So long Nikon F and hello, again, Leica M !!

[Mark Pope]

'How many cameras do you need?')

How many have you got? How much time do you have?

 

[Lee Shively]

"Someday folks will speak of the F3HP in the same reverential terms they use for the M3..."

I disagree on the F3. It was such a disappointment to me, it was the last new Nikon I bought.

I stated with F and FTn Photomics and happily upgraded to F2's (especially when some SOB stole my two old F's). I also happily bought an early F3 because I was a Nikon guy. I think I've posted this before--the short version is the early F3's were totally unreliable. Nikon had a lot of problems associated with the F3. Professionals won't use what doesn't work properly and they had to do a lot of modifications to finally make the camera work (does anyone besides me remember the "F3P" available only through Nikon Professional Services?). By the time they did fix the F3's problems, I had lost faith in Nikon's ability to make reliable cameras and I only used F2's.

 

[copake_ham]

"Someday folks will speak of the F3HP in the same reverential terms they use for the M3..."

I disagree on the F3. It was such a disappointment to me, it was the last new Nikon I bought.

I stated with F and FTn Photomics and happily upgraded to F2's (especially when some SOB stole my two old F's). I also happily bought an early F3 because I was a Nikon guy. I think I've posted this before--the short version is the early F3's were totally unreliable. Nikon had a lot of problems associated with the F3. Professionals won't use what doesn't work properly and they had to do a lot of modifications to finally make the camera work (does anyone besides me remember the "F3P" available only through Nikon Professional Services?). By the time they did fix the F3's problems, I had lost faith in Nikon's ability to make reliable cameras and I only used F2's.

Lee,

I cannot know what "was" only what "is". Today the F3 series is long out of production. Whatever problems may have existed with early production models - by later in the model run the F3HP was a top class piece of gear.

We here are talking about purchasing used gear of long discontinued models. A late model F3HP version is what to look for if one were to go "eBay shopping" nowadays.

As to professionals, one of the reasons so many F3s are on eBay is that they lasted for years and are now being "dumped" by the print media in the race to digital.

 

[jkelly]

I have an M3, a IIIa, and a Pentax K-1000. Even though I've used the Pentax for 30 years, when I got the Leicas a while back, I all but abandoned the Pentax. Recently, though, I've been using the SLR more, because of its ability to use long focal length lenses and its easy metering and focus. Don't sell the Nikon; I love my Leicas, but I'm glad I kept my Pentax.

 

[Lee Shively]

George,

I don't disagree that Nikon fixed the F3 later in production. The problem was that Nikon released an inferior camera with the F3. The reliability problems with the camera were well known by photographers in the news business. Unfortunately, Nikon couldn't repair or make the early cameras work reliably. Instead of admitting an error and recalling the damn things, they offered us underpaid news photographers a new, improved version called the F3P for about three times the going price for the standard F3. The F3P was a strengthened, sealed model, only available through Nikon Professional Services. I used one on loan for a month or so and it was a great camera. But the whole affair left a bad taste in my mouth and I've never forgiven Nikon's attitude at the time.