Nikon F3HP: Worth the hype?

[BrianShaw]

The absolute crappiest part of any F3 is the LCD illuminator. So awful it is comical.

Truth!

In the 40 years I’ve been using mine I tried it twice, and never in a real-world situation.

 

[Moose22]

The absolute crappiest part of any F3 is the LCD illuminator. So awful it is comical.

I have handled 5 F3s in my life. None of them actually had a working LCD illuminator. I always assumed the little red button was just there for show.

 

[Les Sarile]

I have handled 5 F3s in my life. None of them actually had a working LCD illuminator. I always assumed the little red button was just there for show.

I've had at 3 at one time but now I'm down to 1.

It may actually work, but only if you can get it to work!

Else, it's just a decorative accent to go with the red stripe.

 

[film_man]

I have handled 5 F3s in my life. None of them actually had a working LCD illuminator. I always assumed the little red button was just there for show.

Oh but it does work, you just need to know how hard and which direction to press...

 

[BradS]

The little red button is a vestigial appendage left over from a time when the F3 had laser sighting.

 

[Autonerd]

Having read all the replies...

First, I'm not sure that any camera is worth the hype. Any 35mm SLR made by one of the major manufacturers will likely do a good job. It's all a question of what feels good in your hands and what you're willing to pay for. I'm a Pentaxian, and have settled on the all-manual KX as my favorite (though I did recently buy a K2, which I love), but as often as not I travel with my Sears KS Auto (rebadged Ricoh, uses Pentax K mount). KX cost me $85 + $130 for CLA. KS Auto cost me $15. Doesn't feel as good, but I don't mind knocking it around and no one can tell from the photos which camera I used.

I own a few Nikons (FT2, FE, FG, N8008) and have never been a huge fan of the brand -- I think the brand as a whole is overhyped, always has been. That said, what Momus said about the N8008s is 100% right -- the fact that it's 92% of an F4 for 5% of the price always makes me chuckle. My point being, the F4 may be a great camera, but people are so eager to have that badge on their camera, they're ignoring the absolute bargain to its right -- one that, IIRC, some pros used as a backup body to the F4.

Biggest problem I see with the F3 is it was a pro camera, and that meant lots of hard use. You can't know if the one you buy was owned by a well-heeled amateur or a pro who dragged it to hell and back. I worked for a car mag in the 90s, the photogs used F3s and F4s and I would not want to buy their cameras!

But the F3's answer to the N8008 was the FE, and that's one camera I'd avoid -- of all the cameras I own, it's the only one to have two major failures. I've given up on fixing it.

Annneeewayyyyy... Is the F3HP worth the hype? I say no -- but if it feels good to you, and if it's what you want to shoot with, then yes, it's worth it to you. And that's what matters!

Aaron

PS -- I'd say don't sell the Pentax 6x7. Sounds like you want light weight -- Hassy gives you that at great cost. Mamiya 645 is also nice and light but you may not want the smaller negative. As for other 6x7s -- the RB67 is a hernia machine. I have one and rarely use it. I say keep the Pentax because its nice to have a 6x7 from time to time, and they're only going to go up in value.

 

[Huss]

Having read all the replies...

First, I'm not sure that any camera is worth the hype. Any 35mm SLR made by one of the major manufacturers will likely do a good job. It's all a question of what feels good in your hands and what you're willing to pay for. I'm a Pentaxian, and have settled on the all-manual KX as my favorite (though I did recently buy a K2, which I love), but as often as not I travel with my Sears KS Auto (rebadged Ricoh, uses Pentax K mount). KX cost me $85 + $130 for CLA. KS Auto cost me $15. Doesn't feel as good, but I don't mind knocking it around and no one can tell from the photos which camera I used.

I own a few Nikons (FT2, FE, FG, N8008) and have never been a huge fan of the brand -- I think the brand as a whole is overhyped, always has been. That said, what Momus said about the N8008s is 100% right -- the fact that it's 92% of an F4 for 5% of the price always makes me chuckle. My point being, the F4 may be a great camera, but people are so eager to have that badge on their camera, they're ignoring the absolute bargain to its right -- one that, IIRC, some pros used as a backup body to the F4.

Biggest problem I see with the F3 is it was a pro camera, and that meant lots of hard use. You can't know if the one you buy was owned by a well-heeled amateur or a pro who dragged it to hell and back. I worked for a car mag in the 90s, the photogs used F3s and F4s and I would not want to buy their cameras!

But the F3's answer to the N8008 was the FE, and that's one camera I'd avoid -- of all the cameras I own, it's the only one to have two major failures. I've given up on fixing it.

Annneeewayyyyy... Is the F3HP worth the hype? I say no -- but if it feels good to you, and if it's what you want to shoot with, then yes, it's worth it to you. And that's what matters!

Aaron

PS -- I'd say don't sell the Pentax 6x7. Sounds like you want light weight -- Hassy gives you that at great cost. Mamiya 645 is also nice and light but you may not want the smaller negative. As for other 6x7s -- the RB67 is a hernia machine. I have one and rarely use it. I say keep the Pentax because its nice to have a 6x7 from time to time, and they're only going to go up in value.

