Nikon F2 review

Having owned the F2 for 6 months now I can confidently say it has become a firm favourite (yes I know i say that about all my cameras)! The F2 has a big reputation for being a seriously kick ass camera and I can heartily confirm that this reputation is well deserved! The Nikon F2 is an absolute joy to shoot with - I’ve used it on portrait shoots, taken it hiking and shot landscapes with it, used it for street photography and candid portraits of my little boy running about and playing at home - in every situation the F2 is the right tool for the job.

Often when we think of professional spec cameras we assume that these are complex esoteric beasts which require some form of initiation rite to operate and only the enlightened few can master it - and while that may ring true in some cases, not so for the F2! It is a VERY simple camera with an intuitive set of controls laid out in a such a way that it allows the F2 to do what all great cameras do - it gets out of your way and allows you to concentrate on your subject, lovely.

I’ve already introduced you to the F2 on this blog HERE but it’s such a great camera that I feel it deserves it’s very own blog review! I’ll give a run through of the features and operations of the camera and then we’ll get down to the business of sharing photos taken with it on various shoots and thoughts on using the F2 in practice.

The F2 is a modular design and when it was originally released back in 1971 it was a major selling feature that you could choose from a range of different focussing screens, in later years different prism heads were released which were interchangeable with any F2 body made at any time during it’s production run - this allowed you to decide on which kind of metering system (or no meter at all) worked best for you/a particular situation - my F2 is an F2A which means that it has a metered prism head that uses a needle meter readout, I much prefer this form of read over LED’s but if you like an LED readout then you can check out the F2AS head, or if you don’t want a meter at all you can get a plain prism - lovely! These days the interchangeable nature of the F2 is probably less of a selling point although it will be nice to experiment with some alternative viewfinders at some point in the future.

OK so we get it, its a nice camera - so what? how’s it different to all the other bloody cameras you have…. great question! I’m glad you asked! let me explain:

Form factor: it’s a big camera! bigger than your standard 35mm camera, I like this! fits in my hand comfortably, the F2 is perhaps the most ergonomic camera I have had the pleasure to shoot with so far!

100% viewfinder: What you see is what you get! the viewfinder shows the whole of the frame (not always a given on some cameras) it’s big, it’s bright, it’s beautiful!

Mechanical: The body requires no batteries to operate, it’s powered by springs and gears - I like this very much! (obviously the meter needs a battery)

Build quality: The F2 was hand built to a very high specification for professional shooters, in an age when things were built to last, its like a Swiss watch that you can also use as a hammer from to time (or just maybe, make photographs with it)!

Looks: yes I am shallow enough for this to be a ‘thing’ in my choice of camera, but flipping heck look at it! Industrial Design at it’s finest - an exercise in form following function if ever there was one.

I enjoy shooting with the F2 so much and I am such a big fan of the amazing Nikkor lenses that I’ve decided to concentrate my 35mm kit around two Nikon F2’s (I just bought a second one) and an FE2 which I already own (and who knows what other Nikon F mount bodies I’ll take a shine to in future) in part because these are simply amazing pieces of equipment and also because running several different lines of camera (Olympus, Pentax, Canon and Nikon) at the same time gets a bit expensive!

I’d much rather own several bodies which can all utilise the same lenses - giving me more capacity to get some killer glass and shoot it across any camera body that takes my fance. Obviously for Medium Format shenanigans the indomnitable Pentax 67 will be a fixed feature and for just the sheer lunacy of it a Holga 120N is also firmly on my ‘keeper’ list of cameras!

I want to share some of the images I’ve taken with the F2, to date I’ve used it on several portrait shoots and also a few hikes into the wilderness to shoot landscapes, I’ll start with some of the portrait images which I took on a shoot with my friend Arya Ravenswood you can see the full shoot HERE these were all shot on Portra 400 on the F2 with the Nikkor 50mm 1.4 AI lens.

And now a few images from out and about in the moors around my home, the following images were taken on the same day at two different locations - first three are from Dovestones Reservoir and the rest are from West Nab, all shot on Fomapan 200 on the F2 with the Nikkor 24mm 2.8 AI lens and an orange filter (the observant will notice this is also the same time that I took the header shots for this blog - planning ahead you see, I don’t just throw these things together you know)!

