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Adrian
Tinkerer
Username: Adrian
Post Number: 149
Registered: 08-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 05:06 am: | 
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I've moved this across from another thread as I suddenly realised that the thread title looked as though they were Nikkormat F3 bodies - if such a thing exists, it's something else entirely!
I've just been given two Nikon F3 bodies, which have sat in a drawer for some time - probably since they were superseded by something digital. Two batteries restore life (interestingly, there seems to be no default speed with a dead battery, which I thought was the case). One body seems, as far as a very cursory test shows, to work as advertised.
The second body is a bit of a case. At some point it has been dropped - heavily! There is a dent in the door big enough to dent the pressure plate, and the viewfinder housing looks like an elephant has trod on it. Inside, the focusing screen has gone AWOL and the prism has a hefty lump out of it as well. When I put a lens (from the Nikkormat that was in the same drawer) on, I get a round image in the centre of the field of view, surrounded by black. I'm presuming that's due to the lack of focusing screen, as the other body is fine.
The shutter functions on "auto", at what I think must be a default flash setting of 1/80th. However after a couple of wind-and-trips, the mirror locks up and it refuses to come down until I open the back. It does this with the good viewfinder fitted as well. On the other hand, it appears to function OK on "manual", so it may not be a basket case.
I would be very interested to hear people's views on these, and what they think has/has not been damaged. It may well also be that I'll be posting in "Swap zone" for spare parts...
Adrian |
Krp
Tinkerer
Username: Krp
Post Number: 67
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 22, 2008 - 03:44 pm: |
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On the first body: The camera has an emergency release using the lever on the wind side of the mirror box. The memory button is inside of the release, (if it isn't missing)
The F3 has a switch on the frame counter that does not activate the metering system until it reaches '1'
If the shutter hangs open, it is likely that the glass resistor (FRE) under the rewind side cover is damaged
Kevin |
Adrian
Tinkerer
Username: Adrian
Post Number: 153
Registered: 08-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 06:22 am: |
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Thanks Kevin,
Slowly finding my way round these bodies - as far as I can tell the first one is good, though something was mounted on the film door that required holes cut through it...
Is the resistor a fixable item, do you think? And might that explain why the viewfinder light does not work when I put the good viewfinder on? Although the body itself is unmarked, the door and viewfinder obviously took a heavy knock, so it's possible that other stuff got damaged by shock transmitted through the body.
Adrian |
Krp
Tinkerer
Username: Krp
Post Number: 68
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 07:35 pm: |
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You're welcome,
I've seen the doors on eBay, not sure what to tell you about the FRE. You could try Nikon parts,
part no. 40FB-FA2-661
The VF light may be a different problem. I seem to recall some extra info about problems there. I'll do a little research and get back to you |
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