Nikon F3 Tribute

[Mister E]

^--- corrected.

ten characters

 

[Calzone]

So, what's next?

a F2 thread? ;-)

That's a good idea. Even though I started this thread, and I love all my F3's, the F2 has a lot to offer.

I sold my two F2AS's because they needed service. I do not have remorse because I figured if I was going to send a F2AS out for service I'd get a nice clean one to keep for the rest of my life.

Now that I have a Noct-Nikkor it seems inevitable that a F2AS will be in my future. BTW I think the F2AS is a very sexy looking camera.

For me the F3 is unbeatable for fast action because of how it has a motordrive that is more fully intergrated. The info on the LCD I find useful, but the limitations under dim lighting are very real. The F2AS is a unbeatable nightstalker with a great-great meter.

I once found a Contax T3 in its leather case. I almost stepped on it when I was wandering around a desolate part of Brooklyn (near where I once lived. LOL). All the automation and the autofocus made me take horrible pictures. Call me retro, but all I need is a basic camera that importantly is durable.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

I like the F3.
I will get a motor in a few days also.
I will look for a second one (the dream one - F3P with HP finder, no stop back and no motor).

Dirk,

Currently B&H has a F3P, but also KEH has several. For a minute I thought of adding a heavily brassed out F3P to my arsenal, but a clean F2AS is a much higher priority for nightstalking.

All F3P's feature the High Eyepoint BTW; and as far as I know all came with the stop back that can be easily changed with the no stop back on your current F3HP.

I tend to think of my MD-4 as a big/heavy soft release, but I use a TA Softy on my non motor driven F3 (with 24/2.0 AIS and DA-2 Action Finder). I need to get another TA Softy for use on my non HP motor driven F3 because sometimes I go into stealth mode where I turn the motor drive off and operate in quiet mode using the standard shutter release. If I turn on the motordrive it will advance the film, and make that anoying sound I love. A lot of fun, especially in close quarters like the subway.

I liked your description when you described the appearance as "menacing." LOL. This rings true. Also about not being discreate like a Leica. It takes a certain personality with character to shoot a F3 with a motordrive. Not a subtle camera. From the numerous times I have been asked, "Are you a pro?" I figure most people believe I am working.

Cal

 

[rbsinto]

Had an FA back in the day. Despised it. Sold it. Disgusting camera. Everything about it was not-quite-right. It was much, much less than the sum of its parts. Only good thing about the FA was that selling it helped finance my M6.

Dante Stella has a nice piece comparing the FA and F3. He doesn't hate the FA as much as I do.

I like the FE2 better than the F3, the F3 a bit more than the FM, and the FA a LOT less than any of them.

Interesting.
RBSinTo's Law states: Everybody does what they do. And everybody likes what they like.
I'm very happy with my FA. It has all the features I need and the AMP (Matrix) metering system gives me good, well exposed results. About the only thing I dislike is the cheesy Depth of Field Preview Lever, which is very slender and easily broken, and operates the opposite way to the levers on the FE/FM series cameras.
Other than that, I think it's a wonderful camera.
And every so often when the weight and idiosynchrasies of my motorized F2AS and motorized, meterless F bodies give me pause to think about it, I consider selling and replacing them with two more motorized FAs.

 

[semilog]

^--- Totally valid. If asked to articulate what I disliked about my FA I'd just have to say that taken as a whole it never worked for me. YMMV, of course!

 

[MRohlfing]

- first and foremost the horrific meter display in lowlight - you really have to revert in low light to standard procedure with a meter less camera - there is nothing, you could ever see, even if you force yourself, that could indicate over or under exposure.

... unless you are able to find and press that little red button for the light, but it is a pain to use.

You have to wake up the camera regularly, while shooting, as I lost quite a few frames, as the camera was asleep, and pressing the electronic shutter button did nothing for a moment, that seemed eternal to me. I thought at first, I ran out of juice or the camera is damaged otherwise - no, it is just a sleepy little creature.

Mine does not behave like that, it always releases instantly, also when it was sleeping before.

