Nikon F3

Nikon F3

Overview
Type	Single lens reflex
Released	1982
Intro price	$322.50
Lens
Lens	interchangeable lens, Nikon F-mount
Compatible lenses	Nikon F-mount lenses supporting automatic indexing (AI) with some exceptions; F3 dedicated auto-focus lenses
Sensor/medium
Film format	35 mm
Film size	36 mm × 24 mm
Film advance	manual; automatic with optional motor drive
Film rewind	manual
Focusing
Focus modes	manual
Exposure/metering
Exposure modes	Aperture priority (A), Manual (M), and Bulb (B)
Exposure metering	silicon photodiode light meter, TTL metering, EV 1 to EV 18 (f/1.4 at 1s to f/16 at 1/1000s at ASA/ISO 100 and with 50 mm f/1.4 lens
Metering modes	80/20 percent centerweighted
Flash
Flash	hot shoe; synch terminal
Flash synchronization	1/80s
Compatible flashes	Dedicated F3 accessory shoe mounted flashes with TTL capability; other hot shoe type flashes with adapter; non-hot shoe flashes with synch cord
Shutter
Shutter	electronically controlled
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	interchangeable eye-level pentarism
General
Made in	Japan

The Nikon F3 was Nikon's third professional single-lens reflex camera body, preceded by the F and F2. Introduced in 1980, it had manual and semi-automatic exposure control whereby the camera would select the correct shutter speed (aperture priority automation). The Nikon F3 series cameras had the most model variations of any Nikon F camera. It was also the first of numerous Nikon F-series cameras to be styled by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, and to include a red stripe on the handgrip – a feature that would later become (with variants of stripes and various other shapes) a signature feature of many Nikon cameras.

The F2AS was a current model when the F3 was introduced, and for a while both were sold concurrently. The earlier Nikons had developed such a sterling reputation for extreme ruggedness and durability that many Nikon F and F2 owners were initially reluctant to transition to the new F3 from the F2 series. Not surprisingly, this phenomenon would reappear when the F3 was superseded by the F4 in 1988.

A specially-modified F3 was used by Industrial Light and Magic to film POV shots during the mine-car sequence in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The camera back was removed to accommodate a custom magazine, and the camera itself was mounted on a miniature gimbal that trailed the mine-car model. The gimbal was programmed to pan and tilt to simulate the point-of-view of a following mine car.

F3 Variants

Initially, the F3 model with the DE-2 eye-level finder was introduced, soon followed by the popular F3HP, or High Point camera, with the DE-3 High Eyepoint prism/finder. The major advantage of this finder was that the entire viewfinder image could be seen from a distance of 2.5 cm from the viewfinder. This made the F3 more usable by those who wear glasses when shooting, or were forced to shoot in high glare situations while wearing sunglasses. The only down-side to this was a smaller image through the viewfinder compared to the standard prism. With the exception of the "P" spec camera, all viewfinders are completely interchangeable. The F3 and F3HP unfortunately retained the somewhat awkward flash mount on the rewind dial, which (with flash mounted) obstructed that area of the camera.

A luxurious titanium version of the F3HP was also offered, initially in "Champagne" coloring, and later in Black. The "Champagne" offering was introduced in 1982 and discontinued around 1985, making it the rarer (and costlier used) of the two Titanium models.

The F3H, a high speed camera, was introduced for action and sports photography. It featured a fixed pellicle semi-transparent mirror, allowing the camera and MD-4H motor drive to achieve up to 13 frames per second. Production was short, official reports from Nikon claiming only around 100 such cameras made, while F3 collectors claim that number could be as high as 500.

Next to be introduced was the F3P. Built primarily for use by photojournalists ("P"ress), the F3P included additional weathersealing, O-ring gaskets, the MF-6 Auto Film-Stop Back, Type-B Matte focusing screen, a modified Titanium DE-5 pentaprism with ISO-type accessory shoe and no eyepiece blind, rubber-covered waterproof shutter release with a modified lockout, a round frame counter window with white numerals, and an extended shutter speed operating knob for easier operation in cold or wet environments. The F3P lacked a film door release lock, self-timer and multiple-exposure lever. A variant of the F3P called the F3 Limited was also sold in Japan.

