What is up with Nikon F3 prices in 2021?

[Sonnar Brian]

I have most of the Nikon manual focus cameras going back to the M. 45 years of collecting- Many from walking into an antique store and picking up something cheap, or the camera shops when AF was new.

Used this one at the playground, someone with a DSLR said "Still living in the Stone Age, Huh" and I replied, "Just wait until an EMP bomb goes off". His snappy answer- "Yeah but your batteries won't work anymore". There was a "Generator Rex" episode where they need to sneak a camera pas electronic surveillance. The kid asks the head "how are you going to get past" to which, "White Knight" pulls out a Polaroid. I used to walk into camera shops- anything like this one for $100, would grab it. How I got two dozen Nikon F's and F2's.





Bought the F Photomic Bullseye in 1978. Had it last rebuilt by Mora camera. Had it sync'd for the F36 with Remopak.

 

[hap]

I bought a number of cameras in the last two years. I've wanted an F2AS but the prices have soared. I acquired a F3HP, a N80, and a SP at very resonable prices. A D750 at a steal. What's useful?....certainly the D750 given all the nikon lenses and some ability to adapt others. However, what is really a surprise is the N80. It's just easy to use and can meter most Nikon lenses including G and VR. I think the N80 is still pretty inexpensive and possibly the N90.

 

[KoNickon]

Someone in the RFF classifieds right now is looking for an F3HP -- must be mint. I wonder what he's willing to pay? 🙂

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Someone in the RFF classifieds right now is looking for an F3HP -- must be mint. I wonder what he's willing to pay? 🙂

I saw that- and asked the question. Checked Ebay. The LNIB F3HP's with SN over 2M have gone to over $2K, for the regular body. Seems very high- unrealistic. They are the last ones made.


One sold for $1400, just below 2M mark.

This one is $1200.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133919377070

I'm guessing about $1000 is the going rate, about what they cost new some 20 years ago.

I've ended up with three mirror-up modified Nikon F's, two look unused. I have no idea how many were made, at least three...

 

[Timmyjoe]

Bought a mint F3HP about six years ago from B&H for $300-ish. Thought it was a great camera until I put an SB-28 on it with the flash adapter and broke that stupid circuit board under the rewind knob. Would have cost much more than $300 to fix it, if a replacement circuit board could be found, so I parted it out. I'll never buy another F3HP because of that (what I consider a design flaw), though I'd jump at an F3P if they were reasonably priced.

Best,
-Tim

 

[hap]

That's why I have yet to mount a flash on my F3HP. I love the prism and view finder. Clear and big. It rates up with my FT3.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Thanks for the warning! I generally use an SB-12 on the F3, much lighter than the SB-28. I prefer the SB-7e on the F2, because it makes the cool little neon light glow in the finder.

 

[hap]

I bought a number of cameras in the last two years. I've wanted an F2AS but the prices have soared. I acquired a F3HP, a N80, and a SP at very resonable prices. A D750 at a steal. What's useful?....certainly the D750 given all the nikon lenses and some ability to adapt others. However, what is really a surprise is the N80. It's just easy to use and can meter most Nikon lenses including G and VR. I think the N80 is still pretty inexpensive and possibly the N90.

Just for information....how did I "steal" a D750. It had 220K shutter actuations. However, Nikon matched the serial number with the recall and completely replaced the entire shutter mechanism and refurbished everything else including sensor and focus, even cosmetics. the weird part...Nikon declined to reset the shutter to 0. I called Nikon support and they escalated up the chain and responded in writing "it's not our policy to reset the shutter count".(ie screw you) Fortunately, I have all the paperwork from Nikon.

 

[JeffS7444]

And here I thought that the great age of camera collecting had peaked in the 1990s! But since early 2020 it's been a weird combo of boredom, fewer new things to buy due to supply-chain problems, super bullish stock market and nutty crytocurrency markets resulting in lots of money and fewer ways to spend it.

 

[farlymac]

Bought a mint F3HP about six years ago from B&H for $300-ish. Thought it was a great camera until I put an SB-28 on it with the flash adapter and broke that stupid circuit board under the rewind knob. Would have cost much more than $300 to fix it, if a replacement circuit board could be found, so I parted it out. I'll never buy another F3HP because of that (what I consider a design flaw), though I'd jump at an F3P if they were reasonably priced.

Best,
-Tim

I used either a potato masher type flash with a PC cord such as the SB-11, or the SC-14 cable with an SB-16 or SB-17 on a bracket. No worries there.

PF

 

[Nitroplait]

I saw that- and asked the question. Checked Ebay. The LNIB F3HP's with SN over 2M have gone to over $2K, for the regular body. Seems very high- unrealistic. They are the last ones made.


One sold for $1400, just below 2M mark.

This one is $1200.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133919377070

I'm guessing about $1000 is the going rate, about what they cost new some 20 years ago.

snip

LNIB prices will alway defy logic or rules of thumb - I guess.

