Not long ago I purchased myself an amazing piece of film photography gear that sat on my shelf gathering dust for one specific reason.
The Nikon F2 is the latest 35mm SLR that I’ve been playing with and should have picked up to sue 4 months ago when I bought it initially. The camera has a 35mm f2.8 Nikkor lens - a perfect lens for how I shoot - and a DP-1 view finder. The camera features something that I will always find cool - the ability to use a waist level view finder. The ability to change from an eye-level to a waist level view finder serves in my opinion a small benefit (shooting from lower angles than eye-level) but seeing the world through the exposed mirror is so surreal and greatly adds to the shooting experience. The silver camera body and black lens share that timeless design of many cameras built within the same era and the weight of this camera is definitely a good self-defence weapon.
Another thing I’ve found cool about the F2 is how easy it is to use the timer.
Now, why did this camera sit on the shelf for so long? Well, the biggest issue that was present in the system when i purchased it was that the light meter didnt work. Like many parents, time is precious and when you only get an hour after the kid’s are in bed to go out and shoot in the daylight you want to make the most of every minute out. Pulling out my phone to meter using a smartphone app simply did not appeal to me and purchasing a new DP-1 is not a cheap thing - until I found one on ebay for $120!
Posted, delivered and working I am now able to use my F2 and after putting the first roll of mine through it I am very very close to saying that this camera will be replacing my Canon AE-1 as my go to 35mm SLR. What’s stopping me from making the jump? Well I havent gotten the film developed yet and I want to know for sure it works properly!