Nikon’s Roots Vol. 15 – Nikon F2 Photomic

Nikon F2 Photomic – Inheritance of the Photomic format

The Photomic format, which incorporates a coupled exposure meter into the interchangeable viewfinder, was continued with the Nikon F2. The Nikon F started with an Eye Level model without a light meter, to which a coupled exposure meter was added in the form of the Photomic, but by the time the Nikon F2 was released in 1971, built-in coupled exposure meters were already the norm, and the era was moving towards TTL-AE with the full-scale introduction of electronics. Therefore, the model with the Photomic was planned as the main model from the beginning, and then the Nikon F2 Eye Level was released as a model without a light meter. Although the nuance is slightly different, it is similar to the relationship between the Nikon FT and the Nikon FS.

As a result, sales tools such as magazine advertisements and catalogues also focused on Photomic models.

Battery case movement and lever switch

In developing the Photomic finder for the Nikon F2, the biggest goal was to make it compact. Although the Nikon Photomic FTn achieved significant miniaturization, it was still bulky as an interchangeable finder, and the overall appearance was rather large. To be treated as the same as the general SLR cameras with built-in TTL exposure meters, it was necessary to make it even more compact.

The first thing they noticed was the battery compartment that housed the batteries for the light meter. In the Nikon F Photomic series, two HD (MR9) type mercury batteries were stored in the Photomic finder, but these were moved to the body and power was supplied to the Photomic finder via the contacts. Accordingly, the power switch was changed to a “lever switch” that was turned on and off by the preparatory position of the film advance lever, just like the Nikkormat. At the same time, the mercury batteries were changed to silver oxide batteries G13 (SR44), which have a higher voltage and better low-temperature characteristics. They were one of the earliest in the industry to adopt silver oxide batteries, but considering that mercury batteries later fell out of use due to pollution problems, Nikon’s engineers were forward-thinking.

The ingenious four-bar linkage mechanism is inherited from the Nikon Photomic FTn.

Omission of nameplate

Another measure to reduce size was the omission of the nameplate. In the Nikon Photomic FTn, in order to securely fix the Photomic finder, the nameplate on the body was designed to be held on both sides by large levers on the Photomic side, but in the Nikon F2, the nameplate on the body was removed, and instead, two pins for fixing the finder were installed in the place where the nameplate was.

On the Photomic finder side, there is a lever that holds these pins, and the lock is released by operating a beckoning cat-shaped lever in front of the shutter dial on the finder side. In place of the nameplate on the body, new nameplates were installed on interchangeable finders such as eye-level finders and action finders other than the Photomic. In short, by changing the lock of the Photomic finder from a nameplate to a small pin, it was possible to move the front of the finder back by the thickness of the pin, making it smaller.

Locking Mechanism

The locking mechanism operated by the release pin on the left side of the eyepiece on the back of the body remains the same, so to remove the Photomic Finder you need to press this button while operating the beckoning cat-shaped lever on the side. It may seem a bit complicated to operate, but once you get used to it it’s not that troublesome.

What’s interesting is that the mechanism and dimensions of the detachable pin on the left side of the eyepiece are exactly the same as those of the Nikon F. Therefore, eye-level finders and action finders for the Nikon F other than the Photomic can also be attached to the Nikon F2. However, with this combination, there is no nameplate on either the finder or the body, so all you can see from the front are the two fixing pins, which gives it a strange, blank look.

Some Nikon users purposely combine them in this way for fun.

The Nikon F2 body is available in silver and black, but the Photomic viewfinder only comes in black and is not available in a silver finish.

Accessory shoe and Ready Light

As with the Nikon F, the Nikon F2 also does not have a standard accessory shoe. Originally, accessory shoes were designed for attaching external viewfinders for interchangeable lenses to rangefinder cameras, so they were not necessary for SLRs, and many models, including those made by other companies, did not have them. In later years, there were more opportunities to attach clip-on flashguns and strobes instead of external viewfinders, and in response, SLR models with accessory shoes on the ridge of the pentaprism appeared, which eventually evolved into the hot shoe.

Both the Nikon F and F2 initially omitted the standard accessory shoe for design reasons, but instead had a proprietary accessory shoe installed where the film rewind knob was located, where a flash gun or a viewfinder for an interchangeable lens used with the mirror up was attached. The rewind knob was probably chosen as the location of the shoe due to concerns about the strength of the locking mechanism for attaching and detaching the viewfinder on the pentaprism. This proprietary accessory shoe was originally equipped with a direct connection contact for a flash, allowing cordless connection to a dedicated flash gun or strobe, but from the Nikon F2 onwards, a mechanism for displaying the ready light in the viewfinder was added to this.

Ready Light

To be precise, it is not the accessory shoe, but the coordinated action of a dedicated strobe mounted on this unique accessory shoe and the interchangeable viewfinder. Eye-level finders and Photomic finders for the Nikon F2 have a neon lamp for the ready-light just above the eyepiece, and the contact pin of this neon lamp protrudes from the left side of the viewfinder. On the other hand, when a dedicated strobe (speedlight), such as the SB-2, is attached to the shoe of the F2, the lock ring around the leg is turned to secure it, at which point the contact of the ready-light pops out and connects to the contact on the viewfinder side. In this way, the on/off status of the ready-light can be visually confirmed by looking through the viewfinder.