information Nikon F2T

[herman k]

Hi
Currently working on an article about the F2T and I'm looking for serial numbers of the F2T No Name and the F2H
If you have one, would you please share it with me?
Thank you .

[Birna Rørslett]

My camera is F2 9201294. With a matching DE-1 finder.

It's without any doubt the most robust Nikon camera I have ever used, and easily capable of breaking my ribs instead of shattering when mishaps occur in the field. The assertion is field tested, by the way

[herman k]

Thank you Birna,

Unfortunately, my F2T is missing its DE-1 finder ( anyone has one for sale???) and I use it with the DP-12 Photomic.

A Nikkormat can bruise your ribs too, also field tested.

[David H. Hartman]

The DE-1 finder was the non-metered prism finder for the Nikon F2. The reason I know that is I bought a Nikon F3HP and preferred the higher image magnification of the DE-2 finder for the F3. I found a mint DE-1 finder on eBay for $399.00 that was located in Japan so the shipping was expensive also. I should have bought a DE-1 back in the '80s.

The shutter and mirror slap vibration of the Nikon F3 is much lower than the F2 so my F2As is probably not worth fixing.

Dave

[Birna Rørslett]

My ribs broke ....

The DE-1 for my F2 Titan is deviating from the "standard" prism finder by being made in titanium with the same hammered surface finish as the camera itself. Strangely it carries no special marking to indicate its unusual nature.

[ggoodes]

For the F3T, Nikon gave a distinct model number for the Titanium finder (DE4, vs. DE3 for the standard High-Eyepoint finder).  I have seen some references (e.g. Mir) that the F2T finder was designated DE1/T to distinguish from the standard DE1, but not sure if that is definitive.

[herman k]

Never heard of a DE-1/T. I don't think it is a Nikon reference.
The titanium DE-1 for the F2T is just called the DE-1 by Nikon.
The F2H also had a titanium DE-1 , but this  DE-1 finder was silver-coated for maximum brightness, because the F2H had a fixed, semi-reflective (65% light transmission) pellicle mirror. Nikon also mention it as a DE-1


And, yes indeed, I'm searching for a titan DE-1

[herman k]

My ribs broke .....

You win, but I don't envy you.

[Birna Rørslett]

There is a funny story about my F2 Titan. Perhaps I've told it before, but it bears repetition and pondering about the concept of 'serendipity'.

Many many moons ago, back in the dark ages of "film" (you know, the storage medium containing only 36 frames), I visited my local photo store in Oslo and spotted a strange-looking Nikon F2. Turned out it was the F2 Titan version, but without the finder. It had the DP-12 ('AS') finder attached. They told me it was on commission sale and quoted an exorbitant asking price as it was considered a "collector's item". I was indeed interested in the camera, which looked pristine, but not the price. However, I pointed out they could not sell it as a mint collector's item, since it hadn't the correct finder. The DP-12 looked ugly as it had the usual satin finish and obviously wasn't produced with any titanium at all. After a prolonged haggling the shop owner personally admitted they had made a mistake by removing the finder and selling it off earlier to a customer looking for a nice DE-1 unit. Thus he agreed the asking price was way too high, and I finally got my F2 Titan for a truly bargain price.

Now, more than 15 years later, and well into the 2000's I by chance visited a flea market down town Oslo, as it was rumoured they had nice photo gear for sale. Which indeed was the case, and suddenly I spied a perfect black Nikon F2 with a prism finder attached. As this was into the early digital era, interest in analogue cameras had declined, thus I got the camera for a modest sum of money. However, once I got my hands on the camera, I noticed the DE-1 looked very strange, having a dull hammered finish. Removing the finder confirmed this was the Titan version, and then I at last had a *complete* F2 T. As Nikon Norway told me only about 3 units of Nikon F2 T had been sold in Norway, that finder simply must have been the long lost one from my own F2 T. What were the odds for this scenario?

Below,  a picture of my F2T with the DP-12 and a Noct-Nikkor 58mm f/1.2 attached. It was my most used camera for more than a decade, and I loved it.

[golunvolo]

There is a funny story about my F2 Titan. Perhaps I've told it before, but it bears repetition and pondering about the concept of 'serendipity'.

Many many moons ago, back in the dark ages of "film" (you know, the storage medium containing only 36 frames), I visited my local photo store in Oslo and spotted a strange-looking Nikon F2. Turned out it was the F2 Titan version, but without the finder. It had the DP-12 ('AS') finder attached. They told me it was on commission sale and quoted an exorbitant asking price as it was considered a "collector's item". I was indeed interested in the camera, which looked pristine, but not the price. However, I pointed out they could not sell it as a mint collector's item, since it hadn't the correct finder. The DP-12 looked ugly as it had the usual satin finish and obviously wasn't produced with any titanium at all. After a prolonged haggling the shop owner personally admitted they had made a mistake by removing the finder and selling it off earlier to a customer looking for a nice DE-1 unit. Thus he agreed the asking price was way too high, and I finally got my F2 Titan for a truly bargain price.

Now, more than 15 years later, and well into the 2000's I by chance visited a flea market down town Oslo, as it was rumoured they had nice photo gear for sale. Which indeed was the case, and suddenly I spied a perfect black Nikon F2 with a prism finder attached. As this was into the early digital era, interest in analogue cameras had declined, thus I got the camera for a modest sum of money. However, once I got my hands on the camera, I noticed the DE-1 looked very strange, having a dull hammered finish. Removing the finder confirmed this was the Titan version, and then I at last had a *complete* F2 T. As Nikon Norway told me only about 3 units of Nikon F2 T had been sold in Norway, that finder simply must have been the long lost one from my own F2 T. What were the odds for this scenario?

Below,  a picture of my F2T with the DP-12 and a Noct-Nikkor 58mm f/1.2 attached. It was my most used camera for more than a decade, and I loved it.

   What are the odds?!

  Gorgeous gear