Nikon F3: Why I'm Keeping this Camera

The Nikon F3 is an iconic SLR first manufactured in the early 1980s. It's heavy, built like a tank, and very reliable. It continued production up until 2001, making it one of the longest production runs of any camera. In recent years it has become quite popular on social media amongst film photographers. Read on to find out why I bought my F3 and why I'm keeping it.

Nikon F3 Key Information:

• Sold from 1980 until 2001
• F3HP version features the high eyepoint viewfinder
• 1/2000 to 8 seconds shutter speed
• Can mount non-ai lenses (with the ai tab flipped up)
• Removable viewfinder
• Awesome build quality

Why I decided to buy a Nikon F3

In 2024 I hadn’t shot any film in a while so I ended up selling my Nikon F-301. I’d used this camera on and off for over ten years but I hadn’t shot any film in a while and was planning a big move so decided to downsize my camera collection. I sold it for a good price to a university student getting into film and that was that, or so I thought.

After a while I realized I wasn’t comfortable with not having a film camera to use. Film is too expensive now to use regularly but I still like using it from time to time so I decided to purchase another 35mm camera.

I narrowed my choice to either a FM2, FE2 or F3. I’d previously owned a Nikon FE2 and liked the viewfinder & the way the light meter displayed information but the ergonomics was never really to my liking. My copy of the FE2 also sucked a lot of battery life, it was faulty, this is not normal, which is why I considered a fully mechanical camera like the FM2. In the end I was partially swayed by the many YouTube videos, and blog posts, praising the F3. Particularly the HP viewfinder version and the desire to buy something really nice that would last for many years.

Receiving my F3

I found a Nikon F3 that had a late model serial number, probably manufactured in 1999, in near mint condition, at a pretty good price of about $450 USD. When I received it in the post I could confirm that the Nikon F3 is indeed built like a tank as mine apparently took some knocks in transit without so much as a blemish on the body.

So how do I know it took some knocks in transit? Well, after I tried to use it I noticed that the shutter speed information was not displaying in the viewfinder correctly as the mirror that relays this information from the LCD was seriously out of alignment. I was assured by the seller that this must have occurred in transit?

Long story short, I did manage to fix this problem so no harm done in the end. I also now know how to open, clean, and realign the mirror that displays shutter information in the F3HP viewfinder. I'll post about this repair in the future. The cosmetic damage of this hard knock was a very slight dent that I didn't even notice at first inspection.

My Impressions of the Nikon F3

What were my first impressions of this camera? It's really heavy! Much heavier than the FE2 or F-301. It’s heavy enough that it's easy to keep steady when shooting at a slow shutter speed. Almost like an old school ibis! Which is great, but taking this camera in a backpack while hiking or traveling, not as great.

I am planning a move soon and am not looking forward to carrying the F3 in my luggage and will only do so on this upcoming trip because I am moving long term. I would not routinely take this camera on a trip with me unless it is an airport arrival and straight to hotel kind of trip.

On the other hand the F3 has nice ergonomics, due to its weight & shape, and would feel good in the hand with a variety of lenses attached. It would not at all be unbalanced with a larger lens on it.

There are a couple of observations consistently mentioned in YouTube and online reviews so I'll give my thoughts on them too. The film advance lever on the Nikon F3 is as good as people say it is. It’s not something I thought would matter to me but I am very comfortably with how super smooth advance lever is after using the camera for a while.

The High Eyepoint Viewfinder

I deliberately sought out the HP version of this camera. That particular viewfinder is a big part of why I paid a bit extra for an F3 rather than buying a Nikon FM or Olympus OM1. I don’t wear glasses but I do use my left eye to look through the viewfinder as my right eye is not that great. On my old FE2 and other cameras the advance leaver could end up in my right eye sometimes. It wasn't a huge deal but I figured if the HP viewfinder gives people with glasses a bit of extra room then it might do the same for me.

When I first used the viewfinder I thought "what’s the big deal"? It was a little better than other cameras but not that much different. However, after putting a few rolls through the camera that small difference turned out to make a significant difference to the user experience. As a 'left eye composer' I can say the F3 HP viewfinder is the best one I’ve used on a 35mm SLR. I have that little bit of distance between my eye and the finder which means the film advance leaver never gets in the way. For myself, it was worth the extra money to buy the F3 HP over the alternatives.

Potential drawbacks

After using the camera for several Months there is only one thing that I prefer in my old FE2 & F301. The light meter displays. In both of these cameras you can see immediately how many stops over or under you are. The F3 uses a plus minus meter that tells you when you've got "correct" exposure.

For creative, and speed, reasons I prefer the FE2 meter. If I want the picture to be dark and moody then I can just get to a stop, or two, under on the meter. On the F3 meter I tend to find correct exposure first then go up or down to get the mood & feel I want. If only an F3 was made with that style of light meter display in it. It’s not the biggest deal for me as if I am doing photo sessions on film with paying clients I will almost always be using a dedicated light meter.

One thing I was concerned about on an electronic SLR was the battery life. My experience with an FE2 hadn’t been that great in this regard. My FE2 was an old, beat up, and cheap copy for sure. But it was another reason I’d considered a fully mechanical camera and a reason I bought a later serial number F3. I got my F3 in mid 2024 and put two LR44’s in it. Now, in mid 2025, with a moderate amount of use, they are still going strong. So far, so good.

Further thoughts on the Nikon F3

The F3 lives up to the reputation it's earned over the decades. I'll be using mine for photo sessions close to where I live when I can justify shooting on film but I won’t be taking it traveling due to the weight.

I can live with the small drawbacks of this camera such as the weight and the meter readout not being as intuitive as the match-needle style in the FE2. Most of the time that I'll be using this camera these drawbacks won't matter to me. The viewfinder, durability, and user experience of this camera has been fantastic.

Pros and cons of the Nikon F3:

Pros

• Very well built & comfortable to hold
• Smooth advance lever
• The F3 HP viewfinder is excellent
• Looks cool

Cons

• It's a heavy camera
• Too heavy to carry in a backpack for casual use
• Light meter readout is not as intuitive as FE2, F-301, and some other SLRs