A couple years ago he gave me a brand new, still in the box, but close to thirty year old Bronica ETRs and several lenses! It’s a beautiful camera that takes fantastic photos.Ī little over a year ago he told me about this Nikon F3 that he wanted to give me. But he’s old, he’s tired and if the rumors are true, rather wealthy so he isn’t in a hurry to get rid of the stuff on his shelves. He quit his business a few years ago but still hangs out in his store every day, where the shelves are stacked with lots and lots of unsold merchandise. It was already unbelievably messy back then! I rekindled my friendship with the owner and his wife several years ago and enjoy visiting them once in a while. My father frequently got film developed there so I have vivid memories of going to this store as a kid, with my dad. So imagine my pleasure when a good friend told me he had an unused F3 he wanted to give me! He is an elderly gentleman who spent most of his life running a small, extremely cluttered and messy camera shop in Tokyo. But Nikon clearly did their homework on this one because thirty years later there are still countless F3s out there cranking out beautiful photos. Typically first generation gadgets with new technology tend to have a lot of bugs. The amazing thing is that even though it was an early adopter in the shift to electronics, they obviously got it right with this model. Nikon set out to prove them wrong and this camera was the result.
![nikon f3 nikon f3](https://soyacincau.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/190716-nikon-f3-unboxing-malaysia-film-camera-1.jpg)
Nikon f3 professional#
The purists insisted that a professional camera needed to be mechanical because batteries and electronics aren’t reliable.
![nikon f3 nikon f3](http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf3ver2/variations/f3limited/NikonF3Tsideview.jpg)
Of course this is still before the auto-focus revolution, but shutter, metering and viewfinder were all controlled by rather advanced electronics. This camera was unique because of its extensive use of electronics. Over thirty years since it was first released and this camera still commands a very good price on the used market. Production of the F3 didn’t come to an end until 2000! It is probably the most loved and most used work horse of the Nikon SLR lineup. It was then followed by the F4, F5 and F6 but it was so popular that Nikon kept producing it even while releasing newer models.
![nikon f3 nikon f3](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Dbva3NPc81w/maxresdefault.jpg)
The Nikon F3 is a legend! It was first released in 1980, following the F and F2.