This is the legendary Nikon F3HP, a professional grade SLR. For me, this is the most iconic Nikon camera ever, and one of the most beloved film cameras ever produced.
Some fun facts:
- It was the last manual focus professional SLR in the Nikon's lineup. Subsequent analogue F cameras: F4 to F6 all used auto-focus.
- It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who also designed some of the most famous cars such as DeLorean, Lotus Esprit, VW Gold MK1. He included the famous red stripe on the F3, which nowadays has become a norm for many Nikon cameras.
- It has many variations throughout its production run such as F3/T (Titanium), F3AF (Auto focus), F3P (Photojournalists or Professional) and F3H (High Speed).
My Purchase Story:
I bought this camera at my local camera shop last year. To be able to see it in person and test things out before committing to buy is way better than buying some random junks online. The ex-owner traded it in for a Go Pro camera according to the manager of the store. Poor camera. As I was paying for my processed film I spotted it at their glass display and I immediately recognize the iconic look. The beautiful red line at the left hand side of the body and the large "F3" engraving at the top plate. I tested out in my hands and I fell in love immediately. This thing is in mint condition and the camera shop sold it for a very reasonable price. It also came with a Nikkor F1.4 50mm AI-S lens in excellent condition and including all paperworks. Judging from the cosmetics of the body it was probably stored for quite sometime and it was barely used at all. It is absolutely gorgeous and man I love it so much!!! I bought it right away. I still remember that special moment when I first saw it and it's a memory that I will never forget.
The F3 was introduced in the 1980 and was produced until 2001 so it was in production for 21 years. It even outlived the subsequent F4 and was still made while the F5 was at helm. Nowadays, no camera has this longevity. So many cameras or electronic products nowadays become obsolete after a few years and they would be replaced by newer products... Sadly, the consumers in the new generation love new products and producers meet their demands by renewing products in a shorter time frame these days. Capitalism at its best.
The Build Quality and Reliability:
The F3 is widely regarded as a very rugged camera. It's built like a tank. Construction is extremely solid and its electronics are reliable. There are no wiggle and play for all of its buttons. If you knock it on purpose it sounds solid. Even if you purposely try to squeeze the camera body none of its parts would budge. It feels like a very solid metal box that is bulletproof. Its body is made of solid brass. In its most popular days, it was used by wartime photojournalists and press photographers who often worked in bad weather and dangerous environment. Iconically, at first the battery dependant F3 was not well-received as users preferred mechanical shutters. Eventually, even the most stubborn traditionalists changed their mind due to F3's trusted electronics.
The Look:
I love the straight and angular lines of the F3. The lines give the camera a very masculine look. The tall HP (High Eyepoint) finder suits the F3 well. The red stripe on the left side of the body is gorgeous and makes the F3 look like a super car. The shutter speed dial is also positioned in a higher position to match the HP finder which is not only functional but looks wonderful. One tiny detail I have noticed is that the big Nikon lettering on the finder is not italicized unlike many Nikon cameras these days. I thought that they match with all the straight lines of the camera well. Overall, I really love how the Nikon F3 looks.
The Viewfinder Experience:
HP of the finder stands for High Eyepoint which its design ensure 100% viewfinder coverage. When Nikon introduced the HP finder (DE-3) they received positive reception that the finder became the standard equipment of the F3. It boosts a lower magnification of 75% compared to the previous DE-2 of 80% but it is not a problem at all. It is perfectly usable. When looking through the viewfinder the view is crispy clear and huge. It is just a pure joy to look through it while doing composition. This is definitely the best viewfinder I have ever used in a camera. Also, the viewfinder is free of any annoying lines or indicators. You can see the shutter speed located on the upper left hand side in the LCD display and next to it you will find the aperture speed window. Basically you can take pictures without the hassle to take the camera off the eye level to check the setting. This enhances the shooting experience tremendously.
The prism of the F3 can also be removed and exchanged to another one. Being a modular camera it enables the user to customize the camera to his/her specific needs. The focusing screens can also be easily exchanged. The F3 is the easiest camera to swap out a screen out of any other cameras that I have used. You just remove the prism and lift up the screen with your fingers to take it out. This adds user-friendliness and avoid the risk of scratching the screen with a sharp tool.
The Rest of the Functionality:
The film advance lever is butter smooth as there are 11 ball bearings inside. No other cameras I have ever used can surpass the feel and control of the lever and I doubt that there will be ever one in the future. The aperture priority mode is super accurate and easy to use. You just place the shutter speed dial to A and off it goes. I don't have to worry about what shutter speed I use and I just need to focus on the composition and the aperture. The range of the shutter speeds of the F3 range from 1/2000 to 8 seconds. There are also the Bulb, T, and X modes. The T mode is a mechanical speed which is used for long exposure. The B mode is used also for the same purpose and it will open the shutter as long as the shutter button is pressed. The X mode, for 1/80 second of the shutter speed, is used for synchronization with electronic flash unit if you use flash. The shutter speed dial is easy to turn and in the aperture priority mode the speed selection is step-less which is very fast and effortless. On the left of the top plate there is the expose compensation dial should you need a bit more adjustment. In terms of the ergonomic, the camera design is excellent. There is a grip which helps to hold the camera steady. The F3 fits my hands like a pair of gloves.
Facing the camera upfront we have a few more buttons. The depth of field preview button is the one in silver color. It's easy to use. The lower button in black is the back up mechanical release lever. As discussed before the F3 is battery dependant and when the juice runs out there will still be a 1/60 mechanical shutter speed for back up. On the right hand side we can find the lens release button. There is also the tiny red viewfinder illuminator button you see on the HP finder. Its purpose is to light up the viewfinder in dark environment. I find it a bit difficult to use but it's no big deal as I don't use it at all.
My User Experience:
In the beginning of the year before the Covid-19 pandemic started, I was very fortunate to be able to visit Hawaii. The F3 was my daily companion throughout the entire trip. I paired it with a Nikkor 35mm F2 AI-S lens to bring more scenery to my pictures of the beautiful Hawaii. It was just a pure joy to use it and it worked perfectly in all situation. It is not a big camera so it's easy to carry it around. Occasionally, it felt a bit heavy on the neck but it wasn't a big problem. Its beautiful look and perfect functionality made photo-taking effortless and relax. It does not feature anything in particularly complicated like auto-focus or millions of buttons and dials which I find cumbersome and annoying. In return, I was rewarded with a camera that was all about the essentials and it was user-friendly to make full use of it. It The biggest virtue of the F3 is that it just gets out of your way to let you make the pictures. It simply works and gives you no complications at any given time. The aperture priority mode is simply amazing and the F3's electronics are so dead accurate that the more you use it the more trust you place in it. When you are done with one roll of film you may not even realize it. Then you look forward to shooting the next roll. It is simply brilliant.
The F3, is simply the best camera I have ever used. It has the best viewfinder, the handiest aperture priority mode, the best handling, and it is the most user-friendly. I highly recommend this beauty to any one who are into analogue photography. It is THAT good.
Sample pictures:
Ektar 100/Nikkor 35mm F2 AI-S
Ektar 100/Nikkor 35mm F2 AI-S
Portra 160/Nikkor 35mm F2 AI-S
Portra 400/ Nikkor 35mm F2 AI-S
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