- Review Centre
- Photography
- Film Cameras
- 35mm SLR Cameras
- Nikon F3
- Sam.'s review
Have a picture of Nikon F3 35mm SLR camera?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of themotorpool.
| Photograph Quality | 10/10  |
|---|---|
| Features | 8.8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 9.8/10 |
| Value for Money | 9/10 |
| Overall rating | 9.4/10 |
By Sam.
on 5th Jan 2003
| Features | 8/10 |
|---|---|
| Value for money | 10/10 |
| Overall value | 9/10 |
 Sam.'s recommendation | |
Like the all the cameras in Nikon's F line this camera is very durable and absolutley reliable. The F3 is a battle tested piece of equipment that will take great pictures under the worst conditions. There is a reason that Nikon still makes these wonderful cameras new while the F4 has already been discontinued. I bought my first one used it was 20 years old and it works like new!! Meter spot on, all mechanics in perfect shape, this even after being used by a professional for 15 years as his main camera. Can be used in totally manual operation or in Aperture priority mode. The F3 is going down in history as the very best totally mechanical SLR ever built, for the money you can do no better.
There are some drawbacks, like the very slow flash sync shutter speed of 1/80sec which can be annoying. It also lacks a spot meter and does not have good low light metering capabilities. These are minor problems though and I personally have not been hampered by these at all.
This Nikon F3 is a great camera which is going down as a modern classic camera. There is a reason why the F3 is still being produced by Nikon while the F4 is already discontinued. The mechanics and durability of this camera are great, it takes a beating, it takes dirt, it takes anything and will still take great pictures. A shutter tested to over 150,000 cycles. Silky smooth film advance with over 11 ball bearings. All the features of a pro camera like exposure lock and depth of field preview, as well as exposure compensation dial. The F3 can be a bit heavy but this helps hold it steady and lends to its durability. The only downsides are a slow flash sync speed 1/80sec, a lack of a spot meter, and lack of an excellent low light metering system. Overall a great camera that will serve whoever has it for many many years.
| Helpful | Unhelpful | Agree | Disagree |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Total Respect: +9
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kwiloughby on 20th Jul 2004
ronj4211 on 21st Jan 2006
moparman
on 8th Mar 2006