Nikon F301

Back in 1985, I first saw the Nikon F301 and fell in love. £250 with 50mm lens was the right price for this camera. No LCD display was apparent, but this was good for me as I upgraded from a Nikon FG20. The F-301 was the first Nikon to have a polycarbonate chassis, and to have a built-in motorwind (2.5 fps). Shutter speeds from 30 secs - 1/2000th sec (in any auto mode), 1 sec - 1/2000th sec (in manual mode) + B, flash sync is 1/125th sec. The camera features 2 program, aperture priority, & manual shooting modes. The viewfinder is pretty basic compared to modern SLRs, a LED readout of the ... more

After years of shooting with an autofocus Nikon F60, I wanted to get back to full control using my excellent manual focus Nikon prime lenses. I had a Nikon FE for many years, but its auto-exposure capabilities had broken. I was very sad to see that old friend start to decline. While the FE continued to have accurate shutter speeds, I didn't want to carry around a separate light meter or guess at exposure using the "sunny 16" rule. I picked up an F-301/N2000 on eBay for a reasonable price, in excellent condition. Like the Nikon FE, it's built like a tank, but gives me even more capability than ... more

Before I went Autofocus (Canon then Nikon F90x) this was the camera for me. I don't know if its just me but I have not been able to capture the same brilliant 3D type of image this camera gave me with all my other cameras. Maybe it is just me..I was into photography in a big way back then and had more time and patience to get it right, fiddling with the settings. (before I got lazy and just let the camera do the lot!) But I am tempted to buy another F301 of ebay to see and for nostalgia's sake. I can not remember that much about the technical side of it but I can remember the viewfinder being ... more

Abosolutely great camera. I got one of these three years ago and it was the first SLR I had owned. Upgrading to an F55 soon but I still love this camera. Brilliant picture quality, and a lovely noise when the shutter closes! I've taken this camera to Tunisia, France, Cornwall, Spain and New York and in every situation it has produced some fantastic photos. I have had a 28-200mm vivitar lens with this since I got it with a skylight and it has survived all the rigorous tests I have put it through in three different continents! Anyway I would definitely reccomend one as it has been my pride and ... more

I know you cannot buy these cameras new any longer, but I would strongly recommend it to anyone entering amateur photography. It is a fairly basic camera, which can be rather demanding if you really know what you are doing. The best thing about this camera is that it can help the beginners by selecting a programme or shutter priority, or go manual and do everything yourself. The lightmeter did not ever let me down and the sound of the shutter is always a joy to listen to. It is not an extremely light camera, but this makes it more of a classic one, without trying to say though that it is too ... more