Finally there was the rarely seen F3AF, a model which included an autofocus (AF) pentaprism finder capable of autofocusing with two special AF Nikkor lenses—the first of their kind, which included focus motors in the lens bodies.

However, even while the more successful subsequent Nikon AF design for the F4 and other models put the focus motor in the camera body, the F3AF's in-lens approach foreshadowed better and faster in-lens autofocus designs that would later come to dominate the market more than 15 years in the future, such as Canon's USM and Nikon's own Silent Wave Motor (SWM) lenses. In addition, the F4's support of the two special F3AF lenses now permits it to work with new Nikon SWM lenses that were designed long after both the F3 and F4 ceased production.

Construction

Nikon abandoned the earlier mechanically-operated shutter of the F2 for a modern, electronically-controlled, horizontally-traveled metal curtain design. The new shutter proved to be equally reliable and less maintenance-intensive overall, though the decision to retain the horizontal-travel design significantly limited its top flash sync speed (1/80 sec.) compared to later Nikons, some of which used the Copal shutter. In contrast to the manually-operated F2, the F3's electronic shutter required battery power to operate, although the camera included a small backup mechanical release lever that tripped the shutter at 1/60 sec.

The F3 continued the high-quality of its predecessors, in some ways surpassing it. Tolerances were exacting, and typically Nikon – just enough for operation of the camera (with a small allowance for debris), yet not enough to inhibit cold-weather operation at temperatures where lubricants begin to gel. Only the finest quality mechanical and electronic parts were selected, and Nikon insisted that all electronic components be sourced with a guarantee of 20 years of continued supply. Not only did the F3 utilize ball-bearings to mount its shutter and film transport mechanisms, but additional clusters of bearings were added to the film advance to make one of the smoothest operating cameras ever built. Indeed, resistance is so low when operating the film advance that it is difficult to tell if there is film in the camera.

For the first time, shutter information was displayed via an internal liquid crystal display (LCD) inside the viewfinder. Aperture information was relayed through something Nikon called 'ADR' or "Aperture Direct Readout" which was a window at the top center of the viewfinder that got its information from a micro-prism that read small numbers at the top of the mounted lens, of which type 'AI' (Aperture Indexing) or 'AIS' (Aperture Indexing Shutter Priority) lenses had printed behind the normal aperture numbers. Though widely used today, LCDs were very hi-tech at the time. They proved somewhat difficult to see at night, so Nikon installed a button-operated light for use at night. The LCD is one of the few problem areas of the F3 design, since with age, LCDs lose contrast, blur, and become inoperative after a number of years. Fortunately, unlike modern autofocus cameras with LCD 'Command Center' panels, malfunction of the F3's LCD viewfinder display does not prevent full operation of the camera, since this is accomplished with manual dials and indicators. Many F3 cameras built in the 1980s were never used professionally, and therefore are still in perfect working order including the LCD.

The Nikon F3 was the last in the Nikon series of manual-focus, professional level 35mm SLR cameras. Its production cycle is generally accepted to be from 1980 to 2000 or 2002, close to a record for a high-volume professional camera. Its successor – the F4 – along with operating the two F3AF lens, featured auto-focus and new optional metering and modes, but retained the ability to mount older manual-focus lenses. The F3 was also the last F-Series camera to be offered without an integrated motor drive, making the camera smaller overall than its successors in the F- series. The lasting appeal of the F3 remains the same as it was at its inception – a precision tool for those who prefer a less complex, extremely well-made camera for continual use in extreme environments.

Gallery

• 
  Nikon F3AF
• 
  Nikon F3 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
• 
  Nikon F3 with DA2 viewfinder
• 
  Nikon F3 buttons and knobs
• 
  Nikon F3 HP

See also

• Kodak DCS-100, an early digital SLR system that used F3 bodies for photographic functions.

External links

• Debut of the Nikon F3, by Nikon
• mir.com
• mir.com
• Nikon F3 at camera-wiki.org
• NikonF3.com Nikon F3 Resource including Manuals