Nikon F3 Tribute

PKR said:
Thanks it does. I'll look into getting one. I use the finders for a low angle when making portraits.

In the film days I worked in two formats. 35 and 4x5. I owned a couple of Sinar Fs over the years. It's a light weight rail camera with full movements. Most of my travel with it was local. I never had to fly with it. It was used for location still life shots and some outdoor work. Great camera. I didn't own any medium format stuff until I really began doing a lot of portraits. When I switched to digital, I sold all the non 35mm gear.

I know the Linhof flat bed, if that's what you have? A pal in school had one. Very cool camera with the cam focusing. Take extra good care of your film holders. Don't bang them around, etc.

pkr
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PKR,

I have an early 50's Tech IV 4x5 that displays a well worn patina on the real leather covering they used way back then. This camera is older than me and I'm almost 60.

I have some odd baby Linhof Tech V that strangly has no serial number in the cold shoe, no front movements, and no rear movements, yet is a rail camera and not a "Press" camera. I also have a 1958 Baby Tech IV.

I don't see Linhof's "in the wild" meaning in the street. One thing I learned from Louis Mendez is branding. Louis is known for his Crown Graphics, but I hope to be known for carrying a Linhof in the wild here in NYC.

When I mentioned to my Linhof mentor that people might thing that carrying around a Linhof might make people think the photographer might be a little crazy, Christian said, "Their first impresssion might be right." LOL.

Back on topic:

I'm pretty sure the any of the right angle attachments used for copystand work that were designed for the later High Point finders should work for you.

Cal
 
Huss said:
The DK-17 is also great on the F6, but that is taking this thread off topic.
Cal, how do you like the mushy rubber covered shutter release button on the F3-P? I pretty much hate it, which is why I'm using the MD-4.
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Huss,

I go off topic often. LOL.

The F6 is a camera I'm considering after I killed my F5's shutter. Kinda proud that I wore out a Pro Nikon camera.

On a related note the big advantage of the F6 over the F3P for me is basically the ultra high shutter speeds that are very helpful to kill film speed. The F3P tops out at only 1/2000. Having 1/8000 is a huge feature.

Kinda back on topic: the F3's VF and the F4, F5, and F6 have the pro 100% VF'ers that are the best for manual focus lenses.

I do think if a DK-17 could be adapted to a F or F2 for the 100% VF'er that the added magnification of these non-HP VF'ers compounded by the additional magnification of a DK-17 would make the earlier non-HP VF'ers on pro models to be the best.

Sorry for the creative rant. Someone should make an adapter or a new housing.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
PKR,

I have an early 50's Tech IV 4x5 that displays a well worn patina on the real leather covering they used way back then. This camera is older than me and I'm almost 60.

I have some odd baby Linhof Tech V that strangly has no serial number in the cold shoe, no front movements, and no rear movements, yet is a rail camera and not a "Press" camera. I also have a 1958 Baby Tech IV.

I don't see Linhof's "in the wild" meaning in the street. One thing I learned from Louis Mendez is branding. Louis is known for his Crown Graphics, but I hope to be known for carrying a Linhof in the wild here in NYC.

When I mentioned to my Linhof mentor that people might thing that carrying around a Linhof might make people think the photographer might be a little crazy, Christian said, "Their first impresssion might be right." LOL.

Back on topic:

I'm pretty sure the any of the right angle attachments used for copystand work that were designed for the later High Point finders should work for you.

Cal
Click to expand...

One of my old assistants would set up a portrait rig up on a busy sidewalk. He was a very funny and extroverted (is that a word?) kinda guy. He would photograph anyone who would stand in front of his camera. If a store owner got angry about him setting up in front of his store, the store owner would be in front of his camera in 5 minutes. He was that kind of guy. People called the cops, he had lots of smiling cop photos. All were done in daylight with a small, portable, white background. His best friend, Jim Marshall - of Leica fame, helped with a book and an exhibition of his work when he died an early death. True Street Photography!
 
PKR said:
One of my old assistants would set up a portrait rig up on a busy sidewalk. He was a very funny and extroverted (is that a word?) kinda guy. He would photograph anyone who would stand in front of his camera. If a store owner got angry about him setting up in front of his store, the store owner would be in front of his camera in 5 minutes. He was that kind of guy. People called the cops, he had lots of smiling cop photos. All were done in daylight with a small, portable, white background. His best friend, Jim Marshall - of Leica fame, helped with a book and an exhibition of his work when he died an early death. True Street Photography!
Click to expand...

PKR,

Jim Marshall, although I never met him, taught me a lot. First off one film (Tri-X); one ISO 800; one developer (Acufine); and you can create a vast universe. Nothing fancy, but he ran with the ball.

I also saw a show of Jim Marshall's prints. He did really well what he did, and I loved his work.

How many of us run with the ball? How many of us complicate things? Something very elegant about simplicity and maxing it out.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
PKR,

Jim Marshall, although I never met him, taught me a lot. First off one film (Tri-X); one ISO 800; one developer (Acufine); and you can create a vast universe. Nothing fancy, but he ran with the ball.

I also saw a show of Jim Marshall's prints. He did really well what he did, and I loved his work.

How many of us run with the ball? How many of us complicate things? Something very elegant about simplicity and maxing it out.

Cal
Click to expand...

I knew Jim over 30+ years. I took a class he taught: "Photography and the Law" it's where we met. He was a unique guy. If he liked you, he would do anything for you. He didn't like a lot of people, but he liked me.. through no effort on my part. There was a local bar-dinner spot, next to the place where we all bought our film. He was in there most evenings, holding court. If he spotted me, he wouldn't let me leave, until he bought me a drink .. even if it was just a 7 up. Jim made a lot of money and spent a lot of money. Bill Gates paid him $3M for publishing rights to his work a couple of years before he died. He left his money to a foundation that helped people with a disease that effected his long time assistant.

