jonnyapple said:
Niko, where have you been lately?

It's good to know I was missed :^) but I had to go see a man about a horse ;^)

adamz said:
he was picking up slovak chicks :)

I'm still waiting on the "proof" of these slovak "chicks" you keep talking about adam :^)

Anyway, um so yeah, the F3 is a great camera.

Super Shooter said:
Thanks again everyone. I am now the proud owner of a Nikon F3HP!!!!!!

The FM2 was an original FM2 and not the FM2n but once I picked up and started to use the F3 I just couldn't but it back down! Now I just have to look for a lens.

That's how I felt when I bought my F3 too :)

NikoDoby said:
Hmm this is a tough choice! Both of these cameras in good condition would be an awesome choice. I think it would basically come down to which one YOU prefer. Pick'em both up and see which feels better in your hands. The FM2 is a bit more user friendly I think but that's because it's pretty much a no frills all manual camera.

The F3 as Chris has already mentioned is a rock solid professional quality camera. Today's D3/S owes it's awesomeness to the F3. I believe the F3 has the longest manufacturing date of any other Nikon camera. Nikon basically built them for over 20 years! They were finally discontinued in 2001. The FM2 was built almost as long too.

It's a tough call and really just depends on how much you want to spend and what your needs are.

And no Chris you're not the only "kid" around here that still shoots film so stop trying to act all "cool". Even though I wear my pants up high near my chest, I'm still waaay cooler than you because I also shoot Polaroids regularly :^)

By the way Chris is that a photo of your F4 above your name? Another one of my favorites!

yep that's my F4, with a roll of delta 400 next to it, quite an old photo, but I love that camera. It doesn't see as much use these days, due to me shooting 80% of my stuff with my Pentax 6x7, Hasselblad, and Rolleiflex, though. I still use it in inclement weather and whenever I want a heavier platform than the F3.

Thanks again everyone. I am now the proud owner of a Nikon F3HP!!!!!!

The FM2 was an original FM2 and not the FM2n but once I picked up and started to use the F3 I just couldn't but it back down! Now I just have to look for a lens.

he was picking up slovak chicks :)

Niko, where have you been lately?

Hmm this is a tough choice! Both of these cameras in good condition would be an awesome choice. I think it would basically come down to which one YOU prefer. Pick'em both up and see which feels better in your hands. The FM2 is a bit more user friendly I think but that's because it's pretty much a no frills all manual camera.

The F3 as Chris has already mentioned is a rock solid professional quality camera. Today's D3/S owes it's awesomeness to the F3. I believe the F3 has the longest manufacturing date of any other Nikon camera. Nikon basically built them for over 20 years! They were finally discontinued in 2001. The FM2 was built almost as long too.

It's a tough call and really just depends on how much you want to spend and what your needs are.

And no Chris you're not the only "kid" around here that still shoots film so stop trying to act all "cool". Even though I wear my pants up high near my chest, I'm still waaay cooler than you because I also shoot Polaroids regularly :^)

By the way Chris is that a photo of your F4 above your name? Another one of my favorites!

I rarely even look at the light meter in my F3, much less any camera, for that matter, these days. If anything, I'll point it at some green grass or the sidewalk to get an 18% grey reading, and adjust from there.

80/20 is close enough to spot to give a fairly biased reading, where as I find 60/40 to be a little bit too wide of an area spread to be specific.

As everyone has said, both cameras are great, get the one that feels best in hand and you think makes the coolest sound, and it should serve you just fine.

Even though I singled out the F3's meter readout, it's not really a major issue. I'll probably get one when I find a good deal locally. I was choosing between the FM2 and the F3 as a second body to my FM at one point - went with the FM2, but would have been just as happy with the F3. The F3's 80/20 centre weighted meter vs the FM2's 60/40 weighting could also be a minor consideration. Sometimes I think I'd prefer the 80/20, but I've had no issues with the 60/40 so far.

Get the F3, stat, it'll last forever.

I don't care what anyone else has written here, as I shoot more film than probably most of this board combined (I use digital sparingly, and primarily work with film), and the F3 is my workhorse 35mm SLR (it gets more use than even my F4, which I save for really rough shooting) and it is always super reliable, and can take any hit you might give to it. I've dropped mine onto concrete, bashed it against stuff while running, and used it in -35 degrees centigrade snowfall conditions with no fault whatsoever. Lets see a D50's battery last more than 15 minutes in weather like that. It can also use a wider variety of lenses than the FM2 as a result of the mobile AI pin, which can flip out of the way to mount non-ai lenses.

The FM2 is great, but frankly, the F3 is a better camera in terms of build quality and longevity,unless you're shooting extensively with flash, in which case you should be looking at cameras with leaf-shutters that will sync at any speed.

No, your G lenses will pretty much be useless, especially if they're DX lenses too.

You could pick up either one and pair a 50mm lens to it, they're all pretty cheap and really fast. Just make sure they're not G of course.

My father has a FM2, it's an awesome camera. I'm not sure if it has a titanium shutter or not. It has the 50mm 1.2 on it. I've mounted that on the D40. Very dreamy bokeh.

Too bad they're not sold with lenses. I would say go for the FM2, they're collectable and good to use. Bulletproof too from what I hear.

The F100 is a great film camera, but if you want something cheaper that will autofocus, try the N80. It's pretty much a plastic bodied F100 if I recall correctly.

Yes, sir - for manual focus, an F3 (HP or regular) will spoil you for most anything else. If the exposure readout were a little better, it would be the perfect manual focus camera! Those are both great cameras, grab them, obtain a couple of manual focus lenses (a "D" type AF lens will work fine too) and burn some film....

