Press and hold the top silver button on the front of the F3. Want one? To do this, rotate the lower front lever down. The F3 has TTL flash, but it requires the use of bizarre adapters; heck, the F3 doesn't even have a flash shoe! If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone. The F3 uses Nikon’s ubiquitous F mount, meaning that all of Nikon’s F mount lenses will mount to this camera. Fujifilm Camera Lenses. Specifically, I find it far faster and intuitive to set an exposure while watching the needle move as I survey a contrasty scene than to have to read, digest and calculate from the digital LCD of the F3. Today you can get perfectly functional beater F3s for $100, or ones just like new in their boxes for a few hundred dollars from Adorama, Amazon and eBay. It’s not ideal, and I actually blew an entire setup on a professional shoot with this camera when I shot it without any film rolling around inside. Great for long automatic night exposures many minutes long. But unlike some older or newer Nikons, the F3 makes allowances for using all of Nikon’s lenses. Thanks! It also paved the way for the revolutionary Nikon F4, which was the first widespread Nikon autofocus camera. What is the best instant film camera for beginners? This thing lasts an eternity on a minuscule battery. Nikon 1 cameras achieve a level of speed and accuracy that once was unimaginable, and the Nikon 1 V3 takes that performance even further. Today you can get the Nikon F3 for cheap, and because it was built so tough, it’ll probably work just fine even if the outside is scratched and worn from use. Lens mount: Nikon F bayonet type Usable Lenses: Virtually all Nikkor lenses with Nikon F bayonet : AI-type, Non AI-type (Stop-down exposure metering) and AF Nikkor lenses (Operative in manual focus setting) As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. Lenses: Lenses with Nikon F mount (with some limitations); AF lenses. The Nikon FG had an original list price of $149.95 (w/ a $25 rebate applied), as seen in my Competitive Camera Corp Catalogue No. Grasp the lens by its mounting ring (0).Then line up the focusing index (1) on the lens with the white dot on the camera body (2) and twist the lens counter clockwise (0) until it clicks into place.To remove: Push the lens release button (3) and turn the lens clockwise until it comes off. It is manual exposure (with an aperture priority mode,) manual focus, and manual film advance and rewind. If you need to buy a camera that will double as a bludgeon, the Nikon F3 is for you. Get the best deals on Nikon F3 Film Cameras when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. I grab the F3. Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: 35mm, Film, Nikon, Dan’s Guide to Purchasing Used Polaroid Cameras. They include: 24mm f/2.8, 28mm f/2.8, 35mm f/1.4, 25-50mm f/4, 80-200mm f/4 and 400mm f/3.5 with chip. Personally, I don’t want to use a separate light meter if I can help it (although iPhones make great light meters), so the F3 is about as old as I’ll go on Nikon SLRs on typical shoots. I've never seen an LCD go bad. The F6 is a camera users dream. Mount the lens onto the camera. (Personally, when I bought my first Nikon in 1983, I prefered to pay more, $500, for a used F2AS because I didn't trust girly-man "electronic" cameras.). If you leave the power switch left on all the time, no problem: the meter only wakes up when the shutter is tapped. I honestly don’t know how long it actually lasts because I’ve only gone through two over the course of five years. Cameras at this time were still largely mechanical objects free from the constraints of electricity, and the Nikon F3 is more like those cameras than the small supercomputers of today. If you’re careful, you’ll be fine, but you better be careful. Thanks to all who responded. No, this is the camera for those who want to really feel the film experience. If you want a general purpose zoom, the 28-85mm AF Nikkor 3.5-4.5 works well even with manual focus and beats the hell out of the ancient pump zooms that were contemporary to the F3. Nikon makes at least 400 F-mount series lenses, making the F-mount the largest interchangeable lens system on the market today. If you want a companion to your Nikon DSLR, the F3 won’t necessarily play nice with the same lenses. