Weatherproofing F3 with Gaffer Tape - Advice?

[bored skater]

Hello all - I've just picked up an as-new F3HP and an MD4 to go with it (yes,

this is 2007). This is probably the last film camera I will buy (for real-world

use) so I need to look after it.

 

In years gone by, I sealed up my old Canon T90 with gaffer tape at the

vulnerable seams and was wondering about doing the same to the Nikon.

 

Obviously, it is well protected to begin with, but I'd like to still beef it up,

give the lower edges of the drive some protection, protect other edges from

drop-damage and the like, and try and seal up any other spots from intrusion by

dust, water, etc.

 

Ideally, however, I don't want to leave large amounts of residue behind whenever

I peel off or replace the tape - I've occassionally had a problem with this kind

of tape - never the black variety - but wondered if anyone else had any

expertise in this area before I butcher my lovely mint F3.

 

I did notice this topic:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00AcTW&tag=

 

But it doesn't help fully...

 

Many thanks.

[pico]

The F3 can stand a lot of dings. Leave it alone.

 

As for water and fine dust, well you can wrap it in a big baggie with a hole poked out for the

front of the lens, but I've only seen it done a few times by sport-shooters in a heavy rain.

[bored skater]

Hello Pico - you have not yet seen what I can do to my kit... :) Having had four cameras simultaneously out of action last year - two down to stupid accidents (including a Contax G2 falling three feet off shoulder onto stone floor = replace entire top plate), I am not confident of my ability to look after kit well.

 

I guess prevention is better than cure - perhaps taping leather over the exposed parts and an Optech strap.

[Ed_Ingold]

Seal up all the cracks with gaffer tape? Gimme a break! How would you load film - peel off the tape each time? Gaffer tape is pretty thick, not at all like the duct tape you are probably thinking of.

 

If you need to keep the weather out, use a Zip-Loc bag and wrap it around the lens with a big rubber band. This will work in a downpour. Neither duct tape nor baggie will help if you drop the camera. Sheesh!

[bored skater]

Don't take everything literally, Ed - I've had water soak into the bottom plate of two cameras and wreak havoc with the mechanics. That also happened without me noticing. I know the F3 does have weak spots - hence Nikon made an F3P which apparently has beter sealing. I was wondering if anyone knew what that was.

[BrianS1664879711]

I'm with Pico -- leave it alone. My F3 has been in service since the 1980s and has never suffered from exposure to dust. It is built like the proverbial brick $h!thouse and will take all types of abuse... errrr, heavy use. F3 is not a water-proof camera (buy a Nikonos if waterproof is one of your requirements) but it is plenty water resistant. A plastic baggie or carefully balanced umbrella has always worked for me. If dropping your Contax hasn't already taught you to wear a strap, I suppose dropping your F3 will really drive home that point. ;) (Don't worry, we've all done something like that... it's just that many of us won't admit it in public.) Spend your money on a good strap that has lots of "sticky" on it. I don't know the Op-Tek line, but I've seen plenty of people recommending them. Just remember... strap around neck, not over one shoulder!

[bored skater]

Hi Brian

 

I may well do that - it's as well built as my old F2 for sure. As for dropping the contax, these things happen when you're working in a hurry - the strap got caught on something as I leapt out of a rickshaw and I didn't even realise until it hit the floor. What I meant was that even relative minor damage means a big repair job, and some accidents will just happen - I've not been one to really care about my kit - it's only a box with a hole in it - but having cameras out of action is not helpful ;)

 

I think I'll leave it mostly alone. Do you clean the F3, or have you, often? My F90X is permanently banished to back-up since dust or something entered and started scratching film - have cleaned it all out but it never quite goes away...

[hugh_jaramillo]

Check this site

 

http://www.aquatech.com.au/

[BrianS1664879711]

When storing or tranporting the equipment I generally store the body without lens, using a body cap, in a Domke bag; it seems to fit a bit more securely in my bag in parts rather than assembled. I use a thick artist brush to periodically dust it off... maybe once or twice a year. Most of the dust builds up on the top plate between the controls. The lens and focusing screen gets cleaned as required. The MD-4 stays on the body almost all of the time. I take it off once a decade (or so) and I'm always shocked at how little crud builds up between the two components.

