Best Pro 35mm Film SLR Ever? The Nikon F3 Review
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- The Nikon F3 is one of my all time favorite film SLRs. I review this camera in excruciating detail along with the MD-4 Motor drive and the SB-17 speedlight.
Here's a link to my Flickr album of some photos taken with the SB-17 set at different TTL, Auto and bounce settings. Spoiler alert: The SB-17 works great as a bounce flash but you have to compensate a stop or two. I found 45 degree bounce is a little better than the full 90 degree bounce.
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The confidence he has in this video make me feel like I can shoot anything with this F3
Thanks so much!
This has got to be the most thorough Nikon F3 & accessories review that I've seen. Thank you so much! Keep up the great work.
Thanks so much!
This is definitely the best Nikon F3 video on all CZcams, very informative, great tempo and fun!
Thanks so much!
I just got one of these today and it’s so nice. The first thing I did when I got it to the car was to get on EBay and order a HP prism.
I absolutely love it and am convinced that I must have this camera. This is probably the greatest camera review of all time. Thank you sir!
Thanks for the great review of the F3. I found a guy on Craigslist that was trading an F3 with a Nikon 50mm and 24mm lens, Nikon flash, gadget bag, adapters, ect for a leather jacket. I had a leather jacket that I had long outgrown so it was heading to Goodwill anyway. I was thrilled with my trade. Yours is beautiful, its rare to see these professional cameras in mint condition.
This is the most interesting and most elaborate review of F3 in whole internet. Thanks for this review!
I just purchased a Nikon F3 from a seller on Facebook Marketplace yesterday. When I got home, I cleaned the dust off on and inside the camera as well. Today, I will go to the B&H camera to pick up the MD-4 motor drive, neck strap, and batteries. This is one of the best Nikons that I have owned (I used to own an FM)
The rig that owned the 80s. It was a beauty and that is coming from a Canon (F1AE) shooter. During that decade, I was tempted to switch as most of my colleagues were shooting F3s, FM2s etc. At the end of the day, however, I stuck it out with Canon. The 90s, would be far more Canon friendly.
Great in depth video looking for one at the moment I had FMs and FEs currently have F4 & F90x for film and a couple of Nikon digital cameras I love the sound of the shutter I can’t get my head around the issues with batteries they last for months carry a couple of spares cheap and light
So glad I stumbled across your channel, it's a pleasure to watch, and of course very informative. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Just want to say; THANK YOU!
I'm sure that I am one of many thousands of viewers who have watched and enjoyed your fine, instructive videos!
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
Thanks so much!
I have owned a couple of F3HP bodies and it is a beautifully designed, well and made reliable camera. Would be a great place to start for anyone wanting to try film or go back to shooting film. Brilliant review, well done.
8 min exposure is insane! I had no idea the meter would go this far! This I will have to try out for myself!
Thanks for a great review, I bought mine in 89 and after your sharing the attributes of your's at this date, I'm glad I haven't sold it, you relit the joy of having it .
That warms my heart to know that someone has relit the flame for film photography. Enjoy it!
Damn you love that camera lol. Your video is definitely the most in-depth out there. Very few others even show inside the viewfinder. So thanks!
It’s a labor of love because I really do love my F3 with all of the extra doo dads that I’ve acquired over the years. It’s still going strong, btw.
Beautiful explanation of a very complex camera. You covered every facet, what film are you using at the moment. One of the best technical write-ups I have ever seen.
Thanks so much. I’ve been on a T-Max 100 binge lately.
Actually, it's important not to lose the motor drive cover if you want to use the F3 without the motor drive. The cover (or motor drive itself) is needed to keep light from leaking in to the camera. Without the cover film can fog due to light leaks.
Excellent video, very thorough and informative. Love this camera
Thanks for watching! The F3 is legendary.
Thank you for an excellent review of this camera. I recently aquired one and was looking for some information. I stubled on this channel and now I am not leaving!. I have been using the Minolta family of film cameras along with the Olympus film cameras. But I see this will surpass all of those based on this review. I cannot wait to take this camera out and run through some rolls of film. Again thank for a wonderful review of the F3.