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. The Nikon F3 has always been one of Nikon's best pro cameras. Nikon continued to make the F3 even after it introduced the F4 and the F5. *Among digital cameras with interchangeable lenses available as of Mar. All content copyright 2011-2021 by Orvieto LLC. The mechanism is simple enough that once you get a feel for it, you can predict exactly how it’s going to work. There are about two dozen different screens available. Shutter speed, either manually or automatically set, is shown on the LCD at the top left. If size weren’t an issue I would have probably bought the larger, slightly faster, newer Nikon 35mm f/1.4G lens without every knowing I didn’t need to. Pre-AI, AI, and AI-s lenses all are compatible. (50mm f/1.4 NIKKOR-S Auto (1967), Kodak Gold 100 at f/1.4 in AUTO.). In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing over $2500 and recommended the best. It’s the first Nikon film camera I purchased when I started shooting film, and I still revisit it time to time when I want to remember what it feels like using a camera that would (and has) survived anything. It heralded in aperture-priority auto exposure and featured one of the first primitive digital interfaces in the form of a small shutter speed readout. Thanks! For most shoots, I prefer my Nikon F100, which is a far more modern design. When sharing articles and photos from this site, please maintain credits and sources. When I’m heading out into a snowstorm to shoot, I don’t grab the delicate F100. If you use the F3's release and hold it, the MD-4 waits to advance the film until you take your finger off the F3's top shutter release. Unlike modern SLR and DSLR viewfinders that we’ve grown used to, focusing isn’t a guessing game guided only by a confirmation LED. Find cool stuff at Amazon and eBay in each article. The F3 works fine with every manual focus lens made since 1959, and works with all autofocus AI-P, AF, AF-I, AF-D and AF-S lenses so long as they aren't gelded (G). It helps me keep adding to this site when you use these direct links to get yours, thanks! So who is this camera for? I put a roll through it before I even got home. Please see disclaimers page for more information. enlarge. There are a zillion special purpose finders available, none of which make any sense to me. This camera has been fully tested and is in excellent working order. Autofocus lenses will work just fine as long as they have an aperture ring. The world of light is yours to explore and control with Nikon’s Creative Lighting System, complete with accessory flashes, engineered and optimized specifically for your Nikon camera. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Considering I've used the FE2 for many years, this camera is a step above. You’re supposed to tear off a piece of cardboard from the package the roll came in and put it in the slot in the back, but obviously that is not a foolproof solution, especially if you’re as forgetful as me. Because they are so useless! into the body. The F3AF was Nikon's first AF SLR. If you see red next to the shutter dial, you'll get the self timer until you rotate it to cover the red dot. You can reach me at hello (at) danfinnen.com or on Twitter @danfinnen. Since they sell for so little used I've bought quite a few. There is a prism in the middle, and if you line up an object in it, it’s in focus. All rights reserved. The Nikon F3 has been a reliable, manual focus workhorse since it's debut in 1980. There are other cameras out there that are even older than the F3 and even tougher, but they don’t always have autoexposure or meters built into them. Unlimited metered, timed long exposures at least several minutes long in AUTO mode. The LCD is lit by through the window on the front of the F3, which is one of the reasons that the batteries last forever: there is no backlight. If you’re looking a bright scene (like a snow-covered landscape) you know that the camera will likely underexpose. They used to cost thousands of dollars new. Despite being one of the earliest aperture priority auto exposure models, it actually works extremely well. Enjoy using the F3. Loading the film and advancing is still done manually, and there isn’t even autofocus. $350.00. F3HP (DE-3 finder) introduced a couple of years later. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Personally I prefer the smaller size of the similarly-featured FE, but if you need interchangeable finders and screens, the F3 is Nikon's finest manual focus camera ever. While the Nikon F2 will always hold a special place in my heart, the F3 is half a step away. Months later, my batteries are still fine. A Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 AI lens with threaded, rigid lens hood is currently mounted. I have used Nikon F, F2, F3HPs, F4s, F5, F6 , N90s and even a Nikkormat FTn. The mechanism is simple enough that once you get a feel for it, you can predict exactly how it’s going to work. Otherwise, everything works great. If you have no batteries, rotate the lower front lever down to start the exposure, and turn the shutter dial as before to stop the exposure. ($1,000 with inflation in 2012). A different view of the front of the Nikon F3. