DPR Forum

Welcome to the Friendly Aisles!
DPRF is a photography forum with people from all over the world freely sharing their knowledge and love of photography. Everybody is welcome, from beginners to the experienced professional. Whether it is Medium Format, fullframe, APS-C, MFT or smaller formats. Digital or film. DPRF is a forum for everybody and for every format.
Enjoy this modern, easy to use software. Look also at our Reviews & Gallery!

New FM3a vs used F3

Tom

The FM3A is a great camera. I bought one last year to replace my old FE. In January, I took the FM3A and a 25-50mm f4.0 zoom to Alaska. Man it was cold, something like -30 degrees Celsius and I saw many newer auto focus cameras give up within an hour or two. With the FM3A I never missed a shot. It's simple, reliable, and fun to use. Definitely the way to go if you don't need the features of an F3 (which is a great camera in it's own right). Cheers.

Greg
 
Greg - Sounds like an amazing test!
Today I was about to buy a used 55mm 2.8 AIS from a store but thanks to the Bjorn Roslett/Ken Rockwell warnings, I turned the aperture ring and the lens did not stop down - it was stuck at f4....
Well there are still plenty of bargain optics for now -
 
Tom,

No kidding, I almost froze and gave up well before the camera!

My wife and I have been using the various Micro-Nikkors for about 25 years. We both still use and love the MF 55mm f2.8 but the aperture in one of mine (20 years young) stuck wide open recently. I still have the older f3.5 AI version and find that I'm shooting with that more often. I can't see much difference between the two optically.

My FM3A almost always has the 25-50mm f4 attached for shooting out of doors. I also carry a 24mm f2 and 35mm f1.4 for lower light situations, a Micro-Nikkor, and the 180mm f2.8 as a basic MF kit for this camera. Have fun.

Greg
 
I own a Nikon FG. My first real camera that was not a 1 button P&S. I do not care for AF cameras nor do I want to spend big bucks on a digital camera that takes 'Almost as good' pictures as film. I was looking at the FM3A and wanted to know if it will be a better camera noticeably compared to my FG? And will my FG lenses fit the FM3A? Want to get better at taking pictures while upgrading from a 20 year old camera. Thanks
 
I am also interested in FM3A but I'm low on budget. What are the good and cheap lens that I could get with an FM3A? Heard that it is possible to mount some contax lens via adapter, any suggestion on this?
 
I found the FM3a viewfinder dark - I ended up buying a used N8008s which switched from auto to manual focus and worked fine with all my older AI lenses and newer AF's, ancient extension tubes, bellows, and my old Sunpak which still provided TTL flash even with enlarging lenses. The N8008s and the N90s are both nice cameras and use AA batteries.
 
First of all, Hello!
I am Austrian and as well user of the German Version of the Nikonforum, but from my point of view it is more interessting to find the opinions of an international community. So please excuse any mistakes, my motherlanguage is German.

However, I love the whole FM/FE series. Of course I own a FM3a, but to be honest, I am a little bit scared to use it, because of scratches. So my most used camera is the FE2 from 1985.

Never the less, the FM3a offers some advantages. The biggest advantages are the improved TTL flash metering system, and the brighter viewfinder. Therefore I am very surprised about some complaints about the brightness.

what I have wished heavily, were the power supply system of the FA/MD15.

I wish you a nice weekend
 
Dear Christian,

Good to hear from another user of manual focus equipment. Although I do use AF equipment, I also use an FE, FM2N, and recently purchased an FM3A basically to replace both cameras. I have an MD12 motor drive that I purchased with the FM2N. It also works with the FM3A. No worries. Great camera. I recently used it in Alaska (with 25-50, 50-135, and 180mm lenses) in January and it worked beautifully. We noticed a lot of people whose AF cameras were "dropping like flies" due to battery failure.

Cheers (und guten tag),

Greg Lumpkin
 
Back
Top