I quite like the idea of rewinding film manually.... It keeps us in touch with traditional and mechanical cameras and of course you can catch the film leader before it gets sucked into the film canister.... and also with skill you can hear the film become free from from the mechanism......
I actually really like this camera and I never thought I would. I like it's 80s aesthetic, I like how it feels in the hand, I like its motor advance and I really like the fact that it takes AAA and AA batteries. I had to really search for a copy that didn't have its battery chamber corroded but once i found one, I slapped on a 35mm Zeiss Milvus with some Kodak Ektar and it takes beautiful photos.
I bought one based on your review. How much functionality for $50? No brainer. I have the FT3 (which I bought new in 1979) and an FM … and god knows how much else gear, mostly Canon. How could I not get this camera? Shooting with those three Nikon cameras lets the shooter really explore the transition in photography from the 1970’s all the way through the 1990’s. It is a great camera that lay on the road from analog to digital.
Thank YOU for being the only video noting that you LIFT the button to change the ISO aswell as C/S/L..was stupidly struggling on that simple maneuverer. Great vid
Thanks for a nice and detailed overview of this camera. I own one as well and I like it a lot. But for those who would be interested, there is indeed a shutter release cable connection port on this camera. It sits on the front plate.
In the early 2000s a neighbor was upgrading to digital and allowed me to make payments for his N2000. I learned to shoot on this camera. Recently got it out of the closet and loaded a roll of Portra 800 in it this afternoon. I do love it’s viewfinder and focusing screen. Your video got me back up to speed on its settings. Thank you!
Great review, interesting rig! You mentioned you often shoot film at different speeds to box, why is that and what do you tend to do with the iso? Thanks!
This is a fun, if slightly clunky, camera. One thing to look out for: be sure you can inspect (or see a picture of) the battery compartment. If those AA or AAA batteries have leaked, the camera is probably toast.
Hey Brian, regarding the N2000 (North America) To my mind this camera and the N2020 had to have been made for Nikon by Contax Cameras (Cosina?) The lower part battery area is identical to all of the Contax’s that I own. The overall plasticky feel is very much the same. To me they shout Contax. Therefore I look at these as Contax Cameras with a Nikon badge. Maybe one of your other followers can tell me if I am wrong.
Thank you for your excellent review of N2000! A question: how would you do night photography within camera, sins there is no cable release option provided? Thank you.
I still have a F801 in a box somewhere. A surprisingly good camera that I never found enjoyable to use. I like the hotshoe and the AA batteries but not much else....
You can buy here in UK on e bay about £40 GP.B no lens.... I have Nikon lenses in cupboard from way back when....might get one in 2024....pity about cable release.... Is shutter a copal square by any chance.... excellent video.... bud!!
I have both the F301 and F501 in my collection; they’re almost identical except for repositioned are control and the af bits. Surprising that they managed to add the af without significant increase in size or weight. Use of a cable release is possible by fitting a suitable adapter to the electrical remote control connector, mr-3 I think they are, but these are not cheap, or you can use the electrical remote release cable, which can be found cheaply on EBay. Some of the features are quite surprising for a low end consumer camera, and if you buy the mf-19 back for it this not only functions as a data back, but also contains a quite sophisticated intervalometer, which the data back for the FA does not. The standard AAA battery pack is the Mb-4; I also have the Mb-3 for AA cells. The instructions which come with it say that in Japan the F-501 is sold as standard fitted with the Mb-3. F-501s sold from Japan on EBay do indeed seem to have this fitted. If you can see the bottom of a camera it is easy to tell which battery type it takes. If the tripod bush is closer to the front of the camera it takes AAA, and if closer to the rear of the camera it takes AA. All cameras of these models can be fitted with either type of battery pack, and the ah-3 tripod mounting plate will attach to either type. One difference I forgot to mention, the F-501 adds the Program Dual exposure mode which the F-301 doesn’t have. I bought both cameras very cheaply to add to my collection, but for actual use I prefer the FG, which I think is a very nice little camera, small, light and quiet, and just seems to feel right in the hands, like the FM. The only thing which doesn’t feel good on it is the film advance, but the frame spacing seems to be right every time.
