Nikon F3: my favourite camera

Published on 24 October 2024

I’ve been shooting 35mm film for a couple of years, initially on an Olympus OM-2n and a Fujica ST605N. My uncle then lent me his Nikon F3, and I instantly knew I wanted one.

These days, I obsess less over image quality or camera specs. What I really care about is how a camera feels to use, and the F3 feels great.

Nikon F3 with Nikkor Ai-S 28mm f/2.8 lens

The Nikon F3 is a 35mm film camera introduced in 1980 and remained in production until 2001. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, an Italian automotive designer, it was the first Nikon camera to feature a red stripe on the front. I love how it looks – big and boxy but aesthetically pleasing.

The Nikon F3 was succeeded by the Nikon F4, F5, and F6, all 35mm film cameras, but all progressively more electronic with each iteration. The F3 strikes a perfect balance between analogue and digital.

It features a centre-weighted light meter, so you can shoot in Aperture Priority mode (my preferred way of shooting). Set the ISO, switch the shutter speed dial to A, set the desired aperture on the lens, and you’re good to go. The camera has an exposure compensation dial and an exposure lock button, so it’s easy to dial in the exposure you want.

The F3 is a manual-focus camera. With some practice, manual focus becomes fun, instinctual, and a very satisfying way to shoot. The viewfinder is big and bright, making focusing relatively easy.

Nikon F3: top view

When using the camera, you get the sense that every little detail was agonised over. The phrase “they don’t make things like they used to” applies here: cameras just don’t feel this well made anymore.

Josh Solomon of Camera Photophile illustrates what I’m talking about:

…even the most basic aspects of typical 35mm cameras were enhanced, maximised, and perfected in the F3. One simple example; the film advance lever has eleven ball-bearings, more than any other camera ever made. The F3’s engineers didn’t need to do this, but they did, just so that photographers could enjoy a film advance motion that would be as smooth and effortless as possible.

You feel this attention to detail when using the camera and you can hear it. I mean just listen to this. Is there a better sounding camera?

Another neat addition is the removable prism. There are several different prisms available (I have the original DE-2 prism, but I’ve been looking at the slightly brighter DE-3 or DW-3 waist level viewfinder). The camera is usable without a prism attached. Pop the prism off, and you can look down through it, handy for hip-shooting.

Nikon F3 with the prism removed

Of course, nothing is so perfect that it can’t be complained about. The light meter is difficult to see in certain lighting conditions. The light meter shows a + and – inside the viewfinder, which while easy enough to use, is less intuitive than a needle meter.

I find a few of the dials tricky to use. Changing the exposure compensation is a two-handed operation that requires carefully pressing down a button while rotating a dial. Similarly, changing the ISO is a little more fiddly than it could be.

The camera is also hefty, with the body and my go-to Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AIS lens weighing around 964 grams. The Nikon FE2 or FM2 are worth considering if weight is a concern.

It also lacks a universal hot show, making it more difficult to use flash or mount external light meters.

Honestly, though, none of these issues bother me.

I purchased the camera in 2023 from London Camera Exchange for £300. I sent the camera off to Newton Ellis for a service, although, unfortunately, it looks like they’re due to close this year. While these cameras are getting harder to look after, I plan to use it for as long as it lasts (or until film gets prohibitively expensive, whichever comes first).

Here are some of my favourite images I’ve captured with the F3 over the past year: