How do you shoot with your Nikon F2?

I recently acquired two beautifully battered Nikon F2s, one with a DP-1 finder and one with a DP-11 finder. Both of these maters work electronically but they are not accurate. I was going to recalibrate them using these handy instructions:
http://ss-it.de/data/finder/F2 Finder DP-1 Adjustment.pdf

But I was wondering how much faith people put in these older meters even after calibrating them. FWIW, the meter on my FE isn't too much older and its dead-on (can I put as much trust into these?).

So I wanted to know how everyone judges exposure with their F2s. Do you use the meter in the finder? External meter? Sunny 16?

I like shooting landscapes and portraits like the rest of the world but I also enjoy shooting nature macro shots and for that, TTL metering makes the process a lot simpler. So I would love to hear from anyone that does macro photography with theirs!

I have two F2 cameras - one with the DP-1 finder. I often use the DP-1 meter - it's dead-on (even with slide film).
I have a DP-2 finder as well but I don't like it as much as the 'needle-style' DP-1 (though my DP-2 is accurate too).
Other than that I use a Gossen Sixtomat lightmeter for situations where an incident metering seems more advisable.

I happen to have an F2A (F2 with DP11 finder). Supposedly, the DP1 and DP11 are identical electronically. Before you go to town on your meter, ask yourself several questions. Do you have the tools? Do you have experience working on small delicate complex electromechanical items? Are the CDS meter cells good? Is the ring resistor good? Do you have a known accurate standard to use for calibration? If the meter is inaccurate, the value of something in the circuit has changed. This is most likely one or both CDS cells, the other components are very stable and more easily checked. These (CDS cells) will have to be replaced, or the meter will probably not be able to be calibrated. The cells must be of the correct value, and must be linear from light to dark. The adjustments inside the meter are to compensate for slight differences in the values of new components, not to compensate for badly aged cells. One thing that does sometimes happen is the resistance of the moving arm contacts of the potentiometers will go up due to oxidation over the years, this is easily cured by simply moving the arm and returning it to it's original position. The ring resistor gets jumpy and can be cleaned with a pink pencil eraser, it almost never changes value unless it is badly worn

My meter was professionally serviced before I bought it, it is accurate and I use it according to the instructions, for general and macro photography with the 55/3.5 Micro Nikkor and sometimes extension tubes. These meters use silver oxide cells for power, readily available. For very low light and incident readings I use a LunaPro.

saman13 said:

So I would love to hear from anyone that does macro photography with theirs!

Click to expand...

Since my Nikon F2 view finder does not have a built-in light meter, I use a hand meter, the sunny 16, or a light meter in another camera to determine the correct exposure.

For macro photography with my Nikon F2, I usually use a ring flash and have all my exposures calculated based on reproduction ratio.

Haven't used the built-in meter on my F2 since about the mid-70's to late 70's. Around the late 70's, I bought a Pentax spot meter (analog needle) followed some years later by a Pentax Digital spot meter (because I dropped that analog Pentax meter and the needle fell off!) and that is what I've used ever since. If I don't have the meter with me (rarely), I guess the exposure loosely based on Sunny 16.

Although in the late 70s and working PJ I shot with a F2, DP 1 finder, it spot on, negative or slide film, Kodachrome 25 and 64, like most meters of the day bracketed in tricky light sometime used a spot meter, but not often. Once you have calibrated the meters if the meter is working you ought to be ok.

The Nikon f2 with the simple meterless prism makes a beautiful low profile camera easy to carry or stow in bag with the advantage of an uncluttered viewfinder. As noted above a handheld meter or exposure chart works fine. Add a feather light f2 or Nikon pancake lens creates a handy kit. Same goes for my Nikon F.

I used to shoot a LOT of slide film, where I used a hand incident meter. So using a hand meter was my primary method.
I used the camera meter where I could not meter the light at the subject with my hand meter.

If you generally use camera meter, I would get the camera's meter serviced.
The problem is if the CdS cells have deteriorated, the tech has to find suitable replacement cells.
If you don't service the meters, you will have to convert to hand metering, which isn't as convenient as the camera meter. Very different workflow and mindset.

I had an F2AS from 1977 until it was stolen in 1984. Back in the days since I wasn't very good at exposure I trusted the meter. Of course I do increase exposure from the meter reading when shooting in snow or I do close up meter reading.

Hard. I shoot hard on my F2.

To give you a more useful, serious answer, mine originally came to me with an as-is DP-1 and sticky slow speeds. Exposures where good enough to never see a problem with negs, properly printed or scanned. Didn't shoot more than 1 or 2 rolls of slides with it, but no REAL problems there either and I suspect the problems that did exist where all color temp related or user error, not inaccurate metering.
The camera was serviced and wears a DE-1 now. No idea how the metering head would do now after a few years in a desk drawer....

I have a couple of F2s. I have the original non.AI finders, but normally use the de.1 prism. Either sunny.16 or a handheld meter. It works for me.

I have two F2s and three finders -- the eye-level finder, a DP-1, and a DP-2. My oldest F-1 came with the eye-level finder. I bought a DP-1 for it a few years ago. First thing I did with it was check it against the Sunny f/16 rule. It was spot on. So I've used it with no fears ever since and it's given me well exposed results. My second F2 came with the DP-2. I like the DP-2, not especially for its largish LEDs, but because it will meter down to 10 seconds, which can be handy at times. I did the same thing with this F2 as soon as I'd acquired it -- checked it using the Sunny f/16 rule. It too was on the money and I've used it with confidence ever since.

I'm fortunate -- neither of my F2s show signs of a worn meter resistor ring. (Bouncy needle with the DP-1, flickering LEDs with the DP-2) So I'm hoping for many more years of reliable use out of both cameras' meters. But if something should go screwy with either, I've always got a couple of Gossen hand-helds that I can employ for metering tasks.

My F2 meters are dead on, if I meter off a grey card. I rarely use in camera meter, either I use an incident meter or sunny 16 etc. I also love using non meter prism on F2, looks cool. For 35mm all I need are F2 and F5 cameras love them. I have a couple of really pretty Nikon F outfits as well but they are so pretty they only come out on special occasions. Older Nikon stuff is so beautiful! I recently picked up a mint D3 for 10 percent of it's original cost, it's really cool, but no film means I never do anything with it but play.

Do you intend to have these as long-term shooters? If so, just send them to Sover Wong and let him service them. That way, you'll know that they'll still be functioning properly many years from now. If not, then go for it.

-J