5 Frames with a Nikon F3 HP and Portra 400

A retired moto-journalist friend loaned me his old photography bag when he heard I’d been shooting a lot of film. When I first returned to film, I’d mostly been using the FM my dad gave me; the same FM I borrowed for my high school photography class. More recently, I enjoyed shooting the FE I was given by a guy I’ve known since the 90s. We worked together at All American Racers, preparing Dan Gurney’s fire-breathing Toyota Eagle GTP race cars. Interestingly, this camera came to him from the photographer paid by Toyota to follow us around in-period. In the last year, my focus (pun-intended) has primarily been on my Leica M3.

Lance’s bag was full of Nikon F-Mount goodness. I’d used the spectacular 85mm f/1.4 and the 35mm f/2.8 on my FE with great results. Buried in the bag and yet untried, are a 24mm f/2.8, a 180mm f/2.8 and a 400mm. I’d previously ignored the 105mm, because I’d been using Dad’s Nikkor 105mm f/2.5. That lens, by the way, may be my favorite lens of all time. But, the 105mm in Lance’s bag was a Micro f/2.8. It’s a fascinating piece. My description would simply be – it’s a ridiculously close-focusing, ultra-sharp 105mm.

Finally, tucked into the bottom of the bag was his beloved F3 HP body with a motor winder attached. My initial impression was that nothing could compare to my FE in terms of intuitive user-friendliness. I’m not going to go into too much detail about the F3, as apart from a Leica M3, it may win the award for most-reviewed camera in the history of the internet. The first thing I noticed was how much larger it felt than my beloved FE. With some fresh batteries installed and a quick internet tutorial, (there is a power switch at the front of the film advance lever) the F3 came to life. Unlike the superbly-intuitive match needles of the FE, the F3 has a small LCD window at the top left of the viewfinder. The LCD shows what mode the camera is in, the shutter speed, and then a +/- sign reminiscent of the FM’s LEDs. Lance’s camera has the grid focusing screen, which I find to be helpful for composition.

I grabbed the 105mm f/2.8 Micro, loaded a fresh roll of Portra400, grabbed the keys to my 1965 Mustang, and headed towards Pacific Coast Highway. The car was purchased new by my grandfather Martin Newman from Hollywood Ford in 1965. My dad and I bought it back from a distant cousin in 1994, and it’s been a labor of love getting it to its current condition. Most importantly in the context of this article, it’s become one of my primary photographic subjects. I’ve found the car to be pretty good at taking posing suggestions, hugely photogenic, and always up for an adventure.

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