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Nikon F3

What a Nikon F3 actually produces — 13 photographs shot on one by members here.

Nikon · 35mm · 13 photographs

Find one at KEH Nikon F3 → Affiliate link

The Nikon F3 was Nikon's professional flagship for longer than any other camera in the company's history. It was introduced in 1980 and stayed in production until 2001, outliving several autofocus generations.

It was Nikon's first professional body with an electronically controlled shutter. That gives it aperture-priority automation and stepless speeds from 8 sec to 1/2000, shown on a small LCD in the finder. The meter is heavily center-weighted. Without batteries, a mechanical lever on the body fires the shutter at 1/60 sec, enough to get you home.

The finders are interchangeable. The F3HP — the version most people buy — has a high-eyepoint finder that shows the whole frame even with glasses on. The flash shoe isn't on the prism; it sits around the rewind crank and needs Nikon's dedicated flashes or an adapter. That catches out nearly everyone the first time.

It takes AI and AI-S Nikkors, and with care many later lenses that still have an aperture ring. The red stripe on the grip is Giorgetto Giugiaro's work, and it has been copied ever since. An F3 with a 35mm and Tri-X 400 is still one of the most dependable cameras you can carry.

Images taken with the Nikon F3

Osprey over the Yakima River Osprey over the Yakima River PahaPlager · Kodak Ektachrome 64 Bay Bridge - San Francisco, CA Bay Bridge - San Francisco, CA FogdogPhoto · Kodak Plus-X entered as “Nikon F3HP” Film photograph by Chasm6301 Chasm6301 · Kodak Tri-X 400 Two Romani Girls Playing in the Street Two Romani Girls Playing in the Street PahaPlager · Kodachrome 64 A Sweet Little Romani Girl A Sweet Little Romani Girl PahaPlager · Kodachrome 64 Mount Rainier behind Barrier Ridge Mount Rainier behind Barrier Ridge PahaPlager · Kodachrome 64 Showing Off Showing Off rguzmanphoto · Kodak Ektachrome E100 Chained Chained rguzmanphoto · Kodachrome 64 And The Winner Is And The Winner Is rguzmanphoto · Kodak T-Max P3200 Film photograph by rguzmanphoto rguzmanphoto · Kodak Ektachrome E100 Kodachrome Kodachrome rguzmanphoto · Kodachrome 64 Film photograph by rguzmanphoto rguzmanphoto · Kodak Ektachrome 64 Earthquake Earthquake rguzmanphoto · Kodak T-Max 400

Lenses people use on it

Taken from what members recorded on the frames above, in their own wording. Counts, not recommendations.

NIKKOR ED 180mm F2.8 3
Nikon 105mm f/2.5 3
85mm Nikkor 2
50mm f/1.4 Nikkor 1
80-200 Nikkor Zoom 1
Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 1
Nikkor 500mm mirror 1
Tamron Adaptall-2 SP 300mm f2.8 LD IF 1

Film shot on it

Each one links through to every frame on that stock, from any camera.

Kodachrome 64 5 Kodak Ektachrome 64 2 Kodak Ektachrome E100 2 Kodak T-Max 400 1 Kodak T-Max P3200 1 Kodak Tri-X 400 1 Kodak Plus-X 1
More Nikon:
Nikon FE → Nikon FM2 → Nikon F2 → Nikon F → Nikon F2A → Nikon N2000 → Nikon F100 → Nikomat FTn → Nikon N75 → Nikon FM →