Nikon F3 User Manual

NikonINSTRUCTION MANUAL

Move the power switch® to uncover the red dot (§).This turns the camera on and makes it ready for exposure reading and shooting.Touch the shutter

BASIC OPERATION —continued-Mount the lens onto the camera.Grasp the lens by its mounting ring Then line up the focusing index ® on the lens

10. Insert the film leader in the takeup spool.Pull the leader across the camera and insert it into one of the slots in the film takeup spoo

11. Wind the film advance lever (§) toadvance film onto the takeup sprocket.Wind the film advance lever and depress the shutter release butto

BASIC OPERATION —continued-12. Close the camera back.10 Close the camera back until itsnaps shut.Take up the film slack.Fold out the film rewind cran

15. Set the ASA film speed.Lift up the ASA film speed dial @ and rotate it in either direction until the white dot is opposite the ASA fi

Set the camera for automatic * operation.Rotate the shutter speed dial © until the "A" is opposite the white dot @. The built-in locki

BASIC OPERATION — continued-1217 Hold the camera * steady.Wrap the fingers of your right hand around the camera body so that the index finger r

In focus --------Inside the viewfinder —1. LCD exposure information2. ADR f/number3. Fine matte/Fresnel outer field4. Microprism collar5. Split-image

BASIC OPERATION —continued-20. Take the picture.Look through the viewfinder and press the shutter release button lightly to turn on the

NOMENCLATURE0 Shutter-speed dial locking button ©Depth-of-field preview button© Mirror lockup lever ©Neckstrap eyelet ©Self-timer LED©Backup mecha

22 Push in the rewind * button ®.After the last exposure has been made, the film advance lever will stop working. You must then rewind the

BASIC OPERATION —continued-25. Turn the camera off.16 To conserve battery powerbetween takes, return the power switch to the "off" pos

CONTROLS IN DETAILis/i biOQ+ < r< Cs/i fC 3-+ 3C _IS/I >L ji OUnderexposureOverexposureCorrect exposure

Shutter speed dial @In addition to automatic stepless shutter speed control, the Nikon F3 offers manual control of all shutter speeds from 1

CONTROLS IN DETAIL —continued-18Shutter speed (sec.)1/10001/5001/2501/125 1/60Aperture (f/number)45.61116The F3 has two separate settings for tim

(Stop action)

19(Subject motion blur)

CONTROLS IN DETAIL —continued-20Exposure memory lock button ®When there is a substantial difference between the main subject and the background, u

Exposure compensation dialAnother way to correct exposure is to use this dial. Push the locking button @ while rotating the dial. The dial is graduate

ASA film speed dial ®The scale <H> on the ASA dial has numbered settings for speeds from ASA 12 to 6400. Two dots between each pair of ASA num

ADR window (g)ASA film speed/ Exposure compensation dial @Film rewind knob ®Sync terminal @Lens mounting index @Lens release button ® Meter coupling l

CONTROLS IN DETAIL —continued-22Memo holderAs a reminder of the film type and the number of exposures on the roll in use, clip off

Film advance lever (§)The film advance lever is specially contoured to fit the thumb and is coaxial with the shutter release button.

l2b%Frame counter iTo keep track of the number of exposed frames, the frame counter is graduated from two frames below 0 up to 40. Blue numerals appea

CONTROLS IN DETAIL —continued-24Multiple exposure lever (§)Double or multiple exposures are easy to accomplish withthe F3's multiple exposure lev

Backup mechanical release lever ®This lever is provided as an alternative method of tripping the shutter in case the camera's ba

Depth-of-field preview button ©This control allows you to get a visual impression of the various parts of the scene in front of and behind the main su

—CONTROLS IN DETAIL —continued-26Lens set at f/2.8Lens set at f/16At wide apertures, the depth-of-field is very shallow with the main subject in focus

Meter coupling lever @Push the meter coupling lever release button @ and lock the meter coupling lever in the "up" position before m

HIMFor non-AI lenses or accessories without automatic diaphragmsOn AUTO: Stop the lens down manually until the desired shutter speed appe

CONTROLS IN DETAIL —continued-28Self-timerThe F3's blinking self-timer provides a 10-sec. delay in shutter release.To operate the self-ti

@ Focusing ring______________________©Aperture ring___________________@ Depth-of-field indicators/Mounting ring©Meter coupling ridge©Finder mountin

Eyepiece shutter lever iWhen it's impossible to keep your eye at the viewfinder (such as when utilizing the self-timer), you should use the eyepi

Accessory shoe'Located at the base of the rewind knob, the accessory shoe allows direct mounting of the Nikon SB-12 Speed- light.

