Nikon F3

The Nikon F3 is is a serious camera for anyone who's serious about photography. Tough, it would suffice for a hammer in an emergency or as a brick for the smash-and-grab inclined. I have a strong feeling it will outlive me, even after 30 years of use. Just beautiful photos.

The Nikon F3 is a great handling camera which is reliable - built like a tank but has the refreshing clunk that tells you that you have actually taken a picture.

I have had my Nikon F3 for nearly 10 years. Before that I had an Olympus OM2n, a Minolta XD-11, and a Minolta X-570. The F3 is by far the most reliable camera out of the lot. Not that the other cameras (ALL of them are superb) are terrible, the F3 is just better. Better in design; better in construction; better in reliablity; better in fit and finish (Minolta XD-11 comes close - I guess because it is one of the fabled Leica-Minoltas). The Nikon bayonet mount is superb and massive. The performance of the factory Nikkor lenses is the benchmark by which all others are measured - including Zeiss and Leitz.

Nikon F3 is top line professional camera made from 1980 to 2000. It's the most long lasting camera in the market from Nikon F series.

This camera has horizontally travelling titan foil shutter that gives quartz controlled speeds of 8-1/2000 sec, flash sync on 1/80.

This camera can operate only with batteries, the only shutter speed that works without battery is 1/60 with special cocking lever.

It has optional superior motor drive MD-4 that can fire up to 6fps.

With standard battery pack of 8AA in the motor drive camera can make about 140 rolls of 36 exposures.

This is the most durable camera in it's top class. Shutter has the highest MTBF of 150,000 exposures (closest competitors can reach only 100,000 exposures).

Camera has built in aperture priority AE mode (Canon New F-1 needs special AE Finder), centre weighted light metering and TTL flash metering.

It's really one of the best and most versatile modern classics MF body.

View finder shows 100% of picture that lets to compose picture more precisely.

I bought my Nikon F3 for 1800NIS (~400$) with MD-4 and two lenses (Vivitar 135mm/1:2.8 and 200mm/1.3.5) in good condition.

This camera is really fun to use, beautiful shots and great accuracy.

The only disadvantage is no standard hot shoe on pentaprism (Canon New F-1 has). It's really big problem with solution of 30$ for adapter.

I shoot with only Leica M's and Nikon F's. The latter is the best 35mm SLR camera system ever made. The Nikon F3 is at the top of the list. I current own The Nikon F, Nikon F2, and Nikon F3. My prior Nikon F4 and F5 cameras were far too massive and dependent on power sources. Is the F3 perfect? Nothing is, but it sure comes close.

Russ

This Nikon F3 35mm SLR camera was designed for a very specific group of photographers - not the sort who would grumble about a slow flash synch speed. So, if you are that kind of person, go get something more soulless and leave this camera to the real photographers! It was built to last for ever, hence it's absurdly long production run (about 20 years). It has excellent durability, image quality and reliability. If you wanted, you could use it to hammer in nails with. Mine - which was already fairly elderly when I got it - has been all over the world since 1998, has been sat on and dropped numerous times...and only needs to be scooshed with compressed air to get the dust out of it. The features are not particularly proliferant, but if you like that sort of thing, go buy a photographic computer with satanic battery consumption and may God have mercy on your soul... Accessories are good, especially considering the camera's age. The MD4 motordrive is particularly useful, but be warned that you need a strong arm to carry it (it takes 8 AA batteries!). If I were to come back as a camera, I would come back as an F3, as it has all the virtues that I admire in humans. Cannot recommend it enough.

This Nikon F3 is the only 35mm slr camera that I know to have such a lovely winding mechanism, FE has a smooth mechanism too, but F3 feels awesome, just a swing. Because of it's weight and horizontal travel shutter, you won't feel nearly nothing when you take a photo, that's why photos are really sharp, not to mention the conditions at which this camera is capable of working. This is the camera that made me love Nikon.

As a solid hard working manual camera, that can make use of Nikons high quality flash and metering options. the HP view finder was so successfull on it, that most other Nikons now use it. making it very easy for people who wear glass's to see the whole screen. it will also meter with manual and auto focus lenses, not just with the auto focus lenses like most of the newer cameras now do. as a nikon pro camera it holds its resale value and is now concidered a classic like the nikon F & F2.

This Nikon F3 is a great camera which is going down as a modern classic camera. There is a reason why the F3 is still being produced by Nikon while the F4 is already discontinued. The mechanics and durability of this camera are great, it takes a beating, it takes dirt, it takes anything and will still take great pictures. A shutter tested to over 150,000 cycles. Silky smooth film advance with over 11 ball bearings. All the features of a pro camera like exposure lock and depth of field preview, as well as exposure compensation dial. The F3 can be a bit heavy but this helps hold it steady and lends to its durability. The only downsides are a slow flash sync speed 1/80sec, a lack of a spot meter, and lack of an excellent low light metering system. Overall a great camera that will serve whoever has it for many many years.