If I were to go for a Nikon, the F3 would be my choice. I'm drawn to its design, and I think it would complement AIS lenses really well. However, for 35mm film, I'll stick with Leica. If I decide to explore further, I'd consider a MF camera.
Desmolicious wrote:
If you get an F5 also check to make sure the dials still work. A couple I've played with were flaky eg trying to change ISO, it will skip all over the place. Apparently dousing the dial innards with electrical contact cleaner can fix it. Apparently.
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OffTrail wrote:
Same for all the buttons. One of mine has a flaky vertical AF-ON button.
Good tips. Thanks, guys. I'm not sure I'll make that leap, but never say never.
Desmolicious wrote:
A few of the F3 models - P, Ltd - had a regular hotshoe on the Ti prism. Like normal cameras!
Yes the F3/P has a prism-mount hotshoe, but no TTL via the prism which is super limiting (for me): I don't really like using flash at the best of times, but TTL control is an essential tool. The F3/P also gives up:
Cable-release for the shutter button
Multi-exposure lever
Eyepiece shutter
Agreed the F3/P is something to consider: Collectable & Rugged. A downside is that all F3/P's I have encountered have seen heavy professional use (they were not sold to the public to my knowledge, only through Nikon Professional Services).
grantgoodes wrote:
Yes the F3/P has a prism-mount hotshoe, but no TTL via the prism which is super limiting (for me): I don't really like using flash at the best of times, but TTL control is an essential tool. The F3/P also gives up:
Cable-release for the shutter button
Multi-exposure lever
Eyepiece shutter
Agreed the F3/P is something to consider: Collectable & Rugged. A downside is that all F3/P's I have encountered have seen heavy professional use (they were not sold to the public to my knowledge, only through Nikon Professional Services).
Like the F4, you can find a very lightly used F3P if you are patient enough. It’s how I did it.
Agree with all your points of what is lacking and if that is a deal breaker, so it is.
You also missed out no self timer!
But the advantages over a regular F3?
Much stronger TI prism vs the soda can thin metal used on the regular F3
Ti top plate minimizes the risk of the circuit board by the rewind knob getting a death blow
Bigger easier to use shutter speed dial
No interlock to open film back
Real actual rubber gasket weather sealing
Bigger easier to read film counter
Any shutter speed can be used the moment the camera is loaded
Easier to use on/off switch
Thing I don’t like? Rubber cap over the shutter button for weather resistance which makes it mushy to use. You get used to it but IMO it is not very pleasant.
If I could have found a really nice F3hp in the same condition - for less money - than my P I would have got that. Just for the shutter release button feel. But the majority I’ve seen have dented prisms and other signs of wear, and if they are super clean they also are super expensive.
Would love a P if a clean one ever shows up for reasonable money.
Giving up a cable release is not a deal breaker for me. If I am going to lug a tripod I will more likely take a medium format camera. I have owned a camera with multi exposure capability for 30 years and have used the feature precisely zero times. I have used the eyepiece shutter feature the same number of times. Both features are unnecessary gimmicks IMO.
Its a pity the P uses the high eyepoint finder, as the DE2 already has a very good 20mm eyepoint and I prefer the higher magnification.
Fred Miranda wrote:
What's a reasonable price for the F3P in great condition and CLAed?
Now you know I'm a Leica nut, right? So.. every Nikon I've ever bought no matter how old has never needed a CLA...
I had my F2s Sover Wonged because it was a thing to do...
My F6 - basically new - needed the AF module replaced because it failed. But that is not a CLA thing.
What I'm saying is if you get a P - make sure to get the nicest looking one (and that it does not have leaky LCDs), and if it works fine, it is good to go.
I shot with the FM, and FM2, but my favorite were two F3HPs that each had hundreds of thousands of shots, and neither ever failed. The cocking mechanism sounded like a swiss watch, and the shutter had a quiet, refined click.
I shot a bunch of rolls in my F3P today. Really nice camera, in hand any of the single digit F cameras feel (and are built) much better than the ones with lots of numbers or letters after the F. Including Fm3a, FE2, FM2 etc (some of the ones that I had).
But.. from the day it came out the exposure readout is dumb. It reads in 1 stop values. So 1/60, 1/125 etc. While my lowly FG reads in 1/2 stop values eg 1/60 and 1/125 will both illuminate if it is an in-between.
