par4fore Loc: Bay Shore N.Y.

Going to run a few rolls through on the Jersey shore this week.

(Download)

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Ahh, yes, my favorite Nikon of all. Bought mine new not long before it was discontinued (Serial number 1990158). I believe more F3s were made than any other Nikon model. Enjoy!

BebuLamar

The were on the market longer but I think the total sales number is less than either the F or F2 I think.

Erik_H Loc: Denham Springs, Louisiana

That is my newest "old" camera, I love it!

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Hard to say for sure. According to Wikipedia:
F: 862,600
F2: 816,000
F3: ... remained in production through to 2001, with over 751,000 F3s produced through September 1992. It continues to be the longest running professional grade Nikon SLR. Long after production ceased, new bodies in boxes were available throughout the world, so an exact production number is not readily available.

BebuLamar

I read that too. I doubt that after 1996 when the F5 was introduced not too many F3 were sold. I bought an F3HP in 83 but sold it in 86 due to financial problem. In 2002 I was considering either another F3 or the F5. At the time the F5 body was $1930. the F3HP body was $1300 and the MD-4 was a bit over $500. So the price was about the same. Out of curiosity about AF and matrix metering I bought the F5. After having the F5 for a couple of years I think I like the F3 better so I went on Ebay and bought a used F3HP and an MD-4. I now prefer the F3 to the F5.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I don’t know if this is a fact or not, as I cannot remember the magazine or author, but I did read that Nikon continued production longer than planned due to increased demand. No telling how many they actually produced. I bought mine a month or so after my F5, and had to special order it. I believe that was in the spring of 2000.
I like the 1/3 stop shutter speeds with the F5, and because of the extra weight I like it with long lenses, but prefer the F3 for about anything else. Fine camera.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

When I did weddings I shot with the F3HP with motor drive, love the balance and the 60% center metering, gave me great shots of the bride in an open door way. Loved the sound of the motor drive advancing my film. I paired it with the F4 that I used for flash. My Hasselblad rounded out my equipment. Used that set up for about 10 years averaging about 30 weddings a year. Great camera, great memories. But, very happy to be retired from that circus. Interesting side note, this was the first of many bodies designed by a famous Italian, and that classic red strip continues to today.

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

I sold my F3. Still have my FM. Love it still!

BebuLamar

Sorry but the F3 was the first to break the 60/40 rule and it has 80/20 CW meter.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

My bad, so right you are.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Funny you should mention it, I've been trying to talk a friend into selling me his F3HP with motor drive and several lenses (including a 180mm)... But he won't part with it, even though he hasn't used it in 10 years or more.

I just bought an F2 Photomic in a large lot this week... Also got the Sports Finder for it.... As well as an FG and Nikkormat EL (both in sexy black)... 28mm, 50mm f/1.4, 55mm Micro and 105mm f/2.5 Nikkors... 70-210 Vivitar Series 1 and 43-86mm f/3.5 Nikkor (appears hardly used, still in it's original box).

Later this year when my work slows down, I look forward to tuning them up, getting out and shooting a few rolls of film with them. That's always fun and shooting some film helps me break some bad habits I tend get into, shooting digital.

Already had a pair of FE2s, an FM2n and a couple more FGs.... along with 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 135mm Nikkors.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I have an F3 HP with a Double M Industries pin-registered back on it, and a precision slide composition viewfinder reticle in it. I used it for multi-image slide composition back in the mid- to late 1980s. I used an original F3 (non-HP) as well, but it was my employer's.

