Help with a nikon F3 camera

coll · May 17, 2024

Hello everybody.
My nikon f3 has a strange behavior.
When a lens is on, i observe that when i arm the lever, the shutter fires by itself before i release the button.
This does not happen when the camera is without the lens.
I can not explain that!
I observed that the problem started when i tried a motor drive.
Even with the motor drive i have the same problem!
When the lens is on it works unstoppably at c and s, but whithout lens it works properly

Have you any idea what's going on?
Thanks

Andreas Thaler · May 17, 2024

coll said:
Hello everybody.
My nikon f3 has a strange behavior.
When a lens is on, i observe that when i arm the lever, the shutter fires by itself before i release the button.
This does not happen when the camera is without the lens.
I can not explain that!
I observed that the problem started when i tried a motor drive.
Even with the motor drive i have the same problem!
When the lens is on it works unstoppably at c and s, but whithout lens it works properly

Have you any idea what's going on?
Thanks

That's odd indeed, because on the F3, an AI(s) lens is only connected to the camera control via the aperture lever and aperture simulator lever. And these are purely mechanical contacts that are not directly connected to the motor drive.

If you release the camera without a lens, does the aperture lever in the mirror box move down?

And does the aperture lever on the lens move?

What about movement of the aperture simulator lever?

Which lens is it?

Chuck1 · May 17, 2024

Without the motor drive, the shutter fires when you pull out the wind lever?
When you complete a wind without the motor drive the shutters fires?
But no lens and no motor drive no problem?

coll · May 17, 2024

When i release without lens i can see the lever not move.
It goes down and after up ,as mirror does too,when i shutter the camera.
Is that normal?

The 50mm E f1.8 looks ok.
Also i tested with an Al lens and i have the same result,and problem

Andreas Thaler · May 17, 2024

coll said:
When i release without lens i can see the lever not move.
It goes down and after up ,as mirror does too,when i shutter the camera.
Is that normal?

The aperture lever sequence is

Shutter triggered
DOWN + mirror up
UP + mirror down

coll · May 17, 2024

Im amateur about ,but i think the lever do not arm the camera properly when the lens is on.

Chuck1 said:
Without the motor drive, the shutter fires when you pull out the wind lever?
When you complete a wind without the motor drive the shutters fires?
But no lens and no motor drive no problem?

The motor drive looks to work continiously just because the camera do not release properly.

Lets forget the drive.
When the lens is on the and before it is properly armed i can hear the shutter to fire alone.
So the firing button is dead.
Without lens it is working ok.
Maybe it is by accident right now.
Later....

Andreas Thaler · May 17, 2024

Which lens are we talking about?

coll · May 17, 2024

Andreas Thaler said:
The aperture lever sequence is

Shutter triggered

DOWN + mirror up

UP + mirror down

So .
If i understood correcty
You say that i have a camera problem at this lever back of the lens?
Is it easy to be repaired from a proffetional service or as i maybe it is better to return it?
It 's from ebay
Thanks

coll · May 17, 2024

Andreas Thaler said:
Which lens are we talking about?

camera came with aSeries E 50 1.8
But i tryed also another one Al from another camera

Andreas Thaler · May 17, 2024

coll said:
So .
If i understood correcty
You say that i have a camera problem at this lever back of the lens?
Is it easy to be repaired from a proffetional service or as i maybe it is better to return it?
It 's from ebay
Thanks

If the aperture lever doesn't work, you have to find out why. This means taking the F3 apart, which is quite a bit of work.

I would therefore return the camera.

Andreas Thaler · May 17, 2024

But as the F3 behaves as you describe, it is definitely not functional.

It would be interesting to find out what the cause is, but then you are no longer a user, but a repairer

coll · May 17, 2024

Thank you!
No possibility the problem to be at the film advance lever?
I ask because when i release it the shutter looks to fire before i release it till the end !

Andreas Thaler · May 17, 2024

coll said:
Thank you!
No possibility the problem to be at the film advance lever?
I ask because when i release it the shutter looks to fire before i release it till the end !

It could be anything, but without examining the camera, it's all speculation. What you're describing is definitely not user error.

But if the camera doesn't work and you can return it, I would do that if I were you. Unless you want to get to the bottom of the problem yourself or find a repair shop. But that doesn't make much financial sense, since you can get an F3 for that money that works perfectly.

coll · May 17, 2024

Chuck1 said:
Without the motor drive, the shutter fires when you pull out the wind lever?

Yes. Just before the and of its action it fire . But this then the lens is on the camera.

Chuck1 said:
When you complete a wind without the motor drive the shutters fires?

Yes if the lens is away of the camera.

Chuck1 said:
But no lens and no motor drive no problem?

Yes. But if the lens is away, also motor drive work properly

coll · May 17, 2024

Andreas Thaler said:
It could be anything, but without examining the camera, it's all speculation. What you're describing is definitely not user error.

