Nikon F
Encyclopedia
The Nikon F camera
, introduced in 1959, was Nikon's first SLR
camera. It was one of the most advanced cameras of its day. Although most of its concepts had already been introduced elsewhere, it was the first camera to combine them all in one camera. It was produced until October 1973 and was replaced by the very similar Nikon F2
. Aspects of its design remain in all of Nikon's subsequent SLR cameras, through the current Nikon F6
film and Nikon D3X
digital models (which still share its Nikon F-mount
for lenses). The "F" in Nikon F was selected by Nippon Kogaku from the letter F in 'Reflex.' That tradition was carried all the way through their top line of Nikon cameras until the introduction of the Nikon D1 (digital) cameras decades later.
, and those news photographers utilizing motor-driven Nikon Fs with 250-exposure backs to record the various launches of the space capsules in the Mercury
, Gemini
and Apollo space programs, all in the 1960s. After the introduction of the Nikon F, the more expensive rangefinder camera
s (those with focal plane shutters) became less attractive. It was originally priced at US$186 with 50mm f/2 lens
It was a combination of design elements that made the Nikon F successful. It featured interchangeable prisms and focusing screens; the camera had a depth-of-field preview button; the mirror had lock-up capability; it featured a large bayonet mount and a large lens release button; a single-stroke ratcheted film advance lever; a titanium
-foil focal plane shutter; various types of flash synchronization; a rapid rewind lever; a fully removable back. it was a well-made, extremely durable camera, and adhered closely to the then current, successful design scheme of the Nikon rangefinder cameras.
A number of these features were first introduced by other manufacturers:
The Nikon F also had interchangeable backs and a viewfinder showing 100% of the image. Motor drive
s to advance the film, F36 (36 exposure) or F250 (250 exposure), were available, but required the replacement of the underside of the body. The F36 was not too dissimilar from the motor drive which was available for the SP.
The Nikon F evolved from a rangefinder camera, the Nikon SP
. "In the trial model, based on the body of the Nikon SP, the mirror box was inserted in the central part. Only the three principal components, mirror box, pentaprism and bayonet mount, were newly developed, and the other components were virtually identical to those in SP/S3."
Instead of the M42 screw mount used by Pentax and other camera manufacturers, Nikon had introduced the three-claw F-mount bayonet lens mount
system, which is still current in a more modified form today. The focal plane shutter had titanium foil blinds and was rated for 100,000 shutter releases. At the time, other SLRs used cloth blinds, which had the disadvantage that it was possible to burn a hole into the cloth of the shutter during mirror lock-up in bright sunlight.
The F was also a modular system camera
, in which various assemblies such as the viewfinders, or 'pentaprism
s', the focusing screens, the special 35mm roll film 250 exposure film back and the Speed Magny film backs (two models: one using the Polaroid 100 (now 600) type pack films; and another Speed Magny was designed for 4x5 film accessories, including Polaroid's own 4x5 instant film back). These could be fitted and removed, allowing the camera to adapt to almost any particular task. It was the first 35 mm camera offered with a successful motor drive
system as opposed to a film winder. It was capable of firing up to 4 frames per second (mirror locked up) or 3 frames per section with full reflex viewing maintained.
Unlike most 35mm camera systems the Nikon F had a wide range of lenses, covering 21 mm to 1000 mm focal length
by 1962. Nikon was among the first to introduce what are known today as 'mirror lenses' – lenses with Catadioptric system
designs, which allowed the light path to be folded and thus yielded lens designs that were more compact than the standard telephoto designs. Subsequent top-of-the-line Nikon models carried on the F series, which has reached the F6
(although this camera has a fixed pentaprism--the first and the last professional level Nikon SLR to do that). With the introduction and continued improvements being made in digital photography, the Nikon F6 is likely to be the last of the flagship Nikon F-line film SLRs.
The Nikon F revolutionized the photographic market, stealing the thunder of German manufacturers Leica and Zeiss. The F also had a reputation for being extremely resilient to damage or mechanical failure. It became known as "the hockey puck". Many professional photographers, especially photojournalists, began using the F camera system. In some limited markets the camera was marketed as a "Nikkor F" due to trademark conflicts. In Germany, for example, the well established Zeiss Ikon camera line saw the "Nikon" name as too similar to their own and Nikon was forced to avoid using "Nikon" in that area. (Engraved this way, they have become highly collectable cameras in today's collector market.)
The first Nikon F Photomic viewfinder had an independent photocell, then Nikon introduced the Photomic T (superseded by the Photomic Tn), which featured through-the-lens metering. The final metering prism for the Nikon F, the Photomic FTn, introduced in 1968, provided 60% center-weighted TTL which became the standard metering pattern for Nikon cameras for decades afterwards. Additional viewfinders included a waist-level viewer, a 6 power magnifying finder, and an "action finder" with a larger viewable area, and an ability to see the entire frame while wearing goggles and/or a helmet.