I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed mine over the years. It is an absolutely excellent camera to use.
Back then, I waited until digitals were good enough to actually work with in a non-professional setup because I absolutely did not want to mess with developing film, so I watch these videos for intellectual enrichment, and they never fail me. It is amazing how much of a working tool this camera was, which means both a tool for working and a tool that is working, how well thought out and how long it -lasted- _lasts._ There are modern cameras (like the D3) that are of similar value, but yeah, cameras like the F3 really are “it”. Thank you for that amazing and enriching video. Made me weep a bit for my old Df, though 😉
Thanks very much. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Great video, a nice person speaking about it, I just bought the body of it, I ordered a level eye viewfinder for it, I am looking forward to rebuilding the camera,
Thanks so much. I’m sure you will enjoy the F3. It’s a very simple and enjoyable camera to use.
Nice overview! The F3 is the favorite out of my entire collection, and most used as well. For me it's like the perfect SLR.
Thanks so much. My fav as well!
Owned one in the 80’s, miss it
They still are incredible. That awesome mechanical goodness!
Love the review. Thanks!
I bought one when they came out in 1980 and used it until the F5 came out. It still works great. I still have it and have owned 11 Nikon cameras.
It's amazing how durable these Nikon cameras are. I've had my F3 for going on 10 years and it was 25 years old when I bought it. It has never failed me-ever.
Regarding how well Nikon cameras last, I stopped using my D 3 a couple of years ago and the shutter count was 139,875 images without ever a problem. The F 3 still works.
Thank you for another detailed camera explanation !
I use the Nikon F3 hp with 50mm 1.2 asi and 35 mm 1.4 asi lenses.
For digital picture making I use the d850 with 58mm 1.4.
I truly enjoy these cameras.
The Nikon F3 is timeless. I’ve had it around ten years now and I love it as much as the day I bought it.
Got one left from my dad. Thanks for walking me through!
It’s an awesome camera. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.
The light on the F3HP is to illuminate the LCD panel that shows shutter speed and metering not to light up the aperture numbers. I have two F3HP’s that I used for over 25 years.
Great review thank you
Well done. I am waiting for my F3 which I will get in a week or two. This made the wait much harder 😉
I hope when you finally receive your F3 that you will enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine!
Great information !
Love my F3 HP and just ordered a 135mm F2 AIS from KEH for it. Actually thinking about picking up the original F do go with it.
And you Sir! are my main dude for anything film, thanks!
Lol, many thanks!
Excellent review. Thank you.
Thanks!
Great Video and.....GREAT CAMERA! The F3 is my absolute all time favorite film camera bar none. I walked away from it for many years but one day, for some reason, dusted it off and my love for the F3 and my amazing couple of AI/S lenses exploded and there's been no looking back! Keep up the good work! Love the videos.
The F3 has a certain magic. It's not Nikon's most feature-filled manual focus film camera, but (IMHO) feels better in use than any other MF film Nikon and I always get great technical results. The spacing between frames is always perfect (important for scanning), the exposure is always perfect and I love the silky-smooth (ball-bearing mounted) film advance lever.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Keep up the great work!! Love your channel.
Thanks so much!
Great and informative review! Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the video.
Nice job on the F3 System video Eric! I've got 2 of 'em - I bought my first F3, lenses and motordrive in 1981 from Ken Hansen Photo in New York City and flew with it on the Air France Concorde to Paris - I shot that camera all over the world and it survived a motorcycle crash with me - looks beat up but still works. Recently I bought a clean body and more lenses for very reasonable price.
Best wishes, keep up the good work, JH
Hi Jon, I can't believe I didn't see your post before now! So sorry. Thats an incredible accounting of your time with the F3 especially your ride on the Concorde. My time with my F3 is relatively short in comparison to yours but I find it a great and nimble companion which is always ready to go no matter what. I hope you are none the worse after your motorcycle accident and I would love to see a photo of your original F3 in all it's scratched and dented glory. Thanks for this great post.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Thanks very kindly for the get-back Eric, hit me at jonhammond@jonhammondband.com for picture of my old road-doggie F3 + motor. *Note: I busted it out after putting away for a few yrs., was shooting my old 55mm macro lens that was in accident with me - I took it in to my friends at B&H and they determined lens controls were damaged, even though I still got some decent photos. So I bought another lens, back in business and the newer/clean body from B&H is nice! Keep up your excellent posts Eric, c u around - Jon
The 1/80 sec shutter speed until frame 1 is so that the camera in A mode may not choose a long shutter speed which would slow down the time until you are able to take the first picture.
