I remember holding the Nikon F a few days back in my hands. Its waist level view finder, heavy body, and a sturdyness that is only a dream in contemporary cameras. I currently use Nikon F 80, a very very modern descendent of the Nikon F, and even the Nikon Z6 II and while it surpasses its forefather in every which way yet the OG remains unmatched.
So naturally, obsessing over the camera sent me down a rabbit hole into the 1960s and 70s when Nikon F ruled the camera world.
Bulletproof:
1970, Don McCullin, a famous British Photojournalist, was stationed at Prey Vang in Vietnam. He had already been at the vietnam war for half a decade, and had been in many close death situations. One such situation became story of legends.
The story goes:
One dreadful morning, McCullin was out with the Cambodian soldiers with an intention to photograph around the paddy fields of the conflict region. Shortly after he began, he was caught in a round of fire from the Khmer Rouge. To save him, McCullin threw himself down and to save his camera, he held it away from the water and up his face.
When the firing was over, there lied McCullin, safe, unhurt and in his hand his dearest companion, Nikon F, battered, fractured, bullet lodged but surviving.
Nikon F not only saved McCullin’s life, but survived a bullet and is still proudly displayed at Imperial War Museum in London.
Nikon F: The most iconic camera of all times
Released in 1959, the Nikon F became one of the defining professional cameras of the twentieth century. It was carried by press photographers, sports photographers and photojournalists. It went up Everest, appeared in huge numbers at the Olympic Games, travelled into war zones and eventually became the basis of one of the most recognisable professional camera systems ever made.
Nikon F was the move away for Nikon from range finders to SLR. Rangefinders were smaller and particularly good with standard and wide-angle lenses. But the problem was when photographers started using 135 mm lenses. Nikon's cameras needed a separate reflex box to work effectively with these telephoto lenses.
And this problem gave birth to Nikon’s SLR F. The F coming from the word ‘Re - Flex’.
The heavy build of the Camera
The first prototypes were closely related to Nikon's existing SP rangefinder. Instead of designing everything from scratch, Nikon effectively inserted a mirror box into the SP architecture. The mirror box, pentaprism and new bayonet mount were the major new pieces.
The lens mount was made from stainless steel partly so it could support heavy telephoto lenses and resist corrosion.
Nikon used an extremely thin 0.02mm titanium foil for the focal-plane shutter. The idea was to make it lighter and stronger while also reducing the risk of sunlight damaging the shutter curtain.
The camera was built for heavy professional use, and built to last.
War Photography
War photography demanded something very particular from a camera. It had to be quick, relatively small, capable of working with long lenses, and most importantly, dependable. There was rarely an opportunity to stop because a camera had jammed or a battery had died.
The Nikon F seemed built for exactly this kind of work.
Vietnam became one of the most photographed conflicts in history, and the Nikon F became closely associated with the generation of photographers covering it.
One of the most iconic images photographed using Nikon F during this time is Eddie Adams’s Saigon Execution (1968): The photograph, made during the Tet Offensive, photographed South Vietnamese police chief shooting prisoner Nguyễn Văn Lém and went on to win both the Pulitzer Prize and World Press Photo of the Year.
The Press Camera
Nikon’s sturdiness and its small size in comparison to the medium formats that were used in press before that made it a highly valuable press camera. The shift to 35mm SLR for Newspaper photography had just began, and with Nikon’s entry into the field this relationship got cemented.
In the 1960 Rome Olympics, 35mm dominated the field of newspaper photography. With the new Nikon F being able to accommodate telephoto lenses, sports photography became a major field of use.
By the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, almost all the press on the stands had Nikon F hanging on their necks. Nikon made it even more attractive by operating a service centre right next to the stadium where all the press photographers could get their cameras repaired if required.
Nikon advertisement for 1964 Tokyo Olympics stating that the press boxes would be filled with Nikon F cameras, a claim that infact came true.
Photographs from top of Everest
Because of Nikon F’s reputation as a sturdy camera, it was chosen by the American Expedition climbing Mt. Everest as their camera of choice.
Nikon cameras had already accompanied Japanese mountaineers on several expeditions, earning a reputation for holding up in some of the harshest conditions.
That reputation, combined with Nikon’s rigorous testing of the F, made it a natural choice for Everest. The camera had been subjected to endurance, heat, cold and vibration tests, giving expedition teams confidence that it could withstand the extreme conditions of the mountain.
Jim Whittaker became the first American in this expedition to have climbed Mt. Everest, and with that the Nikon F also made history.
Space Odyssey
By 1971 the Nikon F had gained enough reputation and fame as the camera that can survive all. Given this, NASA selected the Photomic FTN, based on the Nikon F, for Apollo 15.
This was a new challenge for new circumstances and environment. The camera was covered in metal panels and painted matte black so sunlight reflecting off it wouldn't interfere with instruments or photography through the spacecraft windows. Even the focus ring had to be adjusted for Astronaut uniform and gloves, so Nikon added two little horn-like projections to the lens.
Nikon has come a long way in its cameras with the new generation launch of Cinema cameras just around the corner. But all of them till now, owe something or the other to the OG Nikon F.
70 years later, holding the Nikon F was like holding all those slices of history. It was almost like travelling across time and space to experience what that innovation meant then.
Photographing with Nikon F is still a delight. Holding the viewfinder at your waist, taking time composing your image and then click. There it is, your image now adds to the rich legacy of this exceptional camera.