I have two of them, an F3 HP and an F3-P, as well as an FE2, FM2, 2XF4s, F100, etc etc. There is something reassuringly solid and workmanlike about them. Only exactly what you needed and not a single frivolous feature, unlike 99% of the cameras today. The MD4 motordrive is on the heavyside, but it does stablise the camera with most AIS lenses and come on 6 frames per second in 1980.
I like the F3, but I prefer the needle meter on the Canon New F1. I also love the Speed Finder, which gives the F1 the best SLR viewfinder ever made for glasses wearing shooters. That prism also rotates for vertical shots. Pop in the laser matte PJ or SJ screen to complete the experience😊 It also will work fully mechanical for ALL speeds 1/125 or greater. That has saved my butt twice now. Of course the Nikon lenses have better lens build quality vs the nFD glass, but I've got an older regular FD 50mm that lives on that camera. Now, when it comes to autofocus, the F5/F6 wins hands-down vs the EOS 1/3. That button layout on the EOS pro bodies- wow painful, lol. Great stuff sir! Thanks!
Glad you're enjoying them. I never used the Canon F1 professionally. I did use the EOS 1 IV for a few years and really enjoyed it. I never had any of the really cool lenses though.
Another great video. Thanks Rob- I always look forward to your videos! I would love to see a video on how to properly hold both the slr and rangefinder cameras. I've been an amateur photographer for a long time, but never knew why pros tend to hold the camera in a certain way.
I sent my F3/T off to Jim Holman for a CLA a few weeks ago. I hope to have it back soon. It's an amazing camera, and the black finish on the F3/T is unlike anything else. I pair mine with a 35mm 1.4 AI-S.
Thanks for reminding me of all that. Your style is amiable and obviously you’re knowledgeable, adding more personal stories is welcome. ((( I also look forward to your review of that lump of rubber, the F-4, which I dropped down a flight of stone steps in a Jpnese temple without damage. It made me blasé about Nikon bodies up to Z-mount.)))
an awesome camera! just got mine serviced by ICT Camera Repair in California. Jim Holman is an amazing technician and his youtube videos on F3 repair are great!
Great run through of the Nikon F3 range Rob. I have the Nikon F3 HP and it’s now my 35mm goto camera. It can do anything. Built like a tank and a great system. Yes it takes batteries but they are such a basic battery to buy. You do have the back up shutter level but these days it’s so easy to buy a couple of batteries in the local shop and just carry them in your pocket. Especially if you out in the desert or jungle and distant miles from the supermarket. Mind you I am sure even stuck out in the wilderness I could order them online and some young chap in his scooter will deliver them (and a pizza) in minutes ! Three lenses 28mm and 50mm and 105mm cover everything I need. You are so right. Depth of field button is just plain useless.
I like the f100, f5 and my fav, the f6. All 3 have accurate matrix metering and auto focus for run and gun. I'm selling the f5 because I don't like the placement of the focus confirmation in the upper R of the viewfinder that makes it hard to find and easy to lose while focusing but for auto focus that doesn't matter. Focus confirmation on the f6 is near the bottom center and is huge. Makes using manual focus lenses a breeze. It also can be set to leave the leader out on rewind so not only is it available to start the roll on a development tank reel before going into the changing bag, I can stop mid roll, note the last frame, rewind, mark it with last frame/iso and change to a different film stock then later re load that roll losing one frame. If they are anywhere near as well built/long lasting as my 2008 d700 or 2006 d200 both work fine they will all probably out live me. For me the F6 is the perfect 35 mm film camera. Like the RB67, it's FUN to use. With a fine grained film and topaz gigapixel, I can easily make 16" prints with it. After that, I go to 645 or 67.
Yes the F3 is fantastic, easy to use, great to look through, fully featured and tough. I have a hard time choosing between it and the F2, which I also own. Im a sucker for all that mechanical whirring when the shutter fires and its the camera of my youth!