If you know anyone who wants a camera capable of PERFECTLY registered multiple exposures on film, PM me.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

All of those lenses are good finds, except for the 43-86mm. The 43-86 is quite possibly the worst lens Nikon ever made, and one of the worst zoom lenses made, period. That's most likely why it's still in the box! I particularly liked my 50mm f/1.4, 55mm f/2.8 Micro, and 105mm f/2.5. I had a coworker who loaned me her 70-210 Series 1 a few times. It was quite good for that era. The F2 is a tank, like all the Nikon F series film cameras. I can't say much about the FG and EL... I never used either.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Yeah, I've read that too, when I was researching the gear before making an offer on the lot (which is why I only paid $15 for that particular zoom.... and that's after adding $5 because it was "like new, in box").... From what I've seen, mostly seems to be extremely susceptible to flare problems.



I'm just not a big fan of 50mm lenses in general.... Every camera came with one back in the day, and some are excellent... but to me they're pretty boring. I tend to leave them at home and - when I take out one of my old Nikon cameras for a spin - usually take a nice Nikkor 35mm f/2 to use instead (and have similar 35mm or 40mm lenses in other vintage systems).

The 55mm macro is another matter. Always nice to have a macro lens, even if it's only the 1:2 capable, f/3.5 version.

I'm looking forward to making more extensive use of the 105mm.... I've only used one a few times. Seems like a great lens.... at least lots of folks appear to think so.

I'll reserve judgment on the Series 1 70-210mm for now... It's an all-metal beast and happens to be one of the Kino Precision/Kiron-made versions (22xxxxxxx serial number), which are generally pretty good (I've used their 24mm f/2 and various macro lenses in the past). It's a later model that lacks the "ears" to interface with the metering system of some of the earlier Nikon film bodies (EF, F2), so I'll have to learn how that effects it's usefulness on them or if it would be better just used on the later Nikon (FM2n, FE2, FG). EDIT: I just looked again and see I was wrong... the 70-210 does have the "ears", so should be usable on both older and newer Nikon bodies.

As I understand it, the Nikkormat EL from 1972 was the first electronic Nikon body and the first to offer Aperture Priority AE. It's from the era of "full size" SLRs... roughly the same and heft as other SLRs from the early 1970s time period, including the F2 (... and Canon FTb, F1 and Konica T, T2, T3, etc.) There was also an "EL/W" version with provisions to mount a simple, rather slow film winder. The EL uses a now rather rare PX28 battery, which Nikon did a superb job of hiding in the floor of the mirror box. (Took me a while to figure out exactly where it was and how to open the compartment cover!) The Nikon EL2 that followed in 1977 was one of the last of the full size SLRs and abandoned the Nikkormat (Nikomat in Japan) naming convention that had previously been used for the more consumer-oriented models.

From 1965 to 1978, in addition to the EL series (AE capable, aperture priority), there were also Nikkormat FT-series (all mechanical with built-in meters using a manual "match needle" method of adjustment, much like the F) and the Nikkormat FS (no internal meter). The Nikkormat series cameras basically replaced the Nikkorex F of 1962, Nikon's second SLR model and a more consumer-oriented, meterless SLR designed to share lenses with the original, pro-grade Nikon F from 1959. However, the Nikkorex F was actually built by Mamiya. In part this was probably done to gain access to the then new Copal Square, metal-bladed, vertical-travel shutter, which was the product of a joint development effort of Mamiya, Konica (Konishiroku), Pentax (Asahi Kogaku) and Copal. Yet the revolutionary new shutter was first used in a Nikon camera, which wasn't actually made by Nikon themselves! The Nikkorex F also ended up selling under Ricoh and Sears brand names (Ricoh Singlex and Sears SLII). In a sense, the Nikkormats were Nikon asserting itself and bringing all their camera production "in house".

The late 1970s and early 1980s Nikon FE, FM, FG, FM2/FM2n, FE2 etc. were all somewhat more compact models.... As were Canon A-1, AE-1, AE-1P and Konica TC, T4, etc. Minolta and Pentax both also shifted to smaller SLR models around this time, too. Probably this was their respective manufacturers' response to the market success of the Olympus OM series, which set a new standard for more compact SLRs and lenses that consumers really seemed to appreciate.

Love these old cameras!

Now if I can just get my friend to part with his F3!