I had one of these back in the day and was quite fond of it. Made me smile when I heard the camera winding on, it always sounded like the batteries were about to die even when fresh! There was a baseplate that enabled the use of AA batteries.
@vintagecameradigest
4 ай бұрын
It’s definitely not a quiet camera!
@davidgambin2551
Ай бұрын
best channel I discovered recently, great content, excellently explained and so far I learned something new in every video, subscribed!
@vintagecameradigest
Ай бұрын
Welcome! Glad to have you here! And I appreciate the kind words. Cheers!
@Van_Nostrand
8 ай бұрын
Nice video! Headed back to Atlanta for work next month. Looking forward to doing some more photowalks in Chattanooga again also! I'll be using my new to me F-301 and my trusty FM.
@vintagecameradigest
8 ай бұрын
Hope the weather will be good for you! I went out today, and it was dreary and bleak. But got a couple of rolls shot anyway. Was in Chattanooga last weekend down at Coolidge Park. Still had some color in the trees, even.
@smg0110
3 ай бұрын
Really enjoy the channel!
@vintagecameradigest
3 ай бұрын
Thanks so much!
@joefaracevideos
10 ай бұрын
Thank you for sharing your mistakes but you were able to recover from it, so that's great too. I have a series of posts on my blog called "Stupid Photographer's Tricks" but none of them have happy endings like yours. Thanks for re-inspiring my interest in film photography. Great video as usual.
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
Thanks for tuning in again. I’m glad I didn’t completely destroy that shutter. I had zero faith I’d be able to right that wrong. I was one lucky guy with that one. That should definitely be added to your “tricks”. And I’ll need to check that out to see how many of them I’ve done.
@rickyzagalo
10 ай бұрын
I bet that almost every video blogger would wipe the shutter curtains issue on the video final version. Please accept my respect for your decision. That's real photography life, every each of us had sad days like that one, and when it happens, the happiness of the fix moment is superb. It was not really my problem, but I felt an enormous relief the moment you showed the N2020 back to operating order. My youngest son is my photographing companion, and we try to match his and my camera whenever we go for a shooting walk and, although I have a Minolta 7000, I always pick the Minolta 9000 when my son picks his Nikon F-501 because, somehow they look more on the same league. Finally, I found time to look to your site. It's very, very juicy for a camera addicted and, wow, that ads section 👍👌I wonder if I can contribute with some scans from lots of owner's instructions and Modern and Popular Photography magazines that I have, if ever I get a borrowed scanner. Cheers
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
I thought the added drama would be nice, lol. And you’re 100% correct - we all have bad photography days - whether it’s a gear, or creative issue. I am glad, however, that the video had a happy ending. But I was going to include that failure regardless. It’s nice that you have a partner to accompany you on photo excursions. I can see where having another set of eyes could expand both of your “visions”. And thanks for checking out the site! Hope you found a few things that brought back some memories. And if you have any scans of ads, articles, whatever, I’d be more than happy to add ‘em in!
@swannmannbaggywaggy
3 ай бұрын
Excellent video and I'm glad the camera was all right - I felt your pain. I don't have anything chronologically between the FM2N and the F80 so this was fascinating - thanks!
@vintagecameradigest
3 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it! There are several nice bodies that came quite soon after this one - N8008 and N8008s (F-801 series) and the F-90. Although, with the latter you usually find them with their rubberized coating turning to sticky gunk. BUT, over either of these, I would recommend the F4. It isn’t well-loved, but it is a beast of a camera. Solid as a rock and an interesting link between the worlds of manual and auto focus. And if you ever find yourself in need of a hammer, you can just use the F4 :-)
@ronagnir3507
4 ай бұрын
Nice well done piece. I’m glad you mentioned the N2000. I worked in a photo electronic store during the mid ‘80’s and thought it was interesting that Nikon marketed the N2000 side by side with the N2020 since they were not sure if their base would accept AF cameras. Nevertheless it was very smart to maintain the F mount lens which can still be used even into the DSLR era.
@vintagecameradigest
3 ай бұрын
Thank you! I think it was very interesting for them to do that, so I agree. Would also be interesting to see which one sold better. But keeping the f-mount was a good decision in the long run, I think. Because it sure is nice to be able to use just about any old NIkkor on modern (and modern-ish) bodies.
