After 12 production years of the Nikon F it was time for a new Nikon pro camera. Did I say new? Well the F2 was more like an evolution of the F – but a good one.

Nikon listened to the professional photogs and eliminated a  lot of the F’s weak points. The F2 is still an all-metal, mechanically-controlled camera, but it comes with a faster 1/2000 s maximum speed, a swing open back for easier film loading, an easy detachable motor drive, a 250 exposure film back, a larger reflex mirror preventing vignetting, a smoother and shorter winding stroke, batteries now located in the body and optimized ergonomics.

In September 1971 two models were introduced: the F2 with the non metered head DE-1 (called F2 Eyelevel), and the F2 with the metered head DP-1 (called F2 Photomic). The DP-1 enables center weighted TTL metering using a match needle system with plus and minus (+/-) marks indicating over or underexposures respectively. It was manufactured from 1971 until 1977. Every head can be used with any F2 body, the body remains the same over the whole production time.

I purchased the pictured camera at a local camera store in Biel/Switzerland in August 2001.
According to the serial number it was built between December 1972 and March 1973.
Shown with a matching SC 50mm/1.4 lens.