misplacedfocus
New member
I picked up an "As is" Nikon F3 HP off craigslist today for $30. For that money it's worth the risk. So I got it home, cleaned it up, gave it new batteries, threw a lens on it and tried to see if I could make it work.
Here's some pictures, it looks to be in solid shape imgur.com/a/lBKEA
The lady I bought it from said she used to work for a company that did their own in house photography and print processing and this was just left behind by someone, she'd never fired any shots with it.
The issue I'm having is that the film advance lever, which is supposed to be the smoothest thing ever, doesn't move. I can pull it back some but not all the way, I get a little bit but then it just stops. Since I can't advance the film, I can't fire the shutter either.
Here's what I know:
There's new Energizer 357 batteries in there. They work fine, the LCD looks good as does the timer, so no worries there.
The camera shows no physical signs of abuse or damage, it seems very well taken care of. The only things that I can see which needs replacing are the foam along the back cover and the little rubber grip on the shutter speed dial. Neither of which should impact this.
As you can see from this shot i.imgur.com/urmjSOBh.jpg the Motor drive coupling cover is gone, and I'm willing to bet that there was an MD-4 Motor drive connected to it.
I've tried this with film in the camera and without, with the door open or closed. Still no different results.
So here's where I need help. Should I:
....be doing something really obvious to get this to work that I'm just missing and can't figure out?
...or knowing that these cameras can have issues with a MD-4 has been put on for years and then gone back to just the camera body, should I just pony up for an MD-4 and hope that solves the issue?
...or should I take it to a repair shop and get their opinion. If they say it's an issue and will need repars, does it make sense to get the repairs or get an MD-4? (assuming it's not a small $25 repair or something of the like).
Any and all guidance is appreciated.
Here's some pictures, it looks to be in solid shape imgur.com/a/lBKEA
The lady I bought it from said she used to work for a company that did their own in house photography and print processing and this was just left behind by someone, she'd never fired any shots with it.
The issue I'm having is that the film advance lever, which is supposed to be the smoothest thing ever, doesn't move. I can pull it back some but not all the way, I get a little bit but then it just stops. Since I can't advance the film, I can't fire the shutter either.
Here's what I know:
There's new Energizer 357 batteries in there. They work fine, the LCD looks good as does the timer, so no worries there.
The camera shows no physical signs of abuse or damage, it seems very well taken care of. The only things that I can see which needs replacing are the foam along the back cover and the little rubber grip on the shutter speed dial. Neither of which should impact this.
As you can see from this shot i.imgur.com/urmjSOBh.jpg the Motor drive coupling cover is gone, and I'm willing to bet that there was an MD-4 Motor drive connected to it.
I've tried this with film in the camera and without, with the door open or closed. Still no different results.
So here's where I need help. Should I:
....be doing something really obvious to get this to work that I'm just missing and can't figure out?
...or knowing that these cameras can have issues with a MD-4 has been put on for years and then gone back to just the camera body, should I just pony up for an MD-4 and hope that solves the issue?
...or should I take it to a repair shop and get their opinion. If they say it's an issue and will need repars, does it make sense to get the repairs or get an MD-4? (assuming it's not a small $25 repair or something of the like).
Any and all guidance is appreciated.
