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| My Nikon F3 and MD-4 Motor Drive |
Looking back on my journey to acquire a Nikon F3, it was quite a bumpy road. My first experience was an eBay merchant in Japan. He had a 100% satisfied feedback rating and I paid about $500 total for one that was described as MINT condition. When it arrived, it was dead in the box. The LCD was not visible and the mirror stayed locked up. I sent it back stunned, it was three weeks or so before I was refunded. The second F3 that I purchased was from Amazon and the order was cancelled, it seemed that it just wasn’t mean to be. I had a Nikon FE2 and that was doing the trick but it just wasn’t an F3 that people just loved and fawned over. I began looking locally and found one after a couple of months. Long story short, I meet the gentleman about 20 miles away from my home. He was asking $350 and when he handed his F3 to me, I was appalled, it looked like a dusty camera that he stored (pulled) in the back of his pickup. I checked it out quickly and offered him a C note for it. He declined. The fourth one I found on social media market place, $300. I meet the gentleman and he didn’t have batteries to check the camera.
“It was working the last time I used it a few years ago…”
I was smart enough to bring batteries and we struggled to open the packaging as it was thick plastic tight to the batteries. Finally, we got them installed and the camera would not power up. I didn’t know the camera well and I was turning on the self-timer instead of the power switch. Needless to say, the owner did not know the controls as well and could not get the camera to work. The last thing I told him was, “If you get it to work, I’ll buy it.” About an hour later, I get a text back saying that he didn’t turn the power switch on! We discussed meeting again and he was slow to respond, “I’m actively looking, if you want the sale, let’s meet soon.” A few minutes later and we meet at the same spot and I bought it.
I took it home and cleaned it up checking the function of it.
It seemed like everything worked but I wanted to be sure. Tempe Camera has been servicing the community for a long time. I knew they were a certified Nikon service center. They had CLA’d my FE2 recently and I figured that I would bring my F3 to them. The technitian straight up told me, “Sir, we do not service this type of camera.” I looked at him and asked, “You just serviced my FE2 a month ago.” He said, “this is a different type of camera…” and he took it from me and said wait here. He brought it back twenty minutes later and said that the shutter speeds were close and that everything was working fine. Obviously he did not check the LCD illumination button, which is what I wanted him to fix. It was no charge but I knew he just checked basic functions.
I wanted to see that LCD at night.
I participate in social media and am a member of a couple of Nikon groups, one being focused on the F3. I also look at YouTube and started to see that James Holman participated in the social media group and had a YouTube channel. I began reading what others said about Jim and I watched his videos, one of which addressed the failing illumination system. I’m detailed and have all the tools yet I did not want to go through the hassle of tearing down the F3 and not being able to fix it. My time is valuable and already I have to deal with frustration at work. My photography is a way that I escape frustrating events and I certainly do not want to introduce that into my escape.
I wrote an e-mail to ITC and waited for instructions.
I know old cameras need care. They are made of electrical components and are also mechanical marvels of wonder. But they can break, the electronics just stop working. Recently I learned about a strange phenomenon, ever hear of “tin whiskers?”
I knew about ITC and James Holman from YouTube repair videos. I found him on social media and sent an e-mail. I understood that there was a process to getting in line to have my F3 looked at. After a few weeks, I wrote him again and I got an email back.
“Adam, you are in the next group, you will get an e-mail soon.”The email came and in it was instructions to send $50 for a diagnostic fee as well as detail what I wanted fixed. I paid and sent my camera to Jim detailing my repair; the red button LCD illumination did not work, I want to take photographs in low light with a flash. The badging and serial number white paint had chipped out of the channels and I asked if he could also freshen it up.
About four weeks later I got the bill, $270.
Whoa!
I received my camera today and it is clean and the optics are bright. The glass is clearer than it was when I sent and the LCD is clearer and bright like new, the illumination button works as it should, and the LCD is now brighter and illuminated in the dark.
I attached the MD-4 and turned the mode selector (lock ring) to “C” and held down the trigger button, the motor drive firing, the shutter sounding like that Duran Duran song, “ Girls on Film” Let me go find that on YouTube. Yeah, I just watched the video and caught the one second cut screen to a camera, a Nikon and Auto 35mm f2.8 Nikkor lens. Auto? Is that AF? I have the book, The Complete Nikon System, it will be in there.
Skilled work is not cheap, and cheap work is not skilled.I paid the bill through PayPal and received a tracking number.
I received my camera today and it is clean and the optics are bright. The glass is clearer than it was when I sent and the LCD is clearer and bright like new, the illumination button works as it should, and the LCD is now brighter and illuminated in the dark.
