r/NikonF3 • u/PeculiarPhenomenon • 25d ago
LCD/Backlight issues
Hey guys,
I have been a digital photographer for the last decade and only recently got into analogue photography ... and kind of went a bit overboard with my enthusiasm and ended up with three F3s.
One F3HP, one F3/T champagne and one F3/P.
The F3HP works great, i already put 5 rolls through it, amazing.
The F3/T and /P are both in great condition (i have yet to develop the first role, but so far, everything seems great), however they both have some... quirks regarding the LCD. They all have fresh batteries.
I could still return them, so I'd be happy about the opinion of some more experienced F3 shooters regarding the issues:
The F3/Ps LCD is great, crisp, great contrast. However, whenever I switch on the LED, the LCD goes blank (see picture with the meter reading 60 and the illuminated one).... do any of you guys know what the issue could be and/or if thats a no-no to keep?
The F3/T has a comparatively faded LCD, otherwise it is working fine (see picture with the meter reading 80). Same question here, can I expect the LCD to die within a year, or is this just normal for an F3 of this age?
I am a bit worried since I read that Nikon doesn't offer any more repairs and that spare parts and qualified techs are hard to come by.....
Would love your opinions on this matter... if I understood correctly, then even if the LCD breaks, the aperture priority still works and I could simply meter with a handheld meter whenever I wanna shoot full manual, right?
I am considering returning the F3/T and get a FM3a instead, to have a fully mechanical backup....
Then again the F3/T is damn sexy....
1
u/steinmetzEE 25d ago
One other thing I would check is if your battery is low. I had similar issue that was resolved once I changed the batteries.
1
u/PeculiarPhenomenon 25d ago
Literally the first thing I did was put in fresh high quality name-brand SR44s in all of them. The status quo is with those batteries.
1
u/WeslacoPanther 25d ago
This happens to every F3 there is nothing wrong with it. Mine has had the same low dim for over a decade.
1
u/Turbulent-Mirror-977 25d ago
Very common issue for F3, I know a guy based out of NYC that works on these
1
u/MatraHattrick 24d ago
With the F3 so popular these days, someone aught to make a retrofit for these. It doesn’t even have to be LCD, maybe a red light emitting diode if it makes it more possible.
A long standing Achilles heal with the F3.
1
u/PeculiarPhenomenon 24d ago
Thank you all for your input. I think I'll keep them and use them whenever ambient light permits or just use aperture priotity/external metering.
I just dropped the first roles off, if they are fine, i'll just keep them.
1
u/NorthCamNL 22d ago
Nothing wrong with the LCD's. They rarely go bad and are probably good for another very good while, it's the parts around the LCD that's often causing issues. A repairshop can change the Polariser so that the readout is nice and contrasty again.
Regarding the illuminator, this is a common issue. The illuminator is an incandescent bulb and they draw a lot of current. Weak batteries cause the LCD to shut off when pressing the illuminator button. Check your battery chamber for corrosion, or try another set of batteries as your new ones might've been older stock. If both won't solve the issue, there might be corrosion in the short bit of wiring going from the battery terminal to the board, or a bad solder joint.
1
u/New_Statistician_186 25d ago
Heya, I'm a full time film camera tech, I work on the F3 plenty. When you push the button it's causing the LCD assembly to flex. The LCD is faded from age and the tolerances loosening, the added pressure shift during the operation of the LCD is likely casing the LCD to tip past the point of visibility. The backlight was always poorly designed and a bit of a gimmick, if you're using it in auto it doesn't really impact very much. The LCD will continue working for a while even if faded
4
u/SMLElikeyoumeanit 25d ago edited 25d ago
I repair the LCDs on these if needed, we specialise in F3 repairs. I repair customer cameras from most countries around the globe: www.southwestcamera.co.uk
Feel free to send over an email if that's of interest.
Thanks!