Sierra Club
Established
Since you'll be bying F3 face to face this may not affect you but I have a word of advice to anyone who intends to buy F3 via internet.
Since, unlike the new DSLRs where you just flip the switch and diopter correction is done on the fly, old Nikons had screw-on corrective eyepiece lenses with corrective power ranging from -4D to +6D i think. Make sure you know what eyepiece lens in attached to the camera you're buing. Many of the used cameras sold on the net have really weird stuff screwed onto the viewfinder.
For example, I bought an F3/T in perfect condition and paid a lot for it, just to be sadly surprised by the fact that the seller mounted +2 diopters correction lens on it (this can not be checked by looking at the photos because usually the eyepiece lens has a rubber protective ring around it... Had to pay again for neutral eyepiece otherwise image in the viewfinder was blurred...
On the other hand I also managed to buy champagne F3/T from Japan (one would think that sellers there know what they're selling when they're selling Nikon cameras) in as-new condition for peanuts just because it had +4 diopter correction eyepiece lens and the seller couldn't focus the camera, he listed it as junk
Just thought it's worth checking before buying to save you some $.
Since, unlike the new DSLRs where you just flip the switch and diopter correction is done on the fly, old Nikons had screw-on corrective eyepiece lenses with corrective power ranging from -4D to +6D i think. Make sure you know what eyepiece lens in attached to the camera you're buing. Many of the used cameras sold on the net have really weird stuff screwed onto the viewfinder.
For example, I bought an F3/T in perfect condition and paid a lot for it, just to be sadly surprised by the fact that the seller mounted +2 diopters correction lens on it (this can not be checked by looking at the photos because usually the eyepiece lens has a rubber protective ring around it... Had to pay again for neutral eyepiece otherwise image in the viewfinder was blurred...
On the other hand I also managed to buy champagne F3/T from Japan (one would think that sellers there know what they're selling when they're selling Nikon cameras) in as-new condition for peanuts just because it had +4 diopter correction eyepiece lens and the seller couldn't focus the camera, he listed it as junk
Just thought it's worth checking before buying to save you some $.
PhotoGog
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Nikon F3 vs F3HP question
In my experience, regardless of which prism you use, nothing can overcome the unforgivable design flaw of the F3, and that is its tiny LCD light meter display. For this alone, the F3 is unusable for me. How and why Nikon went from the excellent red LEDs of the F2AS metered prism to the awful solution for the F3 is a mystery. Not many online reviews raise this as an issue, so years back I bought a F3 with high expectations, coming from a F2. The second I raised the camera to my eye ... hands down the worst, most difficult to read, most inefficient meter display in a pro level 35mm camera I had ever experienced. Oh yeah, and they can bleed over time, with the LCD not repairable (like an old Donkey Kong LCD display that has gone black with liquid crystals). Something to think about perhaps.
In my experience, regardless of which prism you use, nothing can overcome the unforgivable design flaw of the F3, and that is its tiny LCD light meter display. For this alone, the F3 is unusable for me. How and why Nikon went from the excellent red LEDs of the F2AS metered prism to the awful solution for the F3 is a mystery. Not many online reviews raise this as an issue, so years back I bought a F3 with high expectations, coming from a F2. The second I raised the camera to my eye ... hands down the worst, most difficult to read, most inefficient meter display in a pro level 35mm camera I had ever experienced. Oh yeah, and they can bleed over time, with the LCD not repairable (like an old Donkey Kong LCD display that has gone black with liquid crystals). Something to think about perhaps.
Sierra Club
Established
I'd agree that light meter display in F3 is not as good as LEDs in FM2n for example, not to mention metering needle in FM3A. However, I don't think that it's really that bad - I have two F3s and in both cameras the LCDs have perfect contrast. Considering that Nikon advised that they may deteriorate over time (10 years I think) and these F3s have ~36 years i'd say that if stored properly, meter display should be fine in terms of clarity.
To give an extreme example: I've read on another forum that one guy took his F3 for a photography project in Australia/New Zealand and used it in scorching hot weather for almost a year. He kept all his camera gear in his car where audio tapes (it was in the 80 if I remember that post correctly) melted on the dashboard. F3 worked perfectly fine many years after that, without any deterioration of the LCD.
I've read that the main reason for change of the data display fashion in F3 was the fact that the metering system together with indicators was could no longer be housed under the prism cover like in FM2/FM3A. Since F3 has miniaturized (unlike F2AS) replacable finders it was unfeasible to mount the light metering SPDs, circuitry and displays in each finder. Instead the entire light meter assembly was located in camera but moved directly under the mirrorbox. Only the indicator LCD was placed right above the lens mount with viewfinders no longer serving dual purpose (prism/light meter) and simply relaying light meter information via optics to the eyepiece. Another factor back in the day, and still true today, was that LCD can display way more complex data than a simple configuration of 3 diodes, like shutter speed and selected priority mode "A" or "M". The only thing it's trully lacking is proper backlight. The micro bulb used by Nikon was not the only possible solution as they could have easily used white LED for this purpose - it would consume less power and wouldn't have issues with molten or broken filaments.
Apparently some users were able to replace the standard bulbs with LEDs, it can be done - ideal solution would be to use something akin to display backlight used by Casio in their Illuminator LCD watches...
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
+1. The meter display is the only reason I don't use the F3. Perfect camera, otherwise.
presspass
filmshooter
I agree with the posters who complain about the meter readout. I have never liked it, but continue to use F3s with MD4 motors. Although in the pre-ergonomic era, they are easy to hold and shoot. The firing rate converter does give a shutter button for vertical shots, but beware the MR3 shutter button. On my F3s, it remains hot even when the selector switch on the MD4 handgrip is turned off. It's an easy way to get a really long exposure of the inside of your camera bag or to bang off 36 shots of your dashboard.