I can see no reason not to get a 501 if one turns up at the right price; if you switch it to manual focus mode it’s almost identical to the 301. The DX coding is also not a problem, unlike some other cameras it does still allow you to set the film speed manually. I don’t really like the rubber covering, it does deteriorate with age unlike the chrome or black polycarbonate which often still looks mint on older cameras. Even my little EM, while lacking in features still looks almost mint. I recently discovered something about the auto-focus on the 501; it is the only body, other than the F3-AF and the F4, which can autofocus with the 80 mm and 200 mm AF lenses which were introduced for the F3-AF as well as the mechanical ‘screwdriver blade’ type lenses. When one of the 80 mm lenses turned up cheaply on EBay recently I bought it for the collection due to it being unusual. I have never actually used the 501, but I am actually taking it to Birmingham tomorrow with the 80 mm AF, a mechanical 50 mm AF and an old ai converted 35 mm. This is the only auto-focus film camera which I own, and with my very poor eyesight now the focus assist may be useful in some conditions. The F3-AF type lens seems to be slow to focus automatically and also seems to hunt more than more modern lenses but I haven’t actually taken any pictures with it in AF mode yet. I have used it on my FM and FG and it seems to work well as a manual focus lens.
I recently purchased one, and really like the feel, weight, size and functionality of this camera for use with prime ai glass. My only complaint is the viewfinder, it is bright but hard to view through to see whole area. You have to press your eye so close to take in the full view and would not be easy for a eye glass wearer to use.
Hi brian , i enjoy your reviews, i have been a nikon fan since losing a film from accidental opening of an OM1 (rewind got caught on strap) irreplaceable pics.... nikon has double lock on back release on fm/fe/f3, so i switched on that basis alone, and still use a pair of Fe’s ...perfection to me. I had a 301 in the 80s mainly for aerial photography ( Phi program auto + motorwind.). I did work out that depth of field preview is available, if a little awkward to carry out ... “bokeh” seems fashionable lately so its probably not that essential.... but here goes, unlock the lens as if to remove it, twist the lens, as if to remove it, but only turn the lens until the black aperture index dot is adjacent the final “N” of the nikon logo on the camera pentaprism housing... now the lens will be “stopped down” to which ever aperture is set, and depth of field can be “previewed” through the viewfinder..... a bit laboured, but if you really need to know what is acceptably in/out of focus, its better than nothing . The most likely reason i got rid of it ? .... lack of double lock on back release........ P.s. recently bought another 301 just for the lens on it!... what goes around , comes around.. best regards b.
It's probably worth saying for the benefit of others that you can get a centre orientated tripod mount ( AH-3) not cheap but has 3 centre threads and large silver screw head to bolt on to camera.... nuff said........
Excellent presentation of this camera - just picked one up thanks to your advice. Was going to buy an F3 but this saved me a lot of cash to spend on a couple of good AI lenses.
It sounds like a N6006, only noisier, which is hard to believe! I actually love the sound of them both. Reminds me of what you would hear on TV in the 80's when a news event had the usual crush of cameras firing off. This can still be used on the street if you put an 85-100 lens on it. That will allow you to stay much further away from your subjects compared to a 50.
Interesting review, I’d never heard of this camera. A lot of features for a relatively low cost camera. Can you do a review of the EM sometime? Another interesting little camera.
Quick question a Nikon f301 being potentially exported from Japan... so why does it have a capital letter // D// in red next to the viewfinder.... anybody know??? Thank you everyone.....who responds......?
I haven't had that problem. I have noticed, however, that if the selector ring around the shutter release button isn't fully seated then the shutter won't fire. I'm not sure if that's helpful.
while it seem to almost manual focus like a modern DSLR with the indicator of which way to rotate the lens into focus and a dot to indicate the subject in focus. I honestly picked it up as a novelty so I haven't put a roll through it yet. it's a few tiers down in terms of priority below my D800, F100, FE2 and FT2
Yes, I read the earlier post. That's not a method I'd be inclined to use in the field unless it were critical for some reason, though I suppose it's good to know it's available in a pinch.
I got mine new in 1985. I love it to this day. It’s the only film camera I kept.