So there we have it - another blog during which I heap praise upon a particular camera, stating something like ‘so this is the only camera I’ll ever need’ or whatever, clearly I’ve established that I am prone to bouts of enthusiasm when it comes to this kind of thing but this time it’s different… as a result of how much I enjoy working with the F2 I’ve sold off pretty much all my other cameras now, I‘m a photographer not a collector so my ultimate aim here is to shoot not to have loads of cameras just sitting on the shelf - the F2 is a shooters camera, a pro series camera from a time when being a pro photographer was a badge of honour. I make no claims to that badge myself and certainly just owning a decent camera will not make you a better photographer, but owning something as well made with such attention to detail and design is a joy in and of itself - to use it as intended to create work that you are proud of is a whole other level of joy. I can’t guarantee that I won’t buy some other random cameras in future but what i can say is that for me the F2 is the ultimate 35mm film camera.

Nikon F3 the best camera I no longer own

It's been crazy busy the last few months - so much that film photography has been on the back burner but I've managed to squeeze in the odd frame or three here and there as you do, during this time I also seem to have been infected with Nikonitus - that is the uncontrolable urge to buy some Nikon cameras and see what the fuss is all about, I've already shared my experience with the Nikon FE HERE but since then my condition has deteriorated seriously and I am now irredeemably a Nikonian.... hence why I ended up purchasing this amazing camera....cos.. ya know... it's awesome... just look at it!

The Nikon F3 is one of those cameras that has an almost legendary status - it was manufactured for almost 20 years and at it's launch in 1982 was Nikons professional level camera, this thing could not look any cooler if it tried and having shot a few rolls with it the form and function of the camera really are sublime, it is a VERY smooth and solid shooter... the perfect camera then! finally my quest is over! not quite..... unfortunately by some quirk of fate it would seem that the futuristic (for 1982) LCD readout for the shutter speed is placed in exactly the right (or rather, wrong) position that it gives me a massive eye strain/headache trying to see it.... flipping brilliant!! :(

Given the legions of very happy Nikon F3 users out there I am prepared to concede that the fault lies in my biomechanics rather than the design of the F3 and maybe I have a bit of a blind spot in my eye at that angle - it's a moot point as whatever the case, the upshot is that using the Nikon F3 makes my right eye very tired and strained and since I value my actual eyes sight above any piece of photographic paraphenalia it should be no surprise to you dear reader that as I write this blog to you, I have already sold the F3!

It's a real shame as the Nikon F3 is that kind of camera that could've been a family heirloom safe in the knowledge it will no doubt still be working as smoothly in some post apocolyptic future but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be :( 

Anyway seeing as I'm a glass half full kinda guy (preferably half full of Ale) this situation is a great excuse to console myself on letting the F3 go and buy something REALLY special for my next photographic adventure, and sure enough.... that's exactly what I've done, I've got a good feeling about this next one, maybe THIS will be THE one for me.... what camera is it I hear you cry! ah that'd be telling - all in good time my friends!

For now feast your eyes on the results of a lovely stroll through the West Yorkshire countryside that is my home as I took the F3 out for a final spin, combining it with the amazing 24mm Nikkor 2.8 wideangle lens and loaded with a roll of the lovely Japan Camera Hunter (JCH) streetpan 400 film which I bought ages ago and have been saving for a special occasion! I developed this film at home using Rodinal 1:25 as per the manufacturers instructions (I forget the timings now) but I'd say they were spot on! lovely contrast and detail - a great film which I'll be using again soon!

The Social Network - a people persons guide to running a photography business Or How to make friends and photograph people

Obviously all you need to run a photograpy business is a camera, right? Maybe it would help if you knew how to use that camera (maybe) but other than that you're good to go! Well that was a quick blog post...... good luck in your new venture!!! :)

If only it were that simple! A photography business is after all, a business and if you're serious about making a success of it then there's a ton of stuff like marketing, planning, financial management, customer service and all sorts of 'business' type stuff that needs to be in place however I'm assuming that you knew all that already as it's not exactly rocket science - and I'm not about to sit here and lecture you on the basics of business (or rocket science) "so what's this flippin blog about then" i hear you cry! Good question....let's see where we end up shall we....

a great way to network with people is to offer to photograph some networking events - it's a double whammy - you get to network with people AND build you portfolio up at the same time....

I'm a people person and for me one of the most enjoyable aspects of photography is being able to meaningfully connect with people - not just potential customers, but all sorts of people - in fact taking all of the practicalities of running a business into consideration I'd say that your ability to engage people is a a fundamental compenent of any business.

