C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Nikon F2H is a specialized variant of the F2 body system configured from the factory with the MD-100 motor drive for high-speed continuous shooting. Introduced in 1976 near the end of the F2 product cycle, it was aimed at sports and news agencies requiring reliable sustained frame rates beyond what the standard MD-1/MD-2 motor drive attachments could deliver in field conditions. The F2H operates at approximately 10 frames per second at its maximum speed using a reduced mirror-lockup or pellicle mirror configuration that eliminates the standard reflex mirror swing, maintaining the optical path during shooting. The underlying body is mechanically identical to the F2 but is not sold or typically used as a standalone camera; it is treated as an integrated motor-drive system.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
The factory-integrated high-speed F2 system: motor drive built in for ~10 fps sequential shooting.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Nikon F (AI compatible) |
| Years | ~1976-1980 |
| Shutter | Mechanical titanium horizontal; up to 1/2000s |
| Frame rate | ~10 fps (high-speed mode with pellicle mirror) |
| Motor drive | MD-100 (integrated) |
| Meter | Accepts DP-series finders (DP-12 typical) |
| Exposure modes | Manual |
| Battery | MB-2 battery pack (external) |
| Finder coverage | 100% |
The F2H was developed in response to demand from professional sports and wire-service photographers, particularly as the 1976 Montreal Olympics provided a showcase for high-speed photography. By 1976, Nikon had already offered the MD-1 and MD-2 motor drives as bolt-on accessories for the standard F2, providing roughly 4-5 fps. The F2H represented an integrated approach: the pellicle (semi-transparent fixed) mirror assembly replaced the conventional swing mirror, eliminating the mechanical interruption inherent in normal SLR design and allowing the camera to sustain approximately 10 fps. The viewfinder image is slightly dimmer due to the beam-splitting nature of the pellicle mirror - approximately 2/3 of the light passes to the film, with the remainder directed to the finder. The F2H was effectively discontinued as the F3 system launched in 1980, which offered its own motor drive options.
High-speed cameras in the 1970s were almost exclusively custom-built or modified instruments. The F2H was one of the very few production cameras offering double-digit frame rates while retaining the full Nikon F mount lens ecosystem, in-finder metering (with a compatible DP prism), and the F2's proven mechanical reliability. Its pellicle mirror solution predated Canon's EOS-1N RS (1995) by nearly two decades, demonstrating that Nikon had explored the tradeoffs of this design - viewfinder brightness vs. sustained frame rate - quite early. For sports photographers at wire services in the mid-to-late 1970s, the F2H was one of the only tools capable of capturing peak action in a single 36-exposure roll reliably and repeatedly.
The F2H uses the Nikon F mount. Given its professional sports context, it was most commonly paired with long telephoto Nikkors: the 300mm f/4.5 AI, 400mm f/3.5 AI, and 600mm f/5.6 AI are the lenses it was typically shipped alongside in agency kits. The pellicle mirror creates a slight exposure factor due to beam-splitting; this must be accounted for in exposure settings. Compatible finders include the full DP-series range, with the DP-12 (from the F2AS) being the most sophisticated available for AI lens metering. The MD-100 motor drive uses an external MB-2 battery pack, limiting portability but enabling sustained firing without the weight of batteries in the grip.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
View profile →Nikon F2H
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