c_watson1

Seriously??? Stating an opinion about Coolscans hardly makes me "anti film"(sic) given the range of other options, does it...

Funny how the old stuff eventually dried out but rarely(if ever?)did this. Materials cheap-out, I suspect.

Film scanner technology has been dead in the water for years. Coolscan cultists soft-pedal the lack of Nikon support and service and sucker film shooters to buy scanners requiring endless hacks and antique OS adaptions. DSLR scanning works. Next? I share a Mamiya Pro Cabin MF projector with friends. 6x6 and 67 Velvia, E100SW and Scala b&w slides still startle us.

I slipped a 1/2" thick piece of closed cell foam--the sort that pads all kinds of product boxes--cut to fit the bottoms of my ThinkTank Retrospective bags. Thinner, say 1/4", can also work. Think the small size and reduced mass of MILCs can fool us into thinking they're less damage-prone from drops. I bought a small Pelican case for my tiny Ricoh GRII that protects it from sloshing around in a small Retrospective 3 bag.

Can't help but wonder if the Nikon product development team behind this DOA pup isn't looking frantically for a seppuku clause management sneaked into their contracts. Fuji got this right in 2014 with the graceful little X-T1 and never looked back. Seriously, does Nikon ever listen to its customers?

That's why I shoot a Fuji X-!00T for street...

Sad news. Never owned Hassies but friends who do swore by him. I guess it's either shoot 'em till they break or sell' em off while they work as master tech talent passes for medium format systems.

PN isn't a vending machine for newbs unable/unwilling to do research that generous souls here do for them. Looks like doorstop material. Maybe a prop house would ante up quite a few less $$$ than you're asking--maybe.

More Vivitar archaeology: https://www.cameraquest.com/VivLensManuf.htm

In 2023, they're only as good as the the surviving repair shop able to fix 'em. Absent that, I'd pass.

FYI, XX isn't a "new" film; 65mm sliced from master rolls is a new format. Kosmo, like others, never reports times series numbers for actual production, so "comfort" press releases are almost meaningless. Statements like "film sales have significantly improved" never include a footnote. Hats off to PapaTango for the the financial statement reality check video the fabulists should watch and take notes from. For most civilians, rising film material/chemistry costs and shrinking access to ever-pricey lab services is killing the mood.

Forget a WLF. They're borderline useless on 645 cameras for the awkwardness of shifting from landscape to portrait orientation. A light meter and a plain prism finder will do you. Grips are really nice since the ergonomics are horrid without one. Go for a manual version. Above all, I'd try to nail down a competent service source before you buy. Otherwise, who needs a pricey doorstop?

The "sticky back" issue common to the F90x/N90s was a mess but could be remedied easily. Nikon Canada for a time quietly offered a replacement film door minus the the non-skid surface.

A zombie thread in 2008...Nothing new. Seriously?

Doubt Pentax is starting a Unicorn ranch. Their early notices mentioned a p&s model with possible expansion into SLR territory but the tone was cautious and conditional on initial sales. Personally, I can't see it going very far. Film sales are microbe-size relative to historic peaks of 20 years ago, processing is scarce and pricey. Not exactly conditions favoring a re-launch of film cameras on a large scale.

https://petapixel.com/2023/07/13/the-oppenheimer-70mm-film-reel-weighs-600-pounds-and-is-11-miles-long/

Fine but I've seen the "Cosina-made" label used disparagingly on this lens for years--usually by credulous Nikon fanboys who've never owned or shot the lens. It was pricey when it debuted. I grabbed a black demo minus its box from Nikon Canada for half price and still thought it was a bit spendy. Happy I did.

Never really seen anything that confirms the "Cosina-made" label. Just sour grapes or another echo chamber urban legend? Have one. Like it. No complaints.

Despite the fussiness about build quality/cosmetics, did Nikon ever make a dog 50 Ai/AiS lens? Pancake? What about the 45/2.8 P?

Just another zombie thread...Bored?

Sadly this could be the problem. F3s took and sustained considerable damage but they would break. Though a manual focus camera, the F3 was shot through with electronics--just drop the bottom plate for peek sometime. The legendary F2 toughness was a bit compromised by circuitry crammed into the F3--part of the reason why pros, especially PJs, initially balked buying into the F3. That changed and its production run of around 15 years seems proof. The F3 discussed here may be damaged but functional otherwise. Still, I'd look into something like a FE/FE2 or FM series camera for a better chance of getting a fully functional camera--minus the F3 cachet.

Hilariously condescending--and clued out. These were pro cameras that often led hard working lives, which helps explain why so many are beat up and suffer from "issues" like yours--or worse. They were pricey and uncommon as amateur cameras. Frankly, I'd live without the counter. I'd also refrain from douching the innards with any liquids. Too many aged electronics and fragile ribbon circuits I suspect are way beyond your resources to repair or replace once busted. With no parts and scarce repair options, just shoot it till it breaks. With an MD-4, once dead it's an effective doorstop.

Can't see the point apart from self-congratulation of chiming on dead threads, especially when it involves cameras, like the F3, that effectively went out of production in the mid-90s. Nikon really couldn't service them past the early 2000s. Surviving indy repair shops do no better now. Just stop the delusional blather unless you've something concrete to share. Just BS otherwise and zero value to PN.

Jeesh, it's a 13 year-old thread!!! Start a new one if you must but this is a stone cold dead discussion. Check the date before you post.

Seriously? That's real boredom!