I quite like the idea of rewinding film manually.... It keeps us in touch with traditional and mechanical cameras and of course you can catch the film leader before it gets sucked into the film canister.... and also with skill you can hear the film become free from from the mechanism......
I actually really like this camera and I never thought I would. I like it's 80s aesthetic, I like how it feels in the hand, I like its motor advance and I really like the fact that it takes AAA and AA batteries. I had to really search for a copy that didn't have its battery chamber corroded but once i found one, I slapped on a 35mm Zeiss Milvus with some Kodak Ektar and it takes beautiful photos.
I bought one based on your review. How much functionality for $50? No brainer. I have the FT3 (which I bought new in 1979) and an FM … and god knows how much else gear, mostly Canon. How could I not get this camera? Shooting with those three Nikon cameras lets the shooter really explore the transition in photography from the 1970’s all the way through the 1990’s. It is a great camera that lay on the road from analog to digital.
Thank YOU for being the only video noting that you LIFT the button to change the ISO aswell as C/S/L..was stupidly struggling on that simple maneuverer. Great vid
Glad I could be helpful!
Thank you. Recently i got this camera. It was very hard for me to find this kinda explanation in my language.
Thanks for a nice and detailed overview of this camera. I own one as well and I like it a lot. But for those who would be interested, there is indeed a shutter release cable connection port on this camera. It sits on the front plate.
That port requires a special proprietary connector. It will not accept a standard threaded cable release.
Brian's Photo Show Indeed :-)
In the early 2000s a neighbor was upgrading to digital and allowed me to make payments for his N2000. I learned to shoot on this camera. Recently got it out of the closet and loaded a roll of Portra 800 in it this afternoon. I do love it’s viewfinder and focusing screen. Your video got me back up to speed on its settings. Thank you!
My first SLR, I bought it new in 85 with the 50mm pancake. It served me well for many years, they are pretty bulletproof.
Great review, interesting rig!
You mentioned you often shoot film at different speeds to box, why is that and what do you tend to do with the iso? Thanks!
This is a fun, if slightly clunky, camera.
One thing to look out for: be sure you can inspect (or see a picture of) the battery compartment. If those AA or AAA batteries have leaked, the camera is probably toast.
Yes, that's a big problem with many old cameras that have been sitting in the attic for a while . . .
My had badly corroded contacts, but was able to get it to work by scraping, using sandpaper and scouring contacts clean back to metal.
Also once Rubbed down with sandpaper back to raw metal...if still an issue.... Try neat tin foil folded carefully...for new electrical contacts....
Parts are interchangeable if you get a spares and repair chassis (non functioning for economy.....
Thank you for the video. This really helped me understand how to use my Nikon - F-301.
I'm glad it was helpful
Hey Brian, regarding the N2000 (North America) To my mind this camera and the N2020 had to have been made for Nikon by Contax Cameras (Cosina?) The lower part battery area is identical to all of the Contax’s that I own. The overall plasticky feel is very much the same. To me they shout Contax. Therefore I look at these as Contax Cameras with a Nikon badge. Maybe one of your other followers can tell me if I am wrong.
I've never heard that, but I can't definitely say you're wrong.
Kyocera made those Contax cameras, but I'm not sure if they made this one.
Thank you for your excellent review of N2000! A question: how would you do night photography within camera, sins there is no cable release option provided? Thank you.
On what planet would one .. really.. need 2000 shutter speed? Average Photog has difficulties with usin 4 or 5 of the possible speeds :-)
I still have a F801 in a box somewhere.
A surprisingly good camera that I never found enjoyable to use.
I like the hotshoe and the AA batteries but not much else....
Worth saying that you can use an electronic cable release on this camera for bulb exposures....
You can buy here in UK on e bay about £40 GP.B no lens.... I have Nikon lenses in cupboard from way back when....might get one in 2024....pity about cable release....
Is shutter a copal square by any chance....
excellent video.... bud!!
The nikon F-301/N2000 Was not the last manual focus camera Nikon markted. After this one they released the F601m, the Fm3A and FE10 and FM10.
I have both the F301 and F501 in my collection; they’re almost identical except for repositioned are control and the af bits. Surprising that they managed to add the af without significant increase in size or weight.
