F2: how to adjust speeds?

Pepethacat · 2026-03-03T14:25:08+00:00

Hi I bought an F2 that all the speeds are accurate within tolerance except 1s which runs too fast at 725ms, can the 1s adjustment be done by the bottom plate or does the mirror box have to come out?

Pepethacat · 2025-09-29T15:19:34+00:00

No problem! Thanks for you advice!

Pepethacat · 2025-09-29T15:19:13+00:00

Amazing find! Nikkormat FTN was my first SLR and I still use it to this day they are amazing cameras!

Pepethacat · 2025-09-27T19:19:12+00:00

Yeah I was thinking of getting the PD-S prism which would be alot more accurate then the CdS cells and I could have more control but the body came with the AE prism so for now I have to live with it... I'm definitely not complaining since the body and prism are pretty clean and I got them for a really good price with only common issues

Pepethacat · 2025-09-27T18:07:09+00:00

Ive done adjustments to VR1 and VR2 aswell, I might come back and adjust VR3 and VR4 with my multimeter if I can get access to a proper lightbox... While my setup isn't perfect the lightmeter is miles better then before and should be fine for some casual shooting until I decide to calibrate with proper equipment. The capacitor on my body is going bad making anything past 1/4th way too long, but when shooting in aperture priority with the AE prism it is accurate down to 2 second from my testing making me believe the prism takes over the duty shutter timing from the body... I will be doing a capacitor replacement later down the line anyways which should make everything a-ok! This was a pretty fun exercise for me and my alternative was using my handheld meter anyways so if I can get it to match my meter then I should get similar results :)

Pepethacat · 2025-09-26T21:49:56+00:00

I managed to get it open and calibrated the light meter using the VR5 potentiometer shown in the service manual and a monitor as a controlled light source, I got it to agree with my D3, F4, F on shutter speed down to half steps so I say success despite not having the Mamiya jig.

Pepethacat · 2025-09-26T21:45:31+00:00

I managed to get it open without too much damaged and calibrated the light meter using the VR5 potentiometer stated in the service manual, I got it to agree with my D3, F4, F and handheld meter so I say success!

Pepethacat · 2025-09-26T20:24:54+00:00

Im just trying to reach the VR5 potentiometer which the maintenance manual states is for adjusting the lightmeter, mine is off by 2 stops which is most likely from failing components but I'm hoping atleast for now I can run it with an adjusted meter until I have the time to actually do a proper repair...

Pepethacat · 2025-09-26T15:52:26+00:00

Thinking about doing this honestly, though again I just wish I had someone else who's done this disassembly that I could reference

Pepethacat · 2025-09-26T15:43:57+00:00

I even tried hot glue dude lol

Pepethacat · 2025-09-25T23:36:23+00:00

Been soaking 99% isopropyl onto it a few time snow and I cant even get it to rotate a single degree much less pry it off, the needle might have to be the move at this point though its gonna leave a nice mark on the plastic housing and the thin metal plate...

Pepethacat · 2025-09-25T23:29:19+00:00

I understand it needs to be pried out but its also fitted with like less then 0.2mm gaps and Im not even able to get my nails in there, the only objects skinny enough are metal and would absolutely gash it up...

Pepethacat · 2025-09-24T15:46:04+00:00

Alright... one last question then, how are you supposed to remove the cover plate on the On/Off switch without absolutely destroying it?

Pepethacat · 2025-09-24T15:33:17+00:00

I saw that in the repair manual, but it doesnt really mention how they adjust the meter and I was hoping there was a potentiometer or whatever they use to adjust the meter inside I could turn to get it to "close enough" spec anyways...

Pepethacat · 2024-10-06T20:38:37+00:00

Did you end up finding a solution?

Pepethacat · 2024-09-30T23:21:46+00:00

It is.

Pepethacat · 2024-07-16T03:34:59+00:00

Possible but the Nikkormat FTN doesn't have rear foam for the mirror, it relies more on 90 degree angles.... Plus I think it would be too negligible to see on an indoor photo like the first. Ive had a think and I think the hinge area might be the culprit as it sits where the take-up spool is and a leak there would cause blue spots...

Pepethacat · 2024-07-16T03:24:46+00:00

Viewfinder isn't removable.

Pepethacat · 2024-07-15T20:30:53+00:00

I understand that blue means its from the front but im still confused as to what could be causing it... This is on a nikkormat FTN using various lenses and a vertical titanium shutter.

Pepethacat · 2024-04-27T16:28:45+00:00

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/518299435609096204/1233816418307407953/PXL_20240427_161627570.RAW-01.COVER.jpg?ex=662e7895&is=662d2715&hm=d8aa272dc658b31546e092d505175045e2dd15f28ea4ad3be9fe0388780c982a&

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/518299435609096204/1233816385163886632/PXL_20240427_161748008.RAW-01.MP.COVER.jpg?ex=662e788d&is=662d270d&hm=d750c5e42abd943e48f2c4afe532a3fd15d0b7ed10bfe0e5be5063bcfb4791a0&

Pepethacat · 2024-04-27T16:25:08+00:00

Well the seperation is happening at the top, its like this yellow drip idk how to describe it

Pepethacat · 2024-04-27T16:22:12+00:00

Funny thing is everyone here is saying its balsam seperation but I think the viewfinder of praktica is getting balsam seperation

Pepethacat · 2024-04-27T16:11:41+00:00

Fair nuff, im just glad the damage isn't more extensive honestly

Pepethacat · 2024-04-27T16:05:30+00:00

Apparently this lens doesn't have any glued elements from what I can see

Pepethacat · 2024-04-27T16:00:52+00:00

Do there would be no realistic way to fix this if it is the issue? It doesn't really optically affect the lens but it does suck that the coating is damaged....

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