@ddgyt50
10 ай бұрын
Ha, I put my old Vivitar 24 on a Nikon D300 yesterday to play with. Camera handles non CPU primes well in aperture mode with lens parameters dialed in. Glad you were able to fix the shutter. Back in '89 I managed to rip the lens mount off a Nikkormat by dropping it -- in a spectacular fashion -- with a heavy 70-210. No fix there. I no longer shoot film (can't afford it) but really enjoy your channel. Always something to learn.
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
Glad these are useful! I have had a few drops over the years, but nothing that sounds as impressive as yours, lol. That must’ve been quite a hit.
@srfurley
3 ай бұрын
I have the F-301 and F-501, and about 30 other Nikon bodies in my collection. A number of accessories were available for these cameras. The AH-3 will attach to the base of either camera, with AAA or AA battery holder and will provide a central tripod mount. This device van also be used with certain motor drives for older cameras, such as the MD-11/12/14 and 15. A similar device, the AH-1, can only be used with the motor drives but not with the F-301 or F-501, but is smaller and lighter. There is a shutter release button which attaches to the remote control terminal and which can take a standard cable release. I think from memory this is the MR-3 but my one is on a camera which is on loan to somebody at the moment, so I cannot check that. The AS-15 flash coupler attaches to the hot shoe and provides a standard pc flash terminal for off-camera flash or studio flash set-ups. The TC-16a is a 1.6x auto-focusable teleconverter which can be used with many ai and ais manual focus lenses, so that when mounted between the body and a 50mm focus lens it converts it to a 80 mm autofocus. There was a data back available for the F-301/501. These cameras had quite a lot of features for entry level models. There is a little known fact about the F-501. The first autofocus camera sold by Nikon was the F3-af. I believe that only a few thousand were produced. This camera used lenses which contained the focus motor. Only two lenses were produced for this system, the 80 mm F2.8 and 200 mm F3.5. These lenses were large and heavy, as was the TC-16 (without rage ‘a’) teleconverter. For their next autofocus models, the F-501 and the F4 Nikon moved the focus motor into the camera body, with a mechanical coupling to the lens. These new lenses were much smaller and lighter, but surprisingly the F-501 is the same size and almost the same weight as the F301, despite having to contain the focus motor, and various control components for it. The F-501 and F4 also still supported the earlier autofocus system. In the lenses made for the F3af, the only other dodges to do so. This earlier af system is not compatible with the later Nikon af-I, af-s and af-p lenses, all of which moved the focus motor back to the lens.
@vintagecameradigest
2 ай бұрын
Nice history and incredible detail of accessories. Nikon never was really one to release a body without a full system of accessories (the F3AF being the oddball here, I think). And I think that’s a testament to how well their systems were thought-out and planned. Thanks for the excellent info!
@joellinker9899
10 ай бұрын
Useful information! Thank you very much for all your great work 📸
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
Thank YOU for tuning in! Glad it was helpful!
@SanoyNimbus
10 ай бұрын
The F501 was my first Nikon ... the D90 was the next one. I loved both of those cameras.
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
It’s definitely got a good feel to it!
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
All your compositions are right on the money 💴!
@michaelrasmussen3347
10 ай бұрын
Great video. I have both (in Europe they are named F-301 and F-501) but I must admit I prefer the N2000 because the AF is slow and is a hit and miss.
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
For the time, the AF isn’t too bad. But nothing as accurate as anything that came even 5 years after it. Glad that technology improved over time. I do like having the focus confirmation lights when using manual lenses though. That’s a nice feature to have. Thanks for tuning in!
@johnsomers8269
9 ай бұрын
I am impressed that you can leave your gadget bag while you are shooting and not have it victim of a grab and run!. I had a customer bring in their Minolta 7000 that had gone for a swim on their canoe trip. I dried the camera off and found that aside from water on the shutter blades, it seemed to work! I started using a hair dryer on the shutter and found those blades were plastic! Yup, melted shutter!!! The things you learn the hard way!😯
@vintagecameradigest
9 ай бұрын
I try to always be only a few good steps from my bag. But sometimes I get carried away and wander further than I mean to. Still, I’ve had very good luck with my gear all these years. Not once have I lost anything to theft ::knocks on wood:: I’m surprised that the 7000 fared that well after the swim. Aside from the shutter, that is 😁
@conrad4094
10 ай бұрын
I have a perfectly operational F501 . I quite enjoy using it and have got plenty of nice photos with it. It’s very slow and old fashioned compared to more modern cameras but I find it very predictable and the “old fashioned “ layout is preferable
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
I think the traditional layout is its strength. When I picked it up it felt familiar and that made it a lot less of a chore to use. Of course, you can get used to any camera if you use it long enough. But this one was immediately accessible. Thanks for tuning in!
