F2 Stopped Working

[flavio81]

Custom tools yes, but only in the sense you have to make them if you don't buy them, it's not like you have to be apprenticed to Nikon or anything. Peg spanners are the simplest things to make and should be easy enough for anybody who has a few scrap pieces of metal laying around. Look at enough YouTube videos by camera tech 'mikeno62' and you can see the custom tools he's made specific to Nikon F2's and none of them are anything special.

I never said you need to be apprenticed to Nikon.
Glad you recognize the need for custom tools. Of course you need to make them. This underlines my point -- this is something that needs dedication and commitment.

mikeno62 is great.

 

[Tel]

Custom tools yes, but only in the sense you have to make them if you don't buy them, it's not like you have to be apprenticed to Nikon or anything. Peg spanners are the simplest things to make and should be easy enough for anybody who has a few scrap pieces of metal laying around. Look at enough YouTube videos by camera tech 'mikeno62' and you can see the custom tools he's made specific to Nikon F2's and none of them are anything special.

Agreed; I've made some by milling and hand-filing sockets and screwdriver bits (and attaching a rubber plumbing gasket to a hex bit for that pesky advance-lever beauty plate removal) but it does require good fine motor skills and a lot of patience. The absolute worst case I've encountered was a tiny threaded ring inside the flash socket on a Rollei Baby 4x4--you must remove the thing before you can take off the front cover plate. Probably Rollei's way of guaranteeing work for their licensed repair techs.

 

[flavio81]

(and attaching a rubber plumbing gasket to a hex bit for that pesky advance-lever beauty plate removal)

These things can often be removed using mouse pads. Get a mouse pad, the kind that have a thick rubber base with a sticky material at the bottom. Use the sticky rubber to press against the top of the beauty plate. Works very well in many cameras.

 

[Cholentpot]

Dear Cholentpot,

Let me give my opinion as a camera tech.

When you have a failure caused by lack of lubrication and cleaning, which is pretty common, it's not only one part of the mechanism the one that needs to be "unstuck", but the whole camera needs to be cleaned and re-lubed because, even if you get said part "unstuck", the camera may lock up at a later time, and it can be a matter of days.

As for disassembling the F2, you can get the service manual, however to work on the F2 without damaging you need custom tools, for example the tool for removing the retainer nut around the shutter dial, and the tool for removing the plastic insulator around the hot shoe. The bottom of the camera requires a good micro-spanner too. I don't service F2 cameras for those reasons.

It's not as simple as just using a screwdriver.

Really the best recommendation is to send your camera for service. Buying another F2 doesn't make that much sense since such other F2 will eventually need service. Better to have a freshly relubed F2 camera that will work fine for 10 years.

Heard and noted. Difference is buying another F2 will cost far less than getting my current one serviced. Now, if the F2 was my fulltime primary camera I'd get it serviced without thinking twice. However I have other cameras that work, they might not be as nice as the F2 but they'll get the job done until either I get the F2 fixed or somehow the F2 wakes up one day.

I'm going to putter around under the bottom plate and see what happens or if anything gives. I've had other cameras that just needed a bit of prodding to work again.

 

[Huss]

Heard and noted. Difference is buying another F2 will cost far less than getting my current one serviced. Now, if the F2 was my fulltime primary camera I'd get it serviced without thinking twice. However I have other cameras that work, they might not be as nice as the F2 but they'll get the job done until either I get the F2 fixed or somehow the F2 wakes up one day.

I'm going to putter around under the bottom plate and see what happens or if anything gives. I've had other cameras that just needed a bit of prodding to work again.

Servicing an F2? $300+ now for a full job? If you want it Sover-ed, what is it, $500?

Buying another one - $100-$150 especially because you only need to buy the body and keep your prism. And if that $100 one doesn't work, send it back.
These cameras are ancient now. Even a serviced one may quit the next day. You never know what else may break, no matter who worked on it. That $100 one may last another 20 years.
I've had 2 Nikon Fs which I bought cheeeeep, did nothing too, worked perfectly. 2 Nikon F2s which I had Sover-ed because it was the thing to do... but only one needed it for the F2AS light meter resistor ring thing.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Servicing an F2? $300+ now for a full job? If you want it Sover-ed, what is it, $500?