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Partnering up with Amazon, Polaroid Originals, eBay, and B&H allows me to keep this site going without annoying banner ads. This camera was a professional photographer’s go-to camera for nearly a decade, and is built to take an enormous amount of abuse while lasting an eternity on little more than a watch battery. The biggest problem with this camera is that there is no way to tell if there is a roll of film inside except by opening it and looking (which isn’t an option because it blows out any film inside). Like the powerhouse F5, this is a f*&^*&g film camera, and it makes no apologies for it. It claims 6x magnification, but that's 6x as in the view you get from 6x magnifier, not 6x bigger than the regular finder. If you want to shoot manually, the camera will helpfully let you know if you’re overexposing or underexposing with a plus or minus in the viewfinder. The Nikon F3HP is a professional level SLR 35mm film camera. The weight seems to dampen the moves/shakes when handheld. Ken Rockwell has a fantastic breakdown on what does and doesn’t work with this camera, which I won’t repeat here. The meter only wakes up when you tap the shutter. F3 $440 new in the early 1980s. 2001: End of production. That's the ON position. However, I always enjoy taking out my F3, especially if I’m going to be out on long trips places where I’m not going to have access to batteries or chargers. Mirror Best cameras for travel. (1980-2001), Intro Specs Performance Usage Recommendations. Nikon lenses with a Vibration Reduction system allowing for crisp images handheld at very slow shutter speeds. There are still plenty of people using them today. The MD-4 motor drive also powers the F3, so there's no need for S76 cells with the motor. The F3 only wake up if you tap the shutter button. Thanks! This camera is HEAVY. Specifications for MF-18 Databack: Usable cameras: Nikon F3 series with MD-4 Motor Drive (Except Nikon F3 High Speed Motor Drive camera when used in combination with the MD-4H as imprinted data becomes blurred, standalone F3H camera is alright) Also note: The F3H comes with a MF-6B Film back as standard accessory Usable Film Speeds: ISO25-400 for colour film, 100-400 for B/W. The standard K screen (rangefinder, microprism and ground glass) is the most useful, and the one you get with most F3s. It's extremely solid no-nonsense design and practical pro oriented feature set have made the camera a legend. Nikon electrical contacts provide for synchro- the flash unit, automatic through -the-lens flash and ready-light indication switching 1/80 sec. I leave my power switch ON all the time. The F3 was the first professional Nikon to … THis LCD is backlit thotugh a frosted window facing the subject, so its alwasy lit. There are lighter versions of this camera out there that also last ages on a small battery and meter. If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00. Each screen addresses only a very narrow range of applications. If you don't use these steps to meter with the aperture stopped down, your pictures will be about seven stops underexposed. Metering is Nikon's perfect and classic heavily center-weighted pattern. They tested 0 to 10% on the MBT-1 tester. This site uses affiliate links. Even as low as 2.8 Volts, the F3 still works great even though the illuminator is dead. If you use one of these links to purchase an item, this site may make a small commission. Home Donate New Search Gallery Reviews How-To Books Links Workshops About Contact. 7. Metering range: EV 1 to 18 (ie f/1.4 at 1 sec to f/11 at 1/2000 sec with 50 mm f/1.4 lens and ISO 100 film). © Ken Rockwell. If you want the genuine manual experience, nothing beats Nikon’s old manual focus lenses, many of which can be picked up used for cheap. How to Scan Polaroid or Fuji Instax Instant Film, Fuji Instax Instant Film Camera Buying Guide. either IS0- flash units to be attached. Not for: No autofocus, not convenient for use with most flashes and not if you need a small camera. davebecker, Sep 2, 2006 #1. The Nikon F3 marked a big change for Nikon. Exposure is match-dot manual, or aperture-preferred auto. Camera comes with MD-4 motor drive and a Nikkor 50mm f/2 AI lens with UV filter and original Nikon lens cap. Give me a Nikon F3, a 50mm lens and a couple of rolls of film and I am a happy man indeed! Make subjects stand out, enhance natural and available light, and add artistry and drama to any scene. AI-S, AF and AF-S lenses made from 1983 through today also work flawlessly so long as they have an aperture ring. "Nikon F3 - best of all pro Nikon film