I was just about to say the same thing. My Nikon F5 auto advances 3 frames so it's ready to go. So the F3 being stuck on 1/180 for the first three is actually a very pro feature so you can load your roll in the dark or with the cap on and your shutter isn't stuck open for 30 seconds.
I'm 49 yrs. old. I've always been an F3 fan. I now have three Nikon cameras. A D-750 which is my main camera. with a Sigma ART 24-125. A Nikon P-1000 which for the price,has given me some great shots. I also have a small Coolpix infrared that takes some great I.F. shots... I Love em all. But now, I can afford an F3 hp. But going back 30 years... I gotta go back to my favorites. The F-3. I'm kinda getting excited to get into 35 again.. Thank's for the video my friend!
Hi William, thanks so much for your comments. It made me think about how many Nikon digital cameras I went through during the 9 years (or so) that I've owned my F3. If memory serves: D70s, D200, D300, D500, D800, D810, D7100, D7000, D7200, D5500 and D70s (again) in no particular order. I love every Nikon I've ever owned-Film or Digital but it speaks to the staying power of the Nikon F3 that it's still so fun to use today.
Yes, the F3 is on the short list for me. Right after a FM2.
Good choice! I've had my F3 since 2010 and it was probably 25 years old when I bought it. Still going strong!
The three frames at 1/80th of a second, are the ones you would waste anyway loading the film. According to the manual, once the frame counter gets to 1, then the camera will shoot at any set speed. Great review I really enjoyed it. Very informative and great description of some of the accessories.
Thanks so much!
Fantastic and very comprehensive review. My sentiments too owned mine since 1990. The mirror lockup is good for shutter speeds around 1/4 second. For long exposure I use the T setting uses no battery at all, to cancel it move the shutter dial to anything else. The two contacts on the back are For the film back MF-6 and MF-6B they stop the MD-4 from winding the end of the film all the way into the film canister, useful if you develop your own films, or developing films on location!. Overall the best review on the internet, many thanks
Great information! Thanks for sharing.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel I checked on my 3 F3 cameras , after closing the backs its two shots display 1/80 the third displays the correct speed. It's how yours is configured . A Nikon F3 can set it to be zero or many frames at 1/80 .prior to the first correctly metered shot .It's a mechanical internal setup near the frame counter. . I think this is the best 35mm Film SLR period. It's a very versatile camera it never complains. Always ready to give top quality results.
Awesome review 🔥👏🏻🔥
great video, after watching this i'm going to try and find one of those waist level view finders , i know ebay has them but so far only from Japan i have not found any here in the UK .
I’ve had pretty good success with some Japanese eBay sellers. I’ve even had to return an item with no problem.
Awesome video Thank you. Cheers from Norway
Hi Greg. Thanks for checking in. Cheers 🥂
Good evening to you. Sorry for the delay? Hospital appointment. Your every welcome. Your review of the F6,and this Superb Nikon are the best ive ever seen. The F3 is a workhorse of a Camera. It's one of the Old School Photography Camera's which along with the FM2N are fantastic Cameras! I learned the Art of Photography on Manual Cameras when, at the age of 18 years young. I actually startled out with Prakticas ,solid camera's. Then after much saving i actually Graduated too Nikon. After I had enough money, i purchased The Nikon FM2n ! Wow, now i was in with the Big boys. I'm 69 years young now with the aches and pains of Arthritis. I have to limit myself to just One Body and 2/3 Nikkor Nikon lenses a 50mm f/ 1.8 or 4 a 28mm f/ 2.8 and a 135mm f/ 2.8 all AIS. As you rightly point out, these Lovely lenses can be used on Manual Mode on The F6 . I'm much obliged to you for your absolutely First Class Videos. Please keep your wonderful videos coming. Many thanks and Kind regards Colyn.
