It's Cold Out There!

Colder than the ticket takers smile, at the Ivar tTheater, on a Saturday night.

There I was, minding my own business, not looking for trouble, when trouble found me.

Let me show you the trouble-maker, then you’ll understand my predicament.

I swear, I don’t have a problem buying vintage cameras, I can quit anytime. In fact, I was not looking for another camera, but this Nikon F, came to my attention when I was at a weak moment (just after lunch).

I had an opportunity to purchase an early model Nikon F a few years ago, through the auction that I work for, from the estate of a man who had several gorgeous cameras. I opted to go for one of his Graflex cameras, and the F went to another bidder.

The last three or four months have been good to me, camera-wise, with all of the cameras that have come to me being the first examples of that brand that I have ever owned. It started with the Petri, then came the Mamiya, the Richoflex, and the Calumet 4X5. You have seen examples from the Petri (and I am smitten!), and while the Mamiya nd the Richoflex and senior to this F, I think that I will probably take it out this weekend - with a fresh roll of film, this time.

What surprised me most about this camera, once I had run the serial number, was that this camera was made in the early part of 1970. I thought that Nikon phased the F out in the mid 60’s, once the F2 came out; I was wrong.

I mentioned that this camera appeared to me at a weak moment, but what really caught my attention was, the Nikkor-H Auto lens. Over the years, I have read many nice things about the Nikkor-H, and when I saw the condition of the camera, my will to resist faded quickly.

Typically, when I get a new camera, and I take pictures to show you here, I don’t detail the camera, I mostly just blow that dust off the surface and shoot. You can see how clean this camera is, and the sticker in the film well seems to indicate that it had been refurbished, sometime in the past. I tried to find something wrong, or inoperable with this camera, but everything seems to be in good working order. O have no idea about the light seals, but things look to be good there, too.

The lens was made in 1969, and it is spotless. The shutter curtain has no pinholes that I could find. I love the fact that the film speed dial is still labelled in ASA, I prefer the old magic.

The camera case is in good condition and it is a style that I have not seen before, in Nikons. Specifically, there are small flaps, on the back (not pictured), that fold under the top to protect the sides. This puzzled me until I realized that the cover itself is not made with hard leather, the cover feels almost like glove leather and the foldable flaps are necessary to protect the corners, because the lack of a harder cover does not allow for the cover to clamp down over the corners. I don’t think that I explained it well, but it makes sense when you see it.

Finally, the money shot.

The Nikkor-H Auto f2, has six glass elements, in four groups. I was very happy to find that all the rings turn easily, sometimes lenses get a bit sticky after they sit for long periods. I doubt that this camera was used much, as it shows no signs of even slight wear. The most casual usage leaves tell-tale marks from handling.

I paid more than I usually do for a camera that I bought at auction, but it was a fraction of what this camera would (should) go for in a retail setting. I got lucky that there weren’t more people bidding against me.

Let’s see what I can do with it.

=Fangers Crossed=