burners" Nope. If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem. If you’re looking a bright scene (like a snow-covered landscape) you know that the Weird flash coupling--incompatible with my existing flash. As of April 2019, about $300 used if you know How to Win at eBay. The Nikon F3 is a tank. Introduced in 2000. Nikon F3 With 50mm 1.8 Lens FILM TESTED!! Ending Tuesday at 10:13AM PST 18h 44m. Aperture is shown thogh the ADR (Aperture Direct Readout) window top center. I prefer the analog meter needle of the FE over the digital LCD meter of the F3. If you need to do this for a while roll, leave the lever down between shots, otherwise, push it up when you're done. It's been one of the main go to choices for photojournalists and pros al I've been told that the reason that Nikon made the F3 for 21 years is because not only was it always popular because it's a great camera, that it was practical to keep making it for so long because some of it's components were also used in some other instruments that Nikon had in production for this period as well. Center-Weighted, TTL full-aperture metering; EV 1 to 18 at ISO 100 with f/1.4 lens Power requirements One 3V CR1/3N lithium battery, or Two 1.55V SR44 silver-oxide batteries, or … or Best Offer ... Nikon F3 Film Cameras. If you are getting into film photography for the first time and Nikon F3 would be a great choice. lenses made from 1959 - 1977 with stop-down metering. It occasionally throws me off a bit that the film is loaded in differently than a newer film camera like the Nikon F100. 1983: F2AF. It's a dead system that used a couple of dedicated lenses. Nikon Df 16.2 MP CMOS FX-Format Digital SLR Camera with Auto Focus-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Fixed Special Edition Lens (Black) 4.0 out of 5 stars 110 $2,996.95 Two A76 watch batteries last forever, and you can buy them anywhere or find them in keychain lights and noise makers. It will stay that way, and you now can wind the shutter lever with your thumb but the film won't advance. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything. For $209.95 you could get the camera bundled with the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Series E lens.Other kit lenses were … The first was the 80-400mm f/4-5.6D ED VR Zoom Nikkor. FULLY TESTED! $125.00. The same kind of switch around the shutter-speed dial is the self timer. Flip the tiny black lever in the top right of the photo towards the front of the F3. I recommend them all personally. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. (762.1 g), measured, with alkaline LR44 batteries and strap lugs, but without strap, without lens and without body cap. You are free to use any of the old fisheye lenses that poke into the F3. In fast-moving or candid shooting situations, you can measure or estimate the distance between you and the subject and preset it on the lens using the distance scale engraved both in feet and meters. Optimized for Nikon's AI lenses (1977 - 1983). Comes complete with ALL batteries for motor drive AND camera. Tous droits réservés. With low batteries, I hear a slight hissing sound during exposure. Rotate the switch around the shutter button to show the red dot. Using these links costs you nothing and helps me out a ton. Want to know why they sell for so little? The HP, or High Eyepoint version, has a slightly larger eyepiece with slightly less magnification so you can hold your eye slightly farther away. I’m a writer, photographer, co-owner of Polmyth, and Skyline Chili enthusiast. Nikon's most advanced manual-focus camera is the Nikon FA, which adds Matrix Metering and Shutter-priority and Program exposure to the FE. Generally, I just set the camera to ‘A’ and forget it, but it’s great having the option to go full manual when you need to. Home Donate New Search Gallery How-To Books Links Workshops About Contact, Nikon In the dark, press the tiny red button on the prism with your trigger finger to light the LCD and lens' aperture ring. The main reason the battery lasts so long is that it does so little. 