Nikon F3 Tribute

[maryland_fotos]

Nikon F gear.

F2SAndF3WithPreAILenses by maryland_photos, on Flickr

Left, F2S with 55 1.2 S, right F3HP with 85 1.8H

Picture taken with Nikon D800 + 10.5cm f2.5 P

 

[ronnies]

Well I've finally succumbed to an F3 so my MD-4 is feeling happier. It's got the plain old DE-2 finder and an H1 screen. The H1 seems to be great with my 35/2D but starts to dim in the corners with my 55/3.5 and is useless with a Tokina 80-200/4.

Now keeping my eye open for a K.

Ronnie

 

[Kent]

Istvan, ...
What a collection !!!

Indeed!! And very well presented!

 

[Timmyjoe]

Well, I finally sold off the last of my Canon FD equipment. This rig was the last to go:

And I replaced it with this set up:

I like the feel of the F3HP with MD-4 better than the F-1 w/Motor Drive MF, and although optically the Canon 85mm f1.2L was superior to the Nikkor 85mm f1.4D when it came to AgfaPan 100 and Ektachrome EPP-100, (both films being long since discontinued), the two lens are a wash when used with Tri-X.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Dan]

Well, I finally sold off the last of my Canon FD equipment. This rig was the last to go:

And I replaced it with this set up:

I like the feel of the F3HP with MD-4 better than the F-1 w/Motor Drive MF, and although optically the Canon 85mm f1.2L was superior to the Nikkor 85mm f1.4D when it came to AgfaPan 100 and Ektachrome EPP-100, (both films being long since discontinued), the two lens are a wash when used with Tri-X.

Best,
-Tim

A perfect visual showcase for the F-1's winning combination of elegance and toughness 😀.

 

[Wulfthari]

A perfect visual showcase for the F-1's winning combination of elegance and toughness 😀.

Indeed!

taken with a F2AS and Micro-Nikkor 55m f2.8...

 

[ronnies]

Well my new to me F3 appears to have a wind on problem. Finishing the test roll yesterday I was at 40 on the counter and no sign of any resistance. I also realised that the wind on had been a little rough for the last frames. Rewound the cassette and put in my gash test film. Upshot is that the F3 take up spool seems to stop turning after a few frames (not sure if it's consistent) so the film has no where to go. The roughness was probably the sprockets catching the stuck film as they turned. Closer inspection shoes the plastic take up spool looks a little deformed too.

This was all done with no MD-4 so that I could test the camera on it's own.

So it looks like this baby will need to go back to the shop for repair. Lucky I have a warranty!

Ronnie

 

[Ruhayat]

I just joined the F3 club. Here it is with 40mm/2.0 Ultron attached. Shot some rolls of Ilford HP5+ on 58mm/1.4 Nokton for fun at a wedding the other day, haven't had time to process the negs yet. But so far I really like this rig -- good balance and heft. It complements my Leica MP with 75mm Summicron very well. Some people say the camera doesn't matter but to me it does, just as the "right" car matters for enjoyment.

 

[ronnies]

My F3 is back from repair with a new take-up spool. The old one was warped and catching on something which was stopping the film advance part way through the film.

Ronnie

 

[maryland_fotos]

F3HP with SB-16A and Nikkor 35 1.4N
SB16AwF3HP-35_1_4N by maryland_photos, on Flickr

 

[Spicy]

so last night, my F3 non-HP failed me for a second time.

are these cameras particularly susceptible to cold in a way i haven't heard of? i can't imagine that's the case, given how many of these saw pro-duty back in the day....

anyways, the situation: grabbed the camera to take some photos of the blizzard last night while heading out to dig out the car. i had been outside for maybe 7-8min before trying to take my first photo, and the shutter wouldn't respond/shutter-speed display LCD was dead. checked the normal troubleshooting stuff (power switch, timed exposure switch, shutter cocked, etc), nothing out of the ordinary. it was a brand new battery with perhaps half a roll on it, since the exact same thing had happened about a month back, and i had initially thought the camera was dead from some other cause (and not just a battery issue because the temperature wasn't all that cold and the battery had maybe had 3-4 rolls of use on it). after shoveling for 45min, came back inside, put the camera on the table to warm up, and a few hours later it was back to working just fine (crisp LCD, indicating a pretty full level of charge).

what gives? i know batteries and cold-weather don't mix, but both occasions have been me being inside and taking a reasonable warm camera out into the cold, and trying to take pictures (in vain) after only a few minutes of being exposed to not-especially-cold cold weather (last night was pretty chilly at around 15*F, but the previous time was probably mid-high 20s). i could understand if i had been out for an hour and then tried, but after only a few minutes the battery can't even make the LCD display, much less release the shutter...

any thoughts?

i hate to be critical of basically the de-facto representative of RUGGED ELECTROMECHANICAL WARRIOR CAMERA that is the F3, but having it let me down in what i would define as pretty benign operating conditions is getting a bit frustrating -- having reliability issues is basically the death-knell for me using a camera.



edit: formatting
edit 2: forgot to mention -- it was 2 SR44 (or 357 the silver oxide ones, not the alkaline LR44) batteries, that had been in the camera for perhaps a week sitting on a shelf inside, and about 15 frames worth of usage.

