Nikon F2A... anyone seen one for sale?

freecom2 said:
Indeed - and whilst I loved the feel of an F2, an F3 might suit me better - aperture priority and better support for AI/AI-S lenses.

.....

I should just be happy with my superbly capable FE2 and be done with it!
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F2s I understand, I have one that is a bit battered but works, and looking at the used prices it is tempting to send it off to Sover for a service. But if you are prepared to go electronic surely an F4 is the answer rather than an F3? Compatible with just about every lens, has AF, has dials instead of menus, and still pretty cheap second hand. It seems to have more to offer than the F3, while the F5 just seems like a modern camera that uses film.

But at the end of the day, I have a mint FM2n that I never use anymore, and wouldn’t use a revived F2 or shiny new (to me) F4 either, because, like a lot of us who still like film, I see my film future with MF. Shame really, but there is only so much stuff we can lug around.
 
kenm said:
But if you are prepared to go electronic surely an F4 is the answer rather than an F3? Compatible with just about every lens, has AF, has dials instead of menus, and still pretty cheap second hand. It seems to have more to offer than the F3, while the F5 just seems like a modern camera that uses film.
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The F3 is just as compatible with my lenses (AF-D) as the F4, and I don't need the rather clunky AF - with a split screen microprism I can manually focus fine, and I'll leave the AF to my D7000. The F4 is also more expensive and significantly more bulky than the F3, and I have no need for a motor drive at all. The F4 has matrix metering, but I've been more than happy with the classic Nikon centre-weighted pattern thus far.
 
freecom2 said:
The F3 is just as compatible with my lenses (AF-D) as the F4, and I don't need the rather clunky AF - with a split screen microprism I can manually focus fine, and I'll leave the AF to my D7000. The F4 is also more expensive and significantly more bulky than the F3, and I have no need for a motor drive at all. The F4 has matrix metering, but I've been more than happy with the classic Nikon centre-weighted pattern thus far.
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Erm, that is a really good argument for sticking with the FE2 and spending your cash on something else :). Me? I have the biggest camera bag ever ( a motorhome) and sometimes shoot motorsport, so the F4 makes sense.
 
I go for an F3 manger to get a very clean one for less than an £100,and it had the HP prism.

The F2A is getting to high in price,and the F3 is a better camera :)
 
I managed to get an F2 with plain DE-1 head in excellent condition from Peter Walnes' site on eBay for 'only' £200 which seemed like bargain as I've seen the DE-1 on it's own go for silly money.

Lovely camera. I have an F3 too and it's great but the F2 feels lovely in the hand. Great big clean viewfinder.

Would love a DE-3 head for my F3 though. They seem to go for daft prices on their own.
 
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F2 and F3 are very different animals, and it's hard to say which is better IMO.

I think the viewfinders on both are excellent, 100% of image, big and clear and easy to use. As a glasses wearer I think the HP finder on my F3 has a slight edge, but the LCD at the top is pretty crappy, and the illumination weak (if it works, they rarely do) compared to my F2AS.

Stating the obvious of course, but the biggest practical difference between them is aperture priority on the F3. That and the fact that the F2 is 100% mechanical apart from the meter.

With some of the F2 heads the meter isn't the best, and reliability is an issue. The SB and AS heads are arguably the best, especially in low light: my F2AS meters down to -2 EV (the F6 and D4 can't even match that, never mind the F3).

What you get with an F2 is arguably the pinnacle of mechanical 35mm SLR design, and a sense that the camera will never let you down.

The F3 is obviously more modern and a better picture taker in some ways, but you always know that if something goes wrong with the electronics somewhere (and there are a few known points of failure), it's basically finished.
 
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