Nikon F3HP and F3/T

reviewed by Paul Wilson for photo.net

Background

I got serious about photography about 3 years ago after a trip to Europe with point and shoot camera. There were so many great things there to photograph, and the P&S did such a bad job capturing them, I decided to get a good camera.

I bought a Nikon N6006, which I still have, mostly because my father has about 10 Nikkor lenses that I can borrow. After about a year of photographing as much as possible and reading books by people like John Shaw, I decided I wanted another body. One with depth of field preview, mirror lock up, and batteries that didn't cost a fortune and die after 15 rolls, so an F3 it was. I also got a killer deal on a DA-2 Action finder at a used photo show, so I was forced to buy an F3 to stick under it.

My F3/T is actually my second F3. I found it in my local Want-Ads for $600 a couple of months ago and decided I had to have it.

Why a manual focus body?

One of the nicest things about the Nikon system is that one can use manual focus bodies with all the current lenses. The preferred MF bodies are the F3HP, FM2, FE2, or F2. All these bodies have mirror lock-up, depth-of-field preview and are very rugged. They are also great when it's cold and need no batteries for long exposures (the FM2 and F2 need no batteries at all). I think an N90s and one of these is an ideal combo.

It's Rugged

As mentioned, I have the titanium version of the F3. While the regular F3HP is very, very rugged, the F3/T is undentable as far as I can tell. The top and bottom plates, prism housing and back are all titanium. On most camera you can push the back in a bit with thumb pressure. On the newer poly-carb bodies, you could probably break the back if you grunted hard enough. If you push on the back of the F3/T there is no flex whatsoever. The camera feels like a solid block of metal, yet it is lighter than the regular F3.

If you need to shoot in extreme cold, get the FM2 or F2. Both are completely mechanical and legend has it that they will never give out in the cold. That said, I've used my F3 while skiing at Sunday River in Maine on a day when they closed the mountain early due to the cold. No problem despite the -20F temperature (without wind-chill). Whichever one you get, if you don't like it you can probably sell it for what you paid and get the other.

It's a Nikon F camera

Nikon F series cameras have a well-deserved reputation for quality. They are all extremely well made and have shutters that will last forever (150,000 cycle MTBF). All have DOF preview, MLU, 100% finders, and interchangeable prisms and screens. The F3HP also has the "high eyepoint" finder which, for eyeglass wearers, is indispensable.

Speaking of finders, I also own the DA-2 Action Finder. If you've never seen one, it's a huge prism with a 1.5" diagonal opening that gives about 1.5" of eye-relief. It's like watching one of those hand-held LCD tv's. The DA-2 is very helpful in certain situations like macro work where you don't want to disturb the camera. The one downside with it is side-lighting can make seeing into the finder difficult. It almost needs a focusing hood but overall the DA-2 is a lot of fun.

As for screens, I like one with a grid. If you decide you need a brighter screen, the F4 screens will fit but I find them harder to focus. The F4 and F3 screens are exactly the same size but the frames are somewhat different. The F4 screen's frame will fit in the F3, but it will be more solid if you put the F4's screen in an F3 frame.

They could have done better

The downsides to the F3 are few but the one that stands out is the slow flash sync shutter speed of 1/80 sec. This can made outdoor fill flash difficult. Speaking of flash, the oddball hotshoe means the F3 is incompatible for TTL flash with flashes designed for other Nikon cameras. (Note: the FE-2 and FM-2 sync at 1/250 sec; the highest of any mechanical focal plane shutter.)

Another inconvenience is the lack of exposure lock while the mirror is locked up. If you lock the mirror up in Aperture Priority mode, light will stop falling on the meter cell and therefore the camera sets an inappropriately long shutter speed (close to its maximum of 30 seconds).

I'd also like to see manually settable shutter speeds to 30 seconds in 1/2 or 1/3 stop increments (instead of 8 seconds in full stop increments), a spot meter, and low-light metering capabilities like the Pentax LX.

Buy it used

A new F3HP is about $1200 at B&H Photo while the F3/T is about $1600, but since it's a Nikon, the used market is huge. An F3HP in mint shape can be found on the used market for about $750 while one in used but decent shape can be had for about $550. F3/Ts are both rare and expensive but occasionally one turns up at a good price. Avoid ones with dents, huge amounts of brassing, finger nail marks in the shutter and general bad appearance. I'd also avoid any camera that may have been used by a photojounalist. You don't know where it's been.

I don't own one but the MD-4 motor drive sells for $200 to $250 used depending on condition. The MD-4 can also help handling while hand-holding lenses like an 80-200/2.8. You'll also start bulking up if you use this combo enough.

Overall

The F3T is quiet, rugged, light and compact (without the motor drive), and a serious professional tool.

Specs

About the Photos

Square flower: F3, 75-300/4.5-5.6 AF Nikkor, Ektachrome Lumiere X, f/11, Nikon 6T closeup filter, tripod, Wellesley College greenhouse

Elk: F3, 24/2 AIS Nikkor, f/11 and 1/60th, Fujichrome Velvia, Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park

Mt. St. Helens: F3, 24/2 AIS Nikkor, Fujichrome Velvia

Text and Pictures Copyright © 1995, 1996 Paul Wilson. All Rights Reserved.
pwilson@ultranet.com