Does anyone know what's become of Nikon manual focus lenses and the F3HP and FM2N? Is Nikon discontinuing them? Or have they already been discontinued? Is what's available new currently limited to what's on the shelf?

-- grasshopper (renequan@hotmail.com), October 19, 1999

Answers

This is an interesting question, we could probably flip a coin for the answer. A few years ago I sold all my man focus Nikons and got an N90 with a selecton of D lenses and have been very pleased. I can't imagine Nikon not making at least one pro level manual camera, or can I ???....Sure I can't...

-- Dave Wilson (wbigdave@home.com), October 19, 1999.

I think as long as there is a need for manual cameras and lenses Nikon will manufacture them. There are still some photographers that use the F3, and the FM2n as a backup camera for their AF cameras, and some traditionalists want only manual focus lenses to go with their manual focus cameras . However, AF lenses can work on these cameras too, so who knows? B&H still carries a wide variety of manual lenses, so someone is buying them.

-- Jim Bridges (jcbejb@worldnet.att.net), October 19, 1999.

I gather then that nobody actually has evidence that Nikon plans to ditch the MF series.

I watched this thread with interest because all of Nikon's extra-fast lenses except for the special 28mm are MF. Ditch the MF and we lose at least half a stop in every other focal length.

-- Dave Flater (dave@flaterco.com), October 20, 1999.

Ooops, open mouth, insert foot. The MF versions are faster for 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm, which was as far as I looked.

-- Dave Flater (dave@flaterco.com), October 20, 1999.

The question isn't about fastness of the lenses or some special ones like uv-nikkors or something like that. They all can be replaced if Nikon wants them to be. In my opinion, there should be a possibility to get a MF lens as long as all AFs are near all-plastic crap. I can't find many AFs very pro-lenses because all mechanical parts are made of plastic. I trust much more to my 20 years old secondhand 300mm AI than to brand new micro105mm or 28mm/2.8 AFs with plastic bodies, plastic focusing rings and even with 2mm thick AI coupling rings.

-- Pentti Pdrndnen (pparnane@cc.hut.fi), October 20, 1999.

I don't know if this means anything, but on the back of the Canadian FM10 and FE10 brochures, the only lenses listed are autofocus lenses.

-- Jim MacKenzie (photojim@yahoo.com), October 22, 1999.

I've heard it implied (from unofficial sources) that F3HP production had ceased about two years ago, and that FM2Ns were being made in South Korea. However, I can't figure out why Nikon would release the AS-17 (allows TTL-flash on an F3 with "regualr Nikon TTL flashes) for a "dead" product. My guess is that Nikon didn't want to make both the SB-21A/B and the SB-29 (and I believe that now more F3HPs are used by lab technicians would need ringlights than Photo Journalists who could care less).

If we are limited to "what's on the shelf", remember that for three years the N6006 has been out of production and yet is remarkably easy to find. Also, even if the last F3HP rolled of the production line in '97, there are seventeen years worth of "spare parts" cameras out there.

-- Geoffrey S. Kane (grendel@pgh.nauticom.net), October 27, 1999.

In our modern time, costs are a subject for everybody. The costs of the making of MF-lenses seems to be higher than for AF-lenses, where lots of parts are made of plastic. Excluding the AF-S, that's for sure. Nikon must take care of that. On the other hand, Nikon's name is standing for high quality products. High quality doesn't mean the optical system only, it means also the mechanical parts of the lenses. In this matter, nothing seems to be better than the MF-lenses. As long, as there are people around the world, who like to buy the MF- lenses just because of there " being made like a tank", Nikon will follow the rules of the market. As well, there are lots of MF-lenses, which aren't available in an AF-version. Like the 35mm f1,4; the NOCT; the 800mm f5,6 for example. As well, lots of the MF-wide angles are having CRC, the new AF doesn't. The story around the F3 showes us, that Nikon is watching carefully to market. The situation is, that the F3 is still available, while the F4 dies. Geoffrey, as that story of the F3 traveled around many papers and mags, Nikon wrote there own comment to this matter and placed it in the Nikon News. A part of this comment:...the F3 is definitely still made.... This is two years ago and the situation may be different today. I don't think, that the new AS-17 shall show us, that the F3 will not die. I'm believing, that the AS-17 is just "being present" on a part of the market, where other brands (like Metz) are selling.

Jim, the reason for the listed AF-lenses may be, that this cameras aren't really prof. models. So the customer, who are buying those cameras don't like to spend twice of the money for a lens, they had spent for the set.

Making a long story short, just a question: Who of us is feeling save and comfortable when using a pretty good optical system, "living" in a plastic housing? And using this lens while traveling. Who of us didn't found himself carrying lots of batteries, just for being sure that the modern camera will work? As long as we like to buy those "tanks", we may find a company, which is selling them. As for myself, I will not sell any of my MF-parts, not a lens and not a body. A compromize is, that I'm buying a cheaper AF then, when I don't use this lens very often.

Many greetings and good luck with your shooting. Ralf And thanks for being patient with my poor English.

-- Ralf Grambrock (101.51955@germanynet.de), November 04, 1999.

With the AS-17 coming out, I doubt the F3 is dead. I figured that its release means that the F3 will continue being available but the SB-16 will get discontinued.

I wouldn't worry about the FM2n. It's the only mechanical-shutter backup body sold by N, C, or M for their current lens lines. Anyone who's had their batteries die without backups appreciates that.

-- John O'Connell (joconnell@adelphia.net), November 04, 1999.

Both of these cameras are still listed in the big Nikon Product catalog along with a listing of manual focus lenses (including ones that are discontinued.) Nikon obviously recognizes that there are some applications in which non-battery (except for the button battery in the F3hp) dependent cameras are necessary.

-- Ellis Vener (evphoto@insync.net), November 12, 1999.

That Nikon USA chooses not to encourage manual focus products, and the B & H salesmen consistently hint manual focus cameras and lenses may no longer be made so buy what we have now, fuels this rumor. If you go to Nikon Japan's website, any product listed is current production. Nikon Japan specifically identifies discontinued products.

-- DJ Soroka (DJ2SOROKA@msn.com), January 17, 2000.