Strange Nikon F3 camera

[BelaMolnar]

<p>Just bought a used, well weathered, but working Nikon F3. the strange thing is, it has no serial number, on the usual place on the back of the camera stands; Nikon xxxxxxxx ( x=I meant, no numbers ) After the Nikon print, no numbers as I can see, on all other F3s. Then. The front logo, under the film rewind arm, stays the F3 in white letters. On this camera the logo is smaller and plain black. What kind of Nikon F3 is this camera? A prototype, . . or . . . what?</p>

[david_carroll4]

<p>Sounds interesting - is it anything like this (apologies if the link isn't active)<br>

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/special/f3prototype2.htm</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>A picture is worth a thousand words. Give us some data and someone may do better than just guessing what it might be.</p>

[christiaan_phleger___honol]

<p>Probably an F3 that was sent back to Nikon and got a the right top side as a replacement.</p>

[mt4x4]

<p>I found this today.<br /> <br /> Not sure which is stranger, your wierd F3, or the digital F5</p><div></div>

[thomas_toolan]

<p>They did make a Kodak/Nikon digital camera based on the F3 body. Maybe this was one of them. I've never seen one but I read about it on the Nikonians site.<br>

Tom</p>

[Michael R Freeman]

<blockquote>

<p><em>"Not sure which is stranger, your wierd F3, or the digital F5"</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Nothing strange about a "digital F5". :-)</p>

<p>IIRC, Kodak (in cooperation with Nikon) made a couple DCS series digital SLR bodies that used the F5 chassis and shutter (with obvious modifications to the back / battery pack) and a Kodak sensor. These were the predecessors of the Nikon D1.</p>

[User_276104]

<p>The suspense of this thread is killing me - please post a photo of the camera you're talking about, Bela!</p>

[BelaMolnar]

<p>Hi Eric. Unfortunately the camera at Nikon service and I going to get back a couple of days. Until, I'm not able to take an image of the camera. As soon as I get back the camera, I will post some images.<br /> Thank you.</p><div></div>

[BelaMolnar]

<p>F3</p><div></div>

[BelaMolnar]

<p>Those image was taken, before I dropped the camera to Nikon Service. The back, where the serial No. supposed to be, dark and not visible to mach. Only the NIKON print, and after, no numbers visible. Nikon service had a problem with that too. It is not something, like, somebody deliberately removed the numbers. As Chistiaan suggested, it my serviced earlier, and the right top plate was replaced with a part, with-out the S. number. I like the camera, because the patina, the weathering. No dents or heavy scratch on the camera otherwise. I paid, with a motor drive, and a nikon short zoom lens, 200CD. The light meter need some adjustment, and I like to see the camera had a general service.</p><div></div>

[BelaMolnar]

<p>Those image was taken, before I dropped the camera to Nikon Service. The back, where the serial No. supposed to be, dark and not visible to mach. Only the NIKON print, and after, no numbers visible. Nikon service had a problem with that too. It is not something, like, somebody deliberately removed the numbers. As Chistiaan suggested, it my serviced earlier, and the right top plate was replaced with a part, with-out the S. number. I like the camera, because the patina, the weathering. No dents or heavy scratch on the camera otherwise. I paid, with a motor drive, and a nikon short zoom lens, 200CD. The light meter need some adjustment, and I like to see the camera had a general service.</p>

[david_carroll4]

<p>Looks like in this case that more prosaic explanation (replacement un-numbered top plate) is more likely than the more interesting one (previously undescribed early F3 prototype). Oh well, maybe next time. I did come across a post on another site showing a once-off F3 (apparently specially built for a special customer...very vague) - an F3/MD4 where the camera shutter release, wind-on lever and rewind crank had been removed and the entire top plate contained only the shutter speed dial, a DA-1 Action Finder and the ISO dial/flash contact - camera meter switching, winding and rewind were operated solely from the MD4 - fascinating. BTW, Bela, I noticed that in your last pic, the camera meter switch is on - when you're running the camera through the MD-4, you can leave this switched off and run the meter through the MD button - I think it preserves the cameras on-board batteries.</p>