The Nikon F3


This is going to be an interesting article for me to write, maybe since I feel intensely biased towards this camera.  But when I really think about it, I am biased for a reason.  This has been the best camera I have ever used in any format.  Better than full frame digital cameras, better than full frame digital cameras, and even the Hasselblad.

There hasn't been a place I haven't taken this camera in my daily life, nor has there ever been a situation where it has failed to work.  I'm going to take a brief moment to talk about what it does.

First, it has two shooting modes.  Manual, and Aperture Priority.  It has shutter speeds ranging from Bulb mode and 8 seconds, all the way up to 1/2000th of a second.  All of these speeds are displayed through the viewfinder on an LCD screen when in use.  The aperture is on the lens, where it should have always remained in my opinion.  The F3 can accommodate all Ai, Ai-s, and newer Nikon lenses, and when you flip back the meter index tab on the mount, it can accommodate all lenses before as well.  All lenses from the 1950s to the introduction of the Z series a few years ago can be used with this lens.  Non-Ai and G lenses won't meter properly, but there are workarounds.

The removable prism is a massive advantage.

The shutter is electronically controlled.  When the battery runs out, there is a front facing lower leaver on the right that shoots at 1/60th of a second.  The button on it is an AE lock for shooting in A mode.  The leaver on top is mirror lockup for long exposures, and the silver button is depth of field preview.  On the other side there is a PC sync port, a weird flash shoe, exposure compensation, ISO selector, and the rewind crank.  The camera also features a quartz timed 10 second timer, engaged with a leaver under the shutter dial.


But that's not all.  There are three other major things about this camera.  First, the removable finder.  This allow you to use other types of finders for work, like the one I have.  The High Eyepoint (HP) finder.  This one lets you see 110% of the frame, or 100% from a short distance away for eyeglass wearers (like me).  It also has around 20 different focusing screens for every conceivable type of photography.  And, a lesser function that other cameras like the canon a1 share, a multiple exposure leaver.  But that's enough with the gritty boring details.  Its brass, came in titanium models, etc etc.  It was the NASA camera of choice and people like it blah blah blah.  I like it, that's why I'm writing this.  This is the basic 1984 Nikon F3 HP.  Its mine.

My camera is unique in a couple ways.  First off, its been dropped many times.  The finder is dented and the finder blackout leaver is snapped off.  It's for ultra long exposures, doesn't matter.  Second, It is missing the bottom motordrive socket cover.  So I had to plug the hole.  The motordrive is an attachment that gives me burst rates of 5 frames per second.

batteries are easy enough to get, they last forever

I selected a few lenses to use, and I must say, they are some of the best lenses I have ever seen.  The 300mm telephoto?  Sharpest 300mm prime lens Nikon has ever made...had for pennies because people want new crap instead of the old gold.  I have had this camera with me for a year, and haven't even touched digital.  It produces satisfying images of astonishing quality, always perfectly exposed.  Seriously, this meter is way more accurate than my Canon Rebel.  I'm going to stop talking and share some shots I took.  This camera will be in my hands for a very long long time.

sans the finder

HP5 50mm 1.8 e series 

HP5 210mm E series 

Ektar 100 50mm 1.8

Ektar 100 50mm 1.8

Portra 400 50mm 1.8

HP5 50mm 1.8

Ektar 100 50mm 1.8

Ektar 100 50mm 1.4 Ai-s

Portra 400 300mm f4.5 ED-IF Ai-s

Portra 400 300mm f4.5 ED-IF Ai-s

Portra 400 300mm f4.5 ED-IF Ai-s

HP5 50mm 1.4 (wide open)

HP5 300mm f4.5 ED-IF Ai-s + Tc-200 2x

Portra 400 105mm 2.5

Color Plus 200 50mm 1.4

Color Plus 200 300mm f4.5 ED-IF Ai-s + TC-200 2x

HP5 105mm f2.5

Ektar 100 (pushed to 400) 50mm 1.4

Ektar 100 (pushed to 400) 50mm 1.4

Ektar 100 (pushed to 400) 105mm f2.5

Ektar pushed to 400 50mm 1.4 (wide open)

Panoramic crop Ektar Pushed to 400 (wide open) 50mm 1.4

Ektar 100 300mm ED

Ektar 100 300mm ED

Portra 400 50mm 1.4


Thus follows a small sampling of the close to 2,000 photos I have taken with this camera.  If you want to see more, head over to my Flickr, my Instagram, or my website.  Thank you so very much for reading!!!



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