Nikon F2 Shutter Problem?

[marcmarc]

Hi Everyone,
The shutter in my Nikon F2 seems to fail every 20 rolls or so. It will work fine for some time and then I'll get a roll where it will not fire at all (blank areas of film) for about half the roll. Yesterday, I shot three rolls at a 9-11 memorial. The last roll I shot, a roll of Tri-X look fine. One of the other two rolls (both of which were Acros 100) only half the roll was exposed. So I know that the shutter began working again after this Acros roll was shot. The third roll I will develop tonight. Does anyone think it may need a minor adjustment or a complete overhaul? I'd just like some info before dropping it off to be looked at. Thanks.
Regards,
Marc

[mikebarger]

That's a tough question. Those Nikon F2's are solid; I'd guess a CLA will get it in shape. Bet that's not even two cents worth of advice.

[CGW]

Reliability=consistency. Fix, pitch or find another working camera.

[marcmarc]

The first time this happened several months ago I dropped it off to a shop in LA that has a good rating among customers. The owner thought it might be a problem with the lens I use (Zeiss 35mm Distagon) but he told to shoot five rolls and come back if the problem persists. Well, it did not until now. I'll drop by his shop again and see what he charges. This is my second F2, the first I had repaired three times by two different places and it still didn't work. I hope I don't have the same problem with this one that I picked up after giving up on the first body.

[CGW]

The first time this happened several months ago I dropped it off to a shop in LA that has a good rating among customers. The owner thought it might be a problem with the lens I use (Zeiss 35mm Distagon) but he told to shoot five rolls and come back if the problem persists. Well, it did not until now. I'll drop by his shop again and see what he charges. This is my second F2, the first I had repaired three times by two different places and it still didn't work. I hope I don't have the same problem with this one that I picked up after giving up on the first body.

Frankly, I pay little attention any more to the "legendary durability" attributed to any camera when they're 40-50 years old and sometimes just worn out. The F2 is a good example of this--use as a hammer notwithstanding. Just get a working Nikon body back in your hands that suits you.

[marcmarc]

I agree. Yes the F2 has a well deserved reputation...there's no disputing that once one has used one of these bricks of a camera. However, they are old and many have been used quite extensively I would guess and therefore, like anything mechanical, will have issues from time to time. After thinking about it more, my first F2 went for repairs four times and it still didn't work correctly. I think the third visit which was under warranty from a Nikon authorized place they didn't even bother to try to fix it. They kept the camera for several months telling me they couldn't find parts before I picked it up and sent it elsewhere. Maybe I should just pick up another body from KEH try it out and if it seems to work good just use that until it needs replacing. Given my luck, after a couple years I'll have a nice collection of door stops and paper weights!

[CGW]

Quality service for vintage Nikons is pricey now and hard to find. Friends are very happy with service from Sover Wong in the UK but he's a special case. High mileage F and F2 bodies, sentimentality aside, are often not worth fixing--and sometimes just can't be easily repaired.

You might look around for a good FE or even an N90s/F90x--an AF model the doubles nicely as a manual focus body. Clean F3 bodies are now rare and expensive;what's left are often near death after long service lives.

I've gotten very un-nostalgic about film bodies and have several of each of my favorites to avoid repair headaches. If they're seriously busted, they just get replaced.

[marcmarc]

I saw a beautiful F3 a couple months ago at a camera show. It was clean and everything seemed to work smoothly. Price -$150. I put the camera down since I was happy with my F2. I left and had lunch with a friend and while doing so I couldn't stop thinking about that F3. So after lunch we went back to the show so I could purchase it but of course it had been sold.

[Smudger]

Your problem sounds like a bad case of "shutter capping" ( the first and second blinds do not follow in the correct sequence).
Sometimes detectable by observing the shutter action by looking from the back against a window, lens removed. Usually shows on speeds higher than the flash-sync speed : you are looking for an uneven shadow effect as the shutter opens and closes.
A man in the UK is well regarded for his specialist repairs to F2's : G**gle "Sover Wong".

[John Koehrer]

I saw a beautiful F3 a couple months ago at a camera show. It was clean and everything seemed to work smoothly. Price -$150. I put the camera down since I was happy with my F2. I left and had lunch with a friend and while doing so I couldn't stop thinking about that F3. So after lunch we went back to the show so I could purchase it but of course it had been sold.

Karma! It just wasn't the right time.