Review - Nikon F3 | Best SLR ever made ? (Ad Free)

[@felixdenomme7996]

With your inflection and mannerisms this sounds like top gear for cameras

[@MikMilman]

Keep them coming. I love your serious approach to these.

[@EnidAgnusDei]

I found my perfect SLR that is fully manual and it always makes me smile, she has never let me down, not once and my perfect SLR is the Zenit B.

[@ShutterJam]

I picked up a Zenit 12 a number of years back for fairly cheap. Unfortunately it was dead on arrival. Which was a shame. Solid build thing. Perhaps I'll see if I get my hands on the Zenit B.. Thanks for watching

[@EnidAgnusDei]

@@ShutterJam The later models I thought was never overly good, yes try a B top shutter speed of 500th of a second and nothing slower than 30th of a second apart from the B setting. Reliable, heavy, needs no battery nor neckstrap but has a self-timer, great old camera and my forever camera. All the best hope to see some new videos soon.

[@catey62]

something I dont understand or get is exposure compensation..I shoot both digital and film,using all my camera's in full manual mode and simply adjust the exposure up or down according to what I want it to be..be it one stop or more to achieve the same result..is there something I'm doing wrong?

[@ShutterJam]

Hi Catey62, No you're not doing anything wrong. If you're shooting in manual then there isn't ever a need to use exposure compensation as you have full control over the camera and in a lot of cases it won't actually do anything. Exposure compensation is only really of use when the camera is in one of the automatic modes so you can force the camera to adjust the aperture , shutter speed or even iso for you (depending on the shooting mode). In these automatic modes the exposure is determined by the camera's light meter and what it thinks is correct. So the only way to fine tune exposure is by using exposure compensation or locking the exposure, or changing metering mode. In full manual mode there is little point! On my trusty Nikon D7000 in full manual mode (with auto iso off) if I was to select +1 then camera would adjust the light metering to compensate for this. So I could manually change the shutter speed for example and when the light meter reads 0 then I would know that this is the correctly adjusted exposure. (+1). Different digital camera brands might do other things in manual mode. Thanks for watching! Check out the following youtube video by Spyros as he has quite a nice video explanation kzbin.info/www/bejne/onupaJuqe7yZd9E

[@catey62]

Shutter Jam Thank you for that,helps me understand it better though I had it roughly 95% figured out...I use Nikon (D2x) for my digital shots so it would be basically same as your camera.film I use Nikon for 35mm and Mamiya,Yashica and occasionally Ziess Ikon for medium format pics.

[@nikonman3971]

Yes sir... I spent 20 years with the f3. THE best 35mm camera

[@travisking544]

Do you think batteries will be available in 30+ years or will they be reparable in the future? I would love to buy this camera and have it work for the next few decades.

[@ShutterJam]

I think batteries will always be available or an alternative means to power them. Having them repaired will probably be cost prohibitive I'd imagine. I think you can get a decade or more out of it without having to worry about them breaking.

[@photographicalexperiments1186]

great review! the Nikon F3 is a great analog camera! however, i find the light meter difficult to use in bad light conditions as it's hard to see the values aperture & shutter speed & "+-" symbols. i wish the F3 had the same light meter bright red lights of the FM2 :)

[@ShutterJam]

Thanks for watching. I agree, it's my only real bugbear with the camera and unfortunately, it'll only get worse with time.

[@photographicalexperiments1186]

you are welcome! i will watch your upcoming videos too :) but don't get me wrong, if you are not really using the F3 in bad light conditions then, there is no problem with reading the light meter :)

[@agniva_rc]

But the FM2 does not show the shutter speed since it has no LCD, which I think is a disadvantage.

[@XbadjackX]

What focus screen do you have on your f3

[@ShutterJam]

Hi , I'm pretty sure it's only the standard type K screen

[@ShutterJam]

Confirmed it's the type K! Spent 10 minutes trying to figure out which one it was and then realised it's in great big bold writing on the side of the screen!

[@grgprincipe]

You remind me of Robin Leach with the way you deliver your lines. Prove the production values and your channel may take off. Good luck!

[@ShutterJam]

grgprincipe thanks you're too kind. Yes I need to hire a director and editor to do those tedious production value jobs :-)

[@avinashsimon1988]

That's a great video mate.. I myself got an f3. Its a pretty awesome camera.

[@ShutterJam]

Thanks for watching the video! The F3 is a fantastic camera and hard to beat! Happy shooting with it.

[@merkury06]

Informative and entertaining!

[@ShutterJam]

+merkury06 thanks for watching and happy shooting!

[@SalandFindles]

No compact SLRs today? Well, you obviously don't know about the 3000 series. I got the D3300 (released on January 7, 2014) and it's VERY nice for what it is. Pretty much can't be beat for the cheap price point. The lens on it even retracts to make it even more compact when not shooting with it.

[@ShutterJam]

Yes, you're quite right there are some compact DSLRs on the market such as the D3300 and even the Canon 100D both fantastic at a great price point. Since owning a D7000 since 2012 I've not really kept up with the DSLR world at all. My rant in the video was a generalisation in a trend that over time both film and digital SLRs have become larger and they've all begun to look the same. You could argue that cameras are larger as they have more features or perhaps ergonomically they're easier to hold. I guess what I really want is just a digital Nikon F3.

[@SalandFindles]

+Shutter Jam Ah, a digital F3. Kinda like those new Leicas? They're totally old style, but actually new.

[@ShutterJam]

Yes, just like the Leica M-D, that thing really blew my mind by ditching the screen and going back to the basics. I'd love if Nikon did something like this and I think I'd buy it in a heartbeat if wasn't ridiculously priced. Nikon have such a good heritage to draw from, they did attempt it with the Nikon DF but didn't really go far enough.

