F3 DOF Button is Tripping the Shutter

LJSLATER · Jul 7, 2013

My Nikon F3 recently decided it was going to start taking a picture whenever I press the depth-of-field preview button. It does this with or without a battery installed in the body, which makes me think that the DOF button has somehow gotten tangled up with the back-up shutter release? The camera seems to be functioning fine otherwise. Anyone else with this problem?

JimCee · Jul 7, 2013

I've owned my Nikon F3HP since 1983 and never had (or even heard about) a problem like this. It seems very strange, I thought the depth-of-field button was purely a mechanical connection to shut down the lens aperture, or raise the mirror...?

Jim

BrianShaw · Jul 7, 2013

JimCee said:
I've owned my Nikon F3HP since 1983 and never had (or even heard about) a problem like this. It seems very strange, I thought the depth-of-field button was purely a mechanical connection to shut down the lens aperture, or raise the mirror...?

Me, too. Me, neither. Me, too.

removed-user-1 · Jul 7, 2013

I've never heard of this happening either. Does it happen with all lenses or just one specific lens? If you haven't already, try taking off the lens, opening the back (remove the film first of course), and pressing the DOF button while watching the shutter to see if it is firing.

fotch · Jul 7, 2013

Are you sure your you know what buttons do what functions? I don't know how it would be possible do what you stated, of course, that does not mean it cannot happen, just a surprise to an F3 user.

lxdude · Jul 7, 2013

That's a new one on me!

It does sound as if it is somehow tripping the back-up release somehow.

John_Nikon_F · Jul 8, 2013

I had the same thing happen on an F2A that I owned in 2010. Happened twice, after trying out a 7.5/5.6 fisheye-Nikkor with the mirror locked up. After that episode, it worked fine. I've also had a couple junker Nikkormat FT series bodies do that. Except, with those bodies, you'd depress the shutter release, hear a slight click, then nothing else. Depress the DOF button, and the camera fires.

-J

Chan Tran · Jul 8, 2013

John_Nikon_F said:
I had the same thing happen on an F2A that I owned in 2010. Happened twice, after trying out a 7.5/5.6 fisheye-Nikkor with the mirror locked up. After that episode, it worked fine. I've also had a couple junker Nikkormat FT series bodies do that. Except, with those bodies, you'd depress the shutter release, hear a slight click, then nothing else. Depress the DOF button, and the camera fires.

-J

I can understand the case when you press the shutter release and nothing happens and then you push the DOF the shutter released. That's because the camera is sticky, the shutter release started the cycle but could not complete. Pushing the DOF helps it going.

LJSLATER · Jul 8, 2013

rthomas said:
I've never heard of this happening either. Does it happen with all lenses or just one specific lens? If you haven't already, try taking off the lens, opening the back (remove the film first of course), and pressing the DOF button while watching the shutter to see if it is firing.

It happens with all the lenses I've tried, and it does it without a lens. The shutter fires and the mirror lifts, just as it does when the mechanical shutter lever is pulled.

I happen to know this body was stored improperly for 10+ years; it sat in a cardboard box with the shutter cocked, battery installed, no body cap, no anti-desiccant, no exercise of the shutter.

removed-user-1 · Jul 8, 2013

LJSLATER said:
... this body was stored improperly for 10+ years; it sat in a cardboard box with the shutter cocked, battery installed, no body cap, no anti-desiccant, no exercise of the shutter.

Given that information, and the observed weird behavior, I'd say get it CLA'd.

John_Nikon_F · Jul 9, 2013

Yep, it definitely needs an overhaul. If the cosmetic condition of the camera isn't great, you might consider finding a better condition body, maybe with a high serial number (18xxxxx-20xxxxx), since an overhaul ran me $210 with tax on a previous F3.

I may be going through that with one of my currently-owned F3's as well. Receiving an F3P that the owner says is dead. Could be something minor, or something major. At least the body isn't terrible looking, however the MD-4 is definitely KEH UG grade.

-J

gone · Jul 9, 2013

It would be far cheaper and a lot less aggravation and risk if you sold yours w/ an accurate description, then took that money and a little more and bought another one w/ a guarantee, or at least a return privilege.

