5 Frames with my Nikon F2 Eye

Leon Winnert replied:

Comment posted: 17/11/2025

Thanks for the article Walter. I have two F2A Photomics. Wonderful cameras. Purchased brand new in the arly 80s. As you say a pleasure to use. Although on a personal level I do find my recently GAS purchased FM3a a iitle easir to use. Primarliy due to the match needle in-viewfinder light meter display.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 17/11/2025

That's very gratifying to hear. I can relate to your experience. Both the F2A Photomic and the FM3a are in my collection too. I hope you continue to enjoy your Nikon cameras. Thanks for your comment, Leon.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 17/11/2025

In my opinion, both the Nikon F and the F2 without the Photomic attachment are beautiful cameras. They did their job well back then and still do today. Thank you for your comment, Curtis. Enjoy your new camera purchase.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 17/11/2025

When they were young, women enjoyed spending money most. In their old age, it will probably be cameras. :-))) The FE was also my first Nikon SLR; the D700 came later and I still have it. Instead of the D810, I have a D800e. But I'd better not list them all here. I will introduce more cameras here in due course. In my first post, I mentioned that I have been having my film developed in a small hourly lab since 1989 (!). Back then with paper photos and today with a scan. Through conversations with this experienced owner and also confirmed by a renowned specialist lab in Germany, I came to this conclusion. Before exposing a film, I ask the lab what ASA value is optimally suited to the workflow for this film. Thank you for your kind comment, Gary.

Ben Mackey replied:

Comment posted: 17/11/2025

Your 2nd shot really caught my eye. Very nice seeing how the lines tied the scene together. You are fortunate to have a local lab that is so knowledgeable about the impact of their processing workflow on different film types. They are fortunate to have had such a dedicated customer for so long.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 17/11/2025

Thank you for your kind comment, Ben. I really appreciated it. I am indeed fortunate to have had a small laboratory in my town for years. I don't have to send my films by post. Unfortunately, they only develop and scan 35mm films. At my advanced age, I no longer want to develop films myself, especially not colour films. If you ask around or search the internet, you will learn that with colour films, overexposure makes the colours more pastel-like but also slightly grainier. I also expose the films to the shadows or take a light measurement with an external exposure meter. I always expose monochrome films at box speed. This is because the laboratories had to set a standard for the large number of films. That's why b/w photographers prefer to develop their films themselves, which is also a great experience. Thank you again.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 17/11/2025

Omar, thank you very much for your kind words and wishes. Whenever I am travelling in my home country, I always have my camera with me. There is so much to see.

Hamish Gill replied:

Comment posted: 18/11/2025

The black F with the prism is actually the best looking camera ever made. I will concede the ergonomics of the F2 are better, but it’s actually objective fact that the black F is better looking. Fact I tell you!

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 18/11/2025

Hello David, thank you for your kind comment. I really appreciated it. The F2 Eye is truly beautiful. I don't necessarily miss the light meter, as I've been using external measuring devices more and more lately. Sometimes even a Weston Master.

David Hume replied:

Comment posted: 18/11/2025

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 18/11/2025

Hamish, I can't comment on that, my F-Eye is black/silver. Both are as beautiful as the F2, more beautiful than some rangefinder cameras. They are also more robust, reliable and require less maintenance. I won't even mention the great viewfinder. :-))))))

David Hume replied:

Comment posted: 18/11/2025

There was supposed to be a smiley emoticon in that last reply, but - we need to talk. These are the things than matter.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 18/11/2025

Leon, I can understand that, even though I only own the F-Eye. But I wouldn't want to be without either of them. I don't own a Nikon-S, but I've read a lot about it. So far, I haven't been able to decide which model to buy. And that's fine. :-)

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 18/11/2025

Timothy, there's only one thing that will help: buy an F2 Eye. Everything fits together perfectly. I know it will be expensive. :-))) As befits a Nikonian and someone afflicted with GAS, I also have an FT3. You're right, it's a great camera. Thank you for your kind comment.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 18/11/2025

I'm glad you like it, Robert. It's a beautiful, robust and handy camera. Of course, it's purely mechanical and, with its prism viewfinder, it has no exposure meter. That's not a problem for me, as I'm used to working with an external light meter. The F2 can be compared to the Minolta SR series; this Nikon is slightly more delicate than the SR-T 303B, which I also own and greatly appreciate. It doesn't necessarily have to be a specific brand. The Nikon F2 is probably a legend, used by many professional photographers at the time, and from the F onwards, it often replaced the Leica M. But it doesn't always have to be a specific brand. I have many cameras of different brands, they all work, have advantages and disadvantages, and their specific areas of application. But it is always the photographer who takes the photo. In addition to the ST-T 303B, I also own a Minolta X500 and various Rokkor lenses, and I wouldn't want to be without them. Thank you for your comment, Robert.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 19/11/2025

Thank you for your kind comment. I was very pleased to receive it. Many professional photographers sold their rangefinders in favour of the Nikon F and its successor, the F2, in order to enjoy the advantages of an SLR camera in their demanding daily work as photojournalists. My first camera in the late 1970s was a Nikon FE. This sparked my interest in the brand early on, and after I retired, I treated myself to an F and an F2. Especially since all my old manual lenses are compatible with them. For me, it was Nikon at the time, but it could just as easily have been Canon, Pentax or Minolta. I live in western Germany near Aachen, Cologne and Düsseldorf, close to the Dutch border. It's mostly flat land. There are large cities, but also a lot of countryside and agriculture. Thank you again, David.