Nikon F3T back

Is the original camera back come with F3T made in titanium or just an

ordinary F3 back ? I have different opinions from even different

sellers.

Thanks.

It is made in titanium to match the camera. At least my samples (F2T, F3T) are.

Concur; my F3T (black) has a Ti back. I think it is not uncommon to have these swapped around as a result of accessories like data backs being installed and removed.

How can we tell whether the back is a titanium back or just an ordinary back ?

Thanks, Frederick

It is much stiffer. If in doubt, make a< tiny scratch to expose bare metal. Titanium has a unique colour to it.

If you have a regular F3 also, you can weigh them. The Ti back will weigh more than the regular back, which is made principally of aluminum. I don't have the numbers at hand, but the Ti back is (relative to the aluminum back) significantly heavier on a % basis.

I had a Silver F3T and the way that you could tell that the back was ttanium is the area where u put the cardboard for the film box to remnd yourself of the film u use. It should be silver too.

 

*Sadly, it got stolen :(

I haven't had the regular F3, but I've heard that you can see a significant difference in the resistance of the back to flexing. It is certainly true that the F3T back does not flex very easily as I have checked it, but can't compare to a regular back.

I meant '..a significant resistance of the (F3T) back to flexing..'

One difference I've noticed with my F3T(black) back is that it's pressure plate surface is more reflective, almost glass-like, compared to the standard F3 pressure plate which is a bit duller on surface reflection. This leads me to the conclusion that it may be more precise in it's polished flatness.

Frederick, Wen Lin makes a good point. I was assuming your camera was a black F3/T, but if it's the "champagne" version, the inner portion of the film reminder holder will match the body color. If not, it's not original and therefore almost certainly not titanium. The black ones are harder...

Thanks for all your responses.

 

A shop here (Sydney Australia) has a black F3/T (no paint loss at all) to offer. The owner (apparently an experienced camera repair technician for 20+ years) told me that the F3/T back is NOT titanium contrary to what I have heard from elsewhere.

 

He showed me the back of the black F3/T as well as a brand new F3 back (they did not come with the pressure plate). Visually I cannot see any difference. I have tried to look for something like serial number, but apart from the pressure plate (absence of), there was no visible difference.

 

Apart from destructive testing (e.g. scraping of paint) and weighing (I guess bringing a scale to weigh there looks a bit awkward), what else can I tell it is a genuine titanium back ?

 

Thanks, Frederick

Other than weighing backs or removing paint, nothing.

 

If you believe the dealer, it doesn't matter anyway.

 

IIRC, the Nikon literature that came with my F3/T indicated a titanium back. I'll see if I can dig it up.

I own the F2 T and the F3 T. Both have titanium backs. The material is ivory coloured not the "metal" shine of the ordinary backs (I have 7 other F2 cameras and a couple of F3's as well so can compare).

 

I have - involuntarily - done field "testing" of material strength with both cameras and can vouch that the enhanced strength of titanium is for real. A titanium camera can survive blows that would totally destroy lesser cameras. Unfortunately, I've seen this happen in the field, too.

<p>My black F3T film back weighs 65gm<br>

Regular F3 weighs 45gm</p>