You can tell very easily if a camera was used by a pro. It will look like sh-t. If the camera looks near new, it was not used by a pro.

As for F4 vs N8008 (or whatever plastic one was mentioned), there is a little hype but the F4 is so much more enjoyable to use, and so much more intuitive with its wonderful, large, ergonomic dials that for me the question is why would you get the NXxxx if you can afford an excellent F4.
And it is also very easy to tell if an F4 was used by a pro. Is it all beat up? no? Not used by a pro.
This of course applies to any camera/lens no matter who makes it. I don’t buy beat up gear, so never have to worry if a pro used it.

 

[BradS]

I've never noticed any hype around the Nikon F3 (or any Nikon for that matter). On the contrary, the Nikon F3 seems to me to be a real sleeper. Barely noticed. Overlooked, and overshadowed by its immediate predecessor. A historical footnote.
Where is this hype? What form does it take? I feel like I missed out on something.

 

[Paul Howell]

As noted, with the exception of the Pentax LX which did not seemed to have hold as well as other "pro" level 35mm the others, Canon, Minolta XK, and 700, Pentax MX, are very capable cameras. All have stong and weak points, as a former F3P user, it was great, lens are great, even the Nikon E AI lens will resolve Tmax 100. In the old days, you could go a large camera shop and get the feel of various cameras, today unless are near a shop with a good selection of used gear it hard to tell how a camera will feel in your hands. At some point it is a matter of faith that you decide what to buy.

 

[Sirius Glass]

As noted, with the exception of the Pentax LX which did not seemed to have hold as well as other "pro" level 35mm the others, Canon, Minolta XK, and 700, Pentax MX, are very capable cameras. All have stong and weak points, as a former F3P user, it was great, lens are great, even the Nikon E AI lens will resolve Tmax 100. In the old days, you could go a large camera shop and get the feel of various cameras, today unless are near a shop with a good selection of used gear it hard to tell how a camera will feel in your hands. At some point it is a matter of faith that you decide what to buy.

How a camera feels in ones hands is an important guide to how much one will use and enjoy the camera. The advent of internet and other long distant sales removes that import information. When I sold camera I would show smaller cameras to someone with small hands and larger cameras to someone with larger hands.

 

[bring_back_pro400h]

I've never noticed any hype around the Nikon F3 (or any Nikon for that matter). On the contrary, the Nikon F3 seems to me to be a real sleeper. Barely noticed. Overlooked, and overshadowed by its immediate predecessor. A historical footnote.
Where is this hype? What form does it take? I feel like I missed out on something.

If you go on Instagram, the F3's waist-level viewfinder is plastered literally everywhere. Might be a newer generation thing, as it says you joined Photrio before I was born.

 

[bring_back_pro400h]

How a camera feels in ones hands is an important guide to how much one will use and enjoy the camera. The advent of internet and other long distant sales removes that import information. When I sold camera I would show smaller cameras to someone with small hands and larger cameras to someone with larger hands.

I'm working my way through different cameras and lenses by renting, since vintage camera shops are few and far between.

 

[Les Sarile]

As noted, with the exception of the Pentax LX which did not seemed to have hold as well as other "pro" level 35mm the others, Canon, Minolta XK, and 700, Pentax MX, are very capable cameras. All have stong and weak points, as a former F3P user, it was great, lens are great, even the Nikon E AI lens will resolve Tmax 100. In the old days, you could go a large camera shop and get the feel of various cameras, today unless are near a shop with a good selection of used gear it hard to tell how a camera will feel in your hands. At some point it is a matter of faith that you decide what to buy.

No doubt you can always get a bad copy if you tried. I've had both of my Pentax LX for over 10 years now and both are 100% good to go.

MInolta XK, Canon New F-1, Nikon F3 & Pentax LX by Les DMess, on Flickr

 

[AnselMortensen]

F3HP + MD-4 + 50mm f1.4 combination is a perfect ergonomic fit for me.

When I was shooting for a newspaper, my F4s was my #1, with F3HP my backup...only because the TTL flash combination of F4s/ SB-25/SC -17 remote cord was so flawless for flash sync, 2nd curtain sync and flash fill.

I still have the F3HP as my #1, and an N8008s as backup.

 

[MattKing]

You can tell very easily if a camera was used by a pro. It will look like sh-t. If the camera looks near new, it was not used by a pro.

This tells me that you haven't seen a lot of cameras that were used in department store portrait studios.
Always on a tripod, rarely moved much at all. Very few marks. But used for thousands and thousands of exposures, and quite likely close to worn out from use!

 

[Les Sarile]

If you go on Instagram, the F3's waist-level viewfinder is plastered literally everywhere. Might be a newer generation thing, as it says you joined Photrio before I was born.

The F3 was in production for some 20 years if I remember correctly. The F3 and the LX were both introduced about the same time and Pentax only halted production after Nikon stopped the F3.

