Sell the flash, buy the F3?

[Merkin]

according to nikon usa, it will cost between 100 and 250 bucks to fix, depending on the severity.

 

[amateriat]

The F5 is a great camera, but yes, it's kinda big. (This, of course, rules out the suggestion of an F4, which, if anything, is a bit bigger). The F3 is as as bulletproof as they come, uses a pair of silver-oxide batteries that should see you the better part of a year, handles wonderfully, utilizes a seriously-accurate, tight center-weighted metering system, and largely stays out of your way in the picture-taking process. Add to this that you can still get the camera easily serviced, either through Nikon themselves or through a host of independent service shops. (And, yes, the film advance is scary-silky-smooth, for what that's worth.)

What you end up doing with the F5 and flash is your business, but let's just say I think getting an F3 body isn't the worst idea in the world, by a long shot.


- Barrett

 

[bogelgelbo]

I'm on the minority here telling the negative of F3 but my recently bought F3 brings me troubles since the first day i bought it.

First it eats up battery fast, I mean for one roll I changed batteries 3 times. It turn out that I have bad battery batches from the store. As an Contax IIa (a fully mechanical camera) user I find it frustrating to run out of battery when I'm photographing, it slows things and ruin the momentum. The second problem turn out during a photo session too, the metering is on but the shutter just refuses to shut. :bang:

Now it is on the shop for repair but I'm afraid I dont have the confidence to use it as before.. 🙁

 

[nobbylon]

With prices as they are why not an F100? great meter, fast auto focus and very solid. I have an FM2 and the F100 and although the viewfinder of the F100 is slightly smaller, I do prefer it. What I have noticed is that rolls from the F100 are consistantly better exposed than the FM2.

 

[amateriat]

I'm on the minority here telling the negative of F3 but my recently bought F3 brings me troubles since the first day i bought it.

First it eats up battery fast, I mean for one roll I changed batteries 3 times. It turn out that I have bad battery batches from the store. As an Contax IIa (a fully mechanical camera) user I find it frustrating to run out of battery when I'm photographing, it slows things and ruin the momentum. The second problem turn out during a photo session too, the metering is on but the shutter just refuses to shut. :bang:

Now it is on the shop for repair but I'm afraid I dont have the confidence to use it as before.. 🙁

So...are we talking about a problem with the camera's electronics (possible, depending on what the camera has been though before it reached your hands), or is this a problem with the batteries you are putting in it? The frequency of battery replacement you mention is, to put it mildly, quite abnormal. A pair of silver-oxide cells in a properly-working F3 should last the better part of a year, easy. Even the toughest camera can fail if subjected to a high level of abuse/misuse. Best to have it properly looked over.


- Barrett

 

[migtex]

Better choice is the F3P (then any flash will do) and why not the fully Mechanic F2A or F2AS?

 

[amateriat]

Better choice is the F3P (then any flash will do) and why not the fully Mechanic F2A or F2AS?

A bit more versatile in the flash department, for certain, but (1) F3Ps are still a good deal more dear than a standard-issue F3 HP, and (2) flash work isn't quite the priority for him with this setup. A relatively clean F3 HP won't beat up the budget too much. One other consideration is that electronic shutters, for all their battery-dependency, are far less likely to require adjustment than their purely-mechanical counterparts; not to knock the F2 (or my M2, for that matter), a good electronic shutter tends to simply stay on-the-money, throughout its shutter-speed range, for quite some time, without fuss. Electronics can be good for something. 😉


- Barrett

 

[bogelgelbo]

So...are we talking about a problem with the camera's electronics (possible, depending on what the camera has been though before it reached your hands), or is this a problem with the batteries you are putting in it? The frequency of battery replacement you mention is, to put it mildly, quite abnormal. A pair of silver-oxide cells in a properly-working F3 should last the better part of a year, easy. Even the toughest camera can fail if subjected to a high level of abuse/misuse. Best to have it properly looked over.


- Barrett

I don't know what is wrong and whether the battery i used before cause it to fail. Hopefully the tech get it right again, Don't get me wrong, Its a great camera when it is working.

 

[principe azul]

Lovely lever wind as well. As smooth as a Leica...

Smoother! I thought my Leica had broken once I'd been shooting for a while with my new F3.

Plain F3 is I 0.8x and F3HP 0.75x. Check out mir.com.my.