Launched in 1980, the Nikon F3 replaced the F2 as their top of the line professional camera body, and went from being the most controversial to one of the best selling film cameras in the history of the company.
Nikon F3HP with MD4 and 50mm F/1.2 Nikkor
Prior to the introduction of the F3, the Nikon pro bodies had always been fully mechanical, with no reliance on batteries except to power the meter (if you had one of the metering heads). The F3, however, used a brand new electronically controlled horizontal-traveling titanium shutter which, in contrast to previous models, required battery power to operate. This initially caused great consternation in the pro community, and the reluctance of many to switch to the new F3 was a real problem for Nikon. Many press photographers were unwilling to give up the reliabllity of thier mechanical F2s for this new, untested electronic camera.
They need not have worried. After this initial period of uncertainty, these same working pros came to appreciate the F3, which proved to have all the reliability and ruggedness of their old workhorses along with some new and very useful benefits (aperture-priority automation, fast and compact motor drive, vastly improved handling, etc.).
There are plenty of excellent websites that document the various features of the F3 so I won’t duplicate any of that here. What we’re interested in is basically this: is the Nikon F3 still a viable shooter today? The answer is an unreserved ‘Yes!’. A good clean body will set you back around the $200 mark, which is an amazing bargain for a camera this good, and you can use almost the entire range of Nikon manual focus lenses which can be picked up for equally good prices if you shop around a little.
Nikon F3HP with MD4 and 50mm F/1.2 Nikkor
The metering is very accurate, and for most situations I just leave the camera in auto mode and it very rarely gives me a bad exposure, even when shooting transparency film. The viewfinder is fantastic, one of the best I’ve used in a 35mm film camera, offering a full 100% view of the image area. If you are used to the cramped, squinty viewfinders of some consumer or ‘prosumer’ DSLRs, the F3s finder will be a revelation!
While we are on the subject, my 1986 F3 is the ‘HP’ variant, which means it has the high eye-point finder (DE3), with greater eye relief and a little less magnification. This finder is physically a little taller than the original (DE2) prism, but allows you to see the entire viewfinder image with your eye a little further from the eyepiece, which is particularly useful if you wear glasses. Even if you don’t, it’s still an excellent all-round finder and, although some users prefer the original, the F3HP variant would still be my recommendation.
A quick word about the motor drive for the F3, as shown here. Known as the MD4, it’s capable of a blistering six frames per second, has power rewind and also powers the camera body when attached. What’s more, the camera and motor drive combo handles beautifully; for me it handles better than just the body alone. These can be had a very little money ($50) and make using the F3 a total blast! Oh yeah, they sound cool too!
Go get you one, and shoot some film!
stumbled across your blog, but fwiw, i was working at a newspaper around the time when the F3HP came out. it was in use with the staff of about a dozen or so shooters. the other bodies used were in the FE/FM lines, 1s & later 2s, with MD11/12 drives. i carried a domke bag with 2 FM/MD12s, quantum, 283, and 4 lenses–24,35,85/1.8, and 180/2.8. those were my main lenses, but sometimes i used a 20, or a 300/2.8 or the 500 mirror. the paper had the whole system down to the full fisheye. every year they changed most of the gear out & bought new. i don’t recall the F3 being not accepted really, but for me the sync speed was a dud on the camera. i worked later on in a studio & we had an F3 as well, but only used it in the studio, never took it out (used FM/FEs for that) because of the sync speed. btw–used to shoot sports with the FM2/MD12 and used norman 200Bs. the 250th sync & durability of those cameras–outstanding. F3 is a great available light camera and good for 100% viewfinder or doing technical work. not a great one for fill flash.
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I agree that it’s not a great camera for flash work. I worked at a newspaper too when it was launched, but we used Canon gear (original F1). Talking to the guys from other papers, there was definitely some reluctance to accept an auto, electronic shutter camera. Didn’t last long though! Thanks for the comment.
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