I had two Fs, one F2 and two F3s over the years. The F Photomic FTn was my first 35mm SLR, I bought the first one in 1969. Many memories in that one... It took me through High School and my first college career. The F2 was a tank and a bit more convenient in use, but it was already out of date the day it was shipped, definitely just a modest update of the old F in my opinion. Nikon was very conservative in those days. I never liked the F2 as much as the F. The F had balance and handling that seemed lost in the F2
F3s were definitely the biggest selling Nikon F pro 35mm SLR. I seem to recall they were still available new on the price sheet up to 2004, when they finally stopped building them even in small batches. My favorite was an F3/T. The hp finder was fantastic for me as I wear glasses ... superbly sharp, I could see everything in the viewfinder at a glance and focus a 20mm lens on the matte fresnel E screen in a snap. The head latch and screen design was a lot better than the F/F2 too, and the controls were more ergonomic for my fingers. the electronic shutter was far more accurate, and fully adjustable. The in-body meter meant that you had full metering capablities even with the waist level and magnifying finders, the MD-4 was a fantastic 6fps film drive (with rewind), and the meter was dead accurate. The first of my F3s I had for 15 years, having been bought cheap from a pro after being beaten to death, and it never even needed a service. I only had the F3/T for five years at the close of the film era. On the other hand, max X sync speed was 1/80 sec, the TTL flash sensor was pitiable, and the little LCD readout in the finder was a far cry from the nice LEDs of the FM or swinging needle of the FE2, both of which were easier to see and more informative in low light. Reminiscences like this remind me of how much the camera industry has changed. Nikon today is a very different company from what it was when I got involved with photography, I'm sure the same can be said for Pentax. Godfrey On Aug 27, 2007, at 5:21 PM, Adam Maas wrote: > I actually prefer the F2 myself over the F3, after using them side by > side for a couple months the F3 went back in the bag and sat (The > F3 is > a superb camera crippled by an atrocious display, F2's got your choice > of standard needle or LED readouts, with external readouts as well, I > also prefer non-HP finders, which my F2 has and F3 didn't). Note I > sold > my LX to use my F3, the F3 handled better for most shooting, while the > LX came out ahead in meter readout and exposure compensation only. And > some F2 versions hold their value even more than an LX (F2AS's, > especially in black, as well as F2's with a matched eyelevel prism, > particularly in black. F2 Eyelevel prisms often sell for more than > other > pro bodies all alone). -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