CONTROLS IN DETAIL —continued-30Sync terminalA separate sync terminal with a protective screw-in cover is provided on the Nikon F3. It accepts all sta

Film plane indicatorThe film plane indicator (-e-) is engraved in white on the top deck just behind the shutter speed dial. It indicates the

Infrared focusing indexThe red dot beside the focusing index on most lenses is the infrared focusing index. When shooting with black-a

ABOUT THE LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD)321. At high temperatures (over approx. 60°C), the whole surface turns black so that the exposure

EV RANGE OF THE CAMERAHow to read the EV chart Full-aperture meteringExample: Lens maximum aperture f/1.4 ASA film speed 100 Working aperture f/5.6B

Stop-down meteringExample: ASA film speed 100Stopped-down aperture f/8The procedure is the same. The f/8 column in Section A and the EV values indi

EV RANGE OF THE CAMERA —continued34The camera's meter may be used only within the shutter speed range covered by the exposure value (EV)

Section A Working Aperture32 22 16 11 8 5.6 4 2.8 2 1.4BillEV ChartSection DASA.booMOooooICOooOOOOo>gO012O)KJIT7654321 0-1 -28765 4 321 0-19 8 7 6

Aperture/Focusing index iMeter coupling shoe (Distance scale ®Aperture-direct-readout scale (Viewfinder illuminator button (Self-timer lever (Self-tim

ACCESSORIES36Fig. 2

Interchangeable viewfindersIn addition to the DE-2 Eye-Level Finder, the F3 accepts various other interchangeable viewfinders. To remove the fin

Fig. 2

Interchangeable focusing screensNikon offers you a choice of 20 interchangeable focusing screens: A—T. The type K screen comes with the camera as stan

ACCESSORIES —continued-Focusing Screen Selector Guide38(ijljType A: Matte/Fresnel field with 3mm^ circular split-image rangefinder spot and

Type I: Matte/Fresnel field with central microprism focusing spot and 12mm^ circle. Good for general photography.Type K: Combination of T

Motor DriveOne of the most exciting new accessories for the F3 is the MD-4 Motor Drive. This amazingly compact and streamlined unit attaches to the b

ACCESSORIES —continued-40SpeedlightsDesigned to complement the versatility of the F3, the Nikon SB-12 is a direct-mounting electronic fl

NOMENCLATURE...2-3FOREWORD...

OTHER ACCESSORIESEyepiece Gsrrection LensesScrewing into the finder eyepiece, nine separate lenses are provided, so that near- and farsig

41

TIPS ON CAMERA CARECamera care is common sense care. Treat your F3 as you would treat other valuable precision instruments. Even though the F3 i

L Keep the lens clean.Keep the lens surfaces free of fingerprints and dust as much as possible. Remove dust with a blower brush or

2, Clean the inside of the camera.Brush out the inside of the camera periodically using a soft brush. Do not exert pressure on the sh

3. Keep the camera away from water.Avoid excessive moisture. When using the camera near water, guard against splashes, especially saltwater spray.430^

SPECIFICATIONSType of camera Picture formatLens mount LensesShutterShutter speeds44Shutter releaseBackup mechanical release leverSelf-timer35mm singl

Exposure control Aperture-priority automaticexposure with manual override and backup mechanical control; through-the-lens, full aperture metering via

Auto flash controlViewfinderViewfinder displayViewfinderilluminatorFilm advance leverprovided for off-camera or multiple flash photography TTL direct

Frame counter Film rewindEyepiece shutterFocusing screenDepth-of-field preview button Reflex mirrorMultiple exposure leverCamera backPower switch Batt

ABOUT THE LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD)...32EV RANGE OF THE CAMERA...33-35ACCESSORIES...

IMPORTANT!46The camera body you have purchased is packaged separately from the lens. Before mounting the lens, check if it is capable of Aut

No reproduction in any form of this booklet, in whole or in part (except for brief quotation in critical articles or reviews), may be made without wri

FOREWORDCongiatulations! You novr own one of the most advanced and easy-to-use cameras on the market today. With a wealth of exciting new features,

BASIC OPERATION...' «J ^ Remove the battery ® * chamber [email protected] a coin to twist the lid counterclockwise to unscrew it.2, Install the