FE and F3 "Future"?

lxdude · Nov 12, 2011

fstop said:
Keyword "IF" if the demand gets high enough they will be made again.Haleys comet will return before the surplus of FEs and F3s dries up to the point that they are no longer viable as parts cameras.

There is something to this. Sover Wong in the UK, who works only on F2's, has brand new custom made ring resistors which he says have been tested to four times the life of the improved type Nikon part, which itself was much better than the original type.

lxdude · Nov 12, 2011

CGW said:
Please...Try to find someone capable of the necessary transplant surgery in 5 years.

OK. I'm sure I'll be able to.

CGW · Nov 12, 2011

lxdude said:
There is something to this. Sover Wong in the UK, who works only on F2's, has brand new custom made ring resistors which he says have been tested to four times the life of the improved type Nikon part, which itself was much better than the original type.

Wong does nice work. He's in the UK and perhaps too pricey for the local rollers. I'm sure his supply will last in the face of demand, current and future. With Ilford--and possibly Fuji--the only major film players in the near term, I'm not betting on an uptick in demand for film cameras and/or film camera service. Would be pleasantly surprised if Kodak's still kicking in recognizable form this time next year.

vpwphoto · Nov 12, 2011

Can't believe what a nervous nelly some of you F3 users are being, the ring resistor issue might be the least of your wories, (foam decay, rubber hardening, gummy lube, lack or regular use, spring tension weakening, gear wear, dust and moisture, ozon,)

And BTW out of all the Nikons I have used, the F3 has always been hit and miss, most of the pro's I worked with praised them, then currsed them, then shelved them, then the said F4 isn't bad. then missed the F3, then realized the n90 then the f100 were the best bullet proof cameras Nikon ever made for the price. NPS was kept busy servicing 8008 and F4 shutters, then the n90 and f100 came along, and I and many let their NPS cards expire.

F3's are everywhere, I know a guy that has a half dozen in a bin, along with all his other parts cameras.
I'm going to look the guy up with the Cord L29 and go for a ride, parts can be found scavanged, or made if the will exists.

fstop · Nov 12, 2011

CGW said:
Please...Try to find someone capable of the necessary transplant surgery in 5 years.

I do my own work,thats what makes it affordable for me to have the cameras that I do.

lxdude · Nov 13, 2011

vpwphoto said:
Can't believe what a nervous nelly some of you F3 users are being, the ring resistor issue might be the least of your wories,

I was referring to the worn ring resister issue on the F2's.

marcmarc · Nov 13, 2011

Riding Waves, on the roll I printed from today, the under-exposed bands are along the right side edge of the neg on horizontal frames and at the top of vertical frames. There is some variance in how wide these bands are as well. Note: It doesn't appear to have happened on all 36 exposures, just some. It's exactly like the issue I had with my first F2. I have no idea why this is occurring other then I possibly got another lemon. At least KEH will repair it or replace it, but in the meantime I have no 35mm to shoot. Grrr!

Christiaan Phleger · Nov 13, 2011

Well, could it be fairly cold where you are now? I had this happen on an F2 in an exceptionally cold environment. I'll have to re-check which side, only on the faster speeds did it slightly occur.

You may want to give it some exercise. Put a motor on it and do a few sequences, move the lube around. Lots of F3's I've seen have gotten way LESS use than they were designed for, I've personally had many, many 20-30 roll days most on full on motordrive sequences (with an MN-2 Nicad pack too, they squeeze out a faster frame rate). The incidents of minor failure are pretty minimal; outright failure almost non-existent, I've had way more total and partial failures from F4's (and I love F4's). F3's are far far tougher than most will ever know, and probably most F3's at this in time point suffer from underuse than overuse.

As for the FRE, I have no doubt a replacement ceramic piece could be designed as a replacement. It wouldn't be cheap. I'd think better to not break it in the first place. On the F3 I think they are fairly tough, the FE I know are much weaker. Mine took a serious hit to it to break it.

As for the lube foam and seals, the camera is designed to be maintained, and actually is way less complex than an F4 or F100.

I have another F3HP that seems to me to have a main shutter magnet that needs replacement (I think). Causes the shutter not to fire when top shutter speed button is used, motor drive trigger is fine, not every time just once in a while. That one has as well had many miles of film thru it as a wedding camera. I use that body now with a NPC polaroid back for fun.

Rol_Lei Nut · Nov 13, 2011

CGW said:
Please...Try to find someone capable of the necessary transplant surgery in 5 years.

If the demand (=price) gets high enough and I don't have anything better to do, *I'll* do it!
(And, yes, I expect to live far more than 5 more years!)

Rol_Lei Nut · Nov 13, 2011

CGW said:
Wong does nice work. He's in the UK and perhaps too pricey for the local rollers. I'm sure his supply will last in the face of demand, current and future. With Ilford--and possibly Fuji--the only major film players in the near term, I'm not betting on an uptick in demand for film cameras and/or film camera service. Would be pleasantly surprised if Kodak's still kicking in recognizable form this time next year.

Are you perhaps suggesting that "Film is dead"???

CGW · Nov 13, 2011

Rol_Lei Nut said:
Are you perhaps suggesting that "Film is dead"???

