Nikon F

Introduced in 1959, the Nikon F SLR introduced the concept of the 35mm camera system; that is to say, it introduced a lineup of the following interchangeable parts connected to the camera body:

• A lens with the "F" bayonet mount that is essentially used to this day. Nikon lenses are known as Nikkor lenses.
• A viewfinder. The original pentaprism viewfinder did not contain a light meter, but later Photomic finders did.
• A focussing screen.
• A camera back. Variants were available that could support 100-foot bulk film instead of the standard 36 exposures.
• An optional motor drive that advances the film automatically. In initial variants, this required a modification to the camera body.