Thanks again Colyn!
Wonderfully informative. I just pulled the trigger on a mint condition F3HP with a 50mm 1.4 (also mint) thanks, in large part, to your video (plus a childhood dream). It wasn’t quite as cheap as you mentioned, but prices have been going up a lot lately. I know it’ll be worth it. It arrives in approximately two weeks. Thanks so much.
Congratulations! It's a special camera and great fun to use. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Film Photography Channel Thanks! Just received it today. It's completely mint as described. I love it already. Rewatching this to get a better feel for it.
@@GilbertTang Very cool. I just realized I've had my F3 for going on a decade and it's just as reliable and dead-simple to use as the day I bought it. Enjoy!
I think these are more difficult to get your hands on now. In the UK I bought one for £250 but saw plenty of others going for £300-£500 not sure what it’s like elsewhere
Yes the prices have definitely spiked on the F3. It seems like this is true of most desirable film cameras. I paid $80 for mine 9 years ago.
Very very good video. Thank you
Thanks so much! The F3 is one of my all time favorite cameras.
Your videos are so enjoyable.
Thanks so much.
Great video! I have been using the F3 for almost a year now, and I wasn't aware of some of the features you've mentioned. I also wasn't aware of the DW-3 viewfinder... I am definitely going to buy one!
The F3 is a keeper. Fun camera that looks great and is dead-simple to use. Fantastic meter also.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Definitely! I have found your video because I was looking for more information on the SB-17. It was gifted to me recently, but I have not yet shot with it. What would be the best setting to use it for a more high paced, in your face, Bruce Gilden-style streetphotography?
Ps. I do not own a motor drive.
If you aren’t using the motor drive then it is very responsive and quick-charging in any scenario and at either the high or low setting. When shooting manually, you can’t out-pace the SB-17. I usually set it to TTL as the easiest and most responsive setting.
I love the F3, it is really a joy to shoot. I would like to get this kind of user interface and feel in a digital body. Fuji may be as close as you can get for the money.
I love my F3 which I recently realized I’ve had over 8 years! I’ve had several digital cameras come and go in that time. I owned a Fuji XE-1 and now have an XE-2 which I think were both great digital cameras. The XTrans sensor is revolutionary (or maybe just evolutionary) in the digital world. The construction, however is nowhere close to the same level of a Nikon F3! I know the Fuji’s look the part but they’re really fragile compared to the Nikon (and a lot of other cameras of that time).
Love my F3, learned a Buch from you. Thanks
Great to hear!
Excellent review1 thanks!
Thanks for watching. Please share!
Wow, what a great video!
Glad you liked it!
best nikon f3 vid… love the expertise
Thanks so much.
This is the most beautiful of the F series. Unfortunately, the price is more like tripled since your video. Thanks a lot for the detailed go through.
Wow I had no idea they were so expensive now. I guess most film cameras have really gone up in value.
Very cool setup! And interesting video. Thanks for sharing. I was surprised by that burst shot with the flash. I thought that flash had a recycle time of 6 seconds. Anyway, I'm just getting into film photography. I wish I could get one of these F3. But I went for a much cheaper and still clean FE2. You mentioned that when using the flash with bounce you had to compensate. Can you explain that more? Were you referring to using TTL? And were you compensating by increasing the exposure compensation on the flash by 1.5 stops?
Best F-3 review I've seen
Thanks so much!
One of Nikons' best - I still have a couple and one unused in the box along with the mega back and all the finders, backs and drives etc.
But I never liked the flash attachment.
It's an oddball flash for sure.
Merci Monsieur pour cette très belle vidéo de ce Merveilleux F3 qui a marqué son avance sur son temps et qui ai toujours à là mode aujourd'hui . Merci
De rien mon ami. Merci d'avoir regardé ma chaîne. Je suis très reconnaissant.
thats probably my all time favorite 35mm camera
Definitely one of my all time favs!
