Nikon F3 vs. D200

I finally went completely digital only just this year, trading in my trusty F3 for a D200. Even though I'll probably never

go back to the F3, I have to wonder about two excellent features my F3 had -- even when it first came out in the 70s --

that my D200 lacks.

 

First is 100% viewfinder accuracy. When I stacked an ND filter and a thin polarizer on my 12-24mm to shoot a

waterfall in full sun this weekend, I was surprised that I didn't see any vignetting in the viewfinder. Oops. It was there.

You just couldn't see it.

 

Second is a little lever that shuts a curtain in the viewfinder so no light gets in when you want to take your eye away,

such as when you want to be in an auto-exposure mode while using the self-timer to include yourself in the photo or

when shooting from a tripod with a cable release.

 

I could trade up to the D300 to get 100% viewfinder accuracy, but if I jump all the way to the D700, I gotta go back to

the inferior 95%. And though I don't know for sure, I'll bet neither one has that nice, simple viewfinder curtain feature.

I would take the D700 and later crop the picture to 95% if something annoyed me outside the finder. The D700 is so large

that you can crop and still have a lot of picture left.

John

 

My D80 and D200 both came with little plastic doohickeys that clip over the viewfinder eyepiece to stop light getting in although when I tested this on DSLRs I found it only mattered when using Aperture Priority mode. So if you were using manual mode there should be no need. Or just use what many do - a small piece of black cloth. I would say my F3 has more features than those you mention which are completely absent from DSLRs -- such as interchangeable prism heads & focussing screens! D200 owners would love to have the ability to very quickly change focussing screens! I, for, one, am never bothered by not having 100% view in the finder on any camera -- that's what my left eye is for ;-)

Try a D3, and use your thumb or your gray card to block the light.

 

Heres the difference in finder. The F3 was a top line pro camera, the D200 is not. I hate to break it to you but you downgraded for $1500. JK, but honestly, one of the reasons that I still shoot film (switched back from a D70 to an F4) was for the sturdy pro camera. I love film photography anyway, its cheaper for me, but the F4 is so much more of a camera than any digital I could afford, and at a price tag of 215 bucks.

Just hang a back lens cover over your viewfinder and it is covered. The D700 has that little curtain.

sorry I've never heard of this curtain thing. What exactly is it's function?

it covers the eye piece, Peter, and stops light leaking in when doing long exposures.

 

I miss using the F3/MD-4. Nothing has come close to that build quality and reliability since. I kept mine though,

batteries out and shutter tripped of course.

Actually, while the viewfinder curtain may stop some light leaking in during a long exposure, the mirror does a

pretty good job of this. The real reason for that viewfinder curtain is to prevent light leaking in during

<i>metering</i> when there's no eye present. If you put the camera on a tripod and take pictures using a remote

release, intervalometer, self timer, or other mechanism where your eye is away from the finder, then the

autoexposure will be fooled by the extra light reaching the meter through the prism. And yes, I'm aware that the

F3's meter is below the mirror and not in the prism, but I know from experience that light leaks in through the

finder and eventually reaches the meter, enough to throw it off a few stops.

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I usually leave a camera in manual if I'm not going to have my eye there at the finder during exposure.

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I also have an F3 and D200. I think the D200 may have come with an external device to cover the finder, but

being a small external part that's rarely used, mine's been lost. The internal curtain of the F3 is far

superior, because it can't get lost.

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But, IMO, the most troubling downgrade from the F3 to the D200 is the size of the finder image. Put a 50mm on

the F3 and open both eyes, and notice that the finder image is about the same size as real life (it'll vary

depending on whether you've got the HP or standard finder; they have different viewfinder magnifications). Now

put the same lens on a D200, and a 50mm is STILL roughly life size. But the field of view is much narrower, and

the size of the image is correspondingly smaller. The F3 finder presents a huge image to the viewing eye.

I guess a camera that had every single possible desireable trait would weigh 50 lbs and then it would be imperfect.

For a Nikon or Canon shooter who started in the 80's/90's, it did used to be easier. The F4 had everything, the N90 had the

viewfinder shield and most everything else as well. Two real choices, the pro model and the lighter weight backup or really

good enough for pro model. Now there's 3 million choices, and the features are added and removed for marketing reasons

alone. Can be frustrating. OTOH, a D80 is a sweet machine for what it costs, and a used F4 is a darn good deal:)

On my D80 using the self timer and P mode, as soon as I press the shutter button the exposure is locked. I just shade the eyepiece with my hand until the timer has started.

My D40 and FE2 also lock the exposure. I just look through the eyepiece as usual while I start the self timer.

 

Some say that light can get in during the exposure when the mirror is raised and the shutter open, causing slight

fogging but I've never had a problem with either camera.

"I'm aware that the F3's meter is below the mirror and not in the prism, but I know from experience that light leaks in through the finder and eventually reaches the meter, enough to throw it off a few stops."

 

That's not what happens with my F3s. Sometimes I take the prism off completely and use the camera as if it had a waist level finder (in bright sunlight). Guess what. I get the same exposure reading whether or not the prism is on the camera. It happens with all four of my F3s, and exposures are perfect.