of my other circa 1975 SLR.......

fstop · May 31, 2017

not to mention the f2 is nothing more than a over sized fm

Leigh B · May 31, 2017

fstop said:
not to mention the f2 is nothing more than a over sized fm

Spoken like a true BS professional.

You've obviously never serviced either,

- Leigh

flavio81 · May 31, 2017

fstop said:
not to mention the f2 is nothing more than a over sized fm

Care to explain?!

flavio81 · May 31, 2017

chip j said:
Mine does-I just got it, and the ping when the mirror slaps down is quite annoying.

I have two and both "ping". My Canon F-1 also "pings".

I don't think it has anything to do with the mirror cushioning foam.

John_Nikon_F · May 31, 2017

AgX said:
Cushion foams? How is the exact position of the mirror then established over time?

Probably best to contact Sover Wong himself and ask him about it. But, yes, there is more than one piece of foam on an F2. The mirror bumper foam at the front will not get rid of the "ping" or clang. Only replacing the side foams will get rid of it. Most camera repair shops don't replace them, since the job is more labor intensive. A $48 refoam job will only cover the dust seals around the film back, the viewfinder pad, and the bumper foam piece. Even the usual $140 overhaul doesn't seem to cover replacing those pieces.

-J

Does your F2 make a loud "ping" when you fire it?

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