Very informative and very timely. I just picked up a minty F3. The camera came with the 50mm f1.4 and the sb-17 flash unit. The camera has been dormant for a while, which might explain the inaccurate slow shutter speeds (1/8th to 8 sec) . I've been exercising the shutter release daily and it seems to be improving. Will definitely pick up the waist view finder, and possibly one of the non-split focus screens to match as my F3 came with the K glass. I'd love to see you do a comprehensive tutorial on the flash unit and the different settings (ttl/m/a/md) as there's not much out there for us newbies.... Thanks for your time.
I actually took a roll recently for the express purpose of trying different exposure and bounce settings with the SB-17. I'll post a link when I find it.
Film Photography Channel Thanks,.. I look forward to seeing it.
Found the SB-17 photos! Here's a link to my Flickr album of some photos taken with the SB-17 set at different TTL, Auto and bounce settings. Spoiler alert: The SB-17 works great as a bounce flash but you have to compensate a stop or two. I found 45 degree bounce is a little better than the full 90 degree bounce. flic.kr/s/aHsmsLBe1i
Hi for the flash at ttl do we use 60th shutter speed on the dial or leave it at A?
Great video. Any advice on the a good affordable flash mount for the f3?
Merci ! très bonne vidéo __;)
A well informed interesting video. Regarding the first three frames....
On the FE's and FG's the meter doesn't work either and they only shoot in manual for the first few frames. I think the idea is to stop you taking important shots on the first few frames in case you had loaded the film poorly and fogged those frames?
Another feature worth mentioning on the F3. It has a tiny silver button on the lens mount (at 2 o'clock) which when pressed lets you to flip the aperture tab out of the way allowing pre-Ai lenses to be used (with stop down metering).
The FM and FE also had this feature but not the FM2 or FE2.
Great call on both notes. I found out after making this video that the first few frame thing is about loading the film so you don’t get stuck with a long exposure if the lens cap is on (whistle loading) and the camera is set to auto.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Oh Okay, that makes a lot of sense, and would explain why they did it on the auto exposure cameras. Just after hitting "buy it now" so I'll shortly have an F3HP in my hands. Used to have an F3/T but foolishly got rid of it when I switched to digital. Now I'm ditching digital and returning to film. One thing I remember about the F3 was that it had the most accurate metering of any camera I ever used and would expose whole rolls of Velvia perfectly.
Thanks for the video, and the reply...even though you've just cost me money :)
Just subbed, great channel
Nice review.
Thanks so much. I enjoy my film cameras!
By the way, was not at all aware of the DW-3...absolutely going to get one.
I like it for macro primarily. Makes it much more comfortable to compose.
As of June 2021, the Nikon MK-1 Firing Rate Converter he references at 16:16 costs approximately $200 (if you can find it used).
With the growing popularity of film photography, it seems the equipment is getting ever more expensive. I only paid around $80 for my F3 going on about ten years ago.
Nice video- have an F3 on the way from Japan.
Congrats. The F3 is an incredible machine!
Great channel and your reviews are very helpful. I had a CoolPix era photography friend whom I loved to talk with because she talked tech cameras, scanning, and film developing. Great photographer!
I am a fluid paint artist and art school student who needs a rugged, light, reliable DSLR Nikon probably -- to take both botanical reference photos and a few landscape and portrait photos for drawing references. That means photos need to show highlights, shadows, and some of the background. I need a ready to go/shoot DSLR so I can download to tablet or computer from a HS HD SD card, and then, crop etc with Paint/other illustration/drawing apps and then proceed to draw and paint. Any thoughts on a good fit off the used market? Thx in advance.
If you’re looking for a DSLR on a budget I would recommend the Nikon D810. It takes absolutely fantastic digital images. If that’s too pricey the Nikon D5500. It has an amazing sensor that will take great photos with a good lens. Get a fast ai-s lens for either or if you need autofocus then an af-d lens. The D5500 won’t work with af-d lenses unfortunately
I bought the F3 new when it came out, paying for it with quarters I saved for tips as a pizza delivery driver. I shot horse races on the "A" setting by cranking the lens wide open, pre-focusing on the finish line, and letting the camera give me the highest possible shutter speed for the light available. Almost always, hooves off the ground! Conversely, I'd drop to f22, and do time exposures off streets lasting minutes....all perfectly exposed. It got stolen on me, and I went to my Nikkormats as back-ups until the auto-focus bodies started appearing. I'm totally digital now, and I'm STILL using the lenses I bought in the 70s and 80s on my latest DSLRs! Can any of the OTHER manufacturers do that? I THINK NOT!
