nickstreme
Member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2008
- Messages
- 98
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- Medium Format
I've used my F2 in throwing distance contests, to extinguish fires, haul boats etc. and it still works great.
..."Pry my F2 outa my cold dead hands!"
Oh yeah I remember. I wanted to start shooting 135 again. I thought it would make a nice occasional break from my usual medium format shooting. I wanted a solid, mechanical SLR camera. The legendary Nikon F2 was one name that kept being suggested. After doing a bit of research I picked up a body at a local camera swap meet in Aug of '08. I bought into the reasoning that a camera with electronics would be toast if the electronics ever shorted out or somehow failed while a mechanical camera will always be repairable. I also got lucky with a good price on a DE-1 prism finder (I use a hand held meter).
So I picked up a body that appeared to be in decent shape for $200 and immediately sent to Sover Wong in the UK for an overhaul. I figured when the camera came back I'd have a great, sturdy camera that I could shoot worry free and maintenance free for a least several years given my shooting style and volume.
Well, it wasn't long before issues cropped up. I started seeing thin, well defined strips along the edges of some of my prints. It appeared that the density on my negs were a little thinner along an edge compared to the rest of the neg. Completely intermittent. I was still under warranty with Sover Wong but I really didn't want to shell out the high cost of international shipping once again. I was referred to a Nikon trained and authorized repair shop across town. Shutter bump was the term they told me was happening; it had something to do with part of the shutter moving too fast from it's starting point. So they fixed it and did another general cleaning. All seemed fine until about 5 months later when the same symptom reappeared. Luckily, it was (barely) still under warranty. They serviced it again no hassle. I take the camera out to try my new 35mm f2 ZF Distagon lens and to my surprise now I have random sections of my roll completely blank! Back to shop it goes with the roll I just described. This was in Nov. The camera is still in the shop. I called today and there's a problem now with the shutter break and they are having trouble locating parts and they will decide how to proceed.
About a month ago I ordered another F2 from KEH who I've purchased from many times. At least I'll have something to shoot with in the meantime I thought. I went with a bargain graded body for $99. I had to send the KEH body back because it showed signs of rust on the back hinges and on part of the lens release button. I'm awaiting the replacement.
So there you have it. If I didn't buy the $800 ZF lens, I would have just cut my losses and I'd have a nice F2 paperweight. Now I have one body that is in the shop more then it's in my hands being used. I have another on the way and I can only hope this one will not have any issues. All I wanted was a nice mechanical 35mm camera to shoot maybe 10 rolls a month with. This is costing about the same as the upkeep on my car and I just wonder how many bodies will I have to keep around for parts before I can be confident that whatever body I'm using will work correctly.
It also made me have another scary thought. Are any 35mm slrs even being made anymore? With so many manufactures stopping production of 35mm cameras and like Nikon not suporting the existing ones, I see the death of 135 film being the result of there simply not being any working cameras left to shoot with. All cameras eventually fail and need work. As I'm finding out with my first F2 (which by the way I absolutely loved shooting with) there comes a point of diminishing returns and I'm just not in a position to keep throwing money away on temporary repairs and spare bodies that may also need big $$ in upkeep.
The take home lesson is don't buy a relic unless you're willing and able to repair it. In 2011, it pays to buy the newest 35mm bodies possible.
You mean all those Nikon crap-o-matics with the hunt-and-peck AF and wonky electronics that breaks down in cold and rain? Go ahead, buy'em all.(yes, I am just kidding - each to his own!)
The take home lesson is don't buy a relic unless you're willing and able to repair it. In 2011, it pays to buy the newest 35mm bodies possible. With Nikon, the late AF models like the F100 and even F5 are probably best.
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