By the way, I bought my F3 10 years ago after having used the Olympus OM-2n for 20 years. I can't really compare the finders any more, just remember the finder of the OM was very nice, but I liked the HP finder of the F3 instantly and felt comfortable with it at once.

A little later I learned to operate the AE lock with my ringfinger and after that the F3 is almost perfect for me.

 

[FrankS]

I have an F3 with a slightly wonky shutter release. I can understand how you could attribute that behaviour to a "waking up" issue, but I think it is a faulty /dirty switch.

 

[Keith]

This an interesting thread to read through. The OM thread that's been running for a while and ever growing is a bit of a love fest and criticism of the Oly generally seems to be related to placement of the shutter speed dial, battery usage on some models but very seldom anything less than total praise for the viewfinder.

Nikon owners seem to be a divided bunch with some swearing certain models are god's gift to SLR photography while others think they're complete dogs and not worthy of the Nikon name! I actually think this is quite healthy and just proves that Nikon have been smart enough over the years to make a camera that everyone can hate!

After reading up on the F2AS I want one ... it's a bit homely (but very macho) and obviously a fair lump of a camera but the meter reads to -4 EV (and is actually readable) and the finder is one of the best of all the Nikon SLRs apparently so if anyone's got and F2AS they're sick of and would like to try an FM3A I'm your man! As much as I admire the compactness and sophistication of my FM3A it's never really impressed me ... it does everything admirably but with little character and for some reason it has a tinny feel to it that my OM's don't ... maybe it's the shutter sound?

Meanwhile my two wonderful Zeiss ZF lenses (35mm f2 and 50mm f1.4) sit and wait for a decent film body to do their stuff on!

 

[semilog]

Okay, done. Just picked up a "new" FE2 from irq506.

Handled some F3's to be sure that my old impressions still held, but back to my old standby it was.

F3, FM2, FE2 -- all great cameras.

 

[semilog]

I would not leave the FM3A from that line-up.

I guess I was thinking about older Nikons. But of course the 3a is a near-perfect combination of all the best stuff about the FM2 and FE2.

 

[menos]

Thanks JSU for the wording on OM vs F2/3!

I never handled an OM-2, but liked it from the paper (except the concept of shutter speed/ ISO dial, the limiting shutter speeds and the battery/ meter issue with the older OM-2).

At first investigation, it looked like a dream camera (inexpensive, to buy, very compact, but well built package, interesting, fast, but hard to come by, lenses + the magic fabled wonder finder, which beats them all).

At soem point, I might find a good deal or just handle one in a shop.
So far, I am still on the hunt on a meter display solution for the F3HP (any super tech here, knows a way of putting two LEDs in the circuit, to couple with the unreadable "-+" LCD display for night shooting)?

I like everything else about that camera, which connects directly to shooting.
The "other functions", I don't use, I can look over (self timer, mirror lockup, slow shutter speeds, cramming the dial, X-sync on the dial locking, …

I think, there should be a nice shop, modding classic cameras to user specs, completely stripping a F3 of it's wrinkles and make a dream camera from it ;-)

I am already looking for some more Ai-s glass for the F3 - that's how addictive it is!
This evening is possibly MD-4 time, picking it up - yay!
On the way back home, I'll have a look at some guitar belts, to fit the then monstrous F3.

Anybody knows about hellsbelts.com ?
Perfect fit to a brassed F3 with drive, if you ask me - Cal - this might be the perfect match for scaring people in the subway ;-)

 

[Keith]

As a bit of an aside I was having an eBay browse for the F2AS this morning which is pointless because I would never buy another camera off that site after some dodgy experiences.

I came across this which made my eyes pop ... what a great looking camera when they're brassed like this example!

 

[literiter]

I bought a F3HP about 6 years ago to take some of the burden from my elderly F2's and since I wear glasses the HP finder is really nice. It has become, what I could call, my utility SLR. The automatic exposure is certainly handy too.

I understand the passion some of us have for this camera. I only shoot in available light so the issues with the meter and the "flash shoe" never arise. A battery I left in far too long, went dead, which put an end to shooting with that camera for the day, but aside from that I've never had a spot of trouble with the thing.

