The good old days - Film camera (Nikon f3)

http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/nikon_articles/merlin/f3_1.html

If a camera could only talk!!!

bob

There's no reason for those days to be behind us. Most of my cameras are older than I am.

Some seasoned cameras:

Elliot Erwitt's Leica M3:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aperture64/2739236380/

Garry Winogrand's Leica M4:
http://www.cameraquest.com/LeicaM4G.htm

Henri Cartier-Bresson's first Leica - a 'Standard':
http://flickr.com/photos/16044367@N00/2493915046/

I wonder if this was the Leica that Henri Cartier-Bresson buried in a farmer's field before being captured by the Nazis. I think that he probably would have upgraded from the earlier 'Standard' to a rangefinder equiped Leica by that time so this is probably not the camera that he buried. Anyway, the camera was buried for three years while HCB was imprisoned. When HCB finally managed to escape, he went back to that farmer's field, dug up the camera and started using it most immediately. Try that with a dSLR!

I tried to find a photo of a Nikon belonging to David Douglas Duncan, him being the most significant photographer for Nikon. I have no doubt that it would be brassed beyond belief. Unfortunately, I couldn't find one.

I grew up using my dad's F4s, which is still in existence. I think you need a battery for it though, I know the F3 will work without one.

I'd be tempted to relieve you of your Nikon gear but that's not really the direction I'm looking at going right now.

F3 is not fully mechanical but does have a mechanical back-up incase the batteries die. If the batteries do go, you still have 1/60th and T.

Ahh. Well that's better than nothing.

My boss has a beautiful F2 (H?) along with his F5. The F2 is so utilitarian in its styling. It can't be that ergonomic but it looks great.

I got a chance to look at Agawa Bob's gorgeous F3HP today.... or should I say Agawa Bob's former F3HP. A friend of mine purchased it. I can see how many people would consider it one of the best cameras ever made. The viewfinder is is incredible for an SLR.

If I went for a Nikon SLR, it would probably be for the F2 but the F3 is probably much nicer camera to use. I have hang-ups about batteries.

I think the SLR with the best electronic shutter was the Pentax LX. In automatic modes, the shutter offers stepless speeds from 1/2000th to 125s. If the batteries die, you still get stepped speeds from 1/2000th to 4s and Bulb. How many times did I almost buy and LX? I've been doing a good job in suppressing those evil thoughts.