Nikon F2AS vs. F3 preference?
Tamara Fullerton
either a F2AS or an F3. From what I have seen on the net there seem to
be problems with the F2A meters which is why a direct replacement seems
like asking for trouble. The meter on the F2AS seems easier to read
than the F3's. I don't use a flash so flash related features are
irrelevant. The F3 feels awkward but after 22 years of using the F2A I
would not expect otherwise. Any thoughts in their respective vices and
virtues?
Thanks
Bill
DReberNEWS
The F3 will "grow" on you. Give it time. The manual advance lever is smoother.
The metering is 80/20. The body ergonomics are rounder... just think of it as a
F2 that has become better "fit" and still has the same "genes". If you add the
MD-4 motor you will also appreciate the same changes. With the age difference
the parts availability (F2-meter) will also help.
Enjoy- the tradition continues...
Don Reber
Tony Galt
I use an F2S and an F3. If I were you I'd go for an F3HP for a couple
of reasons. (1) You have a full range of electronically controlled
(i.e. extremely accurate) slow shutter speeds instead of the clever,
but fiddly, system of using the self-timer on the F2. (2) You get one
of the most comfortable and clean viewfinders ever put on an SLR--the
eyepiece is huge and it works well with glasses if that is relevant.
Very bright. (3) You can interchange the prism with other
viewfinders--magnifying, waist level, etc--without losing your
metering, since the F3 meter is in the body not the prism. (4)The F3
motor drive is easy to attach and use and balances well with the
camera. (4)You can continue to use all your old lenses. (5) The F3 has
TTL flash (although it synchs only at an 80th), which you say you
don't need, but might change your mind about. I found that when I got
a camera with TTL flash I started using flash because it became so
much easier than it had been before. The problem with the F3 and flash
is the odd mount that only handles Nikon flashes. (6) The F3 is a
little lighter and more compact than the F2. (7)The F3 has narrower
center weighting, which means you gain in metering control. It is like
a wide spotmeter. (8) The F3 has the option of aperture priority
automation, which can come in handy sometimes. (9) You should be able
to find a recent used F3 while any F2 dates to the 1970s and meters
are getting hard to repair (although I'm not sure the F2AS suffers
from the dreaded worn-out ring resister problem).
The F2s were beautiful mechanical cameras, and one advantage is the
the shutters work without batteries. I love mine and I use it for
landscape work atop a tripod, but the F3 is my travel and walking
around camera (with an FE2 for company).
My two cents from the experience of owning both cameras.
Tony Galt
Terry Danks
wrote:
I too have (and DO) owned both an F2 (Not A or AS) and an F3 (not HP).
I prefer the F2 over the F3 for EVERYTHING! It looks better, fits the
hand better and lasts longer on a set of batteries.I never got over
how "flimsy" the F3 feels in comparison to my F2. If my F3 were lost
or stolen, I would replace it with something else. If my F2 were lost
or stolen, I would search for another one. I would never buy another
F3 considering the options now available.
Now, that said, for "action", and certainly for flash I prefer my F90X
to either my F2 or F3. Neither of them do flash particularly well
considering the new TTL units now available . . . but you know that.
Still, the F3 is my "least favorite" camera . . .
I appreciate others feel otherwise but I never was overly fond of my
F3 and regret trading away one of my F2's for one all those years ago.
I seem to have a near sexual relationship with my beloved F2 :>))
I guess it is not so much I feel the F3 is overrated as I feel the F2
is underrated. Needless to say YMMV! Yes, my DP-1 meter did require a
little help recently . . . needle became sticky . . . not a problem
with the F2A(S).
If you need automation . . . get an F5 or F90. If not . . . get an F2.
(In all fairness I have not used an F5). The F3 is just neither flesh
nor fowl. It does NOTHING especially well but is mediocre in all
functions. The F2 is a superb manual camera. The F90 and F5 are superb
motorized, AF cameras. The F3? . . . bleah!
Just one man's opinion but I have no particular axe to grind. As
stated, I own and use both.
Feel both and make up your own mind . . .
Terry Danks
Nova Scotia
CANADA
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/danksta/home.htm
Rudy Garcia
dan...@ns.sympatico.ca (Terry Danks) wrote:
Ok, I'll give you $100 for your F3. ;-)
--
Use address below for Email replies. Address on Header is bogus to defeat AutoSPAM.
ru...@jps.net
________________________________
Rudy Garcia
The answers I have found have just served to raise a whole new set
of questions. In some ways I am as confused as ever, but I believe
I am confused on a much higher level and about more important things.
Author unknown
Stéphane Leman-Langlois
It's got to be the first time I hear somebody refer to the F3 as "flimsy".
What the heck are you *doing* with your cameras??
dot nyet
stephane.le...@utoronto.ca says...
>It's got to be the first time I hear somebody refer to the F3 as "flimsy".