GarageBoy · Jul 9, 2013

Check with a different lens?
If the camera cannot stop down the lens (due to sticky diaphragm) it may interrupt the shutter cycle
Had that happen with a Yashica FX3, where the mirror would hang

clayne · Jul 9, 2013

http://nikonf3.com/NikonF3User.pdf

You'll notice the MLU lever is oriented around the DOF button. Possibly related, but right below that is the mechanical release lever (which sure sounds pretty suspect here). Are you hitting the mechanical release lever and *not* the DOF preview? The DOF preview is just a silver button you press in to stop down the iris blades mechanically.

Have you tried actuating the backup shutter while at the same time exercising the DOF preview button while the manual shutter is still depressed?

LJSLATER · Jul 9, 2013

Thanks for the advice, all. I've stopped playing with the damned thing and it's now loaded back up with Velvia ready to go. Everything works as it should except for the problem I mentioned (and yes, I do know the difference between the DOF button and the mechanical shutter release lever).

I'll probably get it overhauled when finances allow, as it was essentially unused when it came to me--it's a beautiful late model, the paint is pristine, and the original foam is even still good.

Right now I'm saving up for a replacement F2 body; I sold mine for parts to Sover after the shutter was destroyed in a bizarre accident.

frank · Jul 9, 2013

"Bizarre accident" Now that could be an interesting story!

LiamG · Jul 9, 2013

The DoF preview and the mechanical release are both parts of the mechanical mirror mechanism, so something probably needs to be fixed in there; the mechanical release is just a cam with a lever that trips the mirror and then fires the shutter at one mechanically governed speed; the DoF preview lever/lockup is also linked to the main mirror lever, so perhaps something is amiss with the actuating levers.

My concern would be that it is firing at 1/60 all the time.

LJSLATER · Jul 10, 2013

LiamG said:
My concern would be that it is firing at 1/60 all the time.

That is something to consider. Casual testing of the electronic shutter speeds indicate that they are still accurate, but I will definitely keep my ears open. Ideally, I'd run a test roll of film through and get it developed ASAP. I'm between jobs right now so my queue of exposed film waiting for development is getting quite long.

frank said:
"Bizarre accident" Now that could be an interesting story!

Oh, man. Maybe it's another thread for a another day, but Sover and I emailed each other back and forth for days trying to figure out what happened to my F2. Our tentative hypothesis is that I rewound the film improperly using an MD-1, which tore the film in half. One of the broken ends of the film somehow got trapped in between the two shutter curtains, and I mangled them both when I removed the film in the dark. Amazingly, the shutter still fired and was accurate to within 1/4 of a stop even though the curtains looked like crumpled tin foil!

GarageBoy · Jul 18, 2013

Crumpled titanium foil ::cringe::

Teto · Mar 24, 2025

Hello Everybody. Just wanted to say thanks to all that have advised about this issue with the Nikon F3. I hada a beatiful body some yars ago and sold when I need it to fund other projects. This weekend I got a nother body, with good looking condition, proceed to test it with fresh batteries without a roll and found the exact same issue reported here: 1) the shutter cocks and the switch is on. 2) The shutter release button does not fire when pressed. But id does activate the light meter, I can see all speeds and all apertures in the viewfinder. 2) the mechanical release lever works with the switch on or off (3) the only way to make the camre fire, is by pressing the DOF button. This works with the switch on or off 4) the DOF function does not work when you press it. (It fires the camera only) 5) sometimes, the camera fires while cocking the shutter (1st tme after 5 shoots, 2nd time after another 10 shoots). I will test it with a roll, it´s not pleasant nor anatomic to fire with the DOF button. but mainly I would be ineterested in testng the speeds, the leight meter accuracy. I take note of your diagnostic and recommendations; a CLA is necesary. Thank you all!

Andreas Thaler · Apr 1, 2025

It's conceivable that the stop down button (which works purely mechanically) is short-circuiting the F3's electronic shutter release. This would then create a faulty contact to ground (the chassis), which triggers the shutter release.

I'll look into the service manual for that.

ic-racer · Apr 1, 2025

Andreas Thaler said:
It's conceivable that the stop down button (which works purely mechanically) is short-circuiting the F3's electronic shutter release. This would then create a faulty contact to ground (the chassis), which triggers the shutter release.

I'll look into the service manual for that.

He indicated this happens without the battery. Reads like something sticking between the two buttons (mechanical release and stop-down). It is a little tricky to get the front of the F3 off to see the area of offence, but it is doable.

F3 DOF Button is Tripping the Shutter

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