@francisenaje
9 ай бұрын
Which lens autofocuses on this camera body?
@vintagecameradigest
9 ай бұрын
@@francisenaje any of the AF “D” lenses will work, as well as the very first Nikkor AF (no D). These lenses don’t have focusing motors.
@cangooner
9 ай бұрын
The N2000 has a lot to answer for in my books... It was my first "real" camera back in the 80s, and while I don't subscribe to the 'gateway drug' theory, I do think of it as my gateway Nikon. My bank account has taken repeated hits over the years thanks to that thing as it was replaced by an F3, which was then joined by an F90, then an FM2, FE, F4., some digital SLRs, etc and so on. I would have saved a fortune over the years if it weren't for that camera dragging me into the Nikon rabbit hole. I always did kind of wonder how the N2020 compared... now I'm off to do some shopping to find out first hand. Thanks a lot! 🤣😁 Very glad your shutter blade popped back in to place. 👍
@vintagecameradigest
9 ай бұрын
The “gateway” camera - I love it! And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that Nikon rabbit hole. I’ve been in it pretty deep myself. If you do pick up a N2020 you’ll find it very familiar. It has an additional program mode and AE-Lock (and AF-L of course). Otherwise it’s practically the same camera. It’ll be like meeting an old friend. Cheers!
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
It’s hard to resist not watching your videos this few days… 😂
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
That’s what I like to hear! Many thanks!☺️
@ericzeniti5029
7 ай бұрын
Very complete overview of the Nikon N2020. I have the same one but currently I have an issue with the rewind button. It looks to me as if it’s stuck. Did anyone have the same issue?
@vintagecameradigest
7 ай бұрын
I’ve not experienced that myself, but maybe someone can chime in on this.
@gregwardecke
7 ай бұрын
Interesting to see how Nikon tippy toed into AF while Minolta did a big ol cannon ball into the deep end. It’s also surprising these cameras are almost give away cheap. Sure, there are quieter locomotives but the camera is coming up on 40 years old. Not that I would ever spend the $$ but I wonder if they would be a lot quieter with a full service? I like that while these are just camera tests to you, you treat us with some very good photographs.
@vintagecameradigest
7 ай бұрын
Thanks so much, Greg! I don’t know if they’d be quieter or not. Just about every old camera with a winder sounds about like this, it seems. The “quieter” drives of digital designs has spoiled us some, I think. I remember the first camera I ever owned with a built-in drive was a Canon EOS 630. And I’m sure it was loud right out of the box. I just didn’t know any better at that point.
@williamhamblen3808
9 ай бұрын
I accidentally poked the shutter on my N2020 once. Fortunately I could coax the shutter blades back into place. The shutter blades are plastic and apparently can take a lot of punishment. Chattanooga really is the Scenic City.
@vintagecameradigest
9 ай бұрын
I thought I’d trashed it for sure. I was as surprised as anyone that they popped back in place. Chattanooga is truly scenic. I need to explore there more!
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
The N2000 or F-301 was a premature release of F-501 by Nikon for the sale reasons (started making profit on which it had during the time before the intended F-501 rolled out.
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
Makes sense. There’s not much difference at all between the two. The F-301 didn’t have the AE-Lock or Program Dual mode.
@geraldillo
10 ай бұрын
I think that Nikon was indeed aiming for their professional customers and wanted this camera to be a try out for future professional models like the F4 and F5 I think most camera companies were not fully convinced by that time that professional photographers were seriously interested in autofocus systems especially when that meant that they had to buy a complete new set of lenses. B.t.w. ; I'm glad that you could repair the camera.
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
Agreed. They were definitely treading lightly since they pretty much had the pro market cornered. Pentax did the same thing, but on a much less impressive scale.
@geraldillo
10 ай бұрын
@@vintagecameradigest Yes, Pentax' attempt to enter the autofocus market was a failure, the same goes for Olympus.