Let's just say things aren't smelling so sweet around Rochester.

marcmarc · Nov 13, 2011

Thanks R.W. but I'm in LA so it's probably as cold here as it is in Hawaii! I was told shutter bounce occurs when the rubber cushions that the shutter curtains hit upon their travel across the film plain harden. This makes the shutter bounce back a bit into the frame causing those tell-tell bands. Someone told me once that these rubber pieces cannot be replaced on the F2. I don't know if this is true or not.

Rol_Lei Nut · Nov 13, 2011

CGW said:
Let's just say things aren't smelling so sweet around Rochester.

Kodak (or even Fuji) certainly aren't equal to "film".

I haven't used Kodak film in many years and only use Fuji material if I feel like splurging.
95% of my film use are less-known brands and the results are just as good...
(but then, characteristically, you probably won't be bothered to try to find out what's out there).

CGW · Nov 13, 2011

Rol_Lei Nut said:
Kodak (or even Fuji) certainly aren't equal to "film".

I haven't used Kodak film in many years and only use Fuji material if I feel like splurging.
95% of my film use are less-known brands and the results are just as good...
(but then, characteristically, you probably won't be bothered to try to find out what's out there).

That's your tough luck. If film choice narrows to off brands only it will be due to demand collapsing below where it's teetering today.

BTW, we're talking about Nikons and Nikon parts supplies.

fstop · Nov 13, 2011

I'm going to start hoarding FREs, and resell at a 1000% profit muhahahahha

Rol_Lei Nut · Nov 13, 2011

CGW said:
That's your tough luck. If film choice narrows to off brands only it will be due to demand collapsing below where it's teetering today.

BTW, we're talking about Nikons and Nikon parts supplies.

LOL!!! I haven't used Kodak for years *BY PREFERENCE*!
Getting it is no problem at all.

About what you call "off brands": maybe try some before passing judgement.
(No, definitely not your style...)

You are the one who started talking about the supposed end of film.

Christiaan Phleger · Nov 13, 2011

Marcmarc, I'm certain if it can be broken on an F2 Sover Wong can fix it.
I may just have to bust out my Nikon Repair manual and start learning how to get deep into the guts of the F3.

marcmarc · Nov 15, 2011

R.W. I recently posted a rather long summery in the repair forum of apug of my ordeal with getting a reliable F2. I know Sover has a excellent reputation and a lot of people have gotten years of use from their F2 after his servicing. I guess I just had the bad luck of getting a camera that was so used that even he couldn't get it working again. When my 2nd body recently started to malfunction, I considered sending it to him, but with the experience of the first body and the high shipping costs to the UK, I opted to get an F3 instead. I will most likely put up my two F2 bodies for sale for parts only cameras.

Christiaan Phleger · Nov 15, 2011

Yeah, I know what you mean. The first F2 I got was an epay special, it had been poorly repaired so the mirror box was off and so the focus was too. It had heavy wear on the motor drive coupling indicating lots of motordrive use (probably all the time) and the meter was a bit twitchy between 1/125 and 1/500, and along with the precision notch cut out of the film gate I concluded that it was a pro sports photographers former tool. After Soverization and a new Cameraleather dark green leather covering it continues to work beautifully, and that was 2004 or 05 that I did that. My next F2's came about by pure chance, someone gave me one and the other was part of a huge kit that I picked up for a good price. So, keep your eye out, once the F2 know about you they tend to follow you about

lxdude · Nov 15, 2011

One way to gauge wear is to look at the pressure plate. Any visible wear is too high mileage for me. It's not foolproof on cameras with interchangeable backs, but it helps when evaluating a machine.

CGW · Nov 15, 2011

lxdude said:
One way to gauge wear is to look at the pressure plate. Any visible wear is too high mileage for me. It's not foolproof on cameras with interchangeable backs, but it helps when evaluating a machine.

Other mileage indices are fine scratches along the film contact areas of the black take-up reel and especially the drive sprocket.These take on a gray, foggy look from heavy use. Wear marks on the floor of the film chamber where the film can tip spins are another. Wear on the ISO # dial from the back's safety catch, sometimes making the ISO#s illegible, usually also points to heavy use. Same goes for missing paint from the shutter release collar, rewind knob, and edges of the film door(paint touch-ups are obvious).

marcmarc · Nov 17, 2011

Thanks folks for pointing out these items to look for. I have a replacement F3 on the way to use while KEH works on my first. After this, that's it for me as far as 35mm goes. I'll still shoot 120 film, but if I cannot get one of these four 35mm cameras I own to give me reliable service without having it have to be repaired every few months I'll have to go d$*ital for small camera use. I just cannot afford the cost of continual repairs and the frustration.

Rol_Lei Nut · Nov 17, 2011

Try a completely mechanical camera: no screens and fewer "features" in general which can go bad....

CGW · Nov 17, 2011

Aside from the late model Nikon AF bodies, you might also look into the newest FM2n you can find. Though mechanical, they're not immune to breakdowns. I've never bothered with them since I'm not a fan of the LED meter read-out and found FEs to deliver much the same package for less $. The F90x/N90s and F100 are tough and deliver more flexibility for flash work than any of the older Nikon MF bodies.

Film camera repairs will only become pricier and harder to find, so buy the newest you can afford and/or buy back-ups for models you like shooting.

FE and F3 "Future"?

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