Light seals on a Nikon F2

Colin Templeton · Jan 9, 2022

Hello,

I'm new to the forum. Some kind people have shown me how to begin a thread, so here goes..

I've just purchased a plain prism Nikon F2. I've yet to put a film through it. I can't seem to find out what the deal is with light seals. There is a new-ish piece of foam in the mirror box, to cushion the mirror, and same on the body just under where the eyepiece rests. However, I can see no evidence of seals around the back door, or where it fits against the body.

I disappeared down a rabbit-hole online, trying to discover if seals are required, or not. Some people say that Sover Wong declares they are unnecessary, since the tolerances and fit on the camera are so tight. Others say that the F2 leaks light really badly around the back door hinge. There are plenty of F2s for sale on eBay, and looking at those, almost none, like mine, seem to have seals. One or two do have a seal at the hinge. But it looks like an aftermarket thing.

I was just wondering if anyone might definitively know? I plan to run a film through the camera anyway, just to check.

Thanks in advance to anyone who might know, and spare the time to tell me.

Best wishes,

Colin

George Mann · Jan 9, 2022

The F2 has a giant seal covering its entire back. Because of its design, a seal at the hinge is not required. The seals that Sover speaks of are in the channels.

Colin Templeton · Jan 9, 2022

George Mann said:
The F2 has a giant seal covering its entire back. Because of its design, a seal at the hinge is not required. The seals that Sover speaks of are in the channels.

Thank you very much for that, George. There don't seem to be seals in the channels on this F2 but, as I say, others I've looked at on eBay look the same. I guess the back fits very precisely into the channels, negating the use of seals? Perhaps seals in the channels are just for peace of mind, and not necessary?

Horatio · Jan 9, 2022

There are remnants of foam in my F2 channels (looks more like dust!) but neither has light leaks. Try a short roll of film as-is.

Colin Templeton · Jan 9, 2022

Horatio said:
There are remnants of foam in my F2 channels (looks more like dust!) but neither has light leaks. Try a short roll of film as-is.

Thank you, Horatio. Yes, I'm just going to run a film through the camera and see how it does. Cheers

Colin Templeton · Jan 9, 2022

It looks as though possibly, when you bought a brand new Nikon F2 in the 1970's, there were factory seals in the channels around the door. And maybe at the hinge? But, over the decades, those seals have degraded, but it doesn't matter because it doesn't cause a problem?

jimjm · Jan 9, 2022

None of my F2s ('72, '74 & '76) have any light seals except for the mirror box and I've never had any light leaks over hundreds or rolls.
I can see if there was some damage around the back hinge, or someone swung the back open past its' limit, that it might bend the metal and create a light leak in that area...

Colin Templeton · Jan 9, 2022

jimjm said:
None of my F2s ('72, '74 & '76) have any light seals except for the mirror box and I've never had any light leaks over hundreds or rolls.
I can see if there was some damage around the back hinge, or someone swung the back open past its' limit, that it might bend the metal and create a light leak in that area...

Thank you for that, Jim - much appreciated. I'll shoot this roll of film, and report back. Back in the late nineties, I had an F2AS, and a 35 Nikkor F2.0 AIS. Shot a lot of 'keepers' with that camera. Should never have sold it!

George Mann · Jan 9, 2022

Colin Templeton said:
Thank you very much for that, George. There don't seem to be seals in the channels on this F2 but, as I say, others I've looked at on eBay look the same. I guess the back fits very precisely into the channels, negating the use of seals? Perhaps seals in the channels are just for peace of mind, and not necessary?

The channel seals are there to keep dust out. Do you have a Buttergrip for it yet?

NedL · Jan 9, 2022

If you do find light leaks and need to replace the seals, the fellow to look up is Jon Goodman. He sells ( or used to... it was a few years ago when I got mine ) inexpensive kits with everything you need and easy to follow instructions. I replaced the seals on my FM2n and it's good as new now..

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/praise-for-neoprene-foam-supplier-jon-goodman.15206/

Colin Templeton · Jan 10, 2022

George Mann said:
The channel seals are there to keep dust out. Do you have a Buttergrip for it yet?

Cheers, and no - I've just looked that up. Looks like a nice grip.