 

[Skiff]

any thoughts?

What type of battery are you using, alkaline or lithium?
Alkaline batteries have relative weak performance at lower temperatures. Lithium batteries are much better in this respect.
I had battery failure with alkaline batteries at lower temperatures in the past.
Then switched to lithium, problem solved.

 

[Timmyjoe]

I used my F3HP in mid 20ºF weather for an hour or more covering a night soccer game and everything went fine. I too use the lithium batteries, not the alkaline.

 

[Calzone]

UPDATE: I bought an Olympus 24/3.5 shift lens that has bee converted to Nikon F-mount. It is a very cool lens that offers shift capabilities and built in UV, yellow, orange, and red filters.

Looks pretty evil on my F3P, but the tilt up has limited travel due to VF'er/prism interference.

I use to shoot a lot with a Nikon 24/2.0 AIS, but I got tired of all the distortion in that particular lens. One of the problems was the amplification of distortion because I used this lens for street and close focused a lot.

Weight with MD-4 is about 5 1/2 pounds on a bathroom scale.

Cal

 

[Spicy]

sorry, forgot to mention -- it was 2 SR44 (or 357 the silver oxide ones, not the alkaline LR44) batteries, that had been in the camera for perhaps a week sitting on a shelf inside, and about 15 frames worth of usage.

will update the original post

 

[presspass]

Re the cold weather battery problem: Another solution would be an MD-4. The motor's battery (rechargeable unit) or AAs also power the camera. I have used three F-3s so equipped and not had a problem with cold weather.

 

[Calzone]

Re the cold weather battery problem: Another solution would be an MD-4. The motor's battery (rechargeable unit) or AAs also power the camera. I have used three F-3s so equipped and not had a problem with cold weather.

MD-4 to the rescue. Also the MD-4 powers the bulb so I can read the LCD whenever my meter is activated. The SR44's only last about 12-15 rolls due to the light's current drain.

Cal

 

[GarageBoy]

So MD4 users- do you leave it on always, or only when you need 6fps goodness?

 

[Calzone]

GB,

I keep a MD-4 on my F3P, but I also own a F3HP that I generally shoot without a MD-4. On the F3HP I use a Nikon black 45/2.8P AIS which is a very thin compact lens.

My F3P I have fully rigged with a MD-4, AH-4 handstrap, MF-18 databack (imprints the date inbetween frames to make my F3P a jounal). Weight with Olympus 24/3.5 shift is about 5 1/2 pounds on a bathroom scale. Wearing this rig around your neck will make your neck oversized and ugly like a pro football player.

The handstrap for me is best way to carry a deadly weapon in plain sight. Be careful though because once in Queens Plaza my F3P was mistakened as a handgun because of the way I was carrying it draped to my side in my right hand. It only took a moment to realize that this guy was running for cover.

BTW I own a second MD-4 if I want to equip the F3HP with a motordrive. I also love how the F3 is the first Nikon SLR that was specifically designed to be morordriven. The roller bearings for the high frame rate are awesome. Also I love the extra weight as ballast to steady my camera. Sniper rifles are heavy for a reason IMHO. I miss my Noct-Nikkor. On my F3P it created the ultimate rig. The Olympus 24/3.5 shift though is a great lens for me. Looks kinda evil with a scalloped hood and a bulging front element. Got to love that it has built in selectable UV,yellow, orange, and red filters.

Cal

POST SCRIPT: The big advantage of using a motordrive is keeping your eye on the VF'er. Also changes the way you shoot. For me I tend to shoot like a hitman in three round bursts (three shots, but not the same three shots). I tend to move closer and lower after the first initial shot.

 

[rhl-oregon]

Cal, just for giggles, how do you compare the 45 pancake to the 50 1.8 E in terms of IQ?

While selling off a retired photographer's gear, I got unwillingly infected by the F bug during tests of lenses on his FM2, FE2, F3, F2as. Almost kept one but told myself that OM system is plenty, but persisted in selling them--yet now have an FE and F2 on the way, and am looking at one or the other of the pancake lenses.