One possible disadvantage the Nikon F had compared to other professional cameras was the fact the entire bottom and rear plate was made in one piece, and had to be removed to reload the camera. Even so, the camera was a mainstay of professional news photographers desiring a 35 mm SLR. A specially modified Nikon FTn was also taken on the Apollo 15
mission to the Moon.
The Nikon F was succeeded in 1972 by the Nikon F2
series after a production total of 862,600 bodies. Subsequent "single-digit" F cameras continued as the top of Nikon's professional line of film SLRs, through the Nikon F6
introduced in 2004. The naming system changed for digital SLRs, beginning with the Nikon D1
in 1999, but Nikon's DSLRs continue to use the F lens mount introduced in 1959.
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
, introduced in 1959, was Nikon's first SLR
Single-lens reflex camera
A single-lens reflex camera is a camera that typically uses a semi-automatic moving mirror system that permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to pre-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly...
camera. It was one of the most advanced cameras of its day. Although most of its concepts had already been introduced elsewhere, it was the first camera to combine them all in one camera. It was produced until October 1973 and was replaced by the very similar Nikon F2
Nikon F2
The Nikon F2 is a professional level, interchangeable lens, 35 mm film, single-lens reflex camera. It was manufactured by the Japanese optics company Nippon Kogaku K. K. in Japan from September 1971 to June 1980...
. Aspects of its design remain in all of Nikon's subsequent SLR cameras, through the current Nikon F6
Nikon F6
The Nikon F6 is a 35mm single-lens reflex camera body that became commercially available during 2004, and is the sixth top-of-the-line professional film camera in Nikon's line since the introduction of the Nikon F in 1959...
film and Nikon D3X
Nikon D3X
The Nikon D3X is a 24.5 megapixel professional-grade full frame digital single-lens reflex camera announced by the Nikon Corporation on 1 December 2008. The D3X is the third camera in Nikon's line to offer a full frame sensor, following the D3 and D700...
digital models (which still share its Nikon F-mount
Nikon F-mount
The Nikon F-mount is a type of interchangeable lens mount developed by Nikon for its 35 mm SLR cameras. The F-mount was first introduced on the Nikon F camera in 1959, and features a three lug bayonet mount with a 44 mm throat and a flange to focal plane distance of 46.5 mm...
for lenses). The "F" in Nikon F was selected by Nippon Kogaku from the letter F in 'Reflex.' That tradition was carried all the way through their top line of Nikon cameras until the introduction of the Nikon D1 (digital) cameras decades later.
History
The Nikon F became enormously successful and was the camera design that demonstrated the superiority of the SLR and of the Japanese camera manufacturers. This camera was the first SLR system that was adopted and used seriously by the general population of professional photographers, especially by those photographers covering the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and those news photographers utilizing motor-driven Nikon Fs with 250-exposure backs to record the various launches of the space capsules in the Mercury
Project Mercury
In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
, Gemini
Project Gemini
Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of NASA, the civilian space agency of the United States government. Project Gemini was conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, with ten manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966....
and Apollo space programs, all in the 1960s. After the introduction of the Nikon F, the more expensive rangefinder camera
Rangefinder camera
A rangefinder camera is a camera fitted with a rangefinder: a range-finding focusing mechanism allowing the photographer to measure the subject distance and take photographs that are in sharp focus...
s (those with focal plane shutters) became less attractive. It was originally priced at US$186 with 50mm f/2 lens
It was a combination of design elements that made the Nikon F successful. It featured interchangeable prisms and focusing screens; the camera had a depth-of-field preview button; the mirror had lock-up capability; it featured a large bayonet mount and a large lens release button; a single-stroke ratcheted film advance lever; a titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
-foil focal plane shutter; various types of flash synchronization; a rapid rewind lever; a fully removable back. it was a well-made, extremely durable camera, and adhered closely to the then current, successful design scheme of the Nikon rangefinder cameras.
A number of these features were first introduced by other manufacturers:
- 1925: The first full-frame 35 mm camera, Oskar Barnack'sOskar BarnackOskar Barnack was a German optical engineer, precision mechanic, industrial designer and the father of 35mm photography....
Leica. - 1936: The first 35 mm135 filmThe term 135 was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for cartridge film wide, specifically for still photography. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film format...
SLR with bayonet mounted interchangeable lenses, the Kine ExaktaExaktaThe Exakta is a pioneer brand camera produced by the Ihagee Kamerawerk in Dresden, Germany, founded as the Industrie und Handels-Gesellschaft mbH, in 1912.- Characteristics :Highlights of Exakta cameras include:...
. - 1949: The first camera with a pentaprism viewfinder, the Contax S.