I can see that. I never used the F2 professionally. Back then I was shooting with the FM and FE. The pro models were out of my price range for a lot of years.
I have the F2, F3, F5 all in near mint condition and even had the F4 but sold it. I like the F5 for auto focus, but the issue with the F3, you get aperture priority, can read out in LCD and the shutters are electronic and accurate with a better shutter system than the previous models (better ball bearing set-up). Mechanical cameras can have inconsistencies in upper shutter speeds, which could throw off the exposure. I concur the F3 is the best of the manual focus cameras.
Interesting that you do not use the depth-of-field button. I never had/have an F3 yet. But multiple FE2 and F4. There and even with today's D800/810 or with my Bronica GS-1 or Fuji GX680 I use that feature all the time. Indeed this was and is a killer feature for me when missing for any SLR / DSLR since ever. Even on large format I do same with closing the aperture .. Sure with e.g. f45 and beyond, depending on light situation, there is not much to be seen left on ground glass. I do not use the depth-of-field button for exact depth of field check, there I use the lens indicators for the aperture (when available - a big plus for the old Nikkor, etc. manual lenses). But I use depth-of-field button for a) preview how the back-foreground renders when shutting down. b) get a black and white preview of the picture especially by using color filters (typ. orange & yellow or light red in analog). Stopping the lever (partial) down the picture becomes much clearer for the contrasts and brightness levels for me. In digital, I do not use color filters, but stopping down helps also a bit. c) when viewing towards bright light - but stay still cautious for the eyes. c) is a rare thing but a) and b) I do all the time in sum I would guess, I press more often the depth-of-field button than the shutter release button. My usage and view --- BTW: On the F4 I changed from the standard focusing screen (being the first - as an AF Nikon without such) to the standard K Type screen with split image and micro prism. And I miss the lack of such option so much on the DSLRs
It is not because of the dependency to a battery an electronic camera is not the best the reason it is that if the electronic brakes the camera is dead because the electronics is not serviceable due to lack of spare parts.
I used to take that approach, parts are limited on almost all old cameras, even the mechanical cameras, most parts are sourced from donor cameras and the only thing that they can do on most cameras is clean, lubricate and adjust anyways. Get a good one and use it, it will last a long time and if it don’t, just get another one.
Honestly I dont buy this. If a mechanical part breaks you need to be really lucky to find an replacement of that exact dimension or own an machining shop. However if electronics fail its seldom the few custom ICs , but more often a leaked capacitor, resistor or any other readily available part. The worst that can happen are broken traces an even those can be repaired with a bit of patience and finesse.
@@Yuru_Baku absolutely, I used to think that purely mechanical is better, the only camera’s that are mechanical and more likely repairable with new old stock parts is a Leica M body, but there is a reason, they cost a fortune, so depleting parts is slower. I concur, the electronics can be fixed if one can have patience and desolder in new caps and resistors etc. I think the F3 is the best of the mechanical cameras. Mine is minty from 1985 and keeps running and running. Most of us will honestly never run enough film through them to wear them out like they did back in the day.
Another enjoyable video. Thank you
Thanks, glad you found it interesting.
Great video. You made me get an F3T a couple of months ago. Love it! thanks for the input
I'm glad that worked out!!!
I have two of them, an F3 HP and an F3-P, as well as an FE2, FM2, 2XF4s, F100, etc etc. There is something reassuringly solid and workmanlike about them. Only exactly what you needed and not a single frivolous feature, unlike 99% of the cameras today. The MD4 motordrive is on the heavyside, but it does stablise the camera with most AIS lenses and come on 6 frames per second in 1980.
That's a great kit. Such nice equipment to shoot with.
Thank you for this video. I don’t shoot film anymore but I’d really like to get some variant of the F3.
It's a great camera!!!
I like the F3, but I prefer the needle meter on the Canon New F1. I also love the Speed Finder, which gives the F1 the best SLR viewfinder ever made for glasses wearing shooters. That prism also rotates for vertical shots. Pop in the laser matte PJ or SJ screen to complete the experience😊 It also will work fully mechanical for ALL speeds 1/125 or greater. That has saved my butt twice now.
