The Nikon F3 is the best 35mm ever!

narsuitus · Apr 18, 2017

I really enjoyed reading this old (2004) post again. Who would have thought the Nikon F3 would still arouse so many new responses.

What ever happened to the original poster, Ara Ghajanian? I have not seen any recent posts.

flavio81 · Apr 18, 2017

Chan Tran said:
I think the light switch is a decorative element like the red stripe. I think it works very well for that function.

That's the problem, in the F3 they thought that FORM was more important than FUNCTION in cameras. Bad!! They hired the Giugaro design studio to mess with the camera.

Fortunately the F4 returns to function...

miha · Apr 18, 2017

The F3 was produced for 21 years. There was a market for it along the F4 and F5 cameras.

Huss · Apr 18, 2017

destroya said:
I just prefer these days to shoot my FE2 or FM3a for the reason that I really prefer the match needle meter. it just makes it a lot easier for me to quickly scan a scene and get a good idea of the range of tones and how much if any i need to adjust to get the shot the way I want it. IF the LCD on the F3 read the actual speed in the display, not just to the nearest shutter speed, that would be a great help.

That's what made me unload my F3. I could not stand the lack of precision with the manual metered read out. Bizarre design choice by Nikon, it's as if they wanted you to just shoot in Auto mode.

Theo Sulphate · Apr 19, 2017

Many people prefer the analog readout of the FE2 or FM3a: a meter needle showing the camera's chosen speed and a blue needle showing the selected speed (if not A). Without directly looking at it, the analog position of the needle gives one a feel for what the shutter speed is and how to adjust. A digital readout does not. Even "glass cockpits" on aircraft simulate analog gauges for this reason.

benjiboy · Apr 19, 2017

All the cognoscenti know that the Canon New F1 is the best professional 35mm film S.L.R. ever manufactured .

Chan Tran · Apr 19, 2017

flavio81 said:
That's the problem, in the F3 they thought that FORM was more important than FUNCTION in cameras. Bad!! They hired the Giugaro design studio to mess with the camera.

Fortunately the F4 returns to function...

I actually like it that way.

Drew B. · Apr 19, 2017

The F4s has just the right amount of refinements to place above the F3

miha · Apr 19, 2017

Care to argue Rambo's camera (and film!) choice: http://camaracoleccion.es/Fotos_Rambo.html

pentaxuser · Apr 19, 2017

narsuitus said:
What ever happened to the original poster, Ara Ghajanian? I have not seen any recent posts.

He was last seen just over 5 years ago in Feb 2012 but was a regular contributor in APUG's early days

pentaxuser

Chris Livsey · Apr 19, 2017

miha said:
Care to argue Rambo's camera (and film!) choice: http://camaracoleccion.es/Fotos_Rambo.html

And a shout out for ILFORD

Pioneer · Apr 19, 2017

I'll be at the Supercross in SLC this Saturday. I'll be bringing a camera (or two ).

If you are there and see a Pentax LX, that will almost certainly be me. I need the ability to change screens and maybe viewfinders.

Probably the only LX in the crowd.

It may even be the only film camera in the crowd.

Paul Howell · Apr 19, 2017

Pioneer said:
I'll be at the Supercross in SLC this Saturday. I'll be bringing a camera (or two ).

If you are there and see a Pentax LX, that will almost certainly be me. I need the ability to change screens and maybe viewfinders.

When I upgraded from the F2 to F3P the LX was the only camera I considered, would have gone with Pentax, but had a brace of Nikon lens, and at time was working overseas, needed Nikon world wide support. In my book the LX had better features, over the years seems to have held up as well as the F3.

Mainecoonmaniac · Apr 19, 2017

I owned the competition, a Canon F-1 for over 30 years. I handled a Nikon F3 and it's a very nice camera. An Italian guy is the designer so it's a piece of art.

