Nikon F, neglected, unused - likely problem areas?

[jay moussy]

Nikon FTN Photomic, I think, with Nikkor 28mm, probably an estate find, neglected, is offered on the local market. Price is like dinner for four at casual restaurant, heh.

What are the likely problem areas this model, ahead of going to look at it?

 

[Les Sarile]

Inside an air conditioned house? It was previously working before it was put away? Batteries removed before stored? Likely nothing that a simple CLA wouldn't cure.

 

[Paul Howell]

Does the meter work, take a battery in case the seller does not have one. Slow shutter speeds, damaged shutter, mold in the lens, the aperture ring should move freely. The old trick is to set the shutter to a second, see it stays opens in the ball park. If the meter is not working I would give it a pass, for that kind of money look for working example or one with the standard unmetered viewfinder.

 

[Nitroplait]

Mirror surface deterioration in the finder. The foam used is commonly rotting and has damaged the mirrored surfaces to a higher or lesser degree - make sure you can live with its current state, as it is not something you can do much about.
Bring the right sized batteries to check if the meter still works.

 

[Tel]

+1 to the comments above. I'd only buy an Ftn if it was cheap. The meter is almost certainly dead and the foam bits rotten. If you're not afraid to open it up and make some reapirs and the price is right, it might be a worthwhile investment. Give it a good test workout in front of the seller and then start bargaining on price.

 

[jay moussy]

Not going to work. Storage could have been anything, and upon close inspection of the photos in ad, it is clear it was inadequate. Sadly, seller has a OM-1 in same condition.

 

[flavio81]

Nikon FTN Photomic, I think, with Nikkor 28mm, probably an estate find, neglected, is offered on the local market. Price is like dinner for four at casual restaurant, heh.

What are the likely problem areas this model, ahead of going to look at it?

If price is cheap, grab it!!

Problem areas, as mentioned: Meter not working, prism desilvering. Also, most of the times it would require a routine CLA (clean lube adjust) so all speeds are accurate, and so that the top speeds expose uniformly and without curtain bounce.

Meter non-working shouldn't be a show stopper -- those are good cameras even with the meter not working.

 

[madNbad]

Not going to work. Storage could have been anything, and upon close inspection of the photos in ad, it is clear it was inadequate. Sadly, seller has a OM-1 in same condition.

If it looks bad in the photos, it probably smells bad in person.

 

[reddesert]

They grow heavier over time if not used and will dent your foot more if dropped.

If it's just dusty that's not necessarily a problem. If it's got mold or corrosion that's more of a problem.

The meter may be dead (not necessarily) but this is not a show stopper. The unmetered prisms are more compact but often have somewhat of a collector's premium price, so if you just care about use value, waiting for one also implies paying more.

The shutter of the F is generally very reliable and though any shutter can fail, that would not be my first worry. If the camera and lens have sat for a long time, my first concern (apart from battery corrosion) is for stuck or sluggish lens aperture, focusing helical, or fungus in the lens. IME, 50-year-old Nikon lenses have slow apertures less often than some other brands, but it does happen and I have a couple of examples.