The film advance is so light and smooth on the F3 that when I first tried it I thought I'd loaded it wrong and the film wasn't being pulled through. No kidding.
I bought a MD-4, just to give my heart a little crank. It adds quite a bit of heft to the camera, speeds things up a bit and I really like the way it feels with that big grip in my hands. The 5 or 6 fps, it delivers, runs through an expensive roll of Velvia a just little too fast for my liking, so no more MD-4.

My Nikon F2A (1980) and F2 (1977) have never had any issues either, for that matter. I like the meter in these cameras better than the F3, there is just something about that very visible analog meter I find the more suitable than the relatively hard to read meter in the F3. There is also that little edge these cameras have over the F3...no battery dependence.

Now with a tiny bit more disposable income and the sometimes delirious drop in the price of some film cameras I acquired a F4s. I'm quite happy with the accuracy of the meter, the accuracy of the shutter, the gentle shutter action and the way it fits my hands.

I like the F2, F3 and F4. The F2 suits me for contemplating a shot, usually on a tripod. The F3 for setting beside me handy, on the car seat. The F4 for the great motor drive to get the occasional action shot.

I have to say though, if I can only take one of my cameras, it will be the Nikon F2 (with the DP-1 finder ) in my pack.

 

[menos]

As a bit of an aside I was having an eBay browse for the F2AS this morning which is pointless because I would never buy another camera off that site after some dodgy experiences.

I came across this which made my eyes pop ... what a great looking camera when they're brassed like this example!

Yes Keith - it looks great!
When I picked up my F3HP, there was a similarly used F2AS for less money.
Unfortunately, the meter was broken :-( :-( :-(

The camera though is very, very, very beautifully made - much nicer handcrafted as the F3 in my opinion.
The paint, Nikon used on these stands in nothing back to the BP Leicas.
When they are partly worn, the brassing looks very glossy, making it look as if it is coated with several clear paint layers.

Very beautiful.

The many little details (making actual use more awkward, compared with more modern SLRs) are a nice touch as well and I guarantee, one closes them into their heart, after owning it a time.

I am sure, one of these is in my future

 

[Keith]

Yes Keith - it looks great!
When I picked up my F3HP, there was a similarly used F2AS for less money.
Unfortunately, the meter was broken :-( :-( :-(

The camera though is very, very, very beautifully made - much nicer handcrafted as the F3 in my opinion.
The paint, Nikon used on these stands in nothing back to the BP Leicas.
When they are partly worn, the brassing looks very glossy, making it look as if it is coated with several clear paint layers.

Very beautiful.

The many little details (making actual use more awkward, compared with more modern SLRs) are a nice touch as well and I guarantee, one closes them into their heart, after owning it a time.

I am sure, one of these is in my future

They really appeal to me for some reason ... rather ungainly in some ways but over all a very handsome looking camera ... and I like the sound of that metering system! Every damned manual focus SLR I own is the same ... you cannot see the meter reading in poor light.

I quite like the match needle metering of my FM3A and my OM's but they need to light these things somehow so you can actually see them in conditions that are less than ideal.

 

[JayGannon]

Does anyone know where the serial list for F3's can be found, I'f love to date my one as I think its pretty early.

 

[Calzone]

Does anyone know where the serial list for F3's can be found, I'f love to date my one as I think its pretty early.

"The Nikon System" by Moose Peterson has a complete S/N listing.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

They really appeal to me for some reason ... rather ungainly in some ways but over all a very handsome looking camera ... and I like the sound of that metering system! Every damned manual focus SLR I own is the same ... you cannot see the meter reading in poor light.

I quite like the match needle metering of my FM3A and my OM's but they need to light these things somehow so you can actually see them in conditions that are less than ideal.

Keith,

For Nikon F2's that do not have LED's in their metering Nikon made an accessory light that provided illumination so the analog meter could be read. Mounts on top of the prism via the eyepiece.

The F2AS and F2SB have extreamely sensitive acurate meters, but because the meter is in the body in a F3 the VF on a F3 is brighter.