I think one could take a different perspective.
In 2002 when the last F3HP was sold, it was basically given away at $1200 ($1800 adjusted for inflation). There was no way in 2002 that THAT camera could cost as little as $1200 if it wasn't because the machinery and R&D were written off long time ago.

Same year, 2002, Leica introduced the M7 which had a lot in common with the F3 with regards to materials, technology and execution: brass top and bottom, old fashioned oversized horizontal travelling shutter, simple AE electronic circuitry, extremely smooth gearing.

The M7 price was $2300 in 2002 ($3500 adjusted for inflation) - this is perhaps what the F3 should have cost in 2002.

Preferences changes with time, of course, but as a manual focus film camera the F3 has great usability and it is the lightest of the professional Nikons (on par with the M7 in that regard) so there is no reason the F3 shouldn't cost quite a bit more than those give-away prices we have seen up to recently.

As much as I love Leica; given the choice of a great looking F3 for $1000 or a great looking M7 for $3500 in today's market, I would grab the F3 and indulge myself in Nikkor glass for the savings.

 

[jsrockit]

Same year, 2002, Leica introduced the M7 which had a lot in common with the F3 with regards to materials, technology and execution: brass top and bottom, old fashioned oversized horizontal travelling shutter, simple AE electronic circuitry, extremely smooth gearing. The M7 price was $2300 in 2002 ($3500 adjusted for inflation) - this is perhaps what the F3 should have cost in 2002.

Except that Leica and Nikon are never priced the same for comparable technology.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

There were about 750,000 F3's made. Economy of scale. The F2 was assembled by hand, the F3 assembly was more automated.

 

[Nitroplait]

Except that Leica and Nikon are never priced the same for comparable technology.

Well, surprise - as it is comparing a 1980 with a 2002 product.
Aside perhaps from Nikon's rangefinder days, it was never possible to compare them technologically at a given point in time.

The time-warp proposition was; if Nikon F3 was introduced in 2002 as a top of the line Nikon product, it would probably cost close to Leica's 2002 pricing of the M7.

The thought experiment holds because, for their respective top-of-the-line film cameras, Leica and Nikon were never far apart:.
In 1981 an F3 would cost just short of $600 and a R3 $700 or an M4-2 $720.
in 1999 an F5 would cost $1799 and an R8 $1499 or an M6 TTL(0.85) $1749.
(This is New York street pricing - list price would be different)

 

[Sonnar Brian]

An F3 with the MD-4 and MF-14 was not far from the price of the F4.
A Nikon F2AS with MD-2/MB-1 and DS-12 Servo might have been more, that was late 70s.
I have the F2Sb with MD-2/MB-1 and DS-1. It is heavy,

 

[huddy]

Well... whatever becomes of the F3 prices, there is a good market for someone to figure out how to manufacture new ASA ring resistors to repair all of the bodies that are stuck with mechanical only shutter.

 

[Nitroplait]

There were about 750,000 F3's made. Economy of scale. The F2 was assembled by hand, the F3 assembly was more automated.

Nikon certainly emphasised the state of the art production and assembly lines, however, the photos in the excellent "Nikon F3 Technical Manual" also reveals that it took more than a few human hands to make an F3. Robotic assembly in 1980 were not available for the precision work required to make a camera of F3 complexity.
Anyone interested in camera technology should take a look at the above publication.
The fact that such a publication even exists, shows how proud Nikon was of what they accomplished with the F3.

 

[f.hayek]

Also to be considered is demand from China-PRC for film camera. Have spoken with a few resellers of used items and a significant portion of their sales goes to said land. And some of the higher quality stuff.

 

[hap]

Nikon certainly emphasised the state of the art production and assembly lines, however, the photos in the excellent "Nikon F3 Technical Manual" also reveals that it took more than a few human hands to make an F3. Robotic assembly in 1980 were not available for the precision work required to make a camera of F3 complexity.
Anyone interested in camera technology should take a look at the above publication.
The fact that such a publication even exists, shows how proud Nikon was of what they accomplished with the F3.

That manual is a pretty amazing document. the design of the camera is so good that it belies the innards. Maybe that's the way most cameras "roll". however, I don't generally look at technical camera documents. the F3 is a great camera. I have yet, however, to try an F4 or F6.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Nikon had to convince a number of Photographers to trust a battery dependent camera back in 1980. The Nikon F2 was discontinued when the F3 was introduced, no overlap as there was with the F and F2. The F3 was priced higher than the F2, but the MD-4 was much less than the MD-2. Nikon figured most Pros would buy the camera with the motor. Within a year or so, the F3HP came out- annoyed a lot of early buyers. I did not pick up an F3 until Penn camera "made the offer I could not refuse" for an F3AF with the DX-1+DE3+MF-14+MD4+Nicads and charger for $500. I sold the MD-4 with the charger shortly after. But, picked up a new MD-4 and MF-14 for each of the F3HP's bought new.