Buying another one - $100-$150 especially because you only need to buy the body and keep your prism. And if that $100 one doesn't work, send it back.
These cameras are ancient now. Even a serviced one may quit the next day. You never know what else may break, no matter who worked on it. That $100 one may last another 20 years.
I've had 2 Nikon Fs which I bought cheeeeep, did nothing too, worked perfectly. 2 Nikon F2s which I had Sover-ed because it was the thing to do... but only one needed it for the F2AS light meter resistor ring thing.

"Even a serviced one may quit the next day." Covered by warranty.
Running out and buy another body instead of doing a CLA or repair can also again provide another faulty camera.

 

[Cholentpot]

"Even a serviced one may quit the next day." Covered by warranty.
Running out and buy another body instead of doing a CLA or repair can also again provide another faulty camera.

I can buy 4 cameras for the price of a full CLA. One of those 4 should keep on working.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I can buy 4 cameras for the price of a full CLA. One of those 4 should keep on working.

I do not need the clutter. I only need one working and properly calibrated camera.

 

[Cholentpot]

I do not need the clutter. I only need one working and properly calibrated camera.

About having one working camera...

I have one working camera. And maybe a few more working cameras. And maybe a few not working cameras.

 

[Sirius Glass]

About having one working camera...

I have one working camera. And maybe a few more working cameras. And maybe a few not working cameras.

The count of my not working cameras is down to zero. When it gets above zero, I get that corrected quickly.

 

[Cholentpot]

I ordered a JIS screw driver set so I can make technicians coil in horror as I poke around the guts of a complicated machine.

 

[flavio81]

"Even a serviced one may quit the next day." Covered by warranty.
Running out and buy another body instead of doing a CLA or repair can also again provide another faulty camera.

Exactly.

 

[flavio81]

I ordered a JIS screw driver set so I can make technicians coil in horror as I poke around the guts of a complicated machine.

Savage!!

 

[Cholentpot]

Savage!!

You can't stop me!

 

[Mackinaw]

My F2 isn't perfect, the meter is erratic (DP-1), the advance squeaks when I wind the film, and I have a bit of shutter bounce (a millimeter or two along the one edge, which I ignore). Still hands down my favorite Nikon SLR. My F just collects dust in my cabinet.

Jim B.

 

[Cholentpot]

My F2 isn't perfect, the meter is erratic (DP-1), the advance squeaks when I wind the film, and I have a bit of shutter bounce (a millimeter or two along the one edge, which I ignore). Still hands down my favorite Nikon SLR. My F just collects dust in my cabinet.

Jim B.

Meter never even powered on in mine. Everything else worked fine until it didn't. It's a very nice feeling camera to say the least.

 

[Huss]

"Even a serviced one may quit the next day." Covered by warranty.
Running out and buy another body instead of doing a CLA or repair can also again provide another faulty camera.

You mean the one to six month warranty that people who do a CLA give?

So worth it...

 

[Huss]

I do not need the clutter. I only need one working and properly calibrated camera.

How many cameras do you have?

 

[Sirius Glass]

How many cameras do you have?

Fifteen cameras.

 

[Huss]

Fifteen cameras.

You said you only need one. Stop collecting them so the hoarders can't get them.

 

[Sirius Glass]

You said you only need one. Stop collecting them so the hoarders can't get them.

One of each model of camera for 35mm. One each of the other cameras.

 

[Kino]

I tore my F2 down, removed the slow speed escapement, cleaned it, re-timed it and replaced my broken battery holder without any real problems, but I was very careful.

Some people can do it, some can't...

 

[Cholentpot]

You said you only need one. Stop collecting them so the hoarders can't get them.

Let up on him, he's only got 15. I'm within arm reach of twice the amount. And some of them even work. And on rare occasions I use 'em.

I tore my F2 down, removed the slow speed escapement, cleaned it, re-timed it and replaced my broken battery holder without any real problems, but I was very careful.

Some people can do it, some can't...

I firmly and honestly fall into the can't category.

 

[Huss]

I firmly and honestly fall into the can't category.

Have another beer, I'm sure it'll be fine.

 

[250swb]

You can't stop me!

It's good to empower yourself. I have two criteria for camera repairs of which I've done many, a) do I want to make a project of it, b) curiosity. Curiosity usually wins, and option a) means a trip to the tech. Before they became easily available on eBay (before eBay was even a twinkle in the eye) I made all the special tools to take my Leica M2 apart and still use them. I did just check and you can get the tool to remove the F2's shutter release ring on eBay if you don't fancy DIY toolmaking.