Paul Howell · Apr 19, 2017

I think the other contender was the T90, I owned one along with a few lens for about a year, sold the set as I have too many cameras and was buying Minolta Af, also designed by an Italian designer. Lots to like, integrated motor drive, good metering, rugged design, only lacking interchangeable viewfinders. I have read that the core electronics were in cooperated into the first Canon EOS bodies.

Cholentpot · Apr 19, 2017

I've been using my F3HP for about 2 years now. Pretty heavy use. It's a perfect camera except for the dangum LCD and the lack of a hotshoe.

The F3 and a Canon A2 sit in the front of my stable. When I need a fast camera that does it all I take the Canon. For all else that is serious it's the F3.

Chan Tran · Apr 19, 2017

Cholentpot said:
I've been using my F3HP for about 2 years now. Pretty heavy use. It's a perfect camera except for the dangum LCD and the lack of a hotshoe.

The F3 and a Canon A2 sit in the front of my stable. When I need a fast camera that does it all I take the Canon. For all else that is serious it's the F3.

How a Canon A2 faster than the F3?

Leigh B · Apr 19, 2017

Cholentpot said:
When I need a fast camera that does it all I take the Canon.

Define please "fast".

- Leigh

flavio81 · Apr 19, 2017

Chan Tran said:
How a Canon A2 faster than the F3?

I agree with Cholentpot's assessment, having owned the EOS 5 (aka "EOS A2") and the Nikon F3.

The EOS 5 has auto-focus, eye-controlled focus, fast 5 frames/sec integrated film advance, program mode (in addition to the other auto modes), easy exposure lock, and matrix metering. Ah, and exposure compensation is set with your thumb, without having to change your shooting hand position.

The combination of all this makes it a faster camera. Indeed an extremely fast camera to operate.

I sold my EOS 5 because i did not use it more. I use more my 'older' cameras, which have none of such advanced features.

Sirius Glass · Apr 19, 2017

Don't you just love it when someone posts that their particular camera is the best and then everyone else jumps in and champions their cameras? Why bother to start such threads when we all know that the only choice for best is Hasselblad. The rest of you really need to get over yourselves and your crappy cameras. Jus' sayin'

Leigh B · Apr 19, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
Why bother to start such threads when we all know that the only choice for best is Hasselblad. The rest of you really need to get over yourselves and your crappy cameras.

Sirius...

Perhaps if you read the thread title...

:The Nikon F3 is the best 35mm ever!"

What part of 35mm do you not understand?

- Leigh

flavio81 · Apr 19, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
Don't you just love it when someone posts that their particular camera is the best and then everyone else jumps in and champions their cameras? Why bother to start such threads when we all know that the only choice for best is Hasselblad. The rest of you really need to get over yourselves and your crappy cameras. Jus' sayin'

Yay! Hooray for Hasselblad!!

Sirius Glass · Apr 19, 2017

Leigh B said:
Sirius...

Perhaps if you read the thread title...

:The Nikon F3 is the best 35mm ever!"

What part of 35mm do you not understand?

- Leigh

I already posted about my Nikon N75 and Nikon F100, so I did my part in forcing my choices on the innocent readers.

Cholentpot · Apr 19, 2017

Chan Tran said:
How a Canon A2 faster than the F3?

Leigh B said:
Define please "fast".

- Leigh

With the F3 you need to manually wind the film, focus and compensate if the situation calls for it. A2 goes up to eye and shoot the photo. DSLRs are just now passing up the the FPS of the later EOS cameras. I can blow through a roll of 36 in seconds. Even with an MD on the F3 it is slower to use. Using an F3 for sports pales in comparison to using a mid or top level autofocus EOS camera.

That being said I usually get more keepers from the F3 than the EOS. The lenses are generally more affordable for my Canon these days though.

Theo Sulphate · Apr 19, 2017

The Hasselblad Xpan is the best 35mm camera ...

... that Hasselblad has made.

The Nikon F3 is the best 35mm ever!

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