This Nikon F Just Got a Full CLA, And It’s Ready to Be Yours
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If you’ve been in love with photography for the past decade, then you’d understand the appeal of the Nikon F. In many ways, this is the SLR camera by which many others are measured. It’s made of metal. It’s so durable that they’re still used today. They’re rugged. And most importantly, they still work. Plus, they’re very modifiable to your needs. Best of all, if you absolutely live for using a light meter, this specific Nikon F is worth looking at. What’s more, it just received a full CLA before arriving for the Rare Camera Store.
Welcome to the Rare Camera Store: a joint initiative of The Phoblographer and the wonderful folks at Blue Moon Camera. We work to bring you some of the coolest and rarest items for a great price.
The listing over at Blue Moon Camera says:
This Nikon F Camera with the Photomic FT Finder is a is a fully mechanical 35mm single lens reflex film camera designed to accept Nikon Non-AI lenses. Other features include: interchangeable finders and focusing screens, mirror lockup, depth-of-field preview, and a self-timer.
This camera has just returned from a full CLA service and is ready to use. It comes with original leather case with strap.
I’ve thought a lot about who this camera is for. And I concluded that current Nikon F mount camera users are going to adore it the most. Do you have any old, beautiful lenses you held onto over the years? Well, if you’re like Phoblographer Reviews Editor Hillary Grigonis, then you’re looking for a new camera system. But if you had some old primes with aperture rings, you could use them easily with this camera. While you’re ditching your DSLR, your lenses could receive new life on a brand new film camera.
Something you’d really like to know is how cinematic the look of old Nikkor glass is. Cinematographers tend to take old Nikon lenses and use them for cinema. They’ve got a beautiful look to them. In fact, I think Nikon would be brilliant to release some of those lenses with a better metal exterior for various mounts. I’d totally buy one and stick it on a Sony camera to shoot video. That’s all the more reason to get this wonderful Nikon F and use it with those lenses.
“Fun Fact: The Nikon F was born out of the technical difficulties with attaching longer lenses to rangefinders. It wasn’t really conceived as professional any more than their rangefinders. The professional moniker was given to the F lineup when the company came out with less professionally targeted cameras.”
The Nikon F turned 62 this year. Can you believe that? How often do you hear about cameras that are 60 years old that still work? Specifically, how often do you hear about modern cameras working over 10 years? That’s the beauty of vintage products. They were really made to last. In 2019, we did a timeline on the Nikon F. It was originally designed to make it easier to shoot with longer lenses. Rangefinders, as many of you know, can’t do this very well.
Best of all, though, and as Blue Moon states, the Nikon F is very modular. You can change the finders, the focusing screens, add grips, and do many things. They’re one of the most customizable cameras from that era.