bored skater

Hmm, mine does something similar but I’ve not tried the reset button, let me go try that.

The amazing chap at PPP cameras just outside of London seems to be able to fix T2s quite easily, and inexpensively - well worth a try to keep these lovely cameras on the road.

@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.

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 :)

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...

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.

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.

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.