[@SalandFindles]

+Shutter Jam Nikon Df: Starting at $2,749.95. Hahahahaha. Pricing a novelty camera like a top-of-the-line flagship DSLR isn't the way to grab your fans' hearts. Nikon really failed with that one.

[@jaya076]

Mate you should be on tv, your presentation skills are brilliant

[@kixigvak]

Good luck finding the rubber eye ring which is missing on your F3.

[@robiulahmed]

Nice. I prefer the fm2n, but this has its own charm.

[@ShutterJam]

Thanks for watching. The fm2n is a lovely camera which is lighter but with only a few less features(that aren't important). I've not shot with one but hopefully one day I will. These Nikon SLRs from this era are all simply fantastic. I'm holding out for a FM3A. Happy shooting!

[@robiulahmed]

The FM3a has the best of both worlds. This film camera thing is just a slippery slope of buying all the classics! It's a good way to preserve and use them though and it's better than having them go extinct.

[@photographicalexperiments1186]

i would argue that the fm2 is a better camera for its versatility: shutter speed twice faster has the f3 so 4000 and a clearer light meter in dark conditions :) but i would say that the beauty of the f3 is just outstanding and the optical viewfinder is very bright due to the interchangeable prism. in an ideal world, we should get both cameras ahah!

[@gordonblues843]

If only for the proper hotshoe.

[@TXLorenzo]

The Nikon F3 is the Italian supermodel of film cameras.

[@melvinch]

The film-advance lever of the F3 has the most buttery throw of all SLRs.

[@ShutterJam]

+Melvin Chong it's a buttery master piece of absolute perfection. Thanks for watching.

[@grgprincipe]

Soo buttery that I lent my F3 to my friend and he over wound the last frame fircing it forward and ripping the film from the canister.

[@editorodriguez6554]

It’s the smoothest but they did add 11 ball bearings to it which was the only film camera that was ever that smooth. I own the F3 and just love it

[@MacPro8CoreMan]

Nikon F3 is the greatest 35mm film SLR ever made. There was no competition... None.

[@DANVIIL]

Best manual camera ever made is the Nikon F2AS, totally mechanical. But I also love the F3. Lots of people don't like the bokeh on the f1.2 50mm lens. It's not as sharp as the f1.8 or f2. 50mm lenses.

[@ShutterJam]

I find that you often need to be more selective when shooting at 1.2 in terms of what's in the background. My thoughts are if there's too much going then the background can be stomach churning. At F2 upwards lens is very sharp. However it's very much a niche lens which can produce some interesting results.

[@bretthill7503]

Only problem is the f1.8 and f2 don't start showing their prime sharpness until after f2. As opposed to the 1.2 being the sharpest 50mm Nikons ever made at f2. People only use the 1.2 for plants and other artistic shots like that. Portraits would be pointless at 1.2 for any lens. At f2 however...it cant be beat by any other Nikon lens ever made.

[@angriestphotographer3590]

Its so contemporary. Its industrial designer was Giorgetto Giugiaro, who has designed all Nikon professional cameras since the Nikon F3 ; F4, F5, F6, D800, D1 to D5 BTW Sony a7 was inspired by Minolta Maxxum 7000 the First AF SLR in the world, not This Nikon F3

[@ShutterJam]

+Angriest Photographer Giugiaro is fantastic. I really enjoy the ergonomics and tactile feel of the F3. The A7 whilst technically a fantastic camera I find to be like a slippery wet eel. ;-)

[@billrea66]

Due to divorce , 27 years ago , I sold all my Nikon equipment including my F2 and F3 HP. Fast forward to 2021 , I have a Mamiya RB , Nikon F2 , Nikon FTN2 Photomic and am shopping for an F3 hp soon.

[@eyewandersfoto]

Two words: Pentax LX ;) The Porsche to the F3's Ferrari.

[@ShutterJam]

I guess the Canon F-1 would be the Lamborghini in this 80's SLR challenge. ;-) Now I'd pay to watch those 3 go head to head. You've inspired me so watch this space.

[@eyewandersfoto]

Indeed. :)

[@eyewandersfoto]

Though it's fairly accepted that the F-1 played second fiddle because of tech. And the LX played third fiddle because of marketing/support. Little has changed. :)

[@gordonblues843]

And would that make the Olympus OM-3Ti the Lotus Esprit Turbo?

[@tomislavmiletic_]

Damn right :D :D :D

[@krisaore]

"Giugiaro" correct spelling is Jiujiaro...

[@jagerardi]

Jee-you-jar-oh. That's how you pronounce Giugiaro. ..Joe

[@ShutterJam]

Perfect thanks ;-)

[@ShutterJam]

Perfect. I'll assume you're correct until the next person tells me otherwise!

[@cameraman655]

Canon F1 (AE) was a superior rig.

[@anthonytang5198]

cameraman655 F1 was a great camera too but better? Not sure about that.

[@editorodriguez6554]

The Canon F1 is a great camera and I myself almost got one but ended up picking up the Nikon F3 instead. The Nikon F3 is considered the greatest film camera to ever come out that’s why it was around 21 years.

[@unclescrotus8001]

Nope. The Nikon F3 is a 2d sport coupe compared to the Canon F1 family sedan +, the FD mount sucks.

[@photog1529]

@@unclescrotus8001 I shoot with a Nikon F3 as well as a Canon F1 (and AE1, and A1, and EF, and FTb)...why does the FD mount suck? Been shooting Canon for a very long time, and I just don't see any issues with it. And let's not talk about Ai and non-Ai (?) not to mention the lenses mounting in reverse (I still catch myself on that one). lol