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| Frame grab from the "Girls on Film" Duran Duran video, what body is this? |
I attached the MD-4 and turned the mode selector (lock ring) to “C” and held down the trigger button, the motor drive firing, the shutter sounding like that Duran Duran song, “ Girls on Film” Let me go find that on YouTube. Yeah, I just watched the video and caught the one second cut screen to a camera, a Nikon and Auto 35mm f2.8 Nikkor lens. Auto? Is that AF? I have the book, The Complete Nikon System, it will be in there.
I wonder what model that is? (If you know, please leave it in the comments.)
I have been listening to that song for a long time. It came out the same year that the Nikon F3 and MD4 motor drive did. I think my motor drive sounds like it's faaster! Well, not really but I do have confidence that this old camera operates as it should. I feel like when you take a new car to get the oil changed, I'm doing the right thing and it sounds better and feels smoother.
Really though, I wonder about the Duran Duran song, I wonder what body/motor drive it was sampled from?
He checks all the basic functions, aperture, shutter timing, electronics, contact points and he told me that mine was a straight forward service. Having done so many maintenance checks on F3’s, he checks the parts that typically fail, electronic components, switches, contacts and with mine, the LCD illumination system needed repair as it was inoperative. I had him just put the stock small square button back into working order. He also can do a button switch with a hearing aid switch that leaves the light on. I declined that option as I just need to be able to read now and then in the dark.
James told me the story of his own first F3 which is his favorite camera. He bought it in 1984 and he said that he bought second hand and has a nice worn patina. It was a ex newspaper camera that had thousands of rolls of film through it. He has done two CLA’s on it during his time owning it and he kept hammering in on how durable the F3 is and also how serviceable it is.
My experience with International Camera Technicians and James Holman was nothing less than informative and excellent. My old F3 has been freshened up, even the factory badging now looks great. My old Nikon F3 is now adjusted to work as it should the day it was manufactured and sold, decades ago. Knowing the shutter speeds are accurate and the electronic all are in spec, the clear optics, the care in packaging and the thumb drive of your own camera service. Wow, just the view finder alone never looked so clean and clear.
Anyway…
I am super happy with the service. In the box was a thumb drive with a series of images from my CLA. I’ve asked Jim in an email to detail what he did, he told me he will, but if I would like to call, he would be happy to have a discussion on what he does.
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| The thumb drive with my CLA pictures |
I prefer talking to someone rather than e-mail, I’ll call.
I spoke with James today, he is busy! I think he said that there were about 10 F3’s in cue and he just got done with mine and already did a few since sending mine back. He has about 40 in line to be worked on and one takes about a full days work.
I spoke with James today, he is busy! I think he said that there were about 10 F3’s in cue and he just got done with mine and already did a few since sending mine back. He has about 40 in line to be worked on and one takes about a full days work.
He checks all the basic functions, aperture, shutter timing, electronics, contact points and he told me that mine was a straight forward service. Having done so many maintenance checks on F3’s, he checks the parts that typically fail, electronic components, switches, contacts and with mine, the LCD illumination system needed repair as it was inoperative. I had him just put the stock small square button back into working order. He also can do a button switch with a hearing aid switch that leaves the light on. I declined that option as I just need to be able to read now and then in the dark.
My Nikon F3 is now back into the same working order as it came off the manufacturing assembly line. He checks them one by one personally and is invested personally into his craft.
James told me the story of his own first F3 which is his favorite camera. He bought it in 1984 and he said that he bought second hand and has a nice worn patina. It was a ex newspaper camera that had thousands of rolls of film through it. He has done two CLA’s on it during his time owning it and he kept hammering in on how durable the F3 is and also how serviceable it is.
Again this is Jim’s favorite camera and he is fully committed to making sure each one is repaired back to factory or better specifications.
My experience with International Camera Technicians and James Holman was nothing less than informative and excellent. My old F3 has been freshened up, even the factory badging now looks great. My old Nikon F3 is now adjusted to work as it should the day it was manufactured and sold, decades ago. Knowing the shutter speeds are accurate and the electronic all are in spec, the clear optics, the care in packaging and the thumb drive of your own camera service. Wow, just the view finder alone never looked so clean and clear.
Money well spent.
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| Before CLA front |
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| Before CLA back |
In my opinion, precision cameras that are decades old need to be taken care of. International Camera Technicians, James Holman will do the highly specified, precise work. I'm paying for his expertise and skill. I know Jim will perform what I am unable or ill equipped to do and he will stand behind his work.
c/o James Holman
4364 Bonita Rd #337
Bonita, CA 91902
(619) 517-6951