You can always team up with your mates and work on projects with them too - thisis my best mate Will James who is a magician/mentalist/mind reader - he was looking for some promo images and i was looking for willing victims to practice my photo-ing skills on! Win Win! we made some cool images that we can both use to help our businesses :)

I'm a firm believer that the more people you are connected to the stronger your business is going to be and a great way to do this is by intentionally building a network of people - i don't mean some surface level/speed networking thing - but a series of real, reciprocal and lasting relationships, partnerships and friendships!

In doing so you are increasing the number of people who are going to positively support you, refer you on to friends and colleagues, involve you in interesting projects and all sorts of cool stuff.

from my first TF shoot - i was mega nervous as it was also my first fashion shoot but the experience gained and the images themselves helped me secure some pid gigs later on. and the images themselves are not too shabby are they?

So having a great network of people is one thing but being a photographer is obviously a visual medium - it can be difficult to know how to start off.... where and how to build your portfolio of work, again it's about connecting with folk....

Another great aspect of being a photographer is the opportunity to work with other creative bods such as models, make up artists, hair stylists and designers, working together to create images that you can all use to build your portfolio, there's a short hand term for this 'TFP' which in ancient times stood for Time For Print - harking back to a bygone age when people actually 'printed' images (i know, strange innit) therfore it's more commonly shortened to 'TF'  however the premise remains in that everyone commits their 'Time' in exhcange 'For' some (hopefully) great images! TF projects are another great networking resource and way to build up your business contacts too - I've been refered on to loads of paid work by people who I've met through TF projects.

i use this image as the home page for my site - i love the impact, the motion, the setting, the pose - all of it!! this was a TF shoot for some fashion students taken at The Hepworth Galler Wakefield - we had free run of the building! an amazing space to shoot in and a great experience all round. it grew my network of contacts and this image alone has helped me secure business so it's a win win, erm win!

I hear a lot of photographers complain that "i do loads of TF work and it never leads to any actually paid work" well i say to those people that you must be doing it wrong then!! People who work with you TF should be in a position to help spread the word about your business and how great it is working with you to others in the industry and I gladly undertake TF projects if i can use it as an opportunity to create images that will emebelish my portrfolio (which for a photographer is basically your shop window) or to try out new techniques which i might use on a paid project later on.

So the trick is to be discerning about who you collaborate with on a TF basis so that you are all going to benefit from the images - i think a common mistake some photographers make is to only work TF with relative newcomers to the industry and in that sense of course the project adds little to your portfolio and doesn't give you any traction with other potential clients.

Events are another great source of experience and networking - I was very happy to support local charity events as it's a great way of building up your portfolio, raising your profile and meeting new people and have fun too! It can often lead to paid opportunities too

Another great source of TF projects is events - if you're wanting to get more events work but you don't have enough images in your portfolio then you should approach some charities or local businesses who are running events, they'd bite your hand off for photography! again it's creating a win-win situation they get some good images and you get some good images out it, you will also meet people at the event and market your photography services at the same time - I offer Charities and Community groups free/heavily discounted photography services because a: I like to support good causes and just generally get involved in community stuff and b: it helps me refresh my portfolio and network/promote myself... oh and c: it's bloody good fun! :)

I shot some promotional photos for a Social Enterprise 'Conscious Youth' who run some amazing projects for young people to get involved in - very inspiring!

You need the ability to create some strong images and working on TF projects is a great practical way to make sure your techncial abilities are on point without the pressure of money being involved - people are a lot more forgiving if you're offering time for free! Also sometimes the only way to develop those photography skills is by getting out there and shooting - and a great way to start out is by working collaboratively with other folks and getting that Win-Win situation..... A lot of my techniques for professional work have been developed on TF shoots, paying clients aren't paying you to learn how to shoot their projects they expect you to have this sorted already (quite rightly)!

You may have seen my recent blog about photographing the Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival - it was a pleasure to sponsor a local community event in this way, offering to share my skills to help promote a great community get together (and of course adding to that portfolio all the time)!

I see a lot of photgraphers starting out on the basis that once they've bought a decent camera that they are basically good to go but it's so much more involved than that.....there are of course many other factors involved but here we've focussed on building a network and your portfolio - two vital areas for photographers! there's other important stuff like marketing and deciding what you're going to specialise in (or not) maybe that'll be a future blog....

Going back to TF projects my biggest commercial job to date came about as a result of doing some TF work so there it is definitely a worthwhile exercise- i think you've got to be able to produce string images that people will value In future posts I'm going to take you behind the scenes on that particular job and also on a relatively recent TF shoot too - you lucky, lucky people!