Tony, Pentax does too - they have always made a point of back-compatibility with any K-mount lens (ie from 1975). Last week I was doing copying with a 1977 Pentax M-Series macro lens on my 2017 Pentax K-1. On a Pentax DSLR. old lenses can work in manual or effectively aperture priority auto.
It is Canon who foul up. After the screw-mount period Canon SLRs have had the R, the FL, the FD, the EF, the EF-S, the EF-M, and the RF mounts! An EF (full frame) lens can be fitted to a EF-S (APS-C) camera but not vice versa.
In contrast, you are allowed to mount a modern Pentax APS-C lens on a full frame body and it automatically goes into "crop" mode, although you can even override that and go to full frame mode if you want.
Canon seem to hate their users and just want them to keep buying new lenses. I do accept the need for a different mount for mirrorless though.
Nice, but Canon does that too..
@@roiloubia4483 Wrong...Canon has a mish-mosh of lens mounts...I can use F-mount Nikkors from 1959 on my latest digital body
I have an F3 and it's criminally under used. I had no idea I could use it as a waist finder camera with a DW-3! Vivian Maier here we go. Cheers!
What a great story. I watched the documentary “Finding Vivian Maier” not too long ago.
One thing most F3 users didn’t realize is for closeup work all you need to do is flip the SB17 flash180 degrees and aim the flash tube up (down) and illuminates as close as 7” in front of the lens.
Great tip!
I wonderful camera. I've held a few, but I've owned one. I have 13 Nikon film cameras in the collection, and my favourite is the F2. I think it's tougher than the F3, and doesn't need a battery to be almost 100% functional. Mine looks like it's been dumped off a cliff, and it's still working.
One of the things that made the Nikon F3 a bit controversial amongst advanced shooters was if they would adopt an electronically-controlled camera. I like cameras that are fully manual as well but they’re limited in the faster shutter speeds. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that has faster than 1/1000 sec shutter speed.
The F2 used a horizontal-travel focal plane shutter with titanium shutter curtains and a speed range of 1 to 1/2000. I'm sure the F3 has a more accurate shutter. I also have shot with an F5, and I'm sure the argument could be made that it is the best pro 35mm SLR, but I bonded with the F2. Maybe there is something to be said for having a special bond with a camera.
Thanks speedy response. Now leaning toward buying F3 since advance lever not an issue. Tuff choice between 3 and 3HP. Don’t wear glasses(for now).which makes 3 attractive but F3HP probably newer and better for long haul. Of course, the 3 less costly Any thoughts on quandary?
Just go with the F3 HP. You won’t have any regrets eyeglasses or not.
Left eye shooter query: Maybe missed it but does the film advance lever have to be extended to activate meter and to shoot? Thanks & neat video -again.
Hi Linda, no need for the film advance lever to be out before shooting the F3. The FE, not the FE2 does lock the shutter when the film advance is pushed in. FYI I’ve never had an accidental shutter actuation due to this but I guess it could happen in the camera bag. Also, the F3 film advance is a feat of engineering; its ball-bearing loaded and smooth as all get-out! Hope this helps.
Hey Eric, Thanks for the video. When I set my ISO to the exact number of the film. Must it line up with the middle dot out of the three dots under the number?
Hi Patrick, Yes, here's an image that shows what it should look like when set to ISO 400. tinyurl.com/NikonF3-ASA
For sure the Nikon F3 is a great camera, but I prefer the Canon F1 New, much more reliable to my point of view and experience. I own both..My favorite camera is still the Canon T90..that I use more often.
subbed! excellent video! Can you tell me which eye cup you are using? I'm terrified of scratching my glasses on the raised metal lip as the original cup is missing.