Of course the Nikon lenses have better lens build quality vs the nFD glass, but I've got an older regular FD 50mm that lives on that camera.
Now, when it comes to autofocus, the F5/F6 wins hands-down vs the EOS 1/3. That button layout on the EOS pro bodies- wow painful, lol.
Great stuff sir! Thanks!
Glad you're enjoying them. I never used the Canon F1 professionally. I did use the EOS 1 IV for a few years and really enjoyed it. I never had any of the really cool lenses though.
Takes me back to my magazine days. And I could "borrow" it to shoot a weekend wedding! Great summary on a great camera.
Glad you found it interesting.
Another great video. Thanks Rob- I always look forward to your videos! I would love to see a video on how to properly hold both the slr and rangefinder cameras. I've been an amateur photographer for a long time, but never knew why pros tend to hold the camera in a certain way.
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.
The Nikon F3. Forever gorgeous
They sure are nice.
I sent my F3/T off to Jim Holman for a CLA a few weeks ago. I hope to have it back soon. It's an amazing camera, and the black finish on the F3/T is unlike anything else. I pair mine with a 35mm 1.4 AI-S.
That's a nice combo. I have the same lens.
Thanks for reminding me of all that. Your style is amiable and obviously you’re knowledgeable, adding more personal stories is welcome.
((( I also look forward to your review of that lump of rubber, the F-4, which I dropped down a flight of stone steps in a Jpnese temple without damage. It made me blasé about Nikon bodies up to Z-mount.)))
Glad you're enjoying them.
I have the waist level finder, and I find it useful for composing long exposures or IR photography.
Yes, that's a good idea.
an awesome camera! just got mine serviced by ICT Camera Repair in California. Jim Holman is an amazing technician and his youtube videos on F3 repair are great!
Thanks for the info!
My go to 35mm film camera for all my photo assignments wherever I am in the world.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Great run through of the Nikon F3 range Rob.
I have the Nikon F3 HP and it’s now my 35mm goto camera.
It can do anything.
Built like a tank and a great system.
Yes it takes batteries but they are such a basic battery to buy. You do have the back up shutter level but these days it’s so easy to buy a couple of batteries in the local shop and just carry them in your pocket.
Especially if you out in the desert or jungle and distant miles from the supermarket.
Mind you I am sure even stuck out in the wilderness I could order them online and some young chap in his scooter will deliver them (and a pizza) in minutes !
Three lenses 28mm and 50mm and 105mm cover everything I need.
You are so right. Depth of field button is just plain useless.
Glad you found it interesting!!
I like the f100, f5 and my fav, the f6. All 3 have accurate matrix metering and auto focus for run and gun. I'm selling the f5 because I don't like the placement of the focus confirmation in the upper R of the viewfinder that makes it hard to find and easy to lose while focusing but for auto focus that doesn't matter. Focus confirmation on the f6 is near the bottom center and is huge. Makes using manual focus lenses a breeze. It also can be set to leave the leader out on rewind so not only is it available to start the roll on a development tank reel before going into the changing bag, I can stop mid roll, note the last frame, rewind, mark it with last frame/iso and change to a different film stock then later re load that roll losing one frame. If they are anywhere near as well built/long lasting as my 2008 d700 or 2006 d200 both work fine they will all probably out live me. For me the F6 is the perfect 35 mm film camera. Like the RB67, it's FUN to use. With a fine grained film and topaz gigapixel, I can easily make 16" prints with it. After that, I go to 645 or 67.
That sounds like some fun kit to be using.
Yes the F3 is fantastic, easy to use, great to look through, fully featured and tough. I have a hard time choosing between it and the F2, which I also own. Im a sucker for all that mechanical whirring when the shutter fires and its the camera of my youth!
