Classic Camera Review: Nikon F3 & MD-4

[MrTabuzo12]

its awsome becoz i have iT. lol

[sebium]

Oh,ok. Let me just pull a Hong Kong dollar out my ass...

[drjoefo]

@sebium You are the first to notice my joke :P

[fustah]

@drjoefo British HK dollar FTW~

[JudgeRabbi]

I bought a Nikon F, now I want the F3! Argh, damn this expensive hobby.

[arnelsingto]

ohhh my GOD i want f3 now!

[bymacorg7]

Nice work. Good review, and a cool camera! i love it! And this camera is great for Time Lapse Photography too! you just need this device: tempusALL.bymac.org

I got very professional time-lapse videos with camera! cool sunset videos!

[bymacorg6]

Nice work. Good review, and a cool camera! i love it! And this camera is great for Time Lapse Photography too! you just need this device: tempusALL.bymac.org

I got very professional time-lapse videos with camera! cool sunset videos!

[bymacorg]

cool camera! i love it! And this camera is great for Time Lapse Photography too! you just need this device: tempusALL.bymac.org

I got very professional time-lapse videos with camera! cool sunset videos!

[rifat1984]

Straight to the point!good explanation good video!

[sunshinenfarts]

my dad just pulled out this camera and gave it to me. its pretty much brand new with 3 lenses, and a flash. i have no idea wat the hell is going on. i've done some research and apparently Nikon released this camera in 1980. im 25 now.

[FenderBenderHH]

Really nice review! I got my F3 today and your video answered a lot of my questions. Thanks!

[USPhotoRecon]

will this camera fit modern nikon nikkor lenses like the 80-200mm f2.8?

[drjoefo]

@USPhotoRecon It works with the AI and AF lenses, besides the newest G lenses, since they don't have an aperture ring (they mount, but will shoot at the smallest aperture).

It will work with any 80-200mm Nikkor lens since they are all AI or AF, though of course they won't auto focus :P

[OwningGeezer]

This is a great video. I really appreciate it. By the way good editing with the movie. Nice and quick but you still get a lot of detail in. I want to get into film and this really made me comfortable with getting the f3 instead of the f4. Thanks.

[rres2]

i have one of those in mint condition in my camera bag next to my D-SLR

[TheChris518]

Well at least you dont have to clean a sensor!

[prippropro]

i'm not surprised this is still valued at 350€ (body only) when in good conditions...i have an FE2 but the F3 is on another level..great camera dude!

[KarloR27]

I was convinced on some 35mm slr cameras that that was the asa film speed setting. Not the shutter speed setting.

[pedrosolorzano1]

The best manual focus SLR ever made!!!!

[SOLIE6226]

a BEAUTY thar ,Sad fact today unless you develope yourself or live in a city with a respectable prolab , you have a bunch of Slightly trained machine operators on unbalanced machines , that you have to go back & forth with to get well balanced correct prints ! Digital is nice but it's made people lazy & Untrained as far as Lab processing Goes .

[drjoefo]

@SOLIE6226 Using print film is a bit very hit and miss depending the film is developed, so I only really shoot slides and b/w. I've not had any trouble with the slides, but still experimenting with my own b/w!

[bigdark999]

Thanks.

[exodus0926]

i have this classic camera!!!

[CamdenBloke]

Wow. There are a few features that I didn't know my F3 had, like the auto timer and the flash shoe for example! Thanks for the tips! I bought mine used off ebay several years ago and found guides on the internet for basic usage.

[selca14]

Everybody who wants to do a review on a camera better take some notes while watching this video. Great review!

[MrBazzat11]

I have an F3 & MD4 in mint condition. If its had 2,000 actuations I would be surprised. Not been used for 10yrs but its a great camera! Digital revolution unfortunately has made it redundant, using a D3 nowadays.

[drjoefo]

@MrBazzat11 I've shot around 20 rolls with this camera since i posted the review, which isn't a great deal but it does everything I'd want a camera to do. If I shot more, or shot of clients I'd buy a dSLR, but for now I'm very happy with my F3 :)

[stee1face]

Great review.

[Bader88]

Nikon Rules !!!

[blueduc15]

quasar camera for sale on ebay right now

[suba1234]

I had an F3 with MD4 and AH-1 (2?) firing rate convertor/veritcal shutter realease. With the J screen (simple circular microcrystals in centre). Used it many years then sold it. I miss that camera a great deal.

[borozonx]

nice video and great camera i have an F4 FE and F401m

[chicochee]

hello nice video i have a nikon f that was prchased in 1955 i have the bill of purchase it cost 200 canadian dollars back then i would like to no if its worth anything now thx.

