Prices of a Nikon f2....why?

[attack_donut]

A few years ago, I picked up a near-mint Nikon f4s for under 200$ (US) shipped. Recently I picked up a VGC Nikon f3hp with motordrive for 125$ (US). But when looking for a Nikon f2 with motordrive (mainly eBay, there are no good places in my area that would have it) the prices are...well frankly, insane. The cheapest one on eBay right now with a Buy It Now price is 500$ (US).....


...so, given the advancements the f3 and f4 (and f5 and f6 to that) have over the earlier f2, why the insane price tags?

[P_Stoddart]

The answer I think is in here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F2

It was the last all mechanical professional-level Nikon SLR.

That mean the end of era, make it abit more collectable IMHO.

[Benchista]

A few years ago, I picked up a near-mint Nikon f4s for under 200$ (US) shipped. Recently I picked up a VGC Nikon f3hp with motordrive for 125$ (US). But when looking for a Nikon f2 with motordrive (mainly eBay, there are no good places in my area that would have it) the prices are...well frankly, insane. The cheapest one on eBay right now with a Buy It Now price is 500$ (US).....


...so, given the advancements the f3 and f4 (and f5 and f6 to that) have over the earlier f2, why the insane price tags?

They are extremely variable over here. I thought I had sold my F2 (no motordrive) last year for around £50, and the buyer didn't even pay. I saw one go for that sort of price the other day, too. Not that mine is anywhere near mint; very few are, which is one reason why ones in good cosmetic order go for a fair bit.

[GeoffR]

A few years ago, I picked up a near-mint Nikon f4s for under 200$ (US) shipped. Recently I picked up a VGC Nikon f3hp with motordrive for 125$ (US). But when looking for a Nikon f2 with motordrive (mainly eBay, there are no good places in my area that would have it) the prices are...well frankly, insane. The cheapest one on eBay right now with a Buy It Now price is 500$ (US).....


...so, given the advancements the f3 and f4 (and f5 and f6 to that) have over the earlier f2, why the insane price tags?

Supply and demand, there is a shortage of supply but no shortage of demand. You can get an F5 for about 10% of the new price at present and it isn't too difficult to understand some of the reasons. The AF on the F5 is no match for that on the D2 for instance. With the F2 the technology didn't move on. The camera that replaced it, the F3, moved off in a different direction leaving the F2 as the pinnacle of Nikon mechanical camera design.

[nimbus]

What they say^.

Simply these were cameras aimed at and largely used by professional photographers, meaning that lightly used examples are now rare, thus commanding high prices. The mechanical aspect tends to lead to us believing that they are more reliable than their successors, but in reality electronics have not posed that many problems. Where mechanical cameras come into their own is under extreme conditions where batteries cease to output or where there is no kind of backup to obtain replacements or recharge.

[Alex1994]

There's a Nikon F2 body on eBay sans finder and in a bit of a rough condition, with less than an hour to go - current price is £19.11 !
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nikon-F2-B...item3f13c82862

[nimbus]

There's a Nikon F2 body on eBay sans finder and in a bit of a rough condition, with less than an hour to go - current price is £19.11 !
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nikon-F2-B...item3f13c82862

That's an understatement...

[AlecM]

Supply and demand; with few good ones left, the prices will no doubt stay high.
I've just bought 2 old Nikon bodies (EM & FE), a couple of lenses (28 and 50), a couple of Oly bodies (OM10 and OM30) and some lenses (2x Oly 50s and a Hoya OM 28).
Spent a little over £200 on the lot. All working, all at least EXC +
They're not terribly highly rated by others so they're cheap. But I love 'em and am chuffed.
Supply and demand!

[Alex1994]

That's an understatement...

It sold for £48.56.

Or at the other end of the scale, Grays of Westminster have a nice

"Nikon F2 Titan (titanium) body
NEW/UNUSED. FLAWLESS AND EXCEPTIONALLY RARE"

Yours for £10000.00

[Oly_Man]

what always bugs me a little is if you want to buy a good one with the intention of actually using it, you have to pay collectors' prices.
The same thing has happened in the Olympus OM range. The OM-3 and 3Ti are technically inferior to the OM-4 ad 4Ti but the price they command is disproportionately stratospheric, because they are treasured by collectors. I wouldn't mind buying one to actually shove some film through it (how dare I have such thoughts!), but I've effectively been 'priced out' by people who stick it on show in a cabinet.

[beejaybee]

The OM-3 and 3Ti are technically inferior to the OM-4 ad 4Ti but the price they command is disproportionately stratospheric, because they are treasured by collectors.

Eh? They're different ... the real difference is that the OM-3(Ti) has a fully mechanical shutter and is therefore usable after the electronics fail. With an OM-4(Ti) you'll be left with a choice of 1/60 and B.

On an old camera, a possibly repairable mechanical shutter has got to be more valuable than a definitely unrepairable electronic one. The build quality, features and performance of the OM-3 is otherwise equal to the OM-4, not "technically inferior" in any way when the electronics are fully operative but definitely superior with a flat battery or broken electronics.

[AlecM]

Got my Nikon FE 'delivered' (I now work for the post office, it would seem - why they can't offer a delivery service for working people, I don't know!!) today and I'm really pleased - it's a great camera and feels super in the hand. Film loaded and ready to go.

[0lybacker]

Got my Nikon FE 'delivered' (I now work for the post office, it would seem - why they can't offer a delivery service for working people, I don't know!!) today and I'm really pleased - it's a great camera and feels super in the hand. Film loaded and ready to go.

Fantastically Excellent It is indeed a gem of a camera as are the FM and the '2' variants. But for two or three accidents of history I might have owned and used FMs & FEs ...

I could still switch but enthusiasm has wears off whenever I realise the time and effort it would take - even if not expense - in replicating my OM outfit. Plus I get a kick just looking at the OM kit - would that apply with some FE2s and a bunch of Nikkors?

But to get back to your original post - why F2 prices? Well, they are not that high if you are prepared to have one with a metering head, and an A/AI'd compatible version to boot.

However, if you want an exc ++ or mintish chrome F2 with a plain prism, that's when the price goes up. It's partly down to the chrome plain prism. They reduced in value like everything else 5 years or so ago, but not many plain prisms were made and sold, were vulnerable to damage in use as were the cameras - they were serious pro tools - and the supply of coddled amateur ones is limited. Supply and demand. Have a notion that a new or mint plain prism in a box - at Grays? - went for £400+ recently.

It may be helped by old advertising that old geezers (and collectors?) remember. Nikon ran a nifty ad campaign to try and shore up sales of the F2 in the face of the Collett Dickenson & Pearce 'Olympus' onslaught of the 1970's and early '80's. It featured a sweatered abdomen & chest against which a resplendent chrome F2 & plain prism stood out. Strapline: F2getherness.

Brilliant! Sort of made me want one ever since ...

[GeoffR]

Got my Nikon FE 'delivered' (I now work for the post office, it would seem - why they can't offer a delivery service for working people, I don't know!!) today and I'm really pleased - it's a great camera and feels super in the hand. Film loaded and ready to go.

Good for you Alec, unfortunately the FE does absolutely nothing for me, the FM2 is another matter.