The last time I saw Jim was at the bank. We banked at the same place. We were in line together and he had his M6+35 on his shoulder. He said he was off to photograph Jonny Cash for some personal thing. I think Cash died months later.

We photographers record life. I wonder, if in some way, we think about it/see it differently? I can see Jim in the bank line.. a visual. Maybe it's just me?
 
OFF TOPIC: My friend Louis Mendez hung out with W. Eugene Smith back in the day when he was a young guy. I had seen the "Jazz Loft" show at Lincoln Center. These pictures were towards the end of Gene's life/career and they deeply disturbed me. A celebrated photographer wound down his life by abandoning his family, his career, and lived marginally in a rundown loft in Madhattan's Flower District that also was a place Jazz musicians grouped up and jammed.

I wondered what happened. Louis reported that Gene became disillusioned and bitter because his work was being ignored.

I did a lot of research and later found out that Gene wanted editorial control over his latest body of work that he wanted to be his legacy that involved the city of Pittsburg. This led to Gene becoming blacklisted.

While Jim Marshall ran with the ball and took things as far as he could in a minimalist manner that was pure, Gene Smith to me was the photographer's photographer because he shot with so many different cameras, used all kinds of developers and films, and not only was a great-great shooter, but also a great printer.

Really messed up how corrupt the publishing and art world is. I guess this is a rant about artistic identity, artistic freedom, and artistic integrity. Glad that this tribute to the F3 includes a tribute to two important photographers that gave us so much.

Anyways... I'm not sorry for the rant.

Cal
 
I met Gene Smith about a year before he died. He spoke at one of the local art schools. A good friend and graduate of the school, was asked to help Gene out while on campus. My friend asked me to help. We were both big and strong back then and could easily pick Gene up if necessary. Gene was pretty frail and in obvious pain.

About 45 minutes before Gene was to speak, he sat on the back stage steps and we three talked. Gene was interested in both of us as we were serious photographers. I was doing PJ work at the time and my pal John, owned a local b+w rental lab. It was long ago, but I remember his serious concern for photography and what our future might be in the field. That he was a kind man, was apparent. His physical pain was hard to watch. He had a lot of trouble moving, without being in some pain.

Another friend, Ilka Hartmann, was at the event and she took a nice picture of Gene.
http://ilkahartmann.com/

Dragging up old stuff Cal.
pkr
 
How do you cable release an F3P if you can't thread it into the shutter button. Does it have a separate place to attach a cable release, like I think my F4s had IIRC?

Best,
-Tim
 
I find it weird that Nikon, in designing their "professional", "Photojournalist" camera would go with an electronically triggered cable release on the F3P, but then go back to a mechanically triggered cable release on their next "professional" model, the F4(as seen below, the red arrow).

F4sCable.jpg


Best,
-Tim
 
Calzone said:
When we speak of legends, durability, toughness, personality and enduring timelessness, we can speak of both cameras and photographers.

I wonder how much the pain was due to that physical beating/attack Gene received in Japan.

Cal
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I think that he never recovered from that event. Bill Pierce knew him well, and might answer that one.
 
Calzone said:
Tim,

There is a remote that connects to the MD-4 that is basically an electrical switch.

Cal
Click to expand...

I used that cabled switch as my cable release for years. It plugs into the front of the MP4. I also used to remote fire the camera with that electrical port with my Dynalite RSSC radio remote. I could mount the camera and fire it from 100 yards/meters. It was much more powerful than the pocket wizard kind of stuff used today.

MC 10 switch/cord was the electronic release for the MD4.
https://www.keh.com/shop/nikon-manual-focus-mc10-remote-cord-10-ft-md-2-3-4-12-15-666626.html
 
Timmyjoe said:
I find it weird that Nikon, in designing their "professional", "Photojournalist" camera would go with an electronically triggered cable release on the F3P, but then go back to a mechanically triggered cable release on their next "professional" model, the F4(as seen below, the red arrow).
Best,
-Tim
Click to expand...

The F3P was intended to be used with the drive attached, it was supplied with the MF-6 autostop back as standard which is uncomfortable to use when the motor is not attached. So when the motor is on an optional accessory, the MR-3, can be fitted to the drive and that is threaded for a mechanical cable release.

https://www.europe-nikon.com/en_GB/product/discontinued/accessories/slr/2007/terminal-release-mr-3

For completeness there was an MR-2 as well but that was not threaded.
 
Many thanks for all the additions for clarity.

I'm carrying my F3P today rigged with my Noct-Nikkor. After work is a thank you pizza party in Dumbo for Photoville volunteers. Shooting Kodak 5222 to be developed in Diafine 4+4.

While Jim Marshall used Acufine for Tri-X at 800 for 5 3/4 minutes at 20 degrees C, I figured out how to get Diafine to work for me. At one point when film was half the price of today I averaged shooting 150 rolls a month, so I kinda did a Jim Marshall and figured I had to learn how to make Diafine work for me because it gets reused and does not get replenished.

I was mixing way too much ID-11 and D-76 and pouring it down the drain as a one shot. Had to throw away the instructions: the recommended film speeds did not make full range negatives and the film speeds were way too aggressive.

I like the compensating effect that Diafine gives me. It is a bit like HDR but with film. I think Marshall would approve.

Back on topic: I really don't need much more than my F3P, Noct-Nikkor, 5222, and Diafine to be happy the rest of my life. I still love my M-bodies, my Leica Digitals, and my medium format cameras, but if I had to be one camera and one lens it would likely be my F3P and Noct-Nikkor.

Cal
 
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