I can see that. I never used the F2 professionally. Back then I was shooting with the FM and FE. The pro models were out of my price range for a lot of years.
I have the F2, F3, F5 all in near mint condition and even had the F4 but sold it. I like the F5 for auto focus, but the issue with the F3, you get aperture priority, can read out in LCD and the shutters are electronic and accurate with a better shutter system than the previous models (better ball bearing set-up). Mechanical cameras can have inconsistencies in upper shutter speeds, which could throw off the exposure. I concur the F3 is the best of the manual focus cameras.
Totally agree
I think the high eye point DE3 viewfinder is the nicest ever to look through.
Yes for sure.
Interesting that you do not use the depth-of-field button. I never had/have an F3 yet.
But multiple FE2 and F4. There and even with today's D800/810 or with my Bronica GS-1 or Fuji GX680 I use that feature all the time. Indeed this was and is a killer feature for me when missing for any SLR / DSLR since ever. Even on large format I do same with closing the aperture .. Sure with e.g. f45 and beyond, depending on light situation, there is not much to be seen left on ground glass.
I do not use the depth-of-field button for exact depth of field check, there I use the lens indicators for the aperture (when available - a big plus for the old Nikkor, etc. manual lenses).
But I use depth-of-field button for
a) preview how the back-foreground renders when shutting down.
b) get a black and white preview of the picture especially by using color filters (typ. orange & yellow or light red in analog).
Stopping the lever (partial) down the picture becomes much clearer for the contrasts and brightness levels for me.
In digital, I do not use color filters, but stopping down helps also a bit.
c) when viewing towards bright light - but stay still cautious for the eyes.
c) is a rare thing but a) and b) I do all the time
in sum I would guess, I press more often the depth-of-field button than the shutter release button.
My usage and view
---
BTW: On the F4 I changed from the standard focusing screen (being the first - as an AF Nikon without such) to the standard K Type screen with split image and micro prism. And I miss the lack of such option so much on the DSLRs
Those are good points. Thanks for sharing.
:-)
Hope you enjoyed it.
F3 - superlative camera - no frills or furbelows, just wonderful mechanics.
Yes, that's for sure. They offer a great user experience!!
Indeed ! I wouldn't be without mine.
Such a great unit.
Precisely !
!
It is not because of the dependency to a battery an electronic camera is not the best the reason it is that if the electronic brakes the camera is dead because the electronics is not serviceable due to lack of spare parts.
They seem to be holding up ok. There's no parts for any of these old cameras anyway. Use it till it dies I say.
I used to take that approach, parts are limited on almost all old cameras, even the mechanical cameras, most parts are sourced from donor cameras and the only thing that they can do on most cameras is clean, lubricate and adjust anyways. Get a good one and use it, it will last a long time and if it don’t, just get another one.
Honestly I dont buy this. If a mechanical part breaks you need to be really lucky to find an replacement of that exact dimension or own an machining shop.
However if electronics fail its seldom the few custom ICs , but more often a leaked capacitor, resistor or any other readily available part. The worst that can happen are broken traces an even those can be repaired with a bit of patience and finesse.
It will take a long time to wear these cameras out.
@@Yuru_Baku absolutely, I used to think that purely mechanical is better, the only camera’s that are mechanical and more likely repairable with new old stock parts is a Leica M body, but there is a reason, they cost a fortune, so depleting parts is slower. I concur, the electronics can be fixed if one can have patience and desolder in new caps and resistors etc. I think the F3 is the best of the mechanical cameras. Mine is minty from 1985 and keeps running and running. Most of us will honestly never run enough film through them to wear them out like they did back in the day.
A camera with just 2 or 3 features cant be on of the greatest, it´s just a well constructed camera wit a LOT of marketing.........
You might be right but the user experience is outstanding.
I stull have a bunch of F3 bodies including the Autofocus F3AF one and my favourite F3P - and best part is the F3 has the most toys.. 🦘
That's a great assortment of kit. I've only seen the F3AF a couple times.