I think that the Nikon F, especially with the basic non-metered prism, along with the Pentax Spotmatic, is one of the most beautiful classic 35mm SLR designs. With periodic maintenance and use, there is no reason why these cameras cannot continue to work well, long into the future.
The following are my observations regarding the Nikon Photomic FTN, which is a late model Nikon F body combined with the Photomic FTN metered prism. This is the last Nikon F metered prism, and I believe, the second to last Nikon F major body design before the so-called Apollo body. I think this is the most desirable version of the Nikon F and its metered prism. Apparently, the subsequent Apollo is essentially the same body with some F2 cosmetics. The Photomic FTN prism works great, even today, although it requires two modern equivalents to the discontinued mercury PX-13 battery. I use Wein Cell 1.35v mercury cell replacement batteries, and they work fine, albeit with relatively short life-span. I understand that the meter can be adjusted by a tech to accurately work with alkaline batteries. In fact, it is probably better to confirm which type of battery the tech uses when adjusting the meter. Unfortunately, the prism must be removed from the body to replace the batteries from time to time, so care must be taken to keep the top of the focusing screen clean and dust-free.
Unfortunately many of the Nikon F bodies on the market today have been heavily used by professionals and/or stored improperly so they are in bad shape. Models that are in cosmetically perfect shape are not cheap on eBay, and may still require professional maintenance to work properly. Non-metered prisms are often separately offered for sale on eBay at a premium price to those whose Photomic metered prisms have stopped working (although in my experience, the prism meters can often be repaired by a competent technician).
I had the good luck to get my hands on the above Nikon Photomic FTN (s/n 69xxxxx) when it just hit the market new. It was my dream camera as a serious amateur photographer and college student. True, I didn't take it into a war zone as many did at the time, but it came with me on many back country trips and numerous travels around the world in my backpack. It once fell out of my pack as I was repelling down the side of a mountain, and it survived without a scratch in the original hard case!
The Nikon F is one of the original system SLRs. You can see on the link below, just how big the Nikon F system was. I think that I took pretty good advantage of the system: numerous prime lenses, at least a couple of different focusing screens, extension tubes, filters, flashes, adapters, etc.
Since buying the camera new, it has been in for full maintenance a handful of times to continue working today. If properly maintained, these cameras can be great shooters for natural light film photography. But to be honest, these days, because of certain limitations, I would generally leave it on the dry box shelf as a display piece, and instead use something only a slight bit newer!
One of the positive attributes of the Nikon Photomic FTN is its very nice solid body feel. The light meter also very effective and is similar to many later Nikon cameras, with its center-weighted measuring system. Unfortunately, the viewfinder display only includes the shutter speed and match needle; there is no indicator for aperture setting. The Photomic FTN meter only works with Nikon mount lenses that include the meter prong, This is one reason why the Nikon F2 Photomic AS is a better option for actual use; with the F2 Photomic AS you can use all of your AF Nikkor lenses (without the prong) as well as Ai lenses. Some people complain about the need to reset the meter, adjust the aperture, and then twist to set the meter to the lens's maximum aperture. However, as someone who used the camera for years, it is second nature and really fast. The aperture ring does encounter slight resistance from the meter pin when setting the aperture smaller than f/5.6. This is just a feature of the Photomic FTN and I can remember it has been like that on my sample since it was new.
It is also a bit of a hassle to remove the camera back to insert film, but again film loading is reasonably efficient; certainly easier than on a Leica M3!
This camera would not be the best fit for flash photography. Although I have taken many good flash photos with the camera, the 1/60 second maximum electronic flash synchronization speed is too slow for fill flash, and of course you need to use manual flash or old style non-TTL auto flash (with slip-on flash bracket).
The shutter release is positioned very close to the back of the body and has to be pressed quite far down to release the shutter. By comparison, the shutter release button of the F2 is in a more comfortable position near the front of the body, and has a better hair-trigger feel. The F2 works great for available light photography on a tripod. With the Nikon F's mechanical shutter, you can take long time exposures for hours without fear of wearing out the battery. Just set the shutter to B and use a cable release, or use the T setting for really long exposures. On the other hand, the 1/1000 maximum shutter speed is really low by today's standards, although it was considered normal by photographers for many years. For people who shoot films like Tri-X, the one stop faster 1/2000 maximum shutter speed on the F2 and (electronic shutter) F3 makes a significant difference.
There are many great resources on the internet that discuss the history and specifications of the Nikon F and its system in more detail. I include a number of interesting links below:
Copyright © 2013 Timothy A. Rogers. All rights reserved.