Nikon F3 Press - did press photographers actually buy and use this?

I don't shoot super rough environments, I don't care about the two frames and I don't use a motor drive...

Guess I'll stick to a regular F3/F3T

I do enjoy playing 80s press photographer...
 
Flat Twin said:

Nikon F3P by Flat Twin, on Flickr

I guess it was a modern masterpiece once but today it is also a wonderful camera when its downsized with a DE-2 and a standard film back...
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I just think the F3P is kinda evil looking.

Sometimes I shoot without a MD-4, but I add this aftermarket third party grip. The MF-18 stays on the camera, and the baseplate for the grip protects the film leader/rewind contacts of the MF-18 along with the base for my AH-4 handstrap.

Kinda like putting on a pair of brass knuckles to go out into NYC.

Cal
 
F3P cameras were basically distributed to the press market by Nikon Professional Services. Most were sold directly to newspapers with some dealer participation depending on the location. This has probably been said but the weakest part of the F3 was the shutter release button. It was very vulnerable to moisture. Civilians could solve the problem with an AR9 shutter release button. The F3P did it with the rubber shroud over the release.
 
Mine remains intact. My F3P gets mostly used with the MD-4. The original MD-4 went south a few years ago.

I'm glad that my F3P got overhauled by Nikon just before I bought it. Other than wear it was like a new camera when I bought it, brassing, scuffs and all.

Cal
 
I used one for work in wet and dusty plants - pulp mills, saw mills, power plants etc. Usually with the Md4 and a brace of Vivtar 283's. The weather sealing was good, sawmills in particular are deadly when it comes to dust - and it will get in everywhere. The regular F3's were mostly fine - but occasionally I got stuck in places where they used water spray to keep down dust. Often I could get away with the Nikonos - but sometimes you need either wider or longer lenses and thats when the F3P came in handy. It did come to an untimely end though - fell of a tower for a conveyor belt (about 10 m up) into a rather deep puddle. Exit Md4/28f2 and the F3P!
 
I did and also sweare a blue streak as the Ektachrome 64 roll got soaked in the muddy water and was destroyed. This was in the days when you shot a lot and cameras were more disposable than today! If I remember right, it was replaced by another F3HP and lens/Md4 combo. Industrial photography is hell on equipment - I found that I usually wrote off a couple of cameras every 6 month - lenses more often as they often got dropped when you changed them. Sometimes things could get fixed - but more often they were discarded. You can't take chances when you are paid for pictures - the client is not interested in mechanical woes.
 
Over time stuff happens. Had a Nikon F2 tip over when mounted on an extended tripod. Also dropped another F2 that was in a never ready case. Kinda smashed the prism and broke part of the die cast, but still worked.

Killed a MD-4 that came with my F3P. Really sounded awefull and not cool at all.

Had my Noct-Nikkor seperate from my F3P, but I somehow caught the lens without suffering any damage.

One reason why I seldom change lenses in the street is my fear of dropping or loosing glass.

Had the neck strap on a Fuji GL690 come loose and again caught the camera before it crashed.

Destroyed many filters: one on a doorknob; many others by just dropping them by accident.

Had a Leica M6 HM spill from my camera bag when I fell on a railroad embankment and watched it tumble down a graveled hill.

Basically accidents just happen and it is just a matter of time.

Cal
 
jsrockit said:
Yeah, this one hurt even to watch...
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John,

Once it was a mighty minty camera, and in a moment it suddenly was not. LOL.

I'm sure more events will happen. Still have not drowned any camera like Tom A.

BTW I still have and use the TA black Rapidwinder and TA Rapidgrip that display nicks from the gravel.

Cal
 
Nikon could mod' a standard F3 to behave like the F3P on those first few frames. I just sold mine which was like this. I never minded the secondary lock for the back door. The F3 in any form is probably the cheapest, toughest manual focus pro camera available with very few faults. The F3P with an early non HP finder and a standard back with no motor would be my prefered set up. I fancied one at one point but the standard F3 does it all anyway if you can't find one.
 
nobbylon said:
Nikon could mod' a standard F3 to behave like the F3P on those first few frames. I just sold mine which was like this. I never minded the secondary lock for the back door. The F3 in any form is probably the cheapest, toughest manual focus pro camera available with very few faults. The F3P with an early non HP finder and a standard back with no motor would be my prefered set up. I fancied one at one point but the standard F3 does it all anyway if you can't find one.
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John,

Twas you with the HP on the F3 Tribute thread that had one of those rare F3's that loaded like a F3P.

The secondary lock exasperates me I think because I have owned a F3P for so long. Now I'm spoiled. Perhaps I am famous for being lazy and a lazy slacker. LOL. That secondary latch is just too much extra work for me. LOL.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
John,

Twas you with the HP on the F3 Tribute thread that had one of those rare F3's that loaded like a F3P.

The secondary lock exasperates me I think because I have owned a F3P for so long. Now I'm spoiled. Perhaps I am famous for being lazy and a lazy slacker. LOL. That secondary latch is just too much extra work for me. LOL.

Cal
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mine was the standard F3 that had been modified Cal.
My F5 had the lock on the back door also, now also sold.
Apart from my 2 unused F2's I only have the F6 which has no lock.
 
Hello,

I used a regular F3HP. Of course I was working for a small newspaper and we had to buy our own gear... I think most photographers used the F3HP. Actually, most I knew used the cheaper FM2, etc. The F3 was quite expensive back then, and we were paid peanuts...
I never knew there was a problem with the door, darn, had I known... ;-)

Gil.
 
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