Use of a cable release is possible by fitting a suitable adapter to the electrical remote control connector, mr-3 I think they are, but these are not cheap, or you can use the electrical remote release cable, which can be found cheaply on EBay. Some of the features are quite surprising for a low end consumer camera, and if you buy the mf-19 back for it this not only functions as a data back, but also contains a quite sophisticated intervalometer, which the data back for the FA does not.
The standard AAA battery pack is the Mb-4; I also have the Mb-3 for AA cells. The instructions which come with it say that in Japan the F-501 is sold as standard fitted with the Mb-3. F-501s sold from Japan on EBay do indeed seem to have this fitted.
If you can see the bottom of a camera it is easy to tell which battery type it takes. If the tripod bush is closer to the front of the camera it takes AAA, and if closer to the rear of the camera it takes AA. All cameras of these models can be fitted with either type of battery pack, and the ah-3 tripod mounting plate will attach to either type.
One difference I forgot to mention, the F-501 adds the Program Dual exposure mode which the F-301 doesn’t have. I bought both cameras very cheaply to add to my collection, but for actual use I prefer the FG, which I think is a very nice little camera, small, light and quiet, and just seems to feel right in the hands, like the FM. The only thing which doesn’t feel good on it is the film advance, but the frame spacing seems to be right every time.
Fascinating! Thanks for the helpful info.
IMO it's a very plasticky-looking camera but actually very capable and underrated.
I can see no reason not to get a 501 if one turns up at the right price; if you switch it to manual focus mode it’s almost identical to the 301. The DX coding is also not a problem, unlike some other cameras it does still allow you to set the film speed manually. I don’t really like the rubber covering, it does deteriorate with age unlike the chrome or black polycarbonate which often still looks mint on older cameras. Even my little EM, while lacking in features still looks almost mint.
I recently discovered something about the auto-focus on the 501; it is the only body, other than the F3-AF and the F4, which can autofocus with the 80 mm and 200 mm AF lenses which were introduced for the F3-AF as well as the mechanical ‘screwdriver blade’ type lenses. When one of the 80 mm lenses turned up cheaply on EBay recently I bought it for the collection due to it being unusual. I have never actually used the 501, but I am actually taking it to Birmingham tomorrow with the 80 mm AF, a mechanical 50 mm AF and an old ai converted 35 mm. This is the only auto-focus film camera which I own, and with my very poor eyesight now the focus assist may be useful in some conditions. The F3-AF type lens seems to be slow to focus automatically and also seems to hunt more than more modern lenses but I haven’t actually taken any pictures with it in AF mode yet. I have used it on my FM and FG and it seems to work well as a manual focus lens.
My f 301 is landing tomorrow and is my 3rd nikon film camera but really my 4th since I sold on an old Nikkormat some time ago.......
I recently purchased one, and really like the feel, weight, size and functionality of this camera for use with prime ai glass. My only complaint is the viewfinder, it is bright but hard to view through to see whole area. You have to press your eye so close to take in the full view and would not be easy for a eye glass wearer to use.
Agreed 100%; you hit the nail on the head.
Hi brian , i enjoy your reviews, i have been a nikon fan since losing a film from accidental opening of an OM1 (rewind got caught on strap) irreplaceable pics.... nikon has double lock on back release on fm/fe/f3, so i switched on that basis alone, and still use a pair of Fe’s ...perfection to me. I had a 301 in the 80s mainly for aerial photography ( Phi program auto + motorwind.). I did work out that depth of field preview is available, if a little awkward to carry out ... “bokeh” seems fashionable lately so its probably not that essential.... but here goes, unlock the lens as if to remove it, twist the lens, as if to remove it, but only turn the lens until the black aperture index dot is adjacent the final “N” of the nikon logo on the camera pentaprism housing... now the lens will be “stopped down” to which ever aperture is set, and depth of field can be “previewed” through the viewfinder..... a bit laboured, but if you really need to know what is acceptably in/out of focus, its better than nothing . The most likely reason i got rid of it ? .... lack of double lock on back release........
P.s. recently bought another 301 just for the lens on it!... what goes around , comes around.. best regards b.
It's probably worth saying for the benefit of others that you can get a centre orientated tripod mount ( AH-3) not cheap but has 3 centre threads and large silver screw head to bolt on to camera....
nuff said........