I have the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) Nikon eyecup DK-2. I always stick with the original even when there’s eBay knockoffs at 1/4 the price. They feel better in use and are very durable. Personal choice. I hope you found this useful.
I have that eye cup I can’t get it to assemble so I can install it…
I have a Pentax LX and you could almost use the same words to review that. I greatly admire the Nikon F3 and regard it and the LX as both out ahead of the Canon New F1 - the only other remotely comparable. There are minor ups and downs betwen the F3 and the LX - the LX has no exposure lock but it has mechanical back-up at sync _and_ all speeds above. I don't like that hot shoe; and maybe I misunderstood you about allowing extra exposure for bounce flash. I thought the Nikon TTL flash was like the LX - the camera takes control of a dedicated flash unit and so it does not matter whether it is bounced or what the lens aperture is - the camera tells the flash unit to keep on blazing until the film has received the light it needs.
The Pentax LX is a fine camera with a brilliant metering system but the prices are a little inflated right now. The LX is selling for over TWICE the price of the Nikon F3. Film cameras in general are really increasing in value along with the rising popularity of film photography. I remember buying my F3 for less than half of what they're selling for now.
02:44 actually the non HP finder is bigger AND brighter :)
The reason why its on an 1/80th of a second before the first frame is so that when you let it on A and want to wind it up to frame 1 it doesnt put out 30min exposures in case you've got the lens cap on, which would basically freeze the camera
That’s interesting. I’ve never even seen one with the standard pentaprism. I think the HP finder has a bigger eyepiece opening which was helpful for people wearing glasses or goggles
@@FilmPhotographyChannel the eyepoint is bigger, so that you can see the full frame when beeing 20mm away from the eyepiece because of glasses.
But that also makes the frame smaller when you are nearer on the eyepiece like without wearing glasses.
I own both and the HP is i would guess 80% of the normal one, also its a bit darker.
i think my favorite advance is on a minolta srt
Funny enough the SR-T 102 is my next camera review. Still taking it through its paces. The Minolta SR-T is a well made camera with a good film advance action but the Nikon F3 is much smoother because of the ball bearings loaded under the film advance lever.
Thank you for a great review. 5y later and mint F3's are $600++😢😂
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 OG you could teach a class on this camera 😂😂
Thanks!
Great video! The F3 will shoot at 1/80 until the film counter reaches "1".
Yep and I figure that it does that to avoid really long shutter speeds while you're trying to load your film.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Glad you're enjoying yours. Love my F3, and just like you I fell down the rabbit hole of Nikon accessories for it: SB-16A flash with case & diffuser, MD-4 Motor Drive, AH-3 Tripod Adapter, AS-4 Flash Coupler to mount a trigger for studio lights, and MC-12 Remote. Like you I'm looking for an MK-1 Firing Rate Converter. I'ts like Lego for adults. :-D
Comprehensive. I HAD a Canon AE1 purchased new in 1983 but loaned it to my daughter who went through a domestic so I lost it, have since purchased a Nikon F3 and realised all these years I should have purchased a F3 in 1983. Nice camera.
I agree 100%. The F3 is an incredible camera. I like much better than the A-1 or AE-1.
Thinking of grabbing one of these. Though the range seems to be anywhere from $150 to close to $300. Any concerns I should ask about or anything you would suggest when looking to get one used?
Good video, thanks. :)
I would confirm that the LCD is still working properly and target the newest model possible based on the serial number. Buy from a reputable seller with a return policy. I’ve had my F3 almost a decade and have never had any trouble from it but it would be prudent to follow my basic advice. Thanks!
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Thanks! Really appreciate it.
Just got back into film, got a Pentax K1000 used, its been good but it's a pretty banged up one. Looking to upgrade and I can't seem to escape people saying the F3 is the film slr of choice.
Are the F3 shutters all loud, or is it just mine? Mirror bumper foam looks good, and it’s not loud at all when the mirror goes up, but when it returns and the shutter closes it’s really loud.
It is definitely loud. Especially when compared to an Olympus OM-1/2 or Nikon F6 (many others too).
What is it with Nikon and Canon naming ?
