Nikon F2 - Battery Check

Hi, I am trying to determine if the batteries are okay on this F2 but the instructions are confusing me.
it states 'If the needle swings to the right edge of the notch or beyond, the batteries are in good condition'.
However the diagram on the right appears to say that on the left the batteries are ok and on the right the batteries need changing.

• I have turned the lever to reveal the red dot.
• The marker now sits on the far right of the dial.
• When I press in the battery checker the marker sits on the right of the centered box.

[video]http://s1141.beta.photobucket.com/user/stvn66/media/Miscellaneous/DSCN1570_zpsc8437564.mp4.html[/video]

I believe it's written to give the impression that the needle starts on the extreme right, and as long as it swings enough left to contact the right edge of the notch, you're good.

If the needle is touching the 'conn tower' (it looks like a submarine), then you're good.

The reason I ask is because the 'sub' image is intermittant and I do not know if:-

• The meter is faulty?
• This is normal?
• The batteries are low?

On my original thread there is a video link, perhaps this may help.
Thank you

Couldn't honestly tell you. I just figured out the other day that my FM2 even took batteries. They've been depleted for so long I forgot about them.

One sure way to find out is to check it with either an actual picture or a DSLR. For the same iso (asa in case of the F2), you should get the same reading in the same conditions. Set the lenses to f8, iso 200, see what the shutter speed should be for the F2, set the shutter speed on the DSLR at the same speed, take picture and view the Histogram. It should tell you a lot.

Good idea Marcel. I will try this today, thank you.

If that needle is bobbing you are blessed in that your meter and body are hooking up and trading electrons. As to the best way to check accuracy get you a handheld and compare what it reads to what your camera reads. Remember with film cameras you have to make exposure adjustments according to the situation and the type of film you are using and trust me it is way frigging tricky, subtle, convoluted, and all of that.

Glad to see another F2 user on board. Show us the snaps please!

Fuji Pro 160s or pro 160c rate it at 125...Fuji Superia 400 rate it at 500...

Butkis or whatever has the owner's manual available for free download...check out Sover Wong on google...he is like the Jedi Master of the F2...

Thanks Jeff.
I have learnt as much as I can on my digital Nikon D40x and now feel ready to progress to 35mm. I understand that this is perhaps a 'back to front' way of doing things but in my defence I used the D40x in manual mode and lets face it any mistakes (and there was a hell of a lot) are free.
I have purchased this Nikon F2 and a Nikon FM2n and I will go through them both with many test shots until I decide which one to keep, at the moment the F2 shots do appear to be better but it is quite early days yet.
The weather here in the UK is awful at the moment but when the sun comes out, so will I and I will post the photos (well, the best ones anyway)

I like your approach. I'm a firm believer in the learn manual focus manual operation film and it will make you a stronger photographer. One of the things I have also discovered is that working with the digital camera has also made me stronger with the film stuff. For example the histogram on the DSLR taught me a lot about exposure which I was able to translate into my film stuff. Often I will have both cameras going and I will use the DSLR to "set up" the film rig. If you read any of my posts you will soon discover that I am a hard head that ALWAYS uses full manual operation (which is why my photos are not always exactly beautiful) and this is one of the things I love about my F2 which is completely mechanical and I have the meterless finder as well. My F2 does not require a battery and I do not use one. I love the "mechanicalness" aspect of it. I can usually nail the exposure in daylight and I am getting better at doing it indoors too. It is a huge learning curve and takes a long time to get into it. I'm in it for the challenge of it all.

I have had the smaller semi pro Nikons like the FM2n before and I still have a FE but I hardly ever use it and haven't for quite some time. Here is the deal - you cannot beat the viewfinder on the F2. My eye-level finder on my F2 is the best viewfinder I have ever looked through and trust me I have looked through a ton of viewfinders. The other F2 finders are extremely good too.

I would keep the D40 if I were you. It will shoot all of the lenses.

I will never get rid of the D40x as this is what I use for 'guaranteed' shots, it is a terrific little camera.

The final 35mm I will stick with will be for fun days out with the family, I know some shots will not work as I expect but this is all part of the experience as well as having to wait for the film to be developed

I find now that the shots I do take with a 35mm are worth taking rather than with the D40x I would shoot away and end up with too many shots to go through when I got home.

Call me old fashioned.

What sort of lenses are you using?

Ahh yes there is that waiting for the film to get back deal!

At the moment Jeff I have the following:-

a) Nikkor 35mm 2.8
b) Nikkor 50mm 'pancake' 1.8
c) Nikkor 135mm 2.8

I would also like either a 28mm or 24mm, not quite sure yet which one to go for as my 35mm is not is very good working order.

I have b) and c). Love them both. I am going for the 28/2.8 Ais because it is one of the best lenses Nikon has ever made. Since you live in England I would send the F2 to Sover (who lives in England too) and have it serviced. It will come back working smooth as butter.

Nikon F2 and the legendary 105/2.5...some cheap Fuji schwag film......no batteries just my brain and the camera and the lens and my uncle who once long ago was into Olympus cameras and got me looking at Nikon F2 Canon and Pentax camera, Batman Star Trek and View Masters too...along with dirt bikes and computers and all sorts of other sh!t...the Who and the Rolling Stones and Jim Morrison and Marilyn Monroe too. I really like him he is the coolest uncle you could ask for...he once sold me a Chinese Norinco AK-47 with a 30 shot clip for 300 bucks...it was a pre ban gun and he sold it to me in like 92 WAY BEFORE all of this BULLSH!T you are seeing today... BWTFDIK...LOL

This was made at Rib Crib BBQ in Sapulpa recently.


[

That's a very clever shot, it will be a while yet until I try and guess the settings. At the moment the F2 is working fine, do you think I should still have it serviced ?
(I am usually of the belief...if it isn't broken, don't fix it)

Cochese said:

Couldn't honestly tell you. I just figured out the other day that my FM2 even took batteries. They've been depleted for so long I forgot about them.

Click to expand...

I can certainly relate to that! Since I use either a Sekonic L-358 or Pentax Spotmeter V most of the time, dead batteries in the all mechanical F2 can go unnoticed for quite a while!

Marcel said:

One sure way to find out is to check it with either an actual picture or a DSLR. For the same iso (asa in case of the F2), you should get the same reading in the same conditions. Set the lenses to f8, iso 200, see what the shutter speed should be for the F2, set the shutter speed on the DSLR at the same speed, take picture and view the Histogram. It should tell you a lot.

Click to expand...

If you are going to use this approach, the scene you need to use with both has to be homogeneous in exposure value, like a cloudless sky or sidewalk, etc. Because unless the digital camera is set to centerweighted mode (I can't think of any of them but my knowlede of digital cameras is not very extensive) it may meter the scene very differently than the 60% centerweighted metering of the F2. Ideally you should use a 18% gray card, something I think all photographers should have in the their camera bag, and fill the frame with it with both cameras. And keep in mind that not all cameras will meter exactly the same, CdS (which I am sure is no longer used but the F2 Photomic used them) cells see things a little differently (sensitivities) than Selenium. I honestly don't know what cameras use now. If the two are within 1/2 or 3/4 stop of each other, that is usually ok.