<s>
The	O
Nikon	O
F	O
camera	O
,	O
introduced	O
in	O
April	O
1959	O
,	O
was	O
Nikon	O
's	O
first	O
SLR	B-Algorithm
camera	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
produced	O
until	O
October	O
1973	O
and	O
was	O
replaced	O
by	O
the	O
Nikon	B-Algorithm
F2	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aspects	O
of	O
its	O
design	O
remain	O
in	O
all	O
of	O
Nikon	O
's	O
subsequent	O
SLR	B-Algorithm
cameras	I-Algorithm
,	O
through	O
the	O
current	O
Nikon	B-Algorithm
F6	I-Algorithm
film	O
and	O
Nikon	B-Algorithm
D6	I-Algorithm
digital	O
models	O
(	O
which	O
still	O
share	O
its	O
Nikon	B-Architecture
F-mount	I-Architecture
for	O
lenses	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
tradition	O
was	O
carried	O
all	O
the	O
way	O
through	O
their	O
top	O
line	O
of	O
Nikon	O
cameras	O
until	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Nikon	B-Algorithm
D1	I-Algorithm
(	O
digital	O
)	O
cameras	O
decades	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nikon	O
F	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
35mm	O
SLR	B-Algorithm
system	O
to	O
be	O
widely	O
adopted	O
by	O
professional	O
photographers	O
,	O
especially	O
photojournalists	O
covering	O
the	O
Vietnam	O
War	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
for	O
use	O
by	O
NASA	O
astronauts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
camera	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
F-mount	B-Architecture
bayonet	O
lens	B-Algorithm
mount	I-Algorithm
system	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
still	O
used	O
as	O
of	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nikon	O
F	O
evolved	O
from	O
a	O
rangefinder	O
camera	O
,	O
the	O
Nikon	B-Algorithm
SP	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
prototype	O
model	O
,	O
in	O
particular	O
,	O
was	O
an	O
SP	O
with	O
a	O
mirror	O
box	O
,	O
pentaprism	O
and	O
larger	O
lens	B-Algorithm
mount	I-Algorithm
grafted	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
F	O
was	O
a	O
modular	O
system	B-Algorithm
camera	I-Algorithm
,	O
with	O
various	O
assemblies	O
such	O
as	O
viewfinders	O
,	O
focusing	O
screens	O
,	O
and	O
motor	O
drives	O
for	O
36-exposure	O
and	O
250-exposure	O
film	O
cassettes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
F36	O
motor	O
drive	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
popular	O
motor	O
drives	O
for	O
SLR	B-Algorithm
cameras	I-Algorithm
,	O
was	O
capable	O
of	O
firing	O
up	O
to	O
4	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
with	O
the	O
mirror	O
locked	O
up	O
or	O
3	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
with	O
full	O
reflex	O
viewing	O
maintained	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nikon	O
F	O
had	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
lenses	O
,	O
covering	O
21	O
mm	O
to	O
1000	O
mm	O
focal	B-Algorithm
length	I-Algorithm
by	O
1962	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nikon	O
was	O
among	O
the	O
first	O
companies	O
to	O
manufacture	O
Catadioptric	O
system	O
lens	O
designs	O
,	O
combining	O
mirrors	O
and	O
lenses	O
to	O
make	O
more-compact	O
lenses	O
with	O
longer	O
focal	B-Algorithm
lengths	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
markets	O
,	O
the	O
camera	O
was	O
marketed	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
Nikkor	B-Algorithm
F	I-Algorithm
"	O
due	O
to	O
trademark	O
conflicts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nikkor	B-Algorithm
F	I-Algorithm
cameras	O
have	O
become	O
collector	O
's	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nikon	O
F	O
was	O
succeeded	O
in	O
1972	O
by	O
the	O
Nikon	B-Algorithm
F2	I-Algorithm
series	O
after	O
a	O
production	O
total	O
of	O
862,600	O
bodies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequent	O
"	O
single-digit	O
"	O
F	O
cameras	O
continued	O
as	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
Nikon	O
's	O
professional	O
line	O
of	O
film	O
SLRs	B-Algorithm
,	O
through	O
the	O
Nikon	B-Algorithm
F6	I-Algorithm
introduced	O
in	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
digital	O
Nikon	B-Algorithm
D1	I-Algorithm
in	O
1999	O
,	O
Nikon	O
has	O
continued	O
to	O
reserve	O
single-digit	O
model	O
numbers	O
for	O
top-of-the-line	O
cameras	O
.	O
</s>
