The Nikon F2 is a professional-level, interchangeable lens, 35 mm film, single-lens reflex (SLR) camera.

It was manufactured by the Japanese optics company Nippon Kogaku K. K. (Nikon Corporation since 1988) in Japan from September 1971 to 1980.

The camera itself needed no batteries, though the prism light meter did (and the motor drive if added).

The F2 replaced the Nikon F, adding many new features (a faster 1/2000-second maximum shutter speed, a swing open back for easier film loading, a wider assortment of detachable finders and metering heads, a 250 exposure film back, a larger reflex mirror to ensure no vignetting, and a shutter release nearer the front of the camera for better ergonomics).

The later F2A and F2AS Photomic variants (see below) require lenses supporting the Automatic maximum aperture Indexing (AI) feature (introduced in 1977).

The original Nikkor "non-AI" (introduced before 1977) lenses, will mount but require stop down metering.

Nikon's most recent 35mm film SLR lenses, the AF Nikkor G type (2000) lacking an aperture control ring; and the AF Nikkor DX type (2003) with image circles sized for Nikon's DX digital SLRs, will mount but will not function properly.

The Nikkor 105 mm f/2.5 was renowned for its superb sharpness and bokeh and was a favorite for head-and-shoulders portraits ("head shots").

The F2's interchangeable viewfinders (also known as "heads")[3] marked it as a professional-level SLR and was considered by consumers one of its biggest strengths.

By providing updated heads every few years, Nikon was able to introduce new versions of the F2 and keep the basic body in the latest technology until production ended in 1980.

Note that F2 heads were often sold separately from the body, mostly in black finish with about 10% in chrome, and it is therefore not unusual to see body/head combinations with mismatched serial numbers and/or colors.

The DP-1 had a center-the-needle exposure control system using a galvanometer needle pointer moving between horizontally arranged +/– over/underexposure markers at the bottom of the viewfinder to indicate the readings of the built-in 60/40 percent centerweighted, cadmium sulfide (CdS) light meter versus the photographer's actual camera selections.

Flanking the needle array on the left and right were a readout of the camera set f-stop and shutter speed, respectively.

The needle array was duplicated on the top of the DP-1 head to allow exposure control without looking through the viewfinder.

It substituted an all-solid-state light-both-LEDs exposure control system using two arrow-shaped light-emitting diode (LED) over/underexposure indicators for better visibility in low light situations and better overall reliability.

These three early Photomic heads required Nikon F-mount lenses with a meter coupling shoe ("rabbit ears", see above).

The DS-1, -2 and -12 were bulky, slow and unreliable, and were feeble and inelegant attempts to add autoexposure to the manual exposure F2.

There were also three special purpose meterless heads available for the F2: the Nikon DW-1 waist-level finder (a non-pentaprism head; look down directly at the mirror-reversed image on the focusing screen), the DA-1 action finder (providing 60 mm of eye relief; extremely large exit pupil that can be viewed while wearing face masks, safety goggles, etc.)

The combination and wide selection of heads and screens allowed photographers to customize their F2s to their heart's content.

Selection of G1/G2/G3/G4 and H1/H2/H3/H4 should be determined by the specific lens being used,[5]: 5–36  but the following general observations can be made: Major accessories for the F2 included the Nikon MD-1 (introduced in 1971) and MD-2 (1973) motor drives, providing automatic film advance up to 5 frames per second, 6 if the mirror was locked up, plus power rewind.

Note that the 5 frame/s rate required that the F2 have its mirror locked up and the MD-1 or -2 be loaded with two Nikon MN-1 nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries.

The Nikon MW-1 was a similar device, but was larger and more powerful and used radio signals for a longer 2300/700 feet/meters obstructed view range.

It could fire the F2 for a specific number of frames at a particular shutter speed at set time intervals.

Nippon Kogaku also made scores of minor accessories for the F2, such as straps, cases, bags, remote firing cords, eyecups, eyepiece correction lenses, supplementary close-up lenses, lens hoods, filters and cases.

In 1978 the complete Nikon photographic system of cameras, lenses and accessories totaled nearly 450 items priced in excess of US$110,000—the most extensive and expensive in the world.

It used a tiny internal flash unit to imprint the time, date or sequential number on the film.

This was marketed as a collector's item of 4,000 specially numbered bodies intended to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Nikon cameras in the USA.

A plate was glued to the front of the camera below the shutter release noting, "25th Anniversary" (which has fallen off many bodies) and came in a special silver-colored box.

The F2A Anniversary was not authorized by Nikon; it was the creation of the American importer, Ehrenreich Photo-Optical Industries (EPOI).

If a pristine F2 body and head with date-compatible serial numbers is found, it will carry collector's items price tags.