Nikon F3 First Impressions | Days of Knight

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Mat Marrash

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[oliverlison]

I have been using the Nikon F3HP. It is my main camera after all and I still do professional work with it.

[BentendoGameBoy]

I have an F3T that I love. But I love my FM3A way more. Can't ask for a better 35mm film camera in my opinion.

[thedondeluxe]

Oh yes, that's the good stuff! I bought an F3 last year after wanting one for a long time. Couldn't be happier with mine. Possibly my favourite ever manual focus SLR. And I have an FE too, so that's saying something :-)

[Native]

What a terrific video! The background music was out a sight!!! The F3 is also one of my favorites! I have two of them, both F3/T’s, and they definitely rock! Biggest problem is their recognition by the public! Everywhere you go people are drawn to them, as prior Owner’s who got rid of theirs previously or still had them but hadn’t used it for some time! Kind of fun usually a pain in the keester! My love for them stems from the fact they can be adapted to most any situation: accessories a plenty! I particularly like the Speedfinder as someone who where’s glasses; and the variety of view screens available is really amazing! Thanks for your channel!

[mathewrupp]

I'm surprised you prefer the FE over other Nikon SLR's, a few of years ago the only way you could sale a FE was to have a good lens someone wanted. That's how I ended up with two, my problem with them is battery life and having hiked in somewhere to take a photo and the camera is dead. I prefer the FM which isn't battery dependent, yes you are supposed to be able to use one shutter speed with a dead battery on the FE but I couldn't get it to work on mine. Have you considered a FA with matrix metering, same size but a big step up in capability. The F3 has great battery life if you remember to shut off the meter when not in use. I have several of the small Nikons made to compete with the OM1 however my OM-1 and 2 have held up better then the Nikons, three of my small Nikons need repair, film advance and spacing are the main issues, while my OM's have had zero problems. Which is strange because the Nikons seem better built. I currently have 2 FM's, 2 Fe's and a EM and three are out of action. The F3 is great for lefthanded photographers, shooting a F2, FE, FA ect is a pain in the eye, try shooting left eyed and you will see what I mean. I have to keep the right side of my face away from the camera to keep from getting poked in the eye.

[JonnyEnglish-gucs]

Love my F3hp a camera I lusted after for many years it was a dream for me in the 80s

[christopherlee]

Nikon f3 is the best electronic shutter camera and best looking.

[alexblaze]

If I had to choose ONE manual focus Nikon film camera, it would be the Nikon FE. Awesome choice.

[mattboggs]

I have a F3. It's a nice camera, but I struggle with nailing the focus. Thank you for the timestamp to skip over the beginning stuff. I really appreciate that, as I'm not interested in giveaways etc.

[poniatowski]

I’m an F3 fanboy absolutely love mine. The F3 with either the 50mm pancake (Japan only ais) or the 28mm ais loaded with FP4 or hp5 is magic. The camera just oozes quality in the hand.

[mike]

Had an F3HP for a few years in the late 80s and wish I still had it. Traded it for an F4, which was an altogether different and in many ways better camera really.

[Bergiex]

You should definitely take a look at the Konica Autoreflex Cameras. Konica optics were the optics for the Japanese Military. I love my Autoreflex T2.

[erichstocker]

Actually, I like the F1 which at the time was a brilliant approach. Probably less appreciated now given the development of electronics from the time of the F1 to the F3. However, I agree with you totally about the brilliance of Nikon lens compatibility. Something Canon didn't (probably couldn't do ) when moving from the FD to the EF lenses. I loved that FD breech mount approach of the FD series (almost impossible to have a loose lens). I understood the need for the change but it did "tick me off" at the time. :-( I was always jealous of the Nikon approach.

[SinaFarhat]

Nice!
I use a canon f1n that has 1/2000 shutter option and it does prove to be useful enough times that I will miss that ability when using other manual cameras!

[ЕвгенийТуманов-тч]

One of the best things in f-line of nikons ---100% viewfinder. Mostly usefull when shooting slide film.

[joeltunnah]

Nice overview.👍
I have the F3HP, and the viewfinder is a sweet dream for a glasses wearer. But other than that, I prefer my FM2N. The F3 is bigger, heavier, louder, has a stop slower shutter speed, and has the super annoying LCD readout. The tiny LCD light button that you have to push with a fingernail is hilariously bad design.
Honestly, other than looks I’m at a loss for why this camera was made for so long. It is really attractive.

[TheDecguy]

Although I still prefer the utter simplicity of the Nikon F the F3 has certain charms which I am attracted to. I guess all the old Nikon film cameras have something about them to someone who is addicted like I am. It’s good to see that you got your hands on one to see if we have all been pulling your leg or if you sign up for the F3 fetish club.

[cameraman]

That was “the” camera of the 80s, I loved it (this coming from a dedicated Canon F1 shooter back then) and was tempted to defect in ‘86’, though I stuck with Canon until 2016 when I switched to Fuji.

[johnleftwich]

I have the F4 which is AF. It is a beautiful camera and fun to use. Haven't finished a roll and had it developed yet so hope I'm not disappointed.

[Morinaka]

I agree, it's a great camera but some of its features aren't really as relevant today as they were in the past; most people don't interchange heads or swap back doors. The FE is almost a condensed F3 minus those things, plus a hot shoe. Interestingly the FE can shoot faster than 1/1000th in auto mode, if you use your shutter tester with a bright flashlight for the source light (so it can push the meter past 1/1000th), you'll see it can go a bit faster.