F3HP SB-16B AS-17 by Les DMess, on Flickr

 

[Les Sarile]

This tells me that you haven't seen a lot of cameras that were used in department store portrait studios.
Always on a tripod, rarely moved much at all. Very few marks. But used for thousands and thousands of exposures, and quite likely close to worn out from use!

I believe these pro cameras had a rated 500K shutter life if not longer.

 

[Sirius Glass]

If you go on Instagram, the F3's waist-level viewfinder is plastered literally everywhere. Might be a newer generation thing, as it says you joined Photrio before I was born.

I do not need to be hip. My hips are big enough. I will stick with the prism.

 

[Larryc001]

This tells me that you haven't seen a lot of cameras that were used in department store portrait studios.
Always on a tripod, rarely moved much at all. Very few marks. But used for thousands and thousands of exposures, and quite likely close to worn out from use!

I don’t even know what they mean by “pro” photographer Does that mean someone who beats up his stuff? I have nine F4’s and they mostly look like new. Having put around five hundred thousand exposures through them, they had to be well looked after to keep them working. Several of the bodies were in for periodic maintenance at any time. Once a year every camera was sent to the authorized Nikon service center for maintenance. They were like an aircraft maintenance tool to me. Carefully looked after. One thing that couldn’t be helped or fixed was brassing. The coating on metal cameras wears off, unlike the plastic used to make cameras nowadays. The outside appearance, as Matt said, is no indication of what’s been happening inside. So called professional photographers, if that’s what they really are, needed to look after their cameras.

 

[MattKing]

I believe these pro cameras had a rated 500K shutter life if not longer.

Yes, but the power winders and film transport systems and film magazines/inserts or back doors and all the other mechanical systems that connect to those shutters wear too!

 

[Cholentpot]

No doubt you can always get a bad copy if you tried. I've had both of my Pentax LX for over 10 years now and both are 100% good to go.

MInolta XK, Canon New F-1, Nikon F3 & Pentax LX by Les DMess, on Flickr

Oooh I want an XK with that boat looking prism.

 

[Huss]

Oooh I want an XK with that boat looking prism.

I have an XK with the much better Herman Munster prism. Otherwise known as the AE prism. The slightly smaller prism is the AE-S. The S was meant to be better but I much preferred the original one as you could see all the shutter speeds in the VF at once, the S version had this weird design where you had to flip a switch to see the speeds below 1/30 sec IIRC. And the needle in the original was much easier to see than the leds in the S - which were too dim in daylight, but too bright in the evening!
The original also had a cool exp comp lever, gone in the S. The S had quicker reacting spd cells vs cds, but it lost the awesome contrast comparison metering which basically was a fore runner of matrix.

Currently the Minolta 58 1.2 is attached to it (most recent version) which just melts away the background like nothing else. See attached.

If you really are interested in getting an XK, let me know…

 

[Huss]

No doubt you can always get a bad copy if you tried. I've had both of my Pentax LX for over 10 years now and both are 100% good to go.

MInolta XK, Canon New F-1, Nikon F3 & Pentax LX by Les DMess, on Flickr

The F3 was built to a much higher standard. Which is why it is so easy to get a rock solid one today. I sold my LX because it started to get flaky as so many of them do. But the biggest giveaway is the one famous Pentax tech that everyone recommends refuses to touch the LX anymore.

 

[Cholentpot]

I have an XK with the much better Herman Munster prism. Otherwise known as the AE prism. The slightly smaller prism is the AE-S. The S was meant to be better but I much preferred the original one as you could see all the shutter speeds in the VF at once, the S version had this weird design where you had to flip a switch to see the speeds below 1/30 sec IIRC. And the needle in the original was much easier to see than the leds in the S - which were too dim in daylight, but too bright in the evening!
The original also had a cool exp comp lever, gone in the S. The S had quicker reacting spd cells vs cds, but it lost the awesome contrast comparison metering which basically was a fore runner of matrix.

Currently the Minolta 58 1.2 is attached to it (most recent version) which just melts away the background like nothing else. See attached.

If you really are interested in getting an XK, let me know…

Muster prism. Yep. That's the one.

Any day now Huss and you'll open the box with a query about how cheap you'll pawn the monster off on 'lil 'ol me.

F3HP with a 24 2.8 and some 250D

 

[Les Sarile]

The F3 was built to a much higher standard. Which is why it is so easy to get a rock solid one today. I sold my LX because it started to get flaky as so many of them do. But the biggest giveaway is the one famous Pentax tech that everyone recommends refuses to touch the LX anymore.

I've only worked on a couple of models for very simple issues like shutter is locked up. Interestingly similar to how mechanical slot machines operate but much smaller. Otherwise I have yet to do a tear down rebuild which may come soon enough. However, I do have the teardown evaluations conducted on Modern and Popular photography magazines for these and there are no complaints on the LX. Topnotch as they say. I can understand that as a business one may not work on an item for any number of reasons - technical and/or philosophical. I used to repair electronic products before but I encountered some people who obviously did not know how to repair them - since they sent them to me, and would turn around and say that because of my work that something completely unrelated is now broken. I suppose that in this age of the net, those same folks may have gotten louder . . .