Thank you TaoTeJared and Cassius Roads! That's the kind of knowledge and advice I was looking for. I know there are other members who own one or both of these cameras and I just wanted to hear some personal experiences. If the lady comes down in price a bit I just might buy both but I doubt it. She's already lowered the price twice before and they really are in good condition.

I'm not interested in a medium format camera. I can't process 120 film locally and I have no interest in waiting almost 2 weeks to send it out for developing. I get my 35mm film processed and scanned to a CD in an hour locally and often for less than $4 dollars! And before someone recommends I save up for a D90 and kit lens, no I don't need/want that either.

Yes I do think these cameras are a bargain considering that the viewfinder and prism assembly on the F3 can cost around $100 alone! They are both in excellent condition. The FM2 is spotless. They have either never been used much or have been very well taken care of. I'll have to double check to see which version of the FM2 it is but i'm pretty sure it's an FM2(n) since the titanium shutter is rare to find.

I know the F100 and F5 are outstanding cameras too but I really like the older camera models. Eventually I'll move up from the D50 but for right now it works just fine and I'd rather spend my money on lenses. If I do get one of these cameras I will certainly start an ai/s/D lens collection.

My only regret now is that I've looked through that gorgeous viewfinder on the F3! Wow!

Out of my FM, FM2n, F100, and D200, I mostly use the FM2n + some slide film. For me,it's the most enjoyable to use, with the most pleasing end results: slides in the projector. I use the d200 when I need the modern tech (for work etc), or the F100 when I want AF and AE but when it's about enjoying a hobby, it's FM2n all the way. I chose it over the F3 simply because I didn't like the F3's + - only meter readout compared to the FM series 5 position + o - indicators. I can't comment on how it compares to medium format - and don't care too much. Maybe I'll try MF at some point but for now I'm enjoying 35mm. As far as lenses go, a good start would be a used nikkor 50mm f/2 or f/1.8 ai or ai-s (performance wise they're very close to the 1.4 and 1.2 models but they won't leave your wallet as barren). A 35 f/2 would also be a good addition if you can find one for a good price - I tend to use my 35s more than my 50s, but that's entirely personal preference. I've also heard good things about the relatively cheap 105 f/2.5, although I use the 105 f/1.8 so I can't say from experience.
If you want a film camera that will work with G lenses though, I can recommend the F100. They seem to sell for about the same as FM series cameras - I got mine for $100 CDN, and know someone who was given one because it was too hard to sell.

F3HP between the two - newer, solid, better meter, and upgrade of the FM2n. FM2 is older. (unless it is a FM2n - the mir.com website above is a great resource to tell). The largest reason I would say is that if the shutter is titanium on the FM2 I would pass - they tend to stick and crinkle. If it is a FM2n by all means get that one. Serial number will tell it all.

I like to shoot BW film and I have two FE2-s and one FG20 that I love. If you are just looking for a cheap film camera - search e-bay for a FG20 ($45) and get any E-series lens for cheap.

If she can't sell them, buy them both and sell them on ebay - generally $200 a piece. Pick up a FG20 and take the extra money from that and put it away for a newer digital camera.

G-lenses will mount - but i wouldn't say they work. You can pick up manual lenses cheap on e-bay.

I would pass on it. Your D50 is a really good camera if you've got adequate light and you've already got yourself a set of lenses designed for use with it. If you held on to your $100 and saved up another $200 by say Christmas, you could afford a medium format setup that would blow the pants off the "bargain" you've got in front of you. Even if you had D lenses for the FM2 you would still be happier with the results from a MF camera. And you don't have D lenses, so...

I think it would be a better idea to try and find a camera that will work with your G lenses. If you must have one of these I would go with the one that feels better to you and has the features you want.

I dont know much about the F3HP... However the FM2 is a classic.. however there are 3 versions of the FM2 that I know of. Check out this malaysian website http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonfmseries/fm2/

I would love to get my hands on an FM2 .. but for you Maybe consider getting a newer film camera that can be used with your G lenses .. Like the F80, F75 and the F65.. You can get them for fairly good prices second hand from adorama etc ...

Check out Ken Rocklwell's wonderful camera lens compatibility matrix... http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm

PS: in the US they are called N80,N75,N65

G lenses will be set to the smallest aperture (largest number) there is..not so good

Hello everyone! I've been a long time NRF reader but this is my first post.

I recently came across two very nice Nikon film cameras at a yard sale, an FM2 and a F3HP. The lady selling them is offering them to me for about the same price. She said she sold the lenses very quickly but nobody except me has shown interest in the bodies only. She says they were sent to Nikon a few years ago and got a clean bill of health. I need your help deciding which one to buy?

I know the difference between the two as far as specs go but I would really like some advice as to which one I should buy? I know the FM2 has a higher max shutter speed and flash sync but it's completely manual. The F3HP has a lower max shutter speed and crappy flash sync but it at least has auto exposure. I believe the FM2 she is selling is newer than the F3HP.

I consider myself an advanced amateur and I have put my D50 to good use. I just want a good film camera that is within my budget (USA$100). I live in a very rural area so there aren't very many places that I can buy used equipment locally. I think this is a good find for me because I can physically inspect the camera before buying.

Another question I have to ask. I know G lenses don't have aperture control but can I still mount my D50 G lenses onto either of these two film cameras? I mean they can be mounted but the aperture is automatically set at the lowest number right? So for example I can mount my 50mm G lens on the F3HP and use it but it'll stay locked at f1.4 and I won't be able to change it.

Is that correct? Will auto still work in that case? I'm thinking no since the camera won't know what aperture the camera is at,right? If I do get one of these cameras then I will eventually get a proper lens for it but in the mean time I need to use some kind of glass for it.

Thanks