- 1950: The first SLR with interchangeable viewfinders and focusing screenFocusing screenA focusing screen is a flat translucent material, usually ground glass, found in a system camera that allows the user of the camera to preview the framed image in a viewfinder. Often, focusing screens are available in variants with different etched markings for various purposes...
s, the Exakta Varex. - 1954: The first camera with instant-return mirror and automatic diaphragm, the AsahiflexAsahiflexThe Asahiflex was a 35mm single-lens reflex camera built by the Asahi Optical Corporation . It was the first SLR camera built in Japan....
IIb.
The Nikon F also had interchangeable backs and a viewfinder showing 100% of the image. Motor drive
Motor drive
A motor drive, in the field of photography, is a powered film transport mechanism. Historically, film loading, advancing, and rewinding were all manually driven functions...
s to advance the film, F36 (36 exposure) or F250 (250 exposure), were available, but required the replacement of the underside of the body. The F36 was not too dissimilar from the motor drive which was available for the SP.
The Nikon F evolved from a rangefinder camera, the Nikon SP
Nikon SP
The Nikon SP is a professional level, interchangeable lens, 35 mm film, rangefinder camera introduced in 1957. It is the culmination of Nikon's rangefinder development which started in 1948 with the Nikon I, and was "arguably the most advanced rangefinder of its time." It was manufactured by the...
. "In the trial model, based on the body of the Nikon SP, the mirror box was inserted in the central part. Only the three principal components, mirror box, pentaprism and bayonet mount, were newly developed, and the other components were virtually identical to those in SP/S3."
Instead of the M42 screw mount used by Pentax and other camera manufacturers, Nikon had introduced the three-claw F-mount bayonet lens mount
Lens mount
A lens mount is an interface — mechanical and often also electrical — between a photographic camera body and a lens. It is confined to cameras where the body allows interchangeable lenses, most usually the single lens reflex type or any movie camera of 16 mm or higher gauge...
system, which is still current in a more modified form today. The focal plane shutter had titanium foil blinds and was rated for 100,000 shutter releases. At the time, other SLRs used cloth blinds, which had the disadvantage that it was possible to burn a hole into the cloth of the shutter during mirror lock-up in bright sunlight.
The F was also a modular system camera
System camera
A system camera is a camera with interchangeable components that constitutes the core of a system. Early representatives include Leica I Schraubgewinde , Exakta and the Nikon F...
, in which various assemblies such as the viewfinders, or 'pentaprism
Pentaprism
A pentaprism is a five-sided reflecting prism used to deviate a beam of light by 90°. The beam reflects inside the prism twice, allowing the transmission of an image through a right angle without inverting it as an ordinary right-angle prism or mirror would.The reflections inside the prism are not...
s', the focusing screens, the special 35mm roll film 250 exposure film back and the Speed Magny film backs (two models: one using the Polaroid 100 (now 600) type pack films; and another Speed Magny was designed for 4x5 film accessories, including Polaroid's own 4x5 instant film back). These could be fitted and removed, allowing the camera to adapt to almost any particular task. It was the first 35 mm camera offered with a successful motor drive
Motor drive
A motor drive, in the field of photography, is a powered film transport mechanism. Historically, film loading, advancing, and rewinding were all manually driven functions...
system as opposed to a film winder. It was capable of firing up to 4 frames per second (mirror locked up) or 3 frames per section with full reflex viewing maintained.
Unlike most 35mm camera systems the Nikon F had a wide range of lenses, covering 21 mm to 1000 mm focal length
Focal length
The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light. For an optical system in air, it is the distance over which initially collimated rays are brought to a focus...
by 1962. Nikon was among the first to introduce what are known today as 'mirror lenses' – lenses with Catadioptric system
Catadioptric
A catadioptric optical system is one where refraction and reflection are combined in an optical system, usually via lenses and curved mirrors . Catadioptric combinations are used in focusing systems such as search lights, headlamps, early lighthouse focusing systems, optical telescopes,...
designs, which allowed the light path to be folded and thus yielded lens designs that were more compact than the standard telephoto designs. Subsequent top-of-the-line Nikon models carried on the F series, which has reached the F6
Nikon F6
The Nikon F6 is a 35mm single-lens reflex camera body that became commercially available during 2004, and is the sixth top-of-the-line professional film camera in Nikon's line since the introduction of the Nikon F in 1959...
(although this camera has a fixed pentaprism--the first and the last professional level Nikon SLR to do that). With the introduction and continued improvements being made in digital photography, the Nikon F6 is likely to be the last of the flagship Nikon F-line film SLRs.