Colin Templeton · Jan 10, 2022

NedL said:
If you do find light leaks and need to replace the seals, the fellow to look up is Jon Goodman. He sells ( or used to... it was a few years ago when I got mine ) inexpensive kits with everything you need and easy to follow instructions. I replaced the seals on my FM2n and it's good as new now..

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/praise-for-neoprene-foam-supplier-jon-goodman.15206/

Thank you very much for that. That's very helpful.

reddesert · Jan 10, 2022

Many cameras have a strip of foam at the back hinge, parallel to the hinge (either on the door or the back), for example the Nikkormat and many compact 35mm SLRs have this. But the F2 has a pair of raised ridges near the hinge, one on the back and one on the body, that overlap and should create a seal without needing such a strip of foam.

For practically any type of camera that stood up to massive professional use back in the day, you can find someone on the internet saying it's fatally compromised because of X, Y, or Z. Sometimes they're right that there's an issue related to 40 years of lack of maintenance, and sometimes they're having prince-and-the-pea syndrome.

Colin Templeton · Jan 10, 2022

reddesert said:
Many cameras have a strip of foam at the back hinge, parallel to the hinge (either on the door or the back), for example the Nikkormat and many compact 35mm SLRs have this. But the F2 has a pair of raised ridges near the hinge, one on the back and one on the body, that overlap and should create a seal without needing such a strip of foam.

For practically any type of camera that stood up to massive professional use back in the day, you can find someone on the internet saying it's fatally compromised because of X, Y, or Z. Sometimes they're right that there's an issue related to 40 years of lack of maintenance, and sometimes they're having prince-and-the-pea syndrome.

Totally agree, and thank you for that. I sometimes think of that phrase about there being three realities - your reality, my reality, and the actual reality. Somewhere out there is the objective truth about whether the Nikon F2 originally had light seals, and whether or not they are required now. It looks as though it's a no. The channels and edges look very deep, and an effective light trap.

Thank you again!

GRHazelton · Jan 10, 2022

Colin Templeton said:
Thank you very much for that, George. There don't seem to be seals in the channels on this F2 but, as I say, others I've looked at on eBay look the same. I guess the back fits very precisely into the channels, negating the use of seals? Perhaps seals in the channels are just for peace of mind, and not necessary?

That's the way cameras used to be built. I have a Retina 1 with 3.5 Ektar. It has NO light seals! And as far as I know, never had any. It has never exhibited light leaks. Why can't we have cameras which don't need extra seals?

Huss · Jan 11, 2022

GRHazelton said:
That's the way cameras used to be built. I have a Retina 1 with 3.5 Ektar. It has NO light seals! And as far as I know, never had any. It has never exhibited light leaks. Why can't we have cameras which don't need extra seals?

Mfgs often use the seals to keep dust out. My departed F100 did not have dust seals - and it got dusty inside. My Nikons with them stay cleaner. My S2 rangefinder - no dust seals as my Fs. Partly because how could you incorporate them with that back design? Leica Ms - no dust seals, also no dust inside! Then again, similar back arrangement.

At this point I do prefer cameras that do not need a seal replacement! Either it comes w good seals, or doesnt need them. I detest replacing them - I have done too many to want to do any more!

reddesert · Jan 11, 2022

Why can't we have cameras which don't need extra seals?

Well, sheet film holders have felt in the darkslide light trap and there is often felt on the back of the camera around where the film holder sits, so if you want to go back to a time before light seals you may be going a long way.

According to wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F2 , a Nikon F2 Photomic with 50/1.4 was $660 retail in 1972 shortly after its introduction, and people who bought from discount camera stores (not as widespread back then) might have paid 30% less than retail, so say $460. There's a factor of about 6.3x inflation from 1972 to 2020, which makes street price $2900 in today's dollars. So one of the reasons you have foam or felt light seals instead of multiple overlapping metal channels, which are more complex and expensive to construct, is that people weren't able to shell out $2900 in today's dollars for a camera, so manufacturers found cheaper ways to keep the light and dust out of less expensive cameras.

Colin Templeton · Jan 18, 2022

Update - I ran a film through the F2. Came out perfectly. Thanks for everyone's help and input.

Light seals on a Nikon F2

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