Same for manual exposure - F3 is +, - or +-
Not that Nikon would bring it back, but if they did all they'd have to do is use the F3P prism (Ti but more because it has a normal hot shoe), and an exposure readout copying the Leica R8/9 which is amazing. Or at the least copying the N/F 80!
Still, you get used to that nonsense and bask in the glory that is the F3.
Yes or No. Is the Nikon F2AS the one to get? I don't want to rely on batteries but it's cool to have meter sometimes like the MP.
I also do not like to rely on aperture priority.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Yes or No. Is the Nikon F2AS the one to get? I don't want to rely on batteries but it's cool to have meter sometimes like the MP.
I also do not like to rely on aperture priority.
If you're getting an F2 - yes the F2AS is the one to get. The meter is excellent.
BUT.... these are old cameras now and the meter resistor ring on them may have worn out giving unreliable/jumpy readings.
Happened to mine and Sover Wong repaired it. It is so common he makes replacement rings:
It is much better to get one that has had that fix now, than send him one in for repair as his repair backlog is several years long I think.
Sover does say he sells fully serviced/repaired F2s, so he would be a really good place to check for a camera before going elsewhere.
I also have a Sover Wonged F2 w/ plain prism - the Leica M-A of F2s if you will - but the F2As is a better shooter like the Leica MP, because the excellent meter is there if you need it.
This past w/e I shot four rolls through my F3P. Zero through my F2As. Once you start using the F3 it is hard to put down as it is fun to pump film through it, using the super 80/20 meter pattern. I would not have shot so much if I used my F2As as the ergos are not as good and it kinda slows you down - for better or for worse.
I also shot one roll through my FG, because I hadn't used it for a while, and did not enjoy it. So that one I gotta sell.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Yes or No. Is the Nikon F2AS the one to get? I don't want to rely on batteries but it's cool to have meter sometimes like the MP.
I also do not like to rely on aperture priority.
Generally speaking, the F2AS is a little more valuable. The DP-12 head is what you're buying. LED readout, better EV range, and apparently more reliable cells.
While meters obviously make a lot of sense, the F2 in particular does incur a size/weight/balance penalty just to have it. So if it's something you view as "cool to have sometimes," does that imply a certain level of comfort in working without one? If so, I think you go DE-1 and just rely on one of the many accessory meters out there. Or a phone.
Not to talk you out of an F2AS, though. There's a certain cool factor to the heft of a metered F2, and of course it's added flexibility.
Desmolicious wrote:
If you're getting an F2 - yes the F2AS is the one to get. The meter is excellent.
BUT.... these are old cameras now and the meter resistor ring on them may have worn out giving unreliable/jumpy readings.
Happened to mine and Sover Wong repaired it. It is so common he makes replacement rings:
It is much better to get one that has had that fix now, than send him one in for repair as his repair backlog is several years long I think.
Sover does say he sells fully serviced/repaired F2s, so he would be a really good place to check for a camera before going elsewhere.
I also have a Sover Wonged F2 w/ plain prism - the Leica M-A of F2s if you will - but the F2As is a better shooter like the Leica MP, because the excellent meter is there if you need it.
This past w/e I shot four rolls through my F3P. Zero through my F2As. Once you start using the F3 it is hard to put down as it is fun to pump film through it, using the super 80/20 meter pattern. I would not have shot so much if I used my F2As as the ergos are not as good and it kinda slows you down - for better or for worse.
I also shot one roll through my FG, because I hadn't used it for a while, and did not enjoy it. So that one I gotta sell....Show more →
I wanted to bring up the F3, but I don't know about the exposure readout for someone who doesn't want auto exposure. Also batteries. I only ever shoot mine in auto-exposure, and it's such an easy SLR to live with when you just trust the meter and shoot away. Same goes for the non-metered F/F2, but instead of trusting the meter, you're trusting yourself. It's not for every situation, though.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Yes or No. Is the Nikon F2AS the one to get? I don't want to rely on batteries but it's cool to have meter sometimes like the MP.
I also do not like to rely on aperture priority.
Personally I think if you're considering an F2, the ONLY way to go is a standard DE1/non-metered prism. Full manual, full mechanical experience. Like others have said, just find an old Nikon that seems to be in order, and shoot it. It won't need CLA if you just shoot it. Most Nikon SLRs far exceed any Leica M body in specs and capability, but few of them match or exceed (debatable) the shooting experience. The F and F2 are the only ones IMO that match or exceed a classic M body. The F feels more solid, the F2 feels a tiny bit lighter and "hollow" compared to the original, but in use it's far more pleasant to live with.