The Nikon F revolutionized the photographic market, stealing the thunder of German manufacturers Leica and Zeiss. The F also had a reputation for being extremely resilient to damage or mechanical failure. It became known as "the hockey puck". Many professional photographers, especially photojournalists, began using the F camera system. In some limited markets the camera was marketed as a "Nikkor F" due to trademark conflicts. In Germany, for example, the well established Zeiss Ikon camera line saw the "Nikon" name as too similar to their own and Nikon was forced to avoid using "Nikon" in that area. (Engraved this way, they have become highly collectable cameras in today's collector market.)
The first Nikon F Photomic viewfinder had an independent photocell, then Nikon introduced the Photomic T (superseded by the Photomic Tn), which featured through-the-lens metering. The final metering prism for the Nikon F, the Photomic FTn, introduced in 1968, provided 60% center-weighted TTL which became the standard metering pattern for Nikon cameras for decades afterwards. Additional viewfinders included a waist-level viewer, a 6 power magnifying finder, and an "action finder" with a larger viewable area, and an ability to see the entire frame while wearing goggles and/or a helmet.
One possible disadvantage the Nikon F had compared to other professional cameras was the fact the entire bottom and rear plate was made in one piece, and had to be removed to reload the camera. Even so, the camera was a mainstay of professional news photographers desiring a 35 mm SLR. A specially modified Nikon FTn was also taken on the Apollo 15
Apollo 15
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the American Apollo space program, the fourth to land on the Moon and the eighth successful manned mission. It was the first of what were termed "J missions", long duration stays on the Moon with a greater focus on science than had been possible on previous...
mission to the Moon.
The Nikon F was succeeded in 1972 by the Nikon F2
Nikon F2
The Nikon F2 is a professional level, interchangeable lens, 35 mm film, single-lens reflex camera. It was manufactured by the Japanese optics company Nippon Kogaku K. K. in Japan from September 1971 to June 1980...
series after a production total of 862,600 bodies. Subsequent "single-digit" F cameras continued as the top of Nikon's professional line of film SLRs, through the Nikon F6
Nikon F6
The Nikon F6 is a 35mm single-lens reflex camera body that became commercially available during 2004, and is the sixth top-of-the-line professional film camera in Nikon's line since the introduction of the Nikon F in 1959...
introduced in 2004. The naming system changed for digital SLRs, beginning with the Nikon D1
Nikon D1
The Nikon D1 is a digital single-lens reflex camera introduced on June 15, 1999. It featured a 2.7 megapixel image sensor, 4.5 frames per second continuous shooting, and accepted the full range of Nikon F-mount lenses...
in 1999, but Nikon's DSLRs continue to use the F lens mount introduced in 1959.
See also
- 135 film135 filmThe term 135 was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for cartridge film wide, specifically for still photography. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film format...
- Nikon SPNikon SPThe Nikon SP is a professional level, interchangeable lens, 35 mm film, rangefinder camera introduced in 1957. It is the culmination of Nikon's rangefinder development which started in 1948 with the Nikon I, and was "arguably the most advanced rangefinder of its time." It was manufactured by the...
- History of the single-lens reflex cameraHistory of the single-lens reflex cameraThe history of the single-lens reflex camera predates the invention of photography in 1826/27 by one and a half centuries with the use of a reflex mirror in a camera obscura first described in 1676...
- PentaprismPentaprismA pentaprism is a five-sided reflecting prism used to deviate a beam of light by 90°. The beam reflects inside the prism twice, allowing the transmission of an image through a right angle without inverting it as an ordinary right-angle prism or mirror would.The reflections inside the prism are not...
- System cameraSystem cameraA system camera is a camera with interchangeable components that constitutes the core of a system. Early representatives include Leica I Schraubgewinde , Exakta and the Nikon F...
External links
- The Nikon F's Place in History
- The Nikon F and its System
- Nikon F Collection and Typology
- Debut of the Nikon F, by Nikon
- Comprehensive Nikon F website by Michael Liu
- Nikon F & F2 by Karen Nakamura
- A Nikon F Photomic TN Picture Gallery by Mårten Larsson
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/theotherbailey/4379753271/Nikon F Photomic TN Flick paictures by Paul Bailey
Literature
- Comon, P. (1996): Magic Lantern Guides Classic Series: Nikon Classic Cameras Vol.1 for F, Nikkormat Series, Fe, Fe2nd Fa (Nikon Classic Cameras), Magic Lantern Guides (ISBN 1-883403-31-6)
- Koch, U.: Nikon F, Coeln, Peter (England) (ISBN 3-9501443-0-7)
- Koch, U. (2003): Nikon F. The Camera, Lindemanns (ISBN 3-9501443-1-5)
- Koch, U. (2003): Nikon F. The Lenses, Lindemanns (ISBN 3-9501443-2-3)
- Koch, U. (2004): Nikon F. The Accessories, Lindemanns (ISBN 3-9501443-3-1)