Phil Koenig

Nikon F

Japan’s first major industrial product recognized as best in class.

The Nikon F

This camera is one of the landmarks of photographic history. It put Leica in 2nd place in the 35mm world and set the design paradigm that dominated 35mm photography from 1959 through the rest of the manual-focus era.

But it’s not just a historical artifact. I’m a user, not a collector. And the Nikon F is arguably the #1 best user camera ever made. It is a high-performance, reasonable-cost, dependable workhorse.

Design

The Nikon F is an all-mechanical, manual camera. The prism is a modular design and can be swapped out as quickly as changing a lens. Different prisms with and without meters, and even a waist level finder, were manufactured during the Nikon F’s long production run.

The body has no provision for a battery. When a metering prism is fitted, there is a battery on board the prism. I leave it out, preferring to use a hand-held meter or the sunny 16 rule.

Nippon Kogaku and the Nikon rangefinder cameras

The Nikon F was the product of Nippon Kogaku K. K. (later renamed Nikon Corporation), an optical equipment supplier to the Japanese military before and during World War II. Post-1945, the company re-oriented itself to civilian markets.

Success was achieved in the early- to mid-1950s with a series of Nikon rangefinder camera models. They were excellent, derivative designs — economical alternatives to the Zeiss Ikon Contax and the Leica.

See Long (2018) on the early history of Nippon Kogaku.

1950s: rangefinder cameras are the standard in 35mm

In the 1950s, professional 35mm photographers used rangefinder cameras. Leica was the leader, the Zeiss Ikon Contax was a contender, and Nippon Kogaku’s Nikon rangefinder along with the Canon and some others were lower-priced Japanese alternatives.

SLR cameras before the Nikon F

The SLR was not new. When the Nikon F appeared, SLRs had been in widespread professional use for decades. The Graflex SLR was a standard tool from the early 1900s through the 1940s. Graflexes made some of the most famous photographs of the first half of the 20th century but they were large and unwieldy.

The Hasselblad 500C introduced in 1957 was a much handier SLR, but it was a medium format camera, still not as quick-acting as a Leica or Contax.

The first 35mm SLR in regular production was the Kine Exacta of 1936 from Ihagee of Dresden, which ended up in East Germany after the war. Other 35mm SLRs were developed in the post-war era in several countries, but non caught on in a big way (Matanle, 1996). Compared to the pro-level rangefinder cameras, they were clunky.

1959: the Nikon F eclipses the Leica M3 despite no price advantage

Nippon Kogaku saw that the time was ripe for a professional grade 35mm SLR camera to revolutionize the industry. They made the big push. After a lot of work to develop a 35mm SLR design that met professional performance and durability requirements, Nippon Kogaku introduced the Nikon F in 1959.

The Nikon F had a 100 percent viewfinder, interchangeable focus screens, interchangeable finders including prisms and waist level, an instant return mirror, auto diaphragm, mirror lockup, a bayonet mount, and a large selection of first-class lenses available at introduction (Long, 2018).

Nothing came close. The Nikon F set a new paradigm. It outclassed the previously-leading 35mm camera, the Leica M3, and outsold it even though it had no price advantage (Matanle, 1996).

Arguably Japan’s first aspirational industrial product

1950s and 1960s Japanese industrial products (including automobiles) generally sold on price — they were low-cost alternatives. Designs were often derived (or directly copied) from the leaders. The screw-mount Leica and the Rolleiflex were used as pattens for many 1950s Japanese cameras.

The Nikon F was different. It was original and arguably the first major Japanese industrial product to be recognized as the global best in class.

The Nikon F made Nikon a premium global brand, conferred respectability to the previously despised ‘Made in Japan’ label, and marked the beginning of the end of the German and American camera industries.

A distinctive type of innovation

The Nikon F was a creative development of a pre-existing but not yet fully realized idea (the 35mm SLR camera). Exemplifying a type of innovation that has, throughout history, built new industries and been a major determinant of business competitiveness and national economic strength.

A long production run during a period of rapid innovation

The Nikon F dominated 35mm professional photography from 1959 to 1971, when Nikon brought out the F2. But the F was so popular, Nikon kept it in production until May 1974 (Pritchard, 2014:162). There was continual development in camera technology during this period and the Nikon F’s modular design enabled it to stay at the forefront.

Style

The plain prism Nikon F’s style is an evolutionary step from the preceding Nikon rangefinder. But the bulky photomic prism gives the camera a lot of presence, and that must have helped with marketing.

The Nikon F in use

The Nikon F handles great. It has a big, bright viewfinder. Focus screens are modular and can be changed out, although i have never done that as the standard screen has split-image focus which is perfect for me — it’s quick and accurate. Not all classic Japanese SLRs include this really useful feature.

I like the removing back (in lieu of the more common hinged door) because it is a metal-to-metal fit which is strong and maintenance-free.

Modular prisms

The plain (unmetered) prism is smaller and lighter than the Photomic prisms. And since there’s no meter, lens changes are a little quicker because there’s no need to engage the lens ‘rabbit ears’ to index the lens to the meter. More streamlined.

The Nikon F and the Leica

The 35mm cameras that I use most are Nikon Fs and screw-mount Leicas. The Leica is smaller, quieter, and has an unmatched solid feel. The Nikon F is far easier to use, though, and there are a lot more lenses available today in good condition. With the screw-mount Leica, the viewfinder is tiny which makes precise photo composition more difficult, and the Leica’s rangefinders are dimmer, so focusing is more time-consuming.

Functionally and historically, the M3, M2, and M4 Leica models are more comparable alternatives to the Nikon F. However, while the M3 and the Nikon F were at about the same price point when new, their pricing has diverged. Nikon Fs remain priced as upper level user cameras, but the M-series Leicas have moved into the realm of European luxury goods.