24 from 1985. The F6 is. The Nikon F3 was Nikon’s professional SLR camera released in 1980, alongside the consumer FM2 and FE2. Manual focus is surprisingly easy with this camera. Free shipping on many items | Browse your ... (53) 53 product ratings - Nikon Nikkormat FT2 35mm SLR Film Camera + Nikkor H 28mm F3.5 Lens. For Time exposures, set T on the shutter dial. YOu also can get them at Adorama and at Amazon. Nikon F3 is a 35mm film SLR system camera, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and was manufactured by Nippon Kogaku K. K., Japan (Nikon Corporation first in 1988), and produced between 1980-2000. Each provides you with the various functions that you think can best suit your kind of assignment or preferences. Nikon F3/T 35mm SLR Camera with MD-4 Motor Drive and 50mm f/2.0 lens 5 out of 5 stars (23) 23 product ratings - Nikon F3/T 35mm SLR Camera with MD-4 Motor Drive and 50mm f/2.0 lens I personally have the original version, but the HP version is even nicer if you can get your hands on one. This will be a great help in looking for lenses. Obviously you’ll still have to focus manually. Type of camera: 35mm single-lens reflex (SLR) Picture format: 24mm x 36mm standard 35mm film format. It is fun to use, easy to learn and a joy to carry around. The F3 works with many bizarre finders and focus screens, if you'e a whacko. About 90 of these lenses are in current production, but older F-mount lenses are still good investments. Series E lenses from decades ago work flawlessly because they also are AI-S, but modern E (Electronic diaphragm) lenses will always shoot wide-open. Durable die-cast, aluminum alloy construction, standard high-eyepoint viewfinder, highly Center-Weighted metering, a range of professional features and Nikon system interchangeabili Everything You Need to Know About Nikons F-Mount Series of Lenses. The small size of this lens is the sole reason I bought this and not the larger f/1.4G 35mm. The F3 was a top active pro camera for over 20 years. The Nikon F3 was Nikon's third professional single-lens reflex camera body, preceded by the F and F2. $15.50 shipping. Personally I prefer the smaller size of the similarly-featured FE, but if you need interchangeable finders and screens, the F3 is Nikon's finest manual focus camera ever. The F3, F4 and F5 are crude by comparison. Get one! These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. The Nikon F3 series cameras had the most model variations of any Nikon F camera. It works great. Introduced in 1980, it had manual and semi-automatic exposure control whereby the camera would select the correct shutter speed (aperture priority automation). This is a waste of time because you only can shoot at the tiniest aperture. Great for: Inexpensive, tough professional manual-focus, auto- and manual-exposure Nikon for use with manual and most AF lenses. DX: Introduced in 2003. Using the following affiliate links when buying anything costs you nothing and helps me out a ton. They seem to last forever, unlike Nikon's initial cautions that they would be expected to need replacement every several years. If you pop-in a special screen, you'll have to pop it out as soon as you change your lens again. There’s also no way to tell what ISO the film inside is if you forget what you put in. Don't bother, but as a parlour trick, you can meter and get auto exposure if you: 2.) I found the magnification of the 6x DW-4 finder about the same as the regular finder, but the image is reversed! Time exposures also work without batteries as explained next. Once you get the hang of it, it’s quick and fun. ... (SPD) and metering circuits incorporated into camera body; meter works with all interchangeable viewfinders. It’s a spot meter that exposes for the center of frame, and you can adjust exposure compensation accordingly. 26.882 oz. TTL flash control with Nikon Speedlights; Accepts the MD-4 Motor Drive which fires at up to 6 frames per second (fps) Complete interchangeability of five finders, 22 focusing screens and camera backs including the MF-14 Data Back, MF-18 Data Back and the MF-6B Camera Back; F3 high-eyepoint features DE-3 high-eyepoint Viewfinder Nikon still has parts for the F3 (as of August 2007). Press the shutter button to start the exposure. (Daniel J. Schneider) My experiences. One of my favorite lenses to use with this camera is the Nikon E-Series 100mm lens, but any manual focus will work great. The F3HP is another top professional choice. Thanks! I traded a Canon digital lens for my F3 after falling in love with the Nikon FM2n, thinking it was the next logical step. After 28 months sitting in my F3 with almost no shooting, from 08/07 to 12/09, two new Maxell LR44 cells no longer would fire the shutter of the F3. With the MD-4 attached, the F3's own shutter release works. uglier. You have to wind the film manually, which can take a few tries the first time. The Nikon F3 is not compatible with modern aperture ring-less lenses (usually denoted as ‘G’ lenses), and autofocus obviously won’t work on lenses that have it. Even if you use the dedicated SB-whatever-teen flash, the TTL feature is for shooting with flash only, not for calculating fill flash. It doesn't work very well: the light is dim, the button is difficult to press, and the switch is usually dirty so the light flickers more than it lights up the LCD. Loading and advancing film has a bit of a learning curve for youngsters.