Stand by Me.....

So as you have no doubt figured out by now I'm into film photography in my downtime from commercial work, recently I've been experimenting with 'Stand Development' which gives some really interesting results and doesn't require too much effort, given that I'm predisposed to laziness that appeals to me a lot!

in the above imeage you can see the increased perceived sharpness that the stand development process gives and also the whiteout of the highlights.... shadow details look good here - this was developed at 1 hour

For the uninitiated 'Stand Development' is the process of putting your undeveloped film in a light tight canister, pouring developing chemicals on top and then leaving it to 'stand' (you see how this works now) for about an hour - as opposed to 'normal' developing which requires a bit more in the way of effort and jiggery pokery.... all of the images here were shot on my beloved Olympus OM2n film camera and developed myself through varying degrees of experimentation with ADOX Adonal developer through a 'semi stand' process - basically giving the developing tank a few turns before leaving to stand for a period of time....You'll be relieved to note at this point that I am not about to launch into a potentially boring and technical blog post about various developing processes (although some might say that it's too late for that) from here on out however I'll just ramble on a bit entirely subjectively about the following images - the caveat being that this may still be boring to you but I can guarantee that it wont be technical ;)

semi stand development - you can really see the increased sharpeness that this process brings to the details - well i can anyway.....

love this shot - I want to call it "free as a bird" or "bird in a wire" or something like arty that.....tbh i think it could have used with a bit of extra time in the developer to bring the shadows up further... this had 45 mins in the developer....oh well! always learning.....

again - nicely resolved light and shade in this image

Bradford City Centre does a good line in modernist concrete

BELL BOOOOOOYYY!!!

So there we have it! I really enjoy shooting and developing film, it's a whole other stage in the process of creating a finished image and through different techniques, timings, mixtures of chemicals it's possible to alter the look and feel of the image - I'm really keen to try printing images onto photographic paper so that's definitely going to be on the cards this year and fear not dear reader! you can rest assured that I'll write a blog about it!

That's Entertainment

You know how much I love to keep you up to date on my latest photographic shenanigans and today is no exception. We're going behind the scenes on a commercial shoot I did recently for the lovely people at WDC Entertainment.

Let's do the introductions first shall we? WDC are an DJ Agency and Events Company which was set up by an old friend of mine Dominik Sobanski. Dom has organised large, high profile events in the UK and has DJ'd in front of thousands of people in some of the world's most exotic places. By teaming up with leading radio brands like Radio 1, Capital FM and Galaxy FM he's gained a vast amount of knowledge and experience. Dom has also worked alongside headline names such as Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), Pete Tong, Groove Armada, Calvin Harris, Pendulum, Chase & Status, Ms. Dynamite, Reverend And The Makers, Example, Armand Van Helden, Annie Mac - and of course he can now add my name to that list ;)

For more info about WDC check out their website HERE. 

I've known Dom for a long time and it was really great to work with him and his team on this project, I love how he's developed his passion for DJ'ing, Music and Events into a thriving business and of course it was a good opportunity to catch up on life, the universe and everything.

The brief for this job was to create some images of WDC's DJ and Event packages - Decks, Speakers, Lighting - there's even a Star Trek option which you'll see later on. We used Unit 4 Studios for the shoot - a HUGE studio space tucked away on a side street in Dewsbury - it's well hidden but well worth the visit! you can check their website out HERE 

Loved working in such a large studio space (although I'm glad i don't have to pay the heating bill)!

To infinity and beyond!!! the main studio space at Unit 4 Studios replete with Infinity Cove

The Kitchen where Jamie Oliver filmed the Naked Chef - True Story... sort of... well it could've been....

The format for the two day shoot included stills (taken by my good self) and video shot by PEMCO so while the video guys did their thing i took the opportunity to grab a few behind the scenes shots. PEMCO were great to work with and I can't wait to see their finished videos!

I don't shoot video much as stills Photography is my thing so I was really interested to see PEMCO at work and the process in setting up for a video shoot which not only re-enforced my admiration for those that do shoot video but also confirmed to me that stills photography is where my heart is - there's something about the process of squeezing everything into one single frame that appeals to me :)

I hope you've enjoyed the peak behind the scenes on my latest commercial job, i think that's probbaly enough rambling from me so I'll shut up now and let the pictures do the talking!

The WDC Team :)