[johndc]

"Contax G2 falling three feet off shoulder onto stone floor = replace entire top plate"

 

i'm surprised the AF rangefinder was still in good working order.

 

perhaps you should make a strap out of gaffer's tape too -- it's tough stuff! ;)

[bored skater]

Actually only the corner was squished in, damaging the counter LCD. But to repair, of course the whole top plate was replaced. On a G2, the whole top plate is pretty much the whole of the rangefinder :)

[robert_hooper1]

A collector might pay a very good price for your "as new" Nikon F3HP. You might consider

selling it and buying a cosmetically less than perfect F3 that you don't feel compelled to

cover with amphibious armor.

[bored skater]

@Robert: Annoyingly, you have a fair point. Although I bought it off Ebay, total price for body ?236, MD4 ?60, both boxed, it seems that F3 prices are taking a dive, but I have no doubt that prices will stabilize shortly.

 

There is a reasonable argument over protecting a nice shiny new one over an old battered one, which is that it's more use protecting a new perfectly working one than an old, possibly out of tune one. Although I know full well this is not really a camera I could suggest that of. I borrowed an F4/E on long-term loan, hoping to like it because I've always wanted to like it. But I never got on with it for some reason. I still think it's a beautiful machine, just not for me... Shame.

[christiaan_phleger___honol]

Vish, I know what answers you are seeking. I live and have used the F3 in a tropical climate

(Hawaii) and I know what moisture weak points this camera has. I have several F3s, HPs,

'normal' F3 (DE-2) and the vernerable F3P. Of course the F3P is the most sealed, with

major joints sealed with silicone. However, the standard F3HP is very well protected from

moisture as is, just make sure the finder seals of rubber are set evenly and correctly. The

bottom seam between the MD-4 is not too much of an issue, the bottom of the F3 is well

sealed but there is not too much electronic to get wet, as well the top of the MD-4 has a

large rubber gasket covering the whole top to seal well. The only real weak point is the

MD-4 shutter button. One good raindrop straight on top of the button will take out the

switch. The solution is to put a small finger 'cot' like a small condom on the whole MD-4

vertical handle. It will allow you to shoot even in rain showers. A piece of plastic wrap

would also work in a pinch. If you don't do that, if the camera was going to fail for any

moisture reason, most likely will be that particular button switch. Another entry point that

could be a failure point (but that has never happend to me or any other F3 shooter that I

know of) would be the camera shutter button, the threaded cable release socket leads

directly down to the internal main shutter release, and same thing, a direct hit by a drop

would take it out. This area is well sealed on the F3P, with the shutter button having a full

gasket as the button. So to seal that area on a F3 it would be easy to put a drop or plug of

silicone sealant into the hole, taking away the cable release function but gaining

weatherproofing. Another area to be aware of is the left side by the film Rewind, there is

the main FRE but that is a solid sealed unit, it would have to be a full monsoon to get in

there but if you need to you should try to seal that area as well. If you can find an F3T they

have the very same internal sealing as the F3P except for the shutter button, and

sometimes they are a bit cheaper and more availible than an F3P. Good Luck.

[mark_jordan3]

I use a KATA cover @$60 for my film and digital bodies whenever I'm concerned about dust or moisture. The thing with tape is that it leaves a sticky residue that will in turn tack up dust and sand. I've shot with my F3 out in drizzling rain on many of occasions without issue...it was built for heavy duty work.

[londoner]

@Christiaan - brilliant! Exactly what I needed to know. I think I'll work on the MD4 buttons and finder head. At least it seems that the F3 body itself will remain operational. I had a major F90X failure once in the tropics due to the humidity, the other electronic camera generally don't work in the cold of ski slopes hence I have off-board power for everything now.

 

@Mark - yeah, I was hoping that there was some magic tape somewhere that leaves little residue. Gaffer Tape is my all-purpose fixit. It's like the force - surrounds us and binds the galaxy together...

 

Thanks for the Kata tip.