The F2's are savagely overbuilt. Like I said earlier, about as heavy as a F3 with motordrive but WITHOUT batteries. A very Macho camera. The shutter release on a F2 is firm and not a light touch like in the F3. The F3 also seems to have better/improved damping for mirror slap, even without the stabilizing bulk of a motordrive. IMHO a F3 with MD-4 motordrive is the most stable platform for hand held.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Yes Keith - it looks great!
When I picked up my F3HP, there was a similarly used F2AS for less money.
Unfortunately, the meter was broken :-( :-( :-(

The camera though is very, very, very beautifully made - much nicer handcrafted as the F3 in my opinion.
The paint, Nikon used on these stands in nothing back to the BP Leicas.
When they are partly worn, the brassing looks very glossy, making it look as if it is coated with several clear paint layers.

Very beautiful.

The many little details (making actual use more awkward, compared with more modern SLRs) are a nice touch as well and I guarantee, one closes them into their heart, after owning it a time.

I am sure, one of these is in my future

Dirk,

I drilled and filed a slot in a AH-2 tripod baseplate so that it could accomadate a AH-4 Nikon handstrap. This makes my F3 non HP even more "Menacing" (your words). The handstrap clearly displays an aggressive potential because a lethal weapon is literally secured to your hand.

Also for shooting there is few great tactical advantages to using the hand strap: first there is a sense of security because the camera is fixed in your hand ready to shoot instead of just tiring your neck; Second is that the rig, although bulky and heavy is counterintuitively balanced (I have no difficulty carrying a F3 with a MD-4 and a big lens all day); and thirdly stratigically the complete rig although big and bulky is more invisable when held stealthfully at your side.

The hand strap just makes the camera ready to shoot in a blink of an eye. The camera literally fits you like a glove, and there is also a provision to intergrate a neck strap when you happen to need both hands free. I find this handy when going to the bathroom in public places. LOL. For a neck strap I use one of those standard Nikon wide straps.

As mentioned above in an earlier postings, there are certain advantages to the F3 in low light situations, but there are also some severe limitations. I figured out two possible work arounds for working at night. On the internet I found that the red switch under the prism that lights the LCD's can be bypassed (effectively shorted) by a camera tech so that it illuminates the display whenever the meter is activated. The only problem with this mod is that it requires use of a MD-4 motordrive for power as battery drain becomes an issue.

The second work around is illuminating the window in the front of the meter that allows ambient light to illuminate the display. This kinda works best under night conditions where a tripod and bulb exposures are used. There are many tiny keychain LED flashlights that can be used to remedy the lack of illumination. I'm kind of a clever guy so in the future I may actually fabricate an accessory LED light that resembles the one made by Nikon for the analog Match Needle F2A. I happen to like the shutter speed in the display BTW, but I understand why some shooters believe "less is more." I like to keep my eye in the viewfinder, and on my Leica I find it disruptive to move my eye to check the shutter speed or aperture.

A fact that I will investigate further this weekend is that Auto mode will meter long bulb exposures for night photography. I read that this one guy under moonlit conditions would set up a shot, trip the shutter, and go to sleep. Ocassionally he would wake up through the night to check if the shutter had closed so he could make another exposure. The author expressed that he got perfectly exposed SLIDES. Kinda hard to believe considering riciprocy failure but might be great with Fuji Arcos.

A little off topic, but since you own a Noct-Nikkor and a Noctilux, I would like to mention using Diafine for night photography. This two part developer compresses extream contrast in a manner that could be useful. I've gotten some spectacular results. The more extream the contrast-the better.

BTW F2AS meters are very hard and expensive to get repaired or replace. I would not buy any F2AS with a dodgy meter. I had to return a black "Minty" F2AS at Adorama because the meter was off by several stops. It broke my heart because the camera was so clean and it was reasonably priced for its condition. I call that particular camera the "Heartbreaker."

Cal

 

[jarski]

this hyping gets me tempted too, although no possibilities of buying one for some months

any comments how loud is F3 mirror slap compared to FM/FE ?