Nikon F3 review – A love story with a red flag

Let me start by saying that I have never written a camera review before. So go easy on me. If you have any questions, let me know. I am going to keep this quite subjective and personal. When I was reading camera reviews before, I never liked repeated talk about all the technical facts I already knew about. So rather I am going to tell you a story about a relationship between a man and a camera.

The love story started back in 2017, almost a decade ago. Wow, am I old?

My first analog camera was a Nikon Nikomat. A simple, reliable SLR with a mechanical shutter. I used it quite a lot, but wanted to try other cameras and maybe find the one… After a few other 35mm and 120 format cameras, I got my eye on the Nikon F3. I was introduced to the F3, when I was watching videos from a photographer I really respect, John Free. He was using the Nikon F3 to capture his street photographs. I just had to buy it. And I did. It arrived on October 12th, 2017. It is the last analog camera I bought with the intention of using it. That says a lot.

I was (and still am) charmed by the fact that this was a professional camera, built to be reliable and durable. It feels nice to have a camera that can go all around the world with me. I don’t worry too much about the conditions and if the camera gets beaten around a bit. It’s going to be there and it’s going to work. Nikon F3 was the longest ever produced Nikon camera, introduced in 1980 and discontinued only in 2001, the year I was born. Was this meant to be?

The Looks

One thing I love about her…I mean it… is the fact that it’s beautiful. Some say looks don’t matter, but boy, oh boy, they do. Especially when it comes to cameras. I mean, how can this be my lifelong companion, if I don’t feel attracted to it? The Nikon F3 has a gorgeous design that I just can’t get enough of. It has sleek curves that touch your soul, almost all-black design that means business and a splash of red every now and then to convince you it’s not only useful, but also fashionable and sexy. Add to that some wonderful patina it builds over time on your adventures, it becomes a part of you. It was designed by a man named Giorgetto Giugiaro. He designed Ferraris, Alfa Romeos and many other cars. Need I say more?

The Feeling

Joy. That is how I would describe the feeling of using the F3. Every single button or wheel you press, move or touch has a tactile feeling and a nice feedback. Moving the shutter speed dial is a joy, closing the back of the camera is a satisfactory “I am ready to Rock and roll” click. Don’t get me started on the shutter click and advancing the lever. Ah, never mind, do get me started… Shutter sound is confident, not afraid of being noticed, but at the same time not a show-off “look at me” kind of shutter. Certainly not the best choice, if you don’t want people to hear it. I do a lot of street photography, so the sound bothers me a bit at times.

For me, advancing the lever is the most important feeling on a camera. And the F3 does it brilliantly and elegantly. Advancing the film is a super smooth motion, while still maintaining the connection to all the wheels and sprockets that are moving inside.

Holding the camera gives you assurance that the F3 is going to be there, when you need it. It’s not too heavy and not too light. It’s not a brick, like the Nikon F5 or a feather, like many plasticky cameras out there.

The Function

I think the F3 has all functions I need and few of the distracting options. The F3 sits in the transition between the all mechanical F2 and the more electronic F4. It has an electronic shutter, operating from 1/2000s to 8 seconds with a single mechanical speed of 1/60th in the “case of emergency”, if the battery dies. Having a 1/2000s speed is quite useful for opening the aperture on sunny days.

100% viewfinder coverage means what you see is what you get. No surprises after developing and no room for mistakes, either. As I’ve said, the F3 means business.

Some would care a lot for a built-in lightmeter, but I really don’t. I almost never use it, so it is more of an unnecessary feature for me. Same goes for the A – aperture priority mode the camera offers.

Everything seems to make sense and works well. The rewinding and loading the film is fast, you have the option to lock the shutter, it has a self timer, a double exposure option and DOF preview, to name a few features.

The F3 is intuitive. For me, everything makes sense. It’s logical, how the shutter dial moves, where every button is placed and how the camera feels, moves and works. What more can you ask from an analog camera?

The Adjustability

Do you own an Apple product? Well, the Nikon F3 is the opposite of that in terms of adjustability. You can change the prism for an HP one, if you use glasses while shooting – it is easier to view the entire frame even while wearing glasses. You can also get a waist level viewfinder, which is super cool. I have to get one of those…

The focusing screen is also interchangeable. You can choose from more than 20 different options to get what you prefer. Of course, you can also attach a motor drive to the camera to make it extra quick or if you don’t like advancing the film yourself. But if the latter is the case for you… the F3 doesn’t deserve you, sorry.

All these options allow you to customise the camera and make it even more “yours”.

The Irrational

As I mentioned before, Nikon F3 has a lot of history and shooting with it means you can carry that history around. First of all, it feels amazing shooting with a camera made in 1984, many years before I was born. Don’t tell me the latest and greatest digital cameras have the same charm!

It grows on you! I guess this can be true for every camera you use, but the F3 really makes that easy.

In a way, this review is too personal and can mean nothing to you. In the analog world the camera is one of the smallest contributors to the final image next to the film stock and the lens. Yet somehow, it is the most important thing for the heart and the soul. When you look at the camera you feel connected to, it drives you forward, it gets you out to shoot and dare I say: it helps you grow as a photographer too. The F3 might be that for me, it gets me excited to pick it up.

As I am writing this review and remembering all the places, hikes, walks, family vacations, weather conditions and everything in between we have seen together, I can’t help but feel some kind of love towards that sexy piece of copper-silumin-aluminum thing.

The Red flag

Oh, no… But yes, sadly there is also something that is bothering me with the Nikon F3. It comes down to its basic operation. It is operated by an electronic shutter. That means it needs batteries to work. Here is where I have an issue.

I wouldn’t call myself a purist, but as the years go by, I am starting to realise that for my one main camera I want something mechanical. I don’t mind some added features, such as a self timer or a light meter, even though they are not a necessity. But the core of the camera matters and sadly, the F3’s electronically operated shutter is something I don’t like. The manual 1/60s speed is saving the F3 and is the reason why I am still sticking with it, despite its flaw. Maybe I can move this from a red to an orange flag. I am really trying to save this relationship and not jump over the fence, though I am flirting with the Leica M system. Don’t tell my F3!

Thanks for reading! Would love to hear you thoughts and experiences, as always.

All the best,

Domen

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