Sell the flash, buy the F3?

The F5 is a great camera, but yes, it's kinda big. (This, of course, rules out the suggestion of an F4, which, if anything, is a bit bigger). The F3 is as as bulletproof as they come, uses a pair of silver-oxide batteries that should see you the better part of a year, handles wonderfully, utilizes a seriously-accurate, tight center-weighted metering system, and largely stays out of your way in the picture-taking process. Add to this that you can still get the camera easily serviced, either through Nikon themselves or through a host of independent service shops. (And, yes, the film advance is scary-silky-smooth, for what that's worth.)

What you end up doing with the F5 and flash is your business, but let's just say I think getting an F3 body isn't the worst idea in the world, by a long shot.


- Barrett
 
I'm on the minority here telling the negative of F3 but my recently bought F3 brings me troubles since the first day i bought it.

First it eats up battery fast, I mean for one roll I changed batteries 3 times. It turn out that I have bad battery batches from the store. As an Contax IIa (a fully mechanical camera) user I find it frustrating to run out of battery when I'm photographing, it slows things and ruin the momentum. The second problem turn out during a photo session too, the metering is on but the shutter just refuses to shut. :bang:

Now it is on the shop for repair but I'm afraid I dont have the confidence to use it as before.. :(
 
With prices as they are why not an F100? great meter, fast auto focus and very solid. I have an FM2 and the F100 and although the viewfinder of the F100 is slightly smaller, I do prefer it. What I have noticed is that rolls from the F100 are consistantly better exposed than the FM2.
 
I'm on the minority here telling the negative of F3 but my recently bought F3 brings me troubles since the first day i bought it.

First it eats up battery fast, I mean for one roll I changed batteries 3 times. It turn out that I have bad battery batches from the store. As an Contax IIa (a fully mechanical camera) user I find it frustrating to run out of battery when I'm photographing, it slows things and ruin the momentum. The second problem turn out during a photo session too, the metering is on but the shutter just refuses to shut. :bang:

Now it is on the shop for repair but I'm afraid I dont have the confidence to use it as before.. :(
So...are we talking about a problem with the camera's electronics (possible, depending on what the camera has been though before it reached your hands), or is this a problem with the batteries you are putting in it? The frequency of battery replacement you mention is, to put it mildly, quite abnormal. A pair of silver-oxide cells in a properly-working F3 should last the better part of a year, easy. Even the toughest camera can fail if subjected to a high level of abuse/misuse. Best to have it properly looked over.


- Barrett
 
Better choice is the F3P (then any flash will do) and why not the fully Mechanic F2A or F2AS?
 
Better choice is the F3P (then any flash will do) and why not the fully Mechanic F2A or F2AS?
A bit more versatile in the flash department, for certain, but (1) F3Ps are still a good deal more dear than a standard-issue F3 HP, and (2) flash work isn't quite the priority for him with this setup. A relatively clean F3 HP won't beat up the budget too much. One other consideration is that electronic shutters, for all their battery-dependency, are far less likely to require adjustment than their purely-mechanical counterparts; not to knock the F2 (or my M2, for that matter), a good electronic shutter tends to simply stay on-the-money, throughout its shutter-speed range, for quite some time, without fuss. Electronics can be good for something. ;)


- Barrett
 
So...are we talking about a problem with the camera's electronics (possible, depending on what the camera has been though before it reached your hands), or is this a problem with the batteries you are putting in it? The frequency of battery replacement you mention is, to put it mildly, quite abnormal. A pair of silver-oxide cells in a properly-working F3 should last the better part of a year, easy. Even the toughest camera can fail if subjected to a high level of abuse/misuse. Best to have it properly looked over.


- Barrett

I don't know what is wrong and whether the battery i used before cause it to fail. Hopefully the tech get it right again, Don't get me wrong, Its a great camera when it is working.
 
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