Thought maybe you can add extra leader to your film to get maximum frames on a 36 exp film perchance...or maybe not........
Great video! Have you seen how the AA battery pack looks like from the inside? I'm trying to get one but can't figure out if there's a part missing
No, I haven't actually seen one.
The AA batteries go directly in the battery compartment. Both body versions accept AA but the base plate for the AA version is deeper.
Excellent presentation of this camera - just picked one up thanks to your advice. Was going to buy an F3 but this saved me a lot of cash to spend on a couple of good AI lenses.
Wise choice. If your budget is limited, you can go cheap on the camera but not the lenses. The camera is just a box; the lens makes the image.
@@BriansPhotoShow Thanks again Brian. Good channel. I am going with the 28mm AIS and 55mm Micro.
I had that camera back in the day and regret selling it.
The beep is for underexposed
You can use AA or AAA in any the battery carrier you used just then converts 4 AAA batteries into the same size 4AA would be
It sounds like a N6006, only noisier, which is hard to believe! I actually love the sound of them both. Reminds me of what you would hear on TV in the 80's when a news event had the usual crush of cameras firing off. This can still be used on the street if you put an 85-100 lens on it. That will allow you to stay much further away from your subjects compared to a 50.
Yes, it's a very 80s sound indeed. Not a camera for wildlife shooting.
Listen to Intro "Girls on Film"??? 🤣
Interesting review, I’d never heard of this camera. A lot of features for a relatively low cost camera.
Can you do a review of the EM sometime? Another interesting little camera.
The EM lacks provision for manual control of shutter speed. It's auto-only. Not my kind of camera.
I have both the F301 & F501 but do you not need the AIS lenses to get the best out of the F301?
Only if you use Program mode.
Just bought one on e bay £45 GBP that's around 57 dollars....
looks pretty clean and wot not etc.... (F 301)
oh THAT"S how you change ISO!! GDI.. had this camera for a week only to find out today
glad I could help
do you know ho i can open the film door?
@@fevena.2974 watch this video, he shows how to open door.
Hi Brian, thanks a lot for this profound review! What about the Nikon EM?
The EM is auto exposure only. There is no ability to manually select shutter speeds. I have no interest in it for that reason.
Brian's Photo Show I see. Yes, that‘s a major disadvantage in many circumstances.
Quick question a Nikon f301 being potentially exported from Japan... so why does it have a capital letter // D// in red next to the viewfinder.... anybody know???
Thank you everyone.....who responds......?
I can't release the shutter without a film in the camera... Do you know why?
I haven't had that problem. I have noticed, however, that if the selector ring around the shutter release button isn't fully seated then the shutter won't fire. I'm not sure if that's helpful.
You can't do it if the ISO is set to DX
Sounds a bit like voightlander engineering..if that is the case....
Hi Brian can you do Nikon F2? and it’s evolution from DP1 to DP12?
I do not currently own an F2 but maybe I should buy one. If nothing else it's good for at least five or six videos.
Yes, I don't think there are any youtube video's that expains much about evolution of the F2 DP light meter.
I picked up a N2020 (F501) super cheap is there really much of a difference if I were to use manual focus lenses with it?
As far as I know the only difference is the lack of traditional focusing aids like a split-image rangefinder and microprism collar.
while it seem to almost manual focus like a modern DSLR with the indicator of which way to rotate the lens into focus and a dot to indicate the subject in focus. I honestly picked it up as a novelty so I haven't put a roll through it yet.
it's a few tiers down in terms of priority below my D800, F100, FE2 and FT2
It really looks like you could just load AA batteries in there, and you're just using AAA adaptor
These are primarily metal actually the only difference is the shell and top plate everything else is metal
I don't know why your nikon f301 seems noisier than mine....maybe it's your microphone.......???
Thanks ma man
my pleasure!
Depth of field preview is available....see my previous post...
Yes, I read the earlier post. That's not a method I'd be inclined to use in the field unless it were critical for some reason, though I suppose it's good to know it's available in a pinch.
This camera is actually made of metal.
It may have a metal frame but the exterior is plastic.
Isn't it that only top is plastic.....??