Nikon F2: The Camera That Helped End a War

I own most of the professional old school Nikon cameras, specifically the F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5. The F6 is still missing from my collection (it’s likely the best film SLR Nikon ever made and they can still fetch up to $2,000 in the right condition). I love them all for different reasons and gotta say, I really do understand why these were once considered the cream of the crop for pro cameras back in each of their given days. But the Nikon F2 holds a special place in my heart because it’s the camera one will see journalists lugging around their necks in pictures and video (and movies about) the Vietnam war. This camera is arguably one of those tools that told the story of that war on the ground and eventually lead the American people to push our government to finally end it. This camera is all machine, 100% manual, solid as a brick, and with an original Nikkor Non-AI nifty fifty lens from the late 60’s or early 70’s, it’s a joy to use, especially for street photography like this.

Here are some select photos from the Portland, Oregon ICE facility a few weeks back. Far from the war torn zone Heir Trump describes almost daily, it was peaceful, weird, interesting, and besides two MAGA folks in vehicles stopping traffic and threatening to pull out tar gas and guns (until Portland PDX talked sense into them), it was completely uneventful, though colourful and entertaining.

Enjoy!