>What the heck are you *doing* with your cameras??
Same here. Its a tank.
jsh...@ptialaska.net
"Stéphane Leman-Langlois" <stephane.le...@utoronto.ca> wrote:
> >I never got over how "flimsy" the F3 feels in comparison to my F2.
>
> What the heck are you *doing* with your cameras??
>
>
Jeff
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
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Terry Danks
Garcia) wrote:
>
>Ok, I'll give you $100 for your F3. ;-)
>
>
I'd rate my F3 as a "9+" condition-wise. Throw in an F2AS in like
shape and I'll go for it! :>)
PS: I'd prefer a black body . . .(won't insist though).
Tony Galt
F2 if one were making a used camera choice now, I can see where
Stéphane is coming from. If you compare the F3 to an F2 body you
notice that the F3 has a number of plastic parts, albeit very heavy
plastic. The winding lever is plastic, for instance. This surprised me
when I first looked at one closely, and, in fact, since I have noticed
that many used F3s have a cracked or broken plastic part just under
the prism housing on the right front (facing the front of thecamera)
presumably where photographers have banged their lens mounts while
changing lenses on the fly. However, the F3 could only be considered
flimsy in comparison with an F2, which is the "tank" camera of all
time. Compared with pretty much anything else out there, the word
"flimsy" doesn't wash. However, I disagree with Stéphane about feel--I
think the F3 fits better in the hands and operates more smoothly
handheld. That's why my F2 lives on the tripod.
Tony Galt
Terry Danks
(Classic Photo) wrote:
>In article <F41CI...@campus-news-reading.utoronto.ca>,
>stephane.le...@utoronto.ca says...
>
>>It's got to be the first time I hear somebody refer to the F3 as "flimsy".
>>What the heck are you *doing* with your cameras??
>
>
>
>Same here. Its a tank.
>
I have no complaint with the "durability" of my F3. Despite its age,
truth is, I have not used it enough to expect durability problems with
it . . . . largely because I DON'T LIKE IT!
It looks and especially FEELS flimsy. Compared to what? Why compared
to an F2 of course . . . and compared to a plastic F90 too for that
matter. We are talking personal taste here. I especially hate that
spongy shutter release button. The lever for turning the meter on/off
is nothing short of retarded! (I can never remember how to use the
self-timer either . . . it is definitely not "intuitive".)
In appearance and feel it reminds me of my old Minolta SR-7.
Hey, I have and use both . . . I know which I prefer. To each his own.
dot nyet
says...
>Hey, I have and use both . . . I know which I prefer. To each his own.
Hey Terry, relax, its ok :-)
No doubt the F2 is a more solid feeling camera, as were most things
made before the onslaught of plastics. I just said I've never heard
of the F3 referred to as flimsy before. Certainly not in comparison
to anyting built today.
Skred123
I use. Solid as a rock, reliable, and it just plain feels great. The F3 does
use more plastic parts and that lousy advance lever really irks me, thats why I
have my F3's with MD4's. The metering system in the F2AS allows you to meter
at -2EV (8sec @1.4 100ASA). Not many new auto everything cameras can do that.
The F3 is a nice camera, dont get me wrong( I have 3), but the F2 is far and
away the most rugged(save for the F) camera Nikon has ever made and with the
DP12 finder, you have an unbeatable combination.
Just my opinion
Fred Whitlock
The F2 really is an F with significant mechanical and cosmetic refinement.
I think it ranks as one of the truly great mechanical cameras. I would put
it in a class with the likes of the Leica IIIG or the Hasselblad 500C or
Rolleiflex or even the Sinars and Linhofs. I think it is the single best
35mm SLR ever made in terms of build quality and fit and finish. The F3 is
a great camera, to be sure, and more modern and convenient. But an F2, it
is not. The F2 couldn't be made today at a price a photographer would be
willing to pay. It is a classic. Find all the mint ones you can find and
store them. They will be as collectible as Nikon rangefinders one day (well
maybe close.) Can't tell I like F2's can you? Good shooting.
Fred
Maplewood Photography
http://www.maplewoodphoto.com
Skred123 wrote in message <19981217011105...@ng94.aol.com>...
Terry Danks
>The F2AS is the single greatest 35 SLR ever made in my opinion.[snip]
My F2 is the old Photomic with the DP-1 finder. I see excellent F2A's
and AS's up at ebay and find myself tempted. I would like one but they
command a pretty penny on the block.
Now, if I auctioned my F3 first . . . hmm
Terry Danks
wrote:
>Actually it's a bit better than the F (depending upon the finders involved.)
>[snip]
I had an F but dumped it after I got my first F2 (for another F2). No
complaints about the F but cosmetically I found the FTn finder a
clunky critter. Didn't like the way the back came completely off
for film changes either . . . was always looking for a place to set it
down.
Jim MacKenzie
Terry Danks wrote in message <36780402....@news1.sympatico.ca>...