But if the camera doesn't work and you can return it, I would do that if I were you. Unless you want to get to the bottom of the problem yourself or find a repair shop. But that doesn't make much financial sense, since you can get an F3 for that money that works perfectly.

Yes sure you are right!
I just wanted to make sure that the camera was problematic and not me as a user!

coll · May 18, 2024

Thanks to the forum for the hospitality

I have a few days before I post it back, and finally looking foe another unit.
If any member has any idea what else I can i check or any opinion on the problem this is wellcone.
Have a good day

Chan Tran · May 18, 2024

coll said:
Thanks to the forum for the hospitality

I have a few days before I post it back, and finally looking foe another unit.
If any member has any idea what else I can i check or any opinion on the problem this is wellcone.
Have a good day

I read the post and tried to understand what kind of problem you have and I don't have a clear picture of what is the symptoms.
Let me recap and see if I understood it correctly.
When you have the lens mounted the shutter released as soon as you wind the film advance all the way?
When you don't have the lens mounted the shutter isn't released until you press the shutter release button? but in this case the aperture stop down level doesn't move?

coll · May 18, 2024

Chan Tran said:
I read the post and tried to understand what kind of problem you have and I don't have a clear picture of what is the symptoms.
Let me recap and see if I understood it correctly.
When you have the lens mounted the shutter released as soon as you wind the film advance all the way?

Yes

Chan Tran said:
When you don't have the lens mounted the shutter isn't released until you press the shutter release button? but in this case the aperture stop down level doesn't move?

I will try to describe all the circle problem.

1.Only camera....(looks working)
2.Only drive...( looks working)
3.Camera and drive together ..(not working ,the shutter work continiously till the end of the frame counter)
4. Camera and drive together but now i remove the camera lens (Working ok at s and s possition)
5.I put again the lens at the camera and i have the same problem as before!
6.Now i separate the drive from the camera.
Now the camera has problem.
The shutter fire before i arm the shutter lever, so i can not fire the frame. 2-3-4 times try i have the same problem
7. I remove the lens from the camera and i reput it again.
Now the camera is working....at least for a while...or i think it is?
But i can fire the shutter by button after i arm the film lever

I have try this circle with 2 lences ,ant 2 motor drives!

The same problem.
I have not yet chance camera batteries. I will do it!
But i think this is not problem!

coll · May 18, 2024

Aslo i deseve that now.!!!

Whwen all unit together(camera and drive ) when it fire unstopably even at <s>position, i can stop that when i reduse the aperture from the dial disk.
I have single shots.
If i increase it again fire continiously
And that can happens with different speed ad different apperure dial!

What is going on ?
Is the problem me or the camera?

coll · May 18, 2024

Does this camera fire unstoppably when you set wrong apperture or speed?
When it needs more light?
Is that normal?

Chan Tran · May 18, 2024

coll said:
Aslo i deseve that now.!!!

Whwen all unit together(camera and drive ) when it fire unstopably even at <s>position, i can stop that when i reduse the aperture from the dial disk.
I have single shots.
If i increase it again fire continiously
And that can happens with different speed ad different apperure dial!

What is going on ?
Is the problem me or the camera?

The problem is pretty much the camera but I would not try to diagnose the problem with the drive. I rather make sure I get the problem fixed without the drive before doing anything with the drive. You said after removing the lens and then mount the lens again it works OK for a few frames?
The fact the the camera with drive slows down when you set at small aperture only because If the camera is in A mode the shutter speed slows down.
I do agree it's not a battery problem.

Chan Tran · May 18, 2024

I would suggest that you check the mechanical shutter release is not stuck. It's by the lens mount.

coll · May 18, 2024

Chan Tran said:
The problem is pretty much the camera but I would not try to diagnose the problem with the drive. I rather make sure I get the problem fixed without the drive before doing anything with the drive. You said after removing the lens and then mount the lens again it works OK for a few frames?
The fact the the camera with drive slows down when you set at small aperture only because If the camera is in A mode the shutter speed slows down.
I do agree it's not a battery problem.

Τhe same problem at A and also at manual!

coll · May 18, 2024

Chan Tran said:
I would suggest that you check the mechanical shutter release is not stuck. It's by the lens mount.

I did it!
It is at the right posdition!
Even if i press the mechanical shutter, the drive fire continiously!
Even if i press the light button it fires continiously.
It stops only if i reduce the appertute at very low posdition.

I will sent it back.
Ok i m amateure about this camera and drive but i think something wrong is going on

coll · May 18, 2024

Dear friend Chan Tran thank you !
As i bought as set ,camera and drive, i can not keep something!
I keep it both or i return both!
As i said before i want just to be sure that there is mechanical problem before i return it!

Help with a nikon F3 camera

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency