Which year was my f3 made?

[loman]

Hello Everybody
Can anybody help me to date my Nikon F3. It's serial number is:

1700277

Thanks

Mads Hartmann

 

[Mick Fagan]

I've never seen any reference regarding serial numbers and time/date of manufacture regarding Nikon F3 bodies.

However my two Nikon F3HP bodies were both purchased on trips to Germany.

1984 1637318

1987 1733012

Having those two numbers and the purchase years, appears to date it to around late 85 or 86 perhaps.

Bear in mind another factor I found out when I met a Nikon rep in Australia. He looked at one of my F3 bodies whilst we were chatting and immediately castigated me for purchasing my body in Europe. The serial number sequence (probably the first two numbers) told him it was a European market body.

Hope this helps!

Mick.

 

[loman]

Thanks Mick
That's precise enough for me.

 

[ehparis]

Hello Everybody
Can anybody help me to date my Nikon F3. It's serial number is:

1700277

Thanks

Mads Hartmann

The only site I've ever seen that listed numbers for the F3 was Niklas Nikitin's site (Swedish) but he's taken down my old link

http://www.cs.kau.se/~nicke/private/photo/misc/f3date.html

Have been unable to find a link via http://www.cs.kau.se/. Sorry.

(He's something like a systems manager for a Swedish university.)

Sounds like a good project for someone to pick up.

I'd guess your production date to be in the early 1990's based on a total production of 2,xxx,xxx.

 

[ehparis]

Edit:

Oops. Should have looked longer.

Dead Link Removed

Keep in mind these are numbers based on *sales*, not actual production, and have been acquired on a volunteer basis by F3 owners.

 

[loman]

Thanks Again Everybody.
So it seems my F3 is made around 83-84. The light seals and the mirror damper sure look like they could be from around that time!
Best Regards
Mads

 

[jwil6969]

Fe Mfg Date

You may want to try your local library, recently saw a book dealing with Nikon cameras made from inception to the date of publication for the book. Dealt with each camera type and in the back of the book listed production dates, types (the F3 I believe had 5 or 6 versions) and gave serial numbers if memory serves me correctly.

 

[Jim Jones]

You may want to try your local library, recently saw a book dealing with Nikon cameras made from inception to the date of publication for the book. . . .

That sounds like The New Nikon Compendium by Simon Stafford, Rudi Hillebrand and Hans-Joachim Hauschild, 2004. I didn't find a list of serial numbers in a quick look, though.

 

[nicefor88]

f3 seria number

Hi,
Just signed in and you may already have this information but your F3 should have been manufactured in 1984 if it is a standart F3 or in late 1985 - early 1986 if it is a F3HP.
Regards,