>On Tue, 15 Dec 1998 18:49:11 -0800, tired....@nospam.com (Rudy
>Garcia) wrote:
>
>>
>>Ok, I'll give you $100 for your F3. ;-)
>>
>>
>I'd rate my F3 as a "9+" condition-wise. Throw in an F2AS in like
>shape and I'll go for it! :>)
Maybe you don't know, but a pretty F2AS sells for nearly double what a
pretty F3 sells for. :)
Jim
Bill Fullerton
one. I think the meter is much easier to read in the F2as conpared w/ the F3 and I
like th more solid feel. Just wanted to make sure I wasnt missing something.
Dave Munroe
> The F2 couldn't be made today at a price a photographer would be
>willing to pay. It is a classic. Find all the mint ones you can find and
>store them. They will be as collectible as Nikon rangefinders one day (well
>maybe close.) Can't tell I like F2's can you? Good shooting.
Hm. In the last three years I've found and bought three mint F2 Photomics
to supplement my F3/T. I really like them and intend to keep them in mint
condition, but I do use them ... can't stand to see them just sitting there.
Only complaint is the ring resistor of the DP-1 finder. Why doesn't an
aftermarket source for these show up?
-Dave
Peeter Vissak
Bill Fullerton wrote:
> > The F2AS is the single greatest 35 SLR ever made in my opinion.I have two that
> > I use. Solid as a rock, reliable, and it just plain feels great.
> > The F3 is a nice camera, dont get me wrong( I have 3), but the F2 is far and
> > away the most rugged(save for the F) camera Nikon has ever made and with the
> > DP12 finder, you have an unbeatable combination.
Which lens should I have with the F2AS? Which options does it allow? Should they be
Non-AI or AI or AI-S or can I use my new AF lenses as well?
Peeter
Mac Breck
FM2's. The F2AS is my absolute favorite, and gets the most use. The
meter's easier to read than the F3 meter. With the hard case back attached,
the F2 body fits my hands perfectly. If I ever find a couple of DP-12's, my
F2A's will become F2AS's.
Mac
Tamara Fullerton wrote in message <3674A43A...@ee.net>...
Mac Breck
Mac Breck
With regards to the F3 film advance lever, do you mean the vertical play
when it's brought out away from the body ~30 degrees (standby position)?
None of my F2's exhibit this and I have three of them. Both of my F3HP's
do.
Mac
Skred123 wrote in message <19981217011105...@ng94.aol.com>...
>The F2AS is the single greatest 35 SLR ever made in my opinion.I have two
that
>I use. Solid as a rock, reliable, and it just plain feels great. The F3
does
>use more plastic parts and that lousy advance lever really irks me, thats
why I
>have my F3's with MD4's. The metering system in the F2AS allows you to
meter
>at -2EV (8sec @1.4 100ASA). Not many new auto everything cameras can do
that.
>The F3 is a nice camera, dont get me wrong( I have 3), but the F2 is far
and
>away the most rugged(save for the F) camera Nikon has ever made and with
the
>DP12 finder, you have an unbeatable combination.
>
>Just my opinion
Mac Breck
in stop-down metering mode.
Mac
Peeter Vissak wrote in message <367BE227...@estpak.ee>...
moha...@yahoo.com
> I just had my Trusty F2A stolen and was thinking of replacing it with
> either a F2AS or an F3. From what I have seen on the net there seem to
> be problems with the F2A meters which is why a direct replacement seems
> like asking for trouble. The meter on the F2AS seems easier to read
> than the F3's. I don't use a flash so flash related features are
> irrelevant. The F3 feels awkward but after 22 years of using the F2A I
> would not expect otherwise. Any thoughts in their respective vices and
> virtues?
>
> Thanks
> Bill
DE-1 and the DP-12. That said I wish the F2 had the 80/20 meter sensitivity. That would be a huge plus...
Michael
--
Michael
Noons
How is it possible to be so much in lah-lah-land?
James Dillard
The meter is much better, and it is superb.
I also have the F3, and it is also very good, but the meter seems to favor the lower half of the frame to meter. Its fine if you are aware of it, but between the 2, the F2SB is my favorite.
-Jim
Scott Schuckert
(any meter head) is superb, and the 'SB especially.
mmonoch...@gmail.com
> Bill-
> The F3 will "grow" on you. Give it time. The manual advance lever is smoother.
> The metering is 80/20. The body ergonomics are rounder... just think of it as a
> F2 that has become better "fit" and still has the same "genes". If you add the
> MD-4 motor you will also appreciate the same changes. With the age difference
> the parts availability (F2-meter) will also help.
> Enjoy- the tradition continues...
> Don Reber
I've had both, and prefer the F2A over all other Nikons (I like the needle).
Scott Schuckert
go with the F2AS over the F2A. While I like the needle, too, the faster
response of the silicon cells over CDS wins it.