I have F3 lust

burninfilm said:
You have to hold down the DOF preview button, and then somehow operate the aperture and shutter dial with your fingers in some crazy awkward way to adjust the exposure. .......Then again, this kinda goes along with all of the camera bodies Nikon made for AI type lenses.
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Well, the AI bodies which allow this compatibility are actually in the minority; most have a fixed metering tab which won't allow the non-AI lenses to be attached at all. The F3 is one of only a handful of models which feature the moveable metering tab.
 
i think burnin film meant non AI and AI(s)

i think burnin film meant non AI and AI(s)

He described the metering issues for non-AI lenses which work great, and only need stopping down for checking in metered manual mode. Non-AI lenses can possibly still be AI'd, but might affect their value.

jonmanjiro said:
Ummm, THIS is confusing 😕 Ai and AiS lenses are functionally identical on the F3, and FE, FM series cameras.



The F2AS, F2SB, FM, FM2, and FM2n use a diode display, not a match needle display.
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I use beside my Leica MP, a F3 and a F5.
I have to use glases on my eyes but I don't need a F3HP.

If I wouldn't have so much Nikon lenses I would buy a Leica R4 or R5,
they can spotmetering wich the F3 doesn't do.

But of course some photos, or better sayed many photos don't need to be spotmetered 🙂
 
MelanieC said:
Why F3HP?

My understanding is that the regular viewfinder has a greater magnification (which I like better) but I figure there must be a reason why every used F3 I see for sale has the HP viewfinder on it. What's the big advantage? I don't wear glasses to shoot so that isn't an issue for me.

I love my OM-1 but I admit that I have a minor hankering for an F3.
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The viewfinder on the HP is as big as a porthole on a ship. It's just very comfortable to look through. You never have to squint or press your eye against the finder to see the edges, because you can see the entire frame from at least 1 inch away.

HL
 
If I would go to the jungle I would take the F3HP.
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Ironically, it was in a jungle (in Malaysia) that my R3 with Nikkor 35-135 came to a damp end. There was just me, my F3, and a sudden torrential downpour. I sheltered as best I could under a tree, but the water was coming from all directions and I didn't realise the camera was getting half full of water.

It was several days before I got back to anywhere where I could get it serviced (Bangkok), and unfortunately the lens was completely seized up by then. The body was mechanically ok, but the meter was ruined - I sold it for what I could get for it.

And ever since, I've hankered after another, and have even come close to bidding on a few auctions. But I have my OM kit and RF kit and really can't justify an F3. Oh well.
 
kully said:
Anyway, two paragraphs later and I come to the crux of the post - I want a Nikon F3 to look "like a photographer".

Do you reckon the F3 is OK for this? Would you recommend anything else in the price range (not Canon please!).

cheers,
kully
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Kully,
Get one while they are cheap, these days they are selling for under $200...add the MD-4 for another $50 😉

10678714.jpg



Viola...you are a "Pro" 😀 😀

Kiu
 
So the FM and FM2 use a diode display, huh? My mistake... it's been a while since I used one of them. The well thought out diode displays of many Nikon cameras work great too. Even the meter display in the lowly FG (another great camera btw) is fantastic.

I don't know what was so confusing about my earlier statement concerning open aperture metering with AI and AI-S lenses. Like I alluded to earlier, maybe the human mind isn't capable of understanding Nikon SLR lens compatibility. There are three main types of manual focus lenses for Nikon SLRs. These are non-AI, AI, and AI-S. The F3 meters with an open aperture when using AI and AI-S lenses. When using non-AI lenses, you must use stop-down metering.

And yes, I was aware that the F3, FE, etc. are in the minority when it comes to being compatible with non-AI lenses. However, there's enough affordable AI and AI-S glass out there, so why bother screwing with stop-down metering for non-AI lenses? Remember, these cameras really weren't designed to meter this way like a Pentax Spotmatic, so it's a bit of a pain.
 
kully said:
Do you reckon the F3 is OK for this? Would you recommend anything else in the price range (not Canon please!).

cheers,
kully
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When I feel like being perceived as a "real" photographer, I borrow my friend's Nikon FM2. That and the winder really put an aura of authority.

Whichever Nikon F* you get, get the black one, I've yet seen an SLR that is nicer in chrome.

OM-1 would probably be cool also because it's small but it has the big lens, unlike an RF. These people wouldn't know what to make of you 😀.

PS: I can relate to the "not Canon please!" 😎
 
Hey, thanks for all the replies. I hadn't expected all of that from one miffed off blokes slightly tipsy post.

It's a little peculiar to want to look like a "proper photographer", something that I hate to do. But I got so much hassle from the stage managers, stewards and security when they saw we wandering about on and around the stages with my battered M2, IIIa and M4-2 - they wanted to know what I was doing there. When I went back with the D70 and its zoom lens - "ah, no problem" he has a "proper" camera so we don't need to bother him.

I also got something similar when asking people for photos - with the RFs I was rejected much more often than with the D70.

Ah well 🙂

I'm still sitting on the fence though, it's a lot of money for something I would rarely use. I might just make one from paper mache and sling it over my shoulder ;-) (lighter too).
 
Kully

Please make sure you try one before you buy e.g. the time out on the LCD display is really annoying...

Noel
 
Kully,

I'm an F2 sort of person. I'm not into auto anything but flash. Kiu is right, F3s are a bargin right now. Get an HP, the finder is much better. A bit bigger, but well worth it. Also, change the screen to a P screen, IMHO Nikons best design.

I carry an F2A (or AS at nigth) when I need to reach out to things I can not get with my 105 on my M6. I have a 180/2.8 ED and would highly recomend this as a great lens. When all I want to carry is my SLR, I carry a 28/2.8 AIS, 105/2.5, 180/2.8 ED and a 2X teleconverter, all Nikkor.

F3 is a fine camera, I just like the F2 a bit better.

B2 (;->
 
I just bought a F3 with MD-4 winder and 3 lenses (Series E 36-72, Series E 28, and a Vivitar zoom) for $185. GAS attack that won. Hopefully get the camera back from the shop this week. The linkage between the aperture ring and the metering system was broken. The guy that sold it to me said he just used it that way, no need to fix it, besides, it was a known design flaw. I seriously think Nikon would continue to manufacture a camera, especially their top of the line one, with a design flaw.

There's just something about a Nikon F series.
 
css9450 said:
Well, the AI bodies which allow this compatibility are actually in the minority; most have a fixed metering tab which won't allow the non-AI lenses to be attached at all. The F3 is one of only a handful of models which feature the moveable metering tab.
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Specifically, the F2AS, the FM, and the Nikkormat FT3 have flippy tabs.
 
No Canon?? Oh no!! The "new" F-1 is just as easy to use as the F3HP and the lens are dirt cheap. If you use an F-1 CLAed by Ken Oikawa, you'll see what I mean!
 
F3 is a fantastic camera, but as stated previously, try and FM - you can pick them up for under 50 quid on Ebay, whereas an F3 you could be talking over 200 quid.
 
If you want to get over the F3 Lust, think "F3AF". Google it.

Like taking a cold shower.

Go for the F3HP. Under $100 in user condition these days.
 
The viewfinder on the F3HP is easier to use with glasses than any F2 except the DA-1.

The F3 is a fine camera, as is the F2. The F2 was the last of the hand-assembled Nikons up until the S3-2000. But both handle expectionally well, and the F3 offers aperture preferred-automatic. My F2s with the DS-1 offers Shutter-preferred automation. I would not classify it as a Rolls-Royce solution if you want automatic operation. More like a Rube Goldberg.
 
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