F - Nikon
F1 - Canon
F2 - Nikon
F3 - Nikon
F4 - Nikon
Didn't they know that there are other letters in the alphabet? On top of that, Canon had the F-1, then a F-1n, then a "New" F-1 sometimes called the F-1N (note the capital) although officially they were all called "F-1". Presumably they kept calling the revisions F-1 because the next numbers were already taken by Nikon. Actually, Nikon was first with the "F".
Yep, even a little of that in the digital age: Nikon D80, D90/Canon 80D, 90D. It's probably deliberate, lol
@@FilmPhotographyChannel : ... and Nikon D850 / Canon 850D (recently announced). It's crazy, I don't know what either of them gain by it. I suppose "D" means digital, but we could take that as read by now. Perhaps the "F" in the 1980's meant "Film" - only joking :-)
Funny you said that about “F”. I had the same thought briefly but of course ALL cameras were film back then so I’m not sure why they chose F so commonly.
Amazing camera but the Nikon FA for me is the best
Great Review!
How do you scan your film?
I scan my 35mm film photos with the Pacific Image Primefilm XA or previously with the Epson v850. I’ve had a lot of scanners over the years and the PFXA is the best I’ve ever used for 35mm. Larger format film gets scanned on the Epson.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel I'm going to check it, thanks a lot!
Any experience with a Nikon fm3a? If so, what are your thoughts compared to this?
No experience with the Nikon FM3A as of yet but I have it on my list of cameras to try.
Nice gallery u have. My Nikon f3 reads two stops over as compared with the external light metre.I don't know how to fix it . Do u think all the Nikon f3 is like that? Any suggestions would be very helpful.
My F3 is spot on with my Sekonic and in general. It also excels in long exposure photos. I would dial down the exposure compensation as a fix. Also double check that your using the proper battery. I’ve never personally heard of an F3 having systemic metering issues.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel I used LR44 Batteries. U said dial down the exposure compensation, is that mean I should shoot Manual not A mode and shoot with two stop underexposing
Check the Exposure Compensation dial on your F3, chances are it is not set at 0 where it should normally be
I was a pro news agency photographer for more 0than twenty years and have used Nikon F3s for about four years, but I disagree,I think The Canon New New F1- AE is a better professional 35mm S.L.R
I think I like the Nikons better from a pure reliability standpoint and also lens selection. I’m also looking at it from a “today” perspective when you were using these cameras in their era so I would assume they were both equally reliable. In 2021 the Canon cameras haven’t held up as well as the Nikons. I bought and returned a couple of AE-1’s and had the shutter problem with the A-1 which I sold as-is. Meanwhile my F3, FE and FE2 have been flawless. I bought my F3 nearly 10 years ago and it was 26 years old at time of purchase. You could be absolutely correct in your assessment as the cameras functioned back in the day. Thanks!
@@FilmPhotographyChannel
The Canon cameras you mentioned, the A1 and AE 1 were cheap plastic consumer grade cameras devised for the mass market, as were all the A series Canons, you are not comparing like for like, the Canon F1 in all its three versions was the result of a ten year research and development project by the Canon Corporation to produce a better professional S.L.R to compete with Nikon for the top end of the market and in my opinion they did in spades.
The three 1/80th frames are for waste frames. That way you can keep the cap on and not get a long exposure since the cap is on.
Your right. I actually found that out long after posting the video. That's good and bad, I guess. Loading a roll is quicker, but you won't get any extra frames from a roll with the F3.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Same thing with the Pentax Super Program
Best Camera Nikon F3
How is the battery life on the F3? I have a FM and FE, the FE drives me nuts due to short battery life. So I normally grab my FM because I don't have to worry about the battery failing. I looked into an F2 but their old metered prisms can failing due to age.
I don’t remember changing the battery in my F3 over the last 10 years. Maybe once.
@@FilmPhotographyChannel Thanks, I don't know why my FE goes through batteries so fast. I'm on my second FE as my first started having issues but they both eat batteries.
Well I purchased a F3hp on Ebay should be here soon. May pick-up a F2 with a none metered eye level finder one of these days I do like fully mechanical cameras.