[drjoefo]

Really depends on condition. If it was new in box, with the original papers and everything, it's worth a lot to collectors. But back in the 60s everyone was using Nikon Fs, so there are many on the second hand market. If you have any interest in film photography, the F is a fantastic camera. If it was mine, I would hang on to it, and shoot with it.

[Edgy00]

@chicochee If you have a Nikon F that you purchased in 1955 it is quite unique because the Nikon F was not sold until 1959.

[alanstarkie2001]

I'm surprised the expert doesn't know why the camera has a 60th flash sync speed and an X (flash sync) on the speed dial. The X setting is a mechanically governed shutter speed that will allow the camera to be used with a flat battery when all other speeds are useless. Thoughtful Nikon!

[drjoefo]

Please Sir, this is not expert village, and I am certainly not an expert - this was the concentrate of an afternoon's procrastination. Nonethe less, thanks for your comment!

[alanstarkie2001]

After posting that I saw your other videos - I thought you were a classic camera guy. It was a tongue-in-cheek comment - no offense intended! 5*

[MrBazzat11]

@alanstarkie2001 Yes, you were rather harsh with him...

[panzarw]

@drjoefo Hehe your better than expert village because alot of they're vids are useless and just not expert level...

[Edgy00]

The X speed is actually 1/80th of a second. It was considered an improvement over the Nikon F and F2 which synched at 1/60th.

[alanstarkie2001]

@Edgy00 60th of a second with a flat battery though!

[Edgy00]

@alanstarkie2001 Absolutely correct! Many years ago my F3 was drenched with seawater and immediately all electrical functions shut down! I was left to the sunny 16 rule and only 1/60 shutter speed! But it got me through a few days of vacation! Terrific cameras--but the F3T is a better choice of the F3 line simply because the IC boards were conformally coated--better corrosion resistivity!

Dan

[alanstarkie2001]

@Edgy00 I used to repair this stuff. I wrote one off for a customer who dropped it in Windermere (UK). It sat on a shelf for a couple of years. I decided to give it to a trainee to practice stripping down. He did, reassembled it and it worked perfectly! No rust or corrosion inside, even though it went about 12 foot down.

[Edgy00]

@alanstarkie2001 You have to love the way these things were built. I sort of miss Nikon's choice of titanium in their bodies as the technology gets surpassed faster than the body can fall apart! (I have a Nikon F2 Titan and a F3T)

[1stab]

I wish I had you as a College Professor. My life would have been entirely different!!!

This is has to be the most helpful, thorough, concise explanation that I have ever seen and heard.

Many thanks. Cheers.

[MacPro8CoreMan]

Very nice video, respectful of the best manual focus SLR ever made. I owned mine from 1984 to 1998, taking around 50,000 photos with it. Selling it was my greatest regret. I'm looking to buy 2 just to display; 1 in mint condition and super worn. FYI... The "X" mode gives you 1/80th of a second flash sync speed, and the hot shoe was mounted that way due to the interchangable viewfinders. Also, with practice the tiny viewfinder light is easy to use. Great video about the best of the best. Cheers!

[campfirestring]

I dont even own this camera, but i loved watching this video!

[drjoefo]

Glad you enjoyed it, you just made my day :)

[dongor94]

Very nice camera!

I have a Nikon F2 and I'm the F3 is just as beautiful

[omarabed1984]

its really a great video for a grat camera thank you so much

[mapiababy]

what year this camera was made i have mamiya msx500 year 1974 made in japan

[drjoefo]

The F3 was introduced in 1980

[mapiababy]

wow my age 29 years thanks for the review

[Jaybabeex3]

so...wheres the flash at? is there one?

[catandpiddle]

thanks so much for posting this! the explanation was lucid and I could really understand this magnificent camera' operation much better...

[pedrosolorzano1]

Excellent review of the F3

[drjoefo]

I hope you enjoy it as much as the camera :)

[ichirootaniguchi]

the F3P has a hotshoe on the viewfinder but it has no TTL capabilities which is good! :)

[Pinguing1]

actually, when you put it on x the sync time, witch is 1/80th of a second, but on the 'scale it will be between 1/60 and 1/125 and it is locking, handy for studio use/

And the iso is from 6 iso till 12800 iso (if you use the stop compensator, and it will takes one extra stop, wont get to two stops when you want to go to 3 iso or 25600. But they mada a prism with hot shoe, but only for the press version (look at mir)

[drjoefo]

I see. Added an annotation.

[yumagetbullet]

this camera is so cool ! <3

[drjoefo]

Yes!

[ichirootaniguchi]

note: the connectors in the MD4 are designed to power external accesories to the camera

the one on the hand grip is designed to power the custom 120exposure back for NASA, and the other two are supplement ports,

[drjoefo]

I forgot about that one :P

Added an annotation.

[ichirootaniguchi]

the X is the sync speed

its basically the same as the Red 1/60th