[Not a Number]

https://www.casualphotophile.com/2018/04/27/nikon-f-retrospective/

[clackers]

"Nippon Kogaku needed to build something of such high-quality that it would once and for all eliminate the idea that Japanese products were inferior to those from the West. To accomplish this, Nippon Kogaku imposed a series of rigorous (and some might say ludicrous) objectives for the new camera’s design. The new camera would have to withstand an endurance test of 100,000 actuations, a brutal shock and vibration test, and a temperature test which required the camera to work flawlessly at -20º C."

Thanks for posting, Not a Number!

[Not a Number]

Skepticism and resistance to change proved to be the constant companion for Nippon Kogaku throughout the 1950s. Despite the quality of Nikkor optics and the consistently strong press reports they received, the professional market still belonged to Leica and Zeiss. No matter how good the lenses were and no matter how much better their cameras became, Nikon was still fighting Leica and Zeiss on turf those brands had held for a half-century. In other words, they were fighting a losing battle.

Sound familiar?

[UncleVanya]

The F was an amazing camera, but my heart was lost to the F2...

[twilhelm]

Thanks for posting. It is humorous how history can show a pattern. People will stick with the entrenched brand regardless to what comes along that is better.

[lesmore49]

I almost bought one, new old stock Nikon F Photomic that had a Nikkor 50mm lens..can't recall if it was F 1.4 or 1.8. It was 1974, I was visiting in Edmonton and everybody I was with was shopping at some kind of discount store..can't recall the name. It had a camera dept., so naturally I gravitated over there to check out the cameras. This was back in the day when drug stores, discount general stores, etc...had good camera departments...with a wide range of equipment, some of them had pro camera stuff.

I had my '68 Pentax S1a and a hand held Sekonic light meter, which I had bought and used as a work tool, but having worked in a publishing company for a few years...I knew how good a Nikon F was...and is for that matter. In my view back then, it was right up there with a Leica M3 Rangefinder. Sacrilegious thinking...maybe......well, it wouldn't be the first time for me.

Anyways in talking to the sales clerk , I believe he soon realized that hmmmnn...we may have a customer here for some NOS equipment that we have been unable to flog over the past couple of years. He bent down, reached under the counter and brought forth a pristine Nikon box.

He carefully opened the box, took the camera out...passed it reverentially to me...and I gently tried the controls. focused the lens and wildly calculated in my fevered mind...could I swing the $ 450 CAD for this Photomic F body and 50mm Nikkor lens ?

I came very close to making the purchase...and remember $ 450 back then wasn't horse feed...it was real good money. In fact I had paid for my brand new '73 Toyota Corolla...optional 1.6 liter Hemi 4 cylinder...almost $ 2500 CDN...the year before.

I didn't get it, I bought a new Pentax ES ll with 50mm Takumar F 1.8 instead, back in my home city...which was fine, no buyers remorse.

However, like the song Frank Sinatra sang...'Regrets, I've had a few...'...well this has been one of them. I do wish I had purchased the Nikon F back then...even considering it was new old stock.