Nikon F2 Photomic SB
The big news in the DP-3 head was its silicon photodiode (SPD) meter — a first for Nikon SLRs — paired with a five-stage LED exposure display that replaced the swinging needles of earlier F2 finders. The finder also gained an eyepiece blind (or shutter, depending on which period description you read), a small but welcome practical touch. Like the F2 Photomic S before it, the SB could accept Nikon's unusual DS-1 or DS-2 EE Aperture Control Units — a servomotor-driven shutter-priority auto-exposure system that physically turned the lens aperture ring in response to the meter reading. The Photomic SB is essentially the non-AI version of the later F2AS.
Production was short. Sources differ on the exact span — one major dealer notes the F2SB bodies were made in a run of only about eight months — but the consensus lands in the mid-to-late 1970s, with most agreeing on 1976–1977. Nikon's own history page describes it simply as a modified version of the F2 Photomic S (1973).
Because of that short run, the F2SB has become one of the more collectible F2 bodies. Grays of Westminster calls the F2SB bodies "the most sought after of all F2 'standard' bodies," and David A Lockwood notes the camera is "quite rare in near mint condition" since it was produced for only about a year — which, he adds, "unfortunately gets the attention of collectors who push the price up." It's a sentiment echoed elsewhere: a well-maintained F2 of any flavor can land in the $500–$1,000 range depending on condition and rarity.
The F2SB accepts pre-AI, AI, and AIS lenses that feature a coupling fork, and typically came with the desirable K-type focusing screen. The body itself is metal, offered in silver/black or all-black finish. The Photomic head runs on two S76/A76 or SR44/LR44 batteries.
Known specs
- 35mm SLR, manual focus, interchangeable finder (DP-3 Photomic eye-level finder)
- TTL center-weighted full-aperture metering with silicon photodiode cell
- Five-stage LED exposure display
- Eyepiece blind/shutter
- Shutter speeds from 10 seconds to 1/2000
- Accepts DS-1 / DS-2 EE Aperture Control Units for shutter-priority auto-exposure
- Compatible with pre-AI, AI, and AIS lenses with coupling fork
- Photomic head powered by two S76/A76, SR44, or LR44 batteries
What's not well documented: original retail price, dimensions and weight, viewfinder magnification, and flash sync speed are all absent from the record. And while the F2SB is often mentioned in the same breath as the F2AS, the two are distinct — the AS (with the DP-12 head) came later and added AI metering, making it the most advanced and most collected version of the series today.
For a camera produced in such small numbers, the F2SB has aged well — it's a genuine piece of F2 history, caught between the old needle era and the LED future.
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