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
Since I decided to do a series on the first wave of AF cameras, I picked up the Pentax SF-1 and Olympus OM-77. To say that I’m not impressed would be an understatement. The Pentax feels like a toy, while the Olympus didn’t even allow for manual focusing on the lenses. I do sorta like the Yashica 230-AF though - as long as that ugly flash isn’t attached.
@geraldillo
10 ай бұрын
@@vintagecameradigest I know these cameras from pictures and magazine articles, I've never hold one. The Yashica with the flash connected was exceptionally ugly, Pentax was not a very pretty camera either, at least not for me and the Olympus looked like a Minolta Maxum/ Dynax/7000 imitation.
@geraldillo
10 ай бұрын
@@vintagecameradigest Same thought goes through my mind as we discussed before; what happened with all the Honeywell technology/ licence-money? Was the SF-1/SR-X really the best they could come up with?
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
Nikon afraid of disappointing or losing the long time loyal F-mount users, it compromised. But Canon and Minolta on the other hand took off ‘freely’ with their innovative brand new designs in the autofocus technology both in consumer and professional levels. Theoretically or technically, the last two had the upper hand. That just IMHO
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
I agree. But at that time Nikon firmly held the top spot among pros. And when you’re on top, you rarely want to make any major changes. Canon and Minolta, on the other hand, were completely motivated to evolve into something else. And in hindsight, Canon’s use of in-lens motors was the right choice. By the time Nikon decided to go that route, Canon was definitely ahead in the game. It’s interesting that Minolta never went to in-lens motors, and I can’t help but wonder if that didn’t hurt them in the long run. When they were acquired by Sony, they were quick to make that change.
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
@@vintagecameradigest Yes, I hear you. Canon versus Minolta, Canon went extra mile, maybe that’s why Canon still one of a kind.
@BriansPhotoShow
10 ай бұрын
Do you know whether it's a Copal shutter or made by Nikon in-house?
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
Unfortunately, I do not know for certain. I tried to dig around and see, but nothing said for certain. I mean it IS possible, though, since Nikon used Copal shutters on their large format lenses. But that’s just conjecture.
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
I’m so sorry to hear about the cause of ending the video. I hope this’s repairable. How did that happen anyway I’m just curious. That’s almost impossible. I don’t know if there are still any Nikon Authorized Service Centers around where can accept film cameras these days now. 😢
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
You know, if I tried to do it again on purpose I probably wouldn’t be able to. The film cartridge was in there pretty tight. It’s a reloadable cassette with more tape on the outside that it should have. So that’s why it was tight. I think I held the camera upside down to see if gravity would work it’s magic, and just somehow caught the shutter with my finger. It was a dark moment, lol.
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
@@vintagecameradigest Thx. So, I’ll just avoid or forget about even trying reloadable film cassettes then. They’ve never been in my custom in photography anyway.
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
Oh I’m a huge fan of bulk loading. 100’ rolls is just about the only way I buy B&W 35mm. My problem was that I had taped labels on the cassette to let me know what was in it. And instead of removing the tape when it came time for me to reload it with a different stock, I just taped over the old. Several times. So, it was just a bit too big to just fall out of the camera when I opened the back. Totally my fault.
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
@@vintagecameradigest Ahh… that’s the cause how the cartridge got fat and unwillingly to leave the chamber. Can you use different cartridges on different films or writing on it with sharpies if you prefer using only one cartridge for all?
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
@@vintagecameradigest I understand it may save money, but I just don’t want to spend time or make an effort on it. I rather spend time on something more important for me. haha
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
Oh, you did fix it. I know you’re a good camera repairman 👨🔧 too! haha
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
I got lucky on that. No doubt about it.
@sergeyrozum
10 ай бұрын
Thanks for great review. This camera is all about how it feels. Nikon F80 or F100 look and feel like digital camera and I treat them that way and I don't like it.
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
Yes, this one has that solid, old-school feel to it. I have an F80 also, and yeah, it doesn’t compare at all.
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
I think Georgia 🇬🇪 is a beautiful state. 🎉
@vintagecameradigest
10 ай бұрын
It’s not bad on the eyes in most places. But I’m guessing Pacific NW is a dream. Never been, but it’s on my list.
@silvestersze9968
10 ай бұрын
@@vintagecameradigest May move away from Seattle due to crime rate is elevating. I prefer the good old days. Used to be fabulous…
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