Nikon F

The Nikon F is the camera that knocked Leica off its throne as king of 35mm. Before the F any photographer who was serious about 35mm photography was carrying a Leica. Japanese cameras were the cameras you bought if you couldn't afford a German camera. The Nikon F changed all that, clobbering Leica as a company in the process; a fall from which Leica has never really recovered.

The F was introduced in 1959 with a full range of quality glass (not quite up to Leica standards but then who is?), motor wind and interchangeable viewfinders. It was the first SLR offering the convienience of an SLR with the ease of use and bulletproofness equal to a Leica. The F was the camera of choice for many war and fashion photographers for many years and now, many decades later, many Fs are still in service.

Links

• Michael Liu's Nikon F Page
• CameraQuest's Classics Page
• German site
• Modern Classics Review
• F Photomic (1962-66)
• F Photomic T (1965-66)
• F Photomic Tn (1967-68)
• F Photomic FTn (1968-74)
• NASA FTn
• Nikon F Apollo
• Red Dot, NATO, White Leather, Navy KS-80A)
• F High Speed
• Lionel's Nikon F overview at 35mm-compact.com
• Nikon F at www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand
• Nikon F Photomic at www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand
• Nikon F Photomic T at www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand
• Nikon F Photomic FTn at www.collection-appareils.fr by Sylvain Halgand

Nikon Cameras