My F2 got an upgrade

[Horatio]

Meet the F2A. A little rough, but that's character. The meter works perfectly.

 

[ChristopherCoy]

<insert jealous emoji here>

is it a green dot or red dot DP-11?

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Nice. I have it's twin from the last month of F2 production. Best 35mm SLR ever. I also have a chrome one with a later DP11, first month of F2 production. Alpha and Omega.

 

[Horatio]

<insert jealous emoji here>

is it a green dot or red dot DP-11?

Where do I find the "dot"?

 

[Horatio]

Nice. I have it's twin from the last month of F2 production. Best 35mm SLR ever. I also have a chrome one with a later DP11, first month of F2 production. Alpha and Omega.

That's pretty cool.

 

[ChristopherCoy]

Where do I find the "dot"?

Under the finder, on the shutter speed dial.

1xxxxx numbers are green dot, uncladded resistor ring that fails easier and often.

3xxxxx numbers are red dot, and cladded by Nikon and fail less than greens.

 

[Horatio]

Green dot. Better luck next time.

 

[Huss]

Green dot. Better luck next time.

They both fail. Mileage is more important..

 

[Horatio]

They both fail. Mileage is more important..

This one has been well-used, but it may outlast me. I’m satisfied for a $40 investment.

 

[Pieter12]

What dot?

 

[Huss]

This one has been well-used, but it may outlast me. .

How old are you and how are you feeling?

 

[ChristopherCoy]

This one has been well-used, but it may outlast me. I’m satisfied for a $40 investment.

it may be just fine. They just weren’t reinforced which is why Nikon started cladding them with metal wire.

FWIW... if you ever get a CLA, find someone who can clad it for you. I’m having Sover do my DP-1.

And full disclosure, what I’ve stated is only what I’ve read and researched, not based on personal experience.

 

[David Lingham]

I’ve had my F2A for 40yrs and I didn’t know about the dots.

 

[ronnies]

I thought the red/green dot only made a difference on the DP-1 finders and ALL DP-11 finders had the cladded resistor?

Ronnie

 

[Horatio]

it may be just fine. They just weren’t reinforced which is why Nikon started cladding them with metal wire.

FWIW... if you ever get a CLA, find someone who can clad it for you. I’m having Sover do my DP-1.

And full disclosure, what I’ve stated is only what I’ve read and researched, not based on personal experience.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[ChristopherCoy]

I thought the red/green dot only made a difference on the DP-1 finders and ALL DP-11 finders had the cladded resistor?

Ronnie

Nope. The green dots on the DP-11 were uncladded, or at the least only partially cladded with wire.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

That's pretty cool.

Thanks. It was not intentional, just an example of how chaos sometimes works out. I'd wanted an F2 since about 1973, it took a while for the stars to align just right. I've had Fs and Nikkormats for about 30 years & have plenty of Nikkors.
Not gloating, but my total investment in the F2s is $102.10 including shipping. The early one came to me maybe 7 years ago via a middleman from an estate, and according to Sover Wong's database it's been Soverised ca. 2009. The black one needs TLC but is useable, both DP11s are dead accurate.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

I thought the red/green dot only made a difference on the DP-1 finders and ALL DP-11 finders had the cladded resistor?

Ronnie

Research beats "thought" (or to be correct 'assumption'), every time.
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/nikonfinder/f2dp11.htm

 

[ronnies]

Research beats "thought" (or to be correct 'assumption'), every time.
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/nikonfinder/f2dp11.htm

Not an assumption. From a reputable source:
https://soverf2repair.webs.com/DP1_ring_resistors.htm

But I see now that there is a difference in the amount of cladding. There are no DP-11 with uncladded resistors.

Ronnie

 

[jimjm]

I've got a "red-dot" DP-11 in pristine cosmetic shape. Been using it for about a decade, but the meter started getting jumpy over a year ago.
I'm on Sover's waiting list now - probably another 6 mos before he'll be able to service it.

 

[ChristopherCoy]

There are no DP-11 with uncladded resistors.

Ronnie

There's something - either one is uncladded and the other is wire cladded, or one is carbon cladded and the other is wire cladded - but there is some differentiating circumstance, which causes the green dots to fail more frequently than the red dots. Hence the change in dot color and serial numbers.

 

[ChristopherCoy]

Green dot. Better luck next time.

This one is on the way to me. It's a "matched pair", but it's a green dot. I'll have Sover work his magic on the resistor ring if it needs it.

Didn't get the lens, just the camera.

 

[Horatio]

I'm sorely tempted to buy another F2 with DP-11. My birthday is a few weeks away...

 

[ChristopherCoy]

I'm sorely tempted to buy another F2 with DP-11.

I wanted another black F2, specifically with the DP-11, because the DP-11 allows me to use AF-D lenses. With this set up I can have one set of lenses that work across all of my cameras - the F2's, F5, and D700. And I prefer the needle readout to the LED's, just because I do.

I bought this second F2A with the intention of selling the chrome F2 with the DP-1 finder... but I'm just not sure that I can bring myself to do that since its in SUCH good shape.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Not an assumption. From a reputable source:
https://soverf2repair.webs.com/DP1_ring_resistors.htm

But I see now that there is a difference in the amount of cladding. There are no DP-11 with uncladded resistors.

Ronnie

OK, I'll take Sover's word over mir's.
Both of my orange dot DPII are just fine, mind you one was seen to by Sover. The other had some jumpiness but cleaning the resistor with an Artgum eraser solved that.
I have a '68 Ftn finder which works, a '65 and a '71 Nikkormat which work too. All three needed the eraser treatment.