Farewell to the Nikon F3, and a New Chapter with the D700 and FA.

After years of faithful service, my Nikon F3 has finally had to bow out. It’s been my main film companion, solid, mechanical, and beautifully balanced, but when the advance and shutter began misbehaving, the repair estimate came in at over £200. Much as I’d love to keep it running forever, that’s more than I can justify right now.

Rather than put the money into repairs, I decided to put it towards something that could keep the same spirit alive, a Nikon D700. It feels like the natural digital successor to the F3, rugged, purposeful, and made for photographers who value feel as much as function.

My research pointed towards the D700 for lots of different reasons but mainly I wanted it for its full-frame sensor and low-light performance. Although I prefer mono photography, the quality of the colour files from the D700 seem to be quite special - true to life and natural, so I feel will lend itself well to documentary. Also, the ability to use manual focus lenses on a 35mm size viewfinder was a clincher - as I sometimes struggled with the D2x in this respect.

In fact the D700 is so good Ive decided ti let the D2X go to a new home, it also has been a brilliant camera, but once youve looked through a full frame nikon digital camera its not easy adjusting to the D2X. The D700 also clearly has a shared Nikon DNA that runs right back to the F3.

That said, I’m not walking away from film entirely. Ive picked up a Nikon FA for £98 (taking a chance it will work) as something simple, and reliable, to keep film photography in my regular rotation. Together with my Zeiss Ikon Contina II, it’ll give me all I need for those slower, more deliberate days of shooting.

So while it’s sad to see the F3 go, I like to think its legacy will continue, not on a shelf, but in the work I keep creating, with cameras that still carry its spirit.