Nikon N2020

A few manufacturers patented autofocus technology before any real camera was in production. Early models that used an autofocus system had them bolted to the outside or incorporated inside a large unwieldy lens, creating an often cumbersome design. The first fully integrated autofocus SLR was the Minolta Maxxum 7000 in 1985, causing quite a stir with their rivals. This completely changed the market and created a new standard for other companies to meet or exceed. Nikon dabbled in autofocus with the F3AF, releasing a small number of lenses for the system, but three years later in 1986, they released a real attempt at an autofocus camera, the Nikon N2020.

The analog past meets the Autofocus future

New technology, not to mention quality control of components in the 80s, made headlines, caused company downfalls, and caused some names to reach new heights. Autofocus was generally looked down upon by professionals in the beginning, similar to when aperture priority or ‘automatic’ cameras first came out. Living up to the lauded background Nikon had up to this point, was a lot of pressure, and it had to be done right the first time. The F3AF was a great test run, but Nikon was behind in the autofocus market. By 1986, Minolta had the Maxxum 5000, 7000, and 9000, reaching a wide audience from amateur to pro and dominating the market.

It’s truly astounding how ahead of the game Minolta was, and how other companies struggled immensely to gain market share. To add further context, Pentax tried briefly with the ME F and was a year out from releasing the SF-1. Canon had the T80 out since 1985, but it was limited and hindered by catering to backwards compatibility. Olympus would release the OM-707 in 86, to a very limited success. Ricoh, Yashica, Chinon, Contax, and Leitz would be years behind, with the likes of Fuji, Mamiya, and Konica not even trying. The Nikon F4 and N8008 would take their fair share of the autofocus SLR market along with the Canon EOS system, but that would be in the latter half of the 80s. For a few years, the N2020 was the best autofocus SLR Nikon had on the market and arguably the second or third best autofocus camera overall. A very interesting time in film photography history, and a make or break moment for getting photographers to invest in a system. This was to be known as the first generation of autofocus SLR cameras.

With the all black top cover and black rubberized material wrapping around the front, the N2020 (F-501 outside the U.S.) is sleek and discrete. There are slight nuances of red around the camera, as well as the Nikon logo being the main focus. It’s a great looking camera, blending in nicely to Nikon’s manual focus lineup at the time. The viewfinder is bright and relatively large with the option of a large selection of interchangeable focus screens. The stock focus screen that came with every N2020 was a matte screen with focus areas marked. The camera has no LCD display, inside or out, but there are shutter speed indicators on the right side of the viewfinder, along with a flash ready light and an over/under focus indicator on the bottom. Four AAA batteries are required to run the camera, located on the bottom of the camera, and last an impressive time. The manual states in optimal conditions around 60 rolls of 36 exposures.

On top of the N2020 is where most of the features are located. To turn the camera on, you have to lift up the ring around the shutter release out of L (lock) and into one of the two modes. S for single or C for continuous shooting, while you hold the shutter button down. Below that is an on or off switch for the audible warning beep. This warning signifies if the camera cannot read the DX code, over/under exposure, or if the film is at the end of the roll. The beep is also used for the self timer. To the left of that is the shutter speed and mode dial. The N2020 can shoot from bulb and one second to 1/2000 of a second in fully metered manual, as well as A (aperture priority) and three different program modes. You have (P) Program, (P Hi) Program High Speed, and (P Dual) Program Dual. Program mode is a typical auto everything mode, with the high speed program mode being another auto everything mode that favors higher shutter speeds. The odd one of the bunch is the program dual mode. This mode chooses between normal or high speed mode depending on the focal length of the lens.

You have a standard hot shoe on top of the prism but with extra contacts, to signal a ready light in the viewfinder and cooperate with the camera’s TTL meter. On the top left side of the camera, there is the rewind lever, which needs to be activated by a button and switch located below the shutter speed dial and both labeled R. Under the rewind knob, you have the exposure compensation dial, locked with a button above it, and the ISO speed selector. You also have the option of a DX code reader, but this is not automatically usable until you turn the dial to DX. There is also a red LED to the right of the dial that lights up after a shot is taken, and the film is winding.

The stock film door is bare but has a film winding indicator on the righthand side. You have the option of several data backs that add a plethora of options as well. The N2020 uses the Nikon Bayonet Mount, with the addition of autofocus contacts and a screw drive. Contemporary autofocus lenses had a manual aperture setting, but newer G lenses without it can be used but only in full program mode. The autofocus drive is audible, but not obtrusive, and pretty responsive.

On the front face of the camera, you have the lens release button and remote shutter release port located on the right hand side. Below that is a lever with three options M (manual focus), C (continuous servo auto focus), and S (single servo auto focus). Manual is self explanatory, but single means you compose an image, have the camera focus on the subject and as long as you are half pressed on the shutter button, the focus will stay there. Continuous meant that if you were in a situation where the focus would be changing rapidly, while the shutter is half pressed, the camera is always searching for the best focus. On the left side of the lens, you have a button for auto exposure lock, autofocus lock, and a self timer.

THE SPECS AND FEATURES

Shutter Speeds - four auto/program modes, bulb, and manual from 1 sec to 1/2000th of a second

Aperture - electronic, dependent on lens

Meter Type - TTL

Shutter - electronic, (manual, aperture priority, program, program HI and program dual modes), metal vertical plane

ASA - 12 to 3200, DX option

Lens - Nikon Bayonet AI up to screw drive AF lenses compatible, some exceptions

Flash Option - hot shoe with extra contacts (flash ready, TTL, and monitor contact), X-Sync at 1/125th of a second,

Batteries - 4 AAA batteries standard, AA battery option available

Film Type - 35mm

Other Notable Features - [manual, single or continuous auto focus], single or continuous shooting mode, flash indicator in viewfinder, optional warning alarm, exposure compensation, self timer, auto focus lock, auto exposure lock, film advance indicator, remote contact

The EXPERIENCE

I’ve had this camera for a number of years, finding it tucked away in the back of a thrift store well before the current resurgence of film. Never owning a Nikon camera before this, I purchased it with great excitement and hurried home. However, right away I thought it was broken. It was getting some power, but the electronics were weak, causing glitching displays and multiple parts were not responding. The N2020 takes 4 AAA batteries, and after the camera was not used for a number of years, the contacts must have oxidized. I cleaned them off and to my surprise, the camera worked perfectly, never causing me trouble again.

My N2020 came with a Nikkor 50mm (f/1.8) lens, an optically identical autofocus rendition of the original 50mm (f/1.8) lens. I decided to do a controlled test, by taking shots of cameras for the website. I switched to manual focus and was impressed at how close you were able to move in, a mere 1.5 feet (0.45 meters). The resulting images were fantastic, and this was the only camera I used for studio work in the early days of the site. A few months after, I switched to the N8008s (which I still use to this day), and the N2020 was stored in the back of a cabinet as the backup Nikon AF body. Over four years went by, and I found myself rearranging a closet and ran across this camera once again. I felt that it was a shame that I never really gave the camera a real look, and decided to give the N2020 a full test and give this article an update.

On a recent Father’s Day, I decided to take the camera with me for a test around my parents’ house. I took a few pictures here and there indoors, but we ended up making our way to a car show that morning. An excellent test for the N2020! It was not too sunny out, so I was able to keep a shallow depth of field to isolate the cars from the mundane pavement backgrounds. Right away, I was reminded that this was older autofocus technology. You need to be careful what you focus on. An easily definable contrast separation without too many repeating patterns is what you should aim for. The brighter the light, the faster the focus. I had to learn this the hard way with other 80s Maxxum cameras, so it was not difficult to work with. I ended up putting the N2020 in single autofocus mode as well, denying you the ability to take a picture until the camera locks in focus. The film I had loaded was Ilford HP5+, and after not shooting it for a while, I was reminded again of how excellent the stock is. Some interesting pictures, nothing too amazing, but I really was enjoying using the N2020 again.

In my effort to go out and photograph more, I’ve found myself going to many local events. Air and water shows, festivals, and markets to name a few, but never sports. When I think of sports photography, my mind goes instantly to Canon. The de facto leader in this realm and synonymous with the Olympics. At least in the recent past. A marathon was being held down by the lakefront near me, and I went with a friend to try to document the event. I took a Nikonos III with black and white, and the N2020 with color, carrying both cameras around my neck and feeling like I probably looked a bit strange doing so. It was extremely difficult subject wise, with a million things happening at once, a difficult to navigate track layout, and people absolutely everywhere. You really have to think completely different than any other type of photography, having split second decision making while fighting the crowd and other photographers for decent spots. I took along a middle of the road lens, the Sigma UC Zoom 28-70 (f/3.5-4.5) to have a bit of range, but quickly found out it was not enough. At 70mm you can get somewhat close, but I really needed a 135 or 200mm lens to isolate the subjects. I worked with what I had and came away with a few shots I liked. It was an incredible experience overall, and a great speed test for the N2020. I had no issues whatsoever and in overcast lighting with faster moving subjects, the camera performed excellently. I just wish I took better pictures!

The next test I wanted to do was with manual focus lenses, to see what features are still available to you in this realm. I briefly used a manual focus lens with the N2020 many years ago, but remembered that it handled well. You are able to use any AI lens with full metering in Program, Aperture, and Manual modes with focus confirmation. I put the N2020 in aperture priority, threw on a Nikkor 50mm f/2, and made my way to a local street festival. I took 100 speed Ultrafine black and white film, and hoped the maximum aperture of f/16 would be enough with the 1/2000th of a second shutter speed in the bright sun. Once there, I took a quick meter reading and was at 1/500th at f/16, quite close.

At the festival there was a homemade cart racing competition that was delightfully odd, but a very fun experience. Many weird and wacky creations with lots of laughing, live music, people selling food, and everyone in good spirits. I found myself relaxed and taking random shots here and there of the race, of people setting up, and whatnot. The N2020 faired excellently, with most off the cuff shots quickly taken and easily focusable. I trusted the camera after the first meter reading, leaving the lens at f/16 and sometimes prefocusing the lens so all I had to do was shoot. Once the pictures were developed and scanned, I was left with perfectly exposed and decently shot images. Nothing too amazing once again, but if anything it showed me that the N2020 is not only a workable autofocus camera, but an excellent manual focus camera as well. Nikon themselves even knew this and released the N2000, an almost identical camera to the N2020, but missing the autofocus components.

In the earlier 2019 version of this article, I criticized the camera a lot more than it deserved. The camera needed a second look, and I feel that I finally did a full gambit of tests for the N2020. Initial studio work, sports photography, and street. Along with some other types I showed bits and pieces of like macro, portraits, and landscapes. I tried Nikon autofocus, third party autofocus, manual focus, and even AI converted lenses. Everything worked, and worked well. The only hiccups I had were with autofocus, but that was my own fault for not working with the limits of the technology.

The N2020 sits at an interesting place in Nikon’s history. The first real leap they took into autofocus, and they needed to do it right. There was no second chance here, as the stakes were high and the competition was likely to be years ahead. This camera was a great start, and still shines as an excellent machine today. Every mode, setting, lens, or scene I threw at the N2020 was not a problem. I was incredibly impressed not only how well the camera performed, but how easy and natural it was to use. All dials and switches, with the only screen being a reference to the settings in the viewfinder. Not only does the N2020 look great, but it delivers everything a photographer wants and needs out of a manual camera, with the addition of autofocus. After using a handful of other amateur to professional Nikon cameras, I can still completely and fully recommend the Nikon N2020 to anyone. It’s a beautiful mixture of autofocus with an analog mentality, and one that needs to be celebrated.