Nikon F3

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Arkady

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Rob
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After a slightly disappointing start last week, I've finally got my F3 'section' up and running: two bodies - one Mint++, the other a bit battered and tatty (though I now have access to a repair-shop in Dortmund which can sort the ISO dial for me)...

Just waiting for the seal-kits to arrive from the USA...:D
 
Arkady said:
After a slightly disappointing start last week, I've finally got my F3 'section' up and running: two bodies - one Mint++, the other a bit battered and tatty (though I now have access to a repair-shop in Dortmund which can sort the ISO dial for me)...

Just waiting for the seal-kits to arrive from the USA...:D
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Good news Rob - look forward to progress reports and the all important end results.

Being nosey now - what happened at the start of the last week?

Regards
 
Sounds like you're in for some fun :)

If you've not got them already, pick up some tooth picks and lighter fuel while you're waiting for the seal kits.
 
alistair.o said:
Good news Rob - look forward to progress reports and the all important end results.

Being nosey now - what happened at the start of the last week?

Regards
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Something arriving in a somewhat less 'minty' condition than I'd hoped or expected it to be.
All sorted satisfactorily now after a couple of phone calls...
 
Arkady said:
Just waiting for the seal-kits to arrive from the USA...:D
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Are the seal kits slightly softer than the ones from Hereford? :naughty:

Serious now - congrats on your new 'section'. Wouldn't mind getting in to film one day - superb value for money when it comes to bodies too.
 
I bid for the second body last Sunday after being a bit peeved the the initial body isn't fit to be used til it's been repaired (crushed ISO/Exposure comp. dial) and had all the seals renewed... I made a hash of putting in a replacement mirror buffer, so decided to go for an entire F3 kit from the USA after I discovered the back dust seals are also sticky and gummy...

I got the second one for £150 + P&P - and it's absolutely mint - no brassing, scratches or marks anywhere. No dirt under and in-between the strap eyelets or under and inside the wind-lever (which is where it usually hides even after a professional clean).

The seller exclaimed: "ohhh... you got it SO cheap!!!" obviously quite annoyed he'd not made more from it - well, you should have put a reserve price on it dummy, I thought...
 
ohhh..hohohoh

Just bid for and won a 35mm f/2 AI-S Nikkor for a hundred quid as well... that means I'll be able to run fast and slow B&W or B&W and colour-neg simultaneously without having to swap lenses: my AF-D 35mm f/2 Nikkor is away being repaired to remove the oil from the iris-blades: cost me 90€...

I'm now deleting my ebay account before this gets silly...lol
 
Rob, just OT a moment: why did you choose 35mm F2ais over 28mm F2.8ais? Would be interested in your reasons (unless of course you already have the 28 2.8)

Thanks
 
The 35 is a better design of lens and corresponds to my eye better than either a 28 or a 50mm lens.
The 28 is a bit of a compromise, neither wide enough to be a proper wide-angle lens, nor narrow enough to be used as a wide-standard.

Also the f/2 is almost universally regarded as the best-quality at that focal length - you can get a 2.8 or 1.4 as well, but it's the f/2 that is the benchmark in terms of quality...

35mm f/2 lenses also tend to be of a very high quality anyway, often better than the 50mm lenses by the same manufacturer.
 
Arkady said:
Also the f/2 is almost universally regarded as the best-quality at that focal length - you can get a 2.8 or 1.4 as well, but it's the f/2 that is the benchmark in terms of quality...

35mm f/2 lenses also tend to be of a very high quality anyway, often better than the 50mm lenses by the same manufacturer.
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You won't be disappointed. I bought one myself about three months ago and it is an excellent lens. I used to have the 35-70mm 'ais' zoom, but I found that I was only ever using it at the '35' setting anyway and bearing in mind it wasn't a very fast lens, it made sense to change to a prime lens.
 
I'm old-school... I had one of these 30 years ago when I last used an F3 - I'm just going back to my roots...lol
 
Arkady said:
I'm old-school... I had one of these 30 years ago when I last used an F3 - I'm just going back to my roots...lol
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That's fine. I wish you well with your F3 - an outstanding SLR (with an equally good lens to go with it). ;)
 
tooooyyyyyys :D

am setting in motion home slide dev for the holidays, and considering the long term printing possibilities :p
 
Just got my Nikkor AI-S 35mm f/2 through the post as well...
Man! I'd forgotten how damn smooth these things are! There's almost no friction as you turn the focus-ring - like silk on glass...

I just ran off a couple of test shots on the D3x after inputting all the non-CPU data.
Expectedly, while it's not quite as sharp as either the 24-70 f/2.8, the 17-35 f/2.8 (both at 35mm obviously) or the AF-D 35mm f/2, all set to